Propecia/Finasteride sides update - doctor visit

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  • nativer
    Member
    • Aug 2012
    • 36

    #46
    This is not rocket science.

    1. When your at home watching some hot 5 on 1 action on Pornhub, does your dick get hard?

    YES - You are fine
    NO = Stop fin

    Number 2
    Depression? Do you have thoughts about icing yourself?

    Yes = Stop fin
    No = You are fine

    Comment

    • chrisis
      Senior Member
      • Feb 2012
      • 1257

      #47
      nativer, it's more complicated than that. It's not just about erections but general libido, which is influenced by sensitivity and actual desire for sexual stimulation.

      Comment

      • chrisis
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2012
        • 1257

        #48
        Update: my fourth trip to the doctors today after a secondary blood test to rule out any other basic health issues. My health is apparently "tip top", so I've been referred to an endocrinologist in April to look at this issue deeper.

        I will keep this thread updated.

        Comment

        • UK_
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2011
          • 2691

          #49
          Originally posted by chrisis
          Update: my fourth trip to the doctors today after a secondary blood test to rule out any other basic health issues. My health is apparently "tip top", so I've been referred to an endocrinologist in April to look at this issue deeper.

          I will keep this thread updated.
          Sounds a lot like all the reports on propeciahelp - some of those guys are so numb they could confidently place a pin through the skin of the penis and feel nothing.

          Are you suffering from absent orgasm too? Do you have some days that are better than others?

          Comment

          • chrisis
            Senior Member
            • Feb 2012
            • 1257

            #50
            Originally posted by UK_
            Sounds a lot like all the reports on propeciahelp - some of those guys are so numb they could confidently place a pin through the skin of the penis and feel nothing.

            Are you suffering from absent orgasm too? Do you have some days that are better than others?
            I suffer numbness and just an overall odd tingling sensation down there a lot of the time - not a pleasant/erotic sensation at all. It's uncomfortable.

            I can still orgasm but I don't anywhere near as often (maybe twice a week compared to daily), and when I do it's not as good a feeling, less semen etc.

            I do have good days and bad days. Recently had a few bad days, where I wake up and can instantly feel the numbness and am reminded of the (so far irreversible) mistake I made a year ago.

            But hey, I guess I took the bullet for all of the people this drug is safe for.

            Comment

            • FearTheLoss
              Senior Member
              • Dec 2012
              • 1581

              #51
              Chrisis what are you doing to stop your hairloss now? and how is it working? I tried fin and got bad sides after two months so I recently quit (3 weeks ago) and I'm still not 100%

              Comment

              • chrisis
                Senior Member
                • Feb 2012
                • 1257

                #52
                Originally posted by FearTheLoss
                Chrisis what are you doing to stop your hairloss now? and how is it working? I tried fin and got bad sides after two months so I recently quit (3 weeks ago) and I'm still not 100%
                Two months is when mine hit too. I am just on minoxidil currently which has been pretty good for me. Should've been on that first instead of Propecia.

                I hope you recover from your sides, it's still early days for you.

                Comment

                • UK_
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2011
                  • 2691

                  #53
                  Originally posted by chrisis
                  I suffer numbness and just an overall odd tingling sensation down there a lot of the time - not a pleasant/erotic sensation at all. It's uncomfortable.

                  I can still orgasm but I don't anywhere near as often (maybe twice a week compared to daily), and when I do it's not as good a feeling, less semen etc.

                  I do have good days and bad days. Recently had a few bad days, where I wake up and can instantly feel the numbness and am reminded of the (so far irreversible) mistake I made a year ago.

                  But hey, I guess I took the bullet for all of the people this drug is safe for.
                  Genital numbness is commonly associated with people suffering from low testosterone, usually if the nerves themselves are able to function (and presumably they do in your case as the process of ejaculation is still functioning) then it's a case of an imbalance or loss of some potent neuroactive hormones involved in the 'sensation' aspect of sexual activity:

                  "A plausible biological mechanism to explain the association between finasteride and depression lies with neuroactive steroids, neuromodulators that are synthesized in the central nervous system itself and that are also transported to the brain from the gonads and adrenal glands."

