I tried to post this on Reddit but it got automatically deleted for some reason. Thought I should at least share my experiences some place.
I started at 27 years old.
Noticed that I was slowly thinning for quite a while and was considering starting fin for years. My hair always looked fine (to me) in the mirror, but thinning was noticeable on pics. Took an overhead pic in natural lighting in July 2020 and almost fell off my chair. I was horrified. I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and discovered Kevin Mann. Trash hormone, you say? Started fin in the August.
Initially, I had the usual increased libