Finasteride/Propecia side effects resolution?

Hi guys,

I started taking finasteride in November and stopped at the end of January. It's mid April now and I'm still suffering side effects.

Does anyone know how I can resolve this? Should I see a doctor or will it get better in time?

I should add that I seem to have good days and bad days. One day I think I'm getting over it, the next I have low sensitivity and my dick doesn't working properly.

:(

Hi Chris

Sorry to hear that. What sides are you having and is there any chance they could be caused by anything else? (other meds, stress, etc).

If you are going forward with you HT be very careful as without Propecia, you may end up in a difficult situation in a few years. Bearing in mind that you are a UK guy, maybe contact Dr Farjo for advice about Propecia sides?

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Originally Posted by 8868alex

Hi Chris

Sorry to hear that. What sides are you having and is there any chance they could be caused by anything else? (other meds, stress, etc).

If you are going forward with you HT be very careful as without Propecia, you may end up in a difficult situation in a few years. Bearing in mind that you are a UK guy, maybe contact Dr Farjo for advice about Propecia sides?

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Cheers 8868alex.

My side effects (graphic warning!) are basically lower sensitivity in the penis, harder to orgasm, less ejaculate.

I've never had these problems before until I started taking finasteride and there's nothing going on in my life besides this that could have caused it.

Accept your point about the HT. It's something I plan to talk over in my consultations before I reach a decision. Does Dr Farjo even acknowledge side effects? It seems to be the case that most doctors don't take them very seriously.

chrisis; I realize it may be a long shot, but perhaps the use of Loratadine may, in fact, give some sort of resolution to your persistent sides. Perhaps not, but by my books it's undoubtedly worth a shot!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm reiterating from the previous thread, but it definitely seems worth a try to me in order to test the validity of samjone's claim, something that only people experiencing persistent sides are able to do, and for the benefit of others.

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Originally Posted by samjone36
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15913872

Use the link above and see for yourself. Claritan (Loratadine) has been clinically determined to solve erectile dysfunction in men. I suffered from sexual dysfunction for many years after discontinuing propecia and stumbled upon this by accident. I tried Claritan for an allergy and the next day I noticed that I had regained full erectile function. Try it please and never give up hope.

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Cheers,
All the best.

I'll look into it, thanks! I guess it will need to be prescribed.

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Originally Posted by chrisis

I'll look into it, thanks! I guess it will need to be prescribed.

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Glad to hear, mate. Maybe it'll clear everything up, who knows, really?

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Originally Posted by chrisis

Cheers 8868alex.

My side effects (graphic warning!) are basically lower sensitivity in the penis, harder to orgasm, less ejaculate.

I've never had these problems before until I started taking finasteride and there's nothing going on in my life besides this that could have caused it.

Accept your point about the HT. It's something I plan to talk over in my consultations before I reach a decision. Does Dr Farjo even acknowledge side effects? It seems to be the case that most doctors don't take them very seriously.

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Farjo is the only IAHRS doctor in the Uk. I think he would be better than asking your GP. Maybe a place to start, at least.

I will send an email. Thank you! :)

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Originally Posted by chrisis

Does Dr Farjo even acknowledge side effects? It seems to be the case that most doctors don't take them very seriously.

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Hi Chrisis, I'm really sorry to hear that your situation hasn't improved in the past few months. As you may have spent some time looking at some of the individual reports of such situations online very few have been fortunate enough to come across a recovery. However you should definitely follow up with the proper doctors (endocrinologists/urologists) to see if you have developed problems from a non-Propecia related cause that may be curable.

You can also try pursuing an appointment with hair transplant surgeons but sadly I don't think they will take you seriously. To the best of my knowledge Dr. Farjo does not accept the possibility of finasteride causing long-term problems but who knows how he will respond to the FDA's recent warning revision.

Lastly and most importantly, I suggest you follow up with your case to the FDA's medwatch reporting bureau. Only a small proportion of men that have developed problems from finasteride have reported their cases to the FDA. When more men submit their reports it makes it more likely that the FDA will strengthen their warnings which will likely drum up interest in research from the medical community.

By the way, there have been other guys on this forum that developed side effects from the drug that did not reverse and had actually posted on the forum before ever trying the drug. It is very possible these side effects are much more common than is possibly thought but severely under-reported for many reasons. Good luck.

