Calling All Users of Finasteride (Propecia)! Your Attention/Participation is Needed!

[Balding Bad]

So we're all aware of the potentially frightening side effect of reduced libido and erectile dysfunction (ED) from being on Finasteride (Propecia).

I have been toying with the idea of starting Fin, in fact I've got a bottle of Fin right next to me and have had it for about a month now, but I simply haven't taken it because I fear that I may succumb to the dreaded side effects.

So this question is to BOTH those people who have had success on it and those who haven't had success.

I want to know to those who have faired well on it, did you experience 0 side effects, specifically no drop in libido and absolutely no ED? Or was there a very mild form of it that eventually went away? And if so, did you experience BOTH a drop in libido and a weaker erection/difficulty maintaining an erection or was it one side effect over another? Was there the slightest impact to you sexually at all?

To those who haven't faired as well on it, at what point did you experience the dropped libido and/or ED? Did you experience BOTH dropped libido and ED or was it one over another? When you did stop taking Fin how long did it take before you thought you were back to normal? Do you feel that you made a full recovery from the side effects or has it become permanent for you?

Thank you everyone in advance for your participation!

BB

[BaldingEagle]

Have taken finasteride three times total in my life, I'll summarize each time.

At 21 for 3 months. Mild libido drop, watery semen. No issues with erections, no brain fog. I discontinued due to cost. College killed me. Both sides went away 100% about 2 weeks later.

At 24 for 1 month. Mild libido drop, watery semen again. Stopped due to prescription ran out, kind of stop caring since loss was mild. Sides went away in around 1-2 weeks again.

At 26 for 4 months and ongoing now. Mild libido drop, watery semen, occasional fatigue. The fatigue is possibly stress induced since I'm getting ready to move. Drastic hair improvement already, family and dermatologist were very shocked recently by my improved density. Crown has filled 100% in only 4 months.

Never experienced ED on it, just about 20-30% less urge for sex, which has its upsides. Never one failed to perform for my wife.

I'm also in the top responder category according to my dermatologist. Cosmetically significant regrowth isn't common at 4 months, if ever. But I'm proof it's possible.

My review of finasteride would be 7/10.

Pros:

Thickens and completely halts my loss.

Easy to take a pill everyday.

Only thing we have that really works.

Generic is cheap.

Cons:

Very mild to severe side effect possibilities.

Hormone altering.

Who wants to take any pill that's processed by the liver everyday for years?

Conclusion:

It's the best thing we have right now and is generally safe, many popular medications cause far more harm to far more people.

It's far from a perfect treatment but it will preserve hair in most men.

Everyone needs to look at the side effects of their hair loss and weight them against possible finasteride sides.

Hope this helps.

[Balding Bad]

Balding Eagle, thank you very much for such a thorough break down of your experience on Fin.

I'm glad to hear that you responded so well to it.

Just a few follow up questions.

How were you able to determine your mild libido drop? What were you using to compare to your normal libido? Was it simply something you innately felt? Because there's always the possibility that you simply thought your libido diminished slightly because subconsciously you know it could happen.

You mentioned that each time you took Fin you developed watery semen. Was the watery semen very noticeable and was your wife able to notice it as well? I'm asking about your wife because sometimes we tend to be more perceptive to our own changes regardless of how minor it may be, but other people may not notice anything at all. Basically I'm just trying to gauge the extent of the watery semen because if it was enough so that your wife noticed as well, then that's a pretty good indicator of the side effect. Also, did the watery semen eventually go away and if so how long did it take for it to go away? Or did the watery semen stay permanent?

Also, you stopped for 3 years and 2 years respectively before starting again where you now seem to take it indefinitely, during the periods where you stopped taking it did you notice your hair begin to fall out again? Because I've read that if you cease taking it any gains you may have experienced on it will go away and also each subsequent time you start back on it, the drug's effect becomes diminished till the point where it no longer works. Clearly this isn't the case for you, but have you (or anyone else viewing this thread) heard of this before?

Thanks again for your reply!

BB

[sdsurfin]

dude just take it and see if it works for you. I tried it and it gave me obvious side effects, so I stopped. I think the potential harm it can do to your brain is a bigger deal than the nut-ache and watery semen which I experienced. Is it potentially dangerous to inhibit an enzyme that works on many levels in the body, and not really worth ****ing your body up for a cosmetic reason. yup. thems the breaks. But if you're desperate to use something, testing it out isn't gonna kill you. I will advise you not to pursue things like RU, I went down that road and the side effects were worse, and those substances are not tested for safety at all. Better things may be coming soonish, I'd say try to get on topical fin if possible or use minox and wait it out.

