My 6-month experience with Finasteride: My battle through side effects.

[DifferentLine]

So I've been on fin for just over 6 months now, and throughout most of this time I've been suffering moderate sides, up until about a month ago. My side effects include: Testicle pain, intermittent penile numbness, watery ejaculate and low sex drive.

To combat this I've been experimenting with lower dosage amount and frequency, but the sides still persisted to some degree.

A couple of months ago I took a 2 week break from the drug, and then started to wean myself back onto it. Starting with taking 0.5mg every third day, and building myself up to taking 1mg every day. I'm glad to say that I've been side effect free on 1mg for about a month ago, I literally feel the same as I did before I started taking the drug.

I can't say thats it done a whole lot for my hair so far, but I attribute this to playing around with the dosage so much. I think that given time on 1mg, the drug will work once my hormones are completely settled.

I don't know how valuable this account will be, but I just wanted to let people know that in my experience you shouldn't give up the drug if you get side effects straight away.

[BigThinker]

Your account is valuable. Thanks for sharing.

I don't know. I've been getting sides comparable to yours too. Not bad enough to interfere with my life, but bad enough for me to notice them.

I might take a few days off from fin and go super low dose for a few days, then get back up to 1.25 mg.

I don't know that it's done shit for my hair either but I think 7 months is premature to know with certainty.

[irishpotatoes322]

Im in the same boat as you two as far as moderate sides since the onset of treatment. Threads like these, even if few and far between, give me some hope that my sides will also eventually fade. At the moment im only taking .25mg once a week (2 1/2 months in) , i know that sounds crazy but its stabilized my loss and the mental sides are all but gone, sexual ones still hanging around. Waiting for an anti aromatase inhibitor supp i ordered to see if that helps any before i think about upping my dose.

[Notcoolanymore]

I have been on fin for about 3 months now and I still get a mild ache in testicles every now and then. No other sides to report. I just jumped right into taking fin at 1mg per day. I think it is smart to start off on smaller doses and just increase your dose over time. I have heard a number of people on these forums do this and it helps reduce sides.

[DifferentLine]

I might take a few days off from fin and go super low dose for a few days, then get back up to 1.25 mg.

If you're planning on tapering back onto it, I think it'd be a lot more important to lower the frequency in which you take the drug, rather than the amount, and get back to taking 1 tablet a day that way.

I found that my side effects got worse the more often I took it (it didnt really depend that much on the dosage)

Im in the same boat as you two as far as moderate sides since the onset of treatment. Threads like these, even if few and far between, give me some hope that my sides will also eventually fade.

I completely know how you feel, I really did think the side effects would never go away and was pretty low at some points.

[darryls]

If you're planning on tapering back onto it, I think it'd be a lot more important to lower the frequency in which you take the drug, rather than the amount, and get back to taking 1 tablet a day that way.

I found that my side effects got worse the more often I took it (it didnt really depend that much on the dosage)



I completely know how you feel, I really did think the side effects would never go away and was pretty low at some points.

thats the first ive heard it depends on frequency and not dose?