My advice is to wait it out a few more months and if you are still not better go to your Dr and have your hormone levels checked. I slowly got better but never better enough to be called normal. I waited and waited and should have gone to my Dr sooner. Good luck!!

Thanks for your reply Soothsayer. Men in general are notorious for failing to seek medical help. If this was a drug for women, you can be sure this would be a widely known issue.

I can't quite understand why doctors are not accepting how serious this situation is. Unless they're getting paid by Merck, what incentive do they have to deny what's plain for all to see? I'm not accusing anyone here, I just don't get it. One day we'll look back on this drug like we look at smoking, mark my words.

I will report my case to the FDA. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Originally Posted by mpb47

My advice is to wait it out a few more months and if you are still not better go to your Dr and have your hormone levels checked. I slowly got better but never better enough to be called normal. I waited and waited and should have gone to my Dr sooner. Good luck!!

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Thanks mpb47. How long did it take and how close to "normal" did you get? I think a doctor appointment might have to be sooner rather than later.

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Originally Posted by chrisis

Thanks for your reply Soothsayer. Men in general are notorious for failing to seek medical help. If this was a drug for women, you can be sure this would be a widely known issue.

I can't quite understand why doctors are not accepting how serious this situation is. Unless they're getting paid by Merck, what incentive do they have to deny what's plain for all to see?

I will report my case to the FDA. Thanks for the suggestion.

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I'm not really sure about the gender issue, but it is very humiliating to suffer from erectile dysfunction which explains when men are unwilling to come forward or admit this to themselves. Hopefully the FDA's public warning will make this type of issue more acceptable.

I cannot say whether or not Merck is paying off doctors - directly or indirectly. Pharmaceutical companies are notorious for engaging doctors in very unethical and indirect ways to essentially persuade them to prescribe more of their safe and believe they are safe. Many of the doctors that deny this type of thing also also defending their ego and reputation and will obviously be biased around this issue. Nobody wants to think that throughout their entire career they put their clients into unwarranted risks.

On the last note, please do not forget to contact the FDA. It does not take very much time and it is the single most important thing to do at the moment to gain recognition and interest in research. I suggest others to do the safe if they are experiencing side effects after taking propecia that have not subsided within 3 months.

I'm reporting my case on the FDA website.

First thing I'd like to note is how BAD the website is designed and how the questions are geared towards physicians rather than patients.

Any wonder there's so much confusion? It's as if it's intentional. :rolleyes:

e.g.:

2. Outcomes Attributed to Adverse Event (Check all that apply)

Death (MM/DD/YYYY)
Life-threatening
Hospitalization - initial or prolonged
Disability or Permanent Damage


6. Relevant Tests/Laboratory Data, Including Dates
up to a total of 2000 characters allowed

It gets worse:

http://i.imgur.com/ZsKmI.jpg

Actually the manufacturer for mine is Cipla. I bought the generic. Maybe the FDA won't be interested in that case. Someone should be... it's the same stuff.

Each section is increasingly difficult. I can see many men giving up but I'm determined to complete it even if it's not accurate or relevant to me.

I note that it asks for the state of the manufacturer of the drug. India obviously isn't a "state". I'm not sure if they're going to be interested in generic drugs purchased from another country, by someone living in another different country. Essentially the drug is the same, so each report should count regardless!

I wonder if there's anything else I can do that is more specific to my situation.

Ok I've basically had to cancel it all. It's just not relevant to me living in England.

I'm glad I at least identified how difficult it is to report side effects. I can only suggest they make it that hard on purpose.

Any other ideas to report the drug, anyone? I could write to fincar and the UK drug regulator, which appears to be: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/

Seems the FDA is the kingpin though, so it's a shame I couldn't submit my feedback to them.

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Originally Posted by chrisis

Ok I've basically had to cancel it all. It's just not relevant to me living in England.

I'm glad I at least identified how difficult it is to report side effects. I can only suggest they make it that hard on purpose.

Any other ideas to report the drug, anyone? I could write to fincar and the UK drug regulator, which appears to be: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/

Seems the FDA is the kingpin though, so it's a shame I couldn't submit my feedback to them.

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I urge you to go back and try to submit again. You can clearly state you are from the UK and you used an international generic drug. While they may discount the significance of the report a little to the the drug being Fincar it will not matter that you are from the UK. The FDA is interested in protecting more than just US citizens.

To help with your questions - You should put your situation as being 'disability or permanent damage'. Other men who take the drug develop severely crippling cognitive and mood problems which could be considered life threatening but fortunately this did not happen to you.

