Propecia and ED

[25 going on 65]

25 going on 65, i appreciate your input but i started this thread as a means to find solutions for combatting e.d. post finasteride use. i was on finasteride for 14 months and in that time i KNOW i suffered from e.d.--how severe or permanent is yet to be determined. i use the scientific method when taking any medication, i.e. i keep a close monitor on my body, and i don't manifest side effects where there are none. i am an athlete and have kept my body in tip top shape as well as my diet. it is not, in my case, a coincidence that i now have e.d. after taking finasteride for 14 months.

what i, and many men, need now is guidance with combatting and hopefully reversing these side effects in a natural way, i.e., herbs, supplements, etc, etc.

You won't likely need any supplements or herbs after quitting fin. Most men see their side effects reverse on their own after quitting. If this isn't the case for you, I can't really add anything to what others have recommended here, though my first step would be to see an endocrinologist.
If you are worried about a smooth recovery, tapering more slowly than what you propose would probably be a safer bet. If I understand correctly you plan to take .5 mg every couple days and then stop; I would consider halving the dosage every month or two and then quitting once it's too inconvenient to cut the pills smaller.
I'm not a doctor so I should tell you to consult with the prescribing physician about your tapering method. However my guess is that he or she will tell you to "just quit and you'll be fine," which is OK for most men but would increase the risk of a rocky "recovery" for those who are more prone to post-fin issues. I have no problems on fin and when/if I quit the drug, even I plan to taper slowly instead of quitting all at one time.

[UK_]

hey uk, thanks for the info--it does not say, however, what dosage of zinc is necessary to get things moving in the right direction?

It's difficult to say even if Zinc will have an effect, people who have been afflicted by PFS have gone to extremes (taking DHT steroids such as Proviron) only to see their rapid week-long improvement crash and them return to baseline sometimes with even WORSE side effects this time around.

There really is NO WAY of 'curing' PFS, researchers have no idea as to why it occurs or who is more likely to be susceptible, my best guess is the drug [for some people] has inflicted some sort of intracellular downregulation of 5AR activity, which has had an impact on the release of key neurosteroids such as progesterone (research exists that shows BOTH types of 5AR play a role in the synthesis/aromatization of SOME neurosteroids). This has then had a knock-on effect on some kind of doperminergic/serotonin neurotransmission parameter as the side effects (absent orgasm, genital numbness, brain fog) associated with persistent SSRI sexual dysfunction is VERY similar almost exactly the same as PFS symptoms.

There's simply no single set solution available yet to resolve PFS, your only option is to see your doctor and get a full hormonal profile done.