                  "5α-reductases are a family of isozymes that play a critical role in transformation not only of testosterone but also of progesterone, DOC, aldosterone and cortisol into a host of neuro-active steroids that regulate multitude of functions in human physiology.... the neuro-active steroid hormones modulate multitude of functions in human physiology encompassing regulation of sexual differentiation, neuro-protection, memory enhancement, anxiety, sleep and stress, among others."

                  Comment

                  • chrisis
                    Senior Member
                    • Feb 2012
                    • 1257

                    #54
                    Originally posted by UK_
                    Genital numbness is commonly associated with people suffering from low testosterone, usually if the nerves themselves are able to function (and presumably they do in your case as the process of ejaculation is still functioning) then it's a case of an inbalance or loss of some potent neuroactive hormones involved in the 'sensation' aspect of sexual activity:
                    Thanks UK. I had my testosterone levels tested and they seemed to be ok, but I'm not sure how much I trust the basic tests a GP does. Maybe an endocrinologist will be able to look a bit deeper. I'm not going to give up on getting an answer and a solution!

                    Comment

                    • FearTheLoss
                      Senior Member
                      • Dec 2012
                      • 1581

                      #55
                      Originally posted by chrisis
                      Thanks UK. I had my testosterone levels tested and they seemed to be ok, but I'm not sure how much I trust the basic tests a GP does. Maybe an endocrinologist will be able to look a bit deeper. I'm not going to give up on getting an answer and a solution!
                      I hope you do get an answer to this! In my opinion finasteride needs to be taken off the market. I didn't believe in the side effects before I started taking it; I thought the side effects were all in the people's heads. Some may argue, you can't take it off the market because it works for so many men, but the fact is, since it can destroy so many men too, it shouldn't be put in anyones body for a cosmetic fix.

                      How long has minox been working for you? and how has it been working? I'm afraid to start it because of the shed!

                      Comment

                      • chrisis
                        Senior Member
                        • Feb 2012
                        • 1257

                        #56
                        I started taking it over a year go. Had a massive shed, but since then my hairline has recovered and is a lot thicker. I still have recession but that's getting fixed next week, courtesy of Dr Feriduni!

                        Comment

                        • unk
                          Member
                          • Sep 2011
                          • 68

                          #57
                          Hi Chris. I suspect that they may just offer to refer you to a private endo, since they don't believe they have a medical reason in terms of your hormones to refer you, and your good test level further confirmed that for them.

                          Just to warn you further, you shouldn't expect too much from an endo either, just because they specialise in it just makes them less general than the GP.
                          If you were to present with hypothyroid symptoms, GP's and endo's will more than likely rely on a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level, and I know they do. TSH is secreted from the pituitary in a feedback loop to request more thyroid hormones T3/T4 to be produced by the thyroid. If you aren't producing enough thyroid hormones, TSH will usually be elevated, serving to request the thyroid to produce more hormones. You could however still present with hypothyoid, yet have low TSH, if you have impared pituitary function, or even a failed hypothalamus negotiation somewhere in the feedback loop. You would assume this is general knowledge to doctors faced with hypothyroid patients daily, given treatment consensuses routinely. Apparently we shouldn't assume anything.

                          You need to become the expert yourself, so you know what you are looking for and why, and what you expect to find. I didn't have any luck myself (in the UK too), so I've kind of given up. The problem is having a doctor who is willing to treat you on an individual level, who knows what finasteride is, and understands that fiddling with DHT may have had a ripple effect on other hormones, and where he should look. I think on the NHS, a system based on providing only essential treatment, a private army might be a bit optimistic.

                          Comment

                          • BigThinker
                            Senior Member
                            • Oct 2012
                            • 1507

                            #58
                            Originally posted by chrisis
                            I started taking it over a year go. Had a massive shed, but since then my hairline has recovered and is a lot thicker. I still have recession but that's getting fixed next week, courtesy of Dr Feriduni!
                            Best wishes on the HT. As much as I can be an arrogant prick, I do care for all the members of this community, and hope you are able to resolve the sides deal as well. Take care.

                            Comment

                            • akai
                              Senior Member
                              • Dec 2012
                              • 231

                              #59
                              Aren't you supposed to take finasteride after a hair transplant? Or do the transplanted hairs stay in place after the procedure?

                              Comment

                              • dannyfc
                                Member
                                • Jun 2012
                                • 31

                                #60
                                At what point after quiting should side effects normally subdue? I'm at 10 days now and am getting worried.

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