They are mostly interested in the particular manufacturer to find out if there was a bad batch of finasteride that was produced that could be pinpointed to a specific plant. If there are no sections to to suit your needs, I suggest doing whatever you can and then just leaving a comment in the spot where you can write it up.

You could also wait till you get some lab work done at a doctor, this may actually make sense. You will likely get a hormone profile taken to see if your problem can be remedied through hormone supplementation if your levels are too low.

It really is extremely important that you do this so I urge you to not stop. It also makes sense to submit your information to the MHRA though they do not carry the same level of significance as the FDA but they have been more receptive to changing the label much earlier.

They ask what state I'm from and zip code. I'd have to make it up? It's shocking how hard it is to report side effects, even if I was resident in America. There are about 10 pages and the questions are repetitive and geared towards healthcare professionals. It's embarrassingly bad.

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Originally Posted by chrisis

Thanks mpb47. How long did it take and how close to "normal" did you get? I think a doctor appointment might have to be sooner rather than later.

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It was about a year and I think the fact that I exercised regularly helped. If I stopped exercising the anxiety would start coming back but not nearly as bad as before. My sex drive came back from nothing but was still something I had to really work at. I had always had a "drive" on the high side before fin. Fast forward a few years I went back to school and gained a bunch of weight as I no longer had time to study and stayed up all night doing class and homework. Things start going back downhill again and kept getting worse and worse till I HAD to go to my Dr in order to function. I was so tired that it would take me hours to get out of my house on the weekend. I was late to work everyday. I woke up every morning in a stupor
My dr ran tests and says I have symptoms of mbs- which means you are close to having several serious medical problems if you don't get your act together real soon. Ironically 2 of the least serious symptoms are Low T and baldness. How they can happen at the same time I don't understand but that is what they say. I have been on a low dosage of T since last month and already feel much better. The stupor is gone, the anxiety/depression gone, energy has shot up and weight already dropping. Drive is high again, probably higher as I wake up feeling 18 in the morning.

Some people blame mbs on Fin but I think Fin may have made me vuneralable but the weight is what really triggered it.

Good luck and please don't procrastinate too long like I did...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mpb47

It was about a year and I think the fact that I exercised regularly helped. If I stopped exercising the anxiety would start coming back but not nearly as bad as before. My sex drive came back from nothing but was still something I had to really work at. I had always had a "drive" on the high side before fin. Fast forward a few years I went back to school and gained a bunch of weight as I no longer had time to study and stayed up all night doing class and homework. Things start going back downhill again and kept getting worse and worse till I HAD to go to my Dr in order to function. I was so tired that it would take me hours to get out of my house on the weekend. I was late to work everyday. I woke up every morning in a stupor
My dr ran tests and says I have symptoms of mbs- which means you are close to having several serious medical problems if you don't get your act together real soon. Ironically 2 of the least serious symptoms are Low T and baldness. How they can happen at the same time I don't understand but that is what they say. I have been on a low dosage of T since last month and already feel much better. The stupor is gone, the anxiety/depression gone, energy has shot up and weight already dropping. Drive is high again, probably higher as I wake up feeling 18 in the morning.

Some people blame mbs on Fin but I think Fin may have made me vuneralable but the weight is what really triggered it.

Good luck and please don't procrastinate too long like I did...

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What does MBS stand for? I myself have low T and the same lack of energy you describe. I've been to the doctor and they can't find an explanation for it.

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Originally Posted by WashedOut

What does MBS stand for? I myself have low T and the same lack of energy you describe. I've been to the doctor and they can't find an explanation for it.

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Metabolic syndrome. It means being fat, high cholesterol, pre diabetes , high blood presure, Low T and sometimes baldness .

my T level was low but still considered normal. But the medicine has made a huge difference in the way I feel. The weight is already coming off, I don't need as much sleep, no more aches and pains, morning stupor etc. All the stuff that FIN started and MBS made worse.

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Originally Posted by chrisis

I should add that I seem to have good days and bad days. One day I think I'm getting over it, the next I have low sensitivity and my dick doesn't working properly.

:(

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Viagra dude.

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Originally Posted by Scorpion

Viagra dude.

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Wouldn't work. Viagra just increases bloodflow to the penis. It can not address the hormonal damage that finasteride does.

Anyone else have suggestions on this? I'm getting more worried the longer this is taking to resolve. A visit to the doctor looms.