[Occulus]

I've been on it for about 17 years. No erection problems, though I did stop getting morning erections a few years ago, but no performance problems at all. Never grew hair on it, but it did significantly slow my hair loss (though it hasn't stopped it). I started losing my hair at about 20, and I am sure I would have been pretty bald by 30 had I not taken Proscar and Minoxodil.

[BaldingEagle]

dude just take it and see if it works for you. I tried it and it gave me obvious side effects, so I stopped. I think the potential harm it can do to your brain is a bigger deal than the nut-ache and watery semen which I experienced. Is it potentially dangerous to inhibit an enzyme that works on many levels in the body, and not really worth ****ing your body up for a cosmetic reason. yup. thems the breaks. But if you're desperate to use something, testing it out isn't gonna kill you. I will advise you not to pursue things like RU, I went down that road and the side effects were worse, and those substances are not tested for safety at all. Better things may be coming soonish, I'd say try to get on topical fin if possible or use minox and wait it out.

If we avoided everything that potentially damaged our brains we would have to ignore nearly half the medications in existence. You don't live forever I'm sorry to say. For many men slight nut ache and watery semen is nothing compared to the anxiety and depression hairloss can bring. Not to mention potentially ruin the best years of your life.

There is no evidence finasteride "****s up the body". Even PFS hasn't been proven in a causal link to finasteride. Not even in one case. The FDA received roughly 400 reports out of how many million who take the drug? After looking at said reports applied a precautionary warning and continued to allow it to be prescribed.

Watery semen and nut ache are a direct result of the prostate shrinking, nothing to do with your brain. He's asking simple questions about others experiences, not assumptions on the bro science behind possible damage.

[BaldingEagle]

Balding Eagle, thank you very much for such a thorough break down of your experience on Fin.

I'm glad to hear that you responded so well to it.

Just a few follow up questions.

How were you able to determine your mild libido drop? What were you using to compare to your normal libido? Was it simply something you innately felt? Because there's always the possibility that you simply thought your libido diminished slightly because subconsciously you know it could happen.

You mentioned that each time you took Fin you developed watery semen. Was the watery semen very noticeable and was your wife able to notice it as well? I'm asking about your wife because sometimes we tend to be more perceptive to our own changes regardless of how minor it may be, but other people may not notice anything at all. Basically I'm just trying to gauge the extent of the watery semen because if it was enough so that your wife noticed as well, then that's a pretty good indicator of the side effect. Also, did the watery semen eventually go away and if so how long did it take for it to go away? Or did the watery semen stay permanent?

Also, you stopped for 3 years and 2 years respectively before starting again where you now seem to take it indefinitely, during the periods where you stopped taking it did you notice your hair begin to fall out again? Because I've read that if you cease taking it any gains you may have experienced on it will go away and also each subsequent time you start back on it, the drug's effect becomes diminished till the point where it no longer works. Clearly this isn't the case for you, but have you (or anyone else viewing this thread) heard of this before?

Thanks again for your reply!

BB

Every time I've been off it I was at least on Rogaine. It slowed my loss significantly but I still lost some ground over those years. Finasteride stops my loss after a month if we assume the scalp itchiness is related to DHT attacking follicles. After a month finasteride stops my itching completely.

Sides aren't in my head. Finasteride shrinks your prostate a bit, which means less fluid and that equates with watery semen.

As for my lowered libido it was fairly obvious since I took notes every week. Took them prior to starting therapy and every subsequent week. The libido drop isn't significant enough for me to not crave sex, I just don't crave it as often.

That being said both sides I have experienced have went away within two weeks completely every time. As clinical research states. I've learned not to trust online anecdotes and stick with clinical data by reputable sources. There are risks with any systemic medication but the reputation of finasteride online is far more sinister than it should be. Millions take this drug and are doing just fine, even the biggest PFS researchers won't deny that the vast majority recover from any ill effects.

[Hubris]

Been on Fin since October.

- Mild reduction of libido
- No erectile dysfunction
- Significant reduction in quantity of semen
- Stopped hair loss
- Caused noticeable regrowth
- Stopped MPB itch

Overall, worth it.

[topt]

If we avoided everything that potentially damaged our brains we would have to ignore nearly half the medications in existence. You don't live forever I'm sorry to say. For many men slight nut ache and watery semen is nothing compared to the anxiety and depression hairloss can bring. Not to mention potentially ruin the best years of your life.

There is no evidence finasteride "****s up the body". Even PFS hasn't been proven in a causal link to finasteride. Not even in one case. The FDA received roughly 400 reports out of how many million who take the drug? After looking at said reports applied a precautionary warning and continued to allow it to be prescribed.

Watery semen and nut ache are a direct result of the prostate shrinking, nothing to do with your brain. He's asking simple questions about others experiences, not assumptions on the bro science behind possible damage.

Yep, its candy; BTW where did you come up with this numbers ?

[BaldingEagle]

From the FDA, Google is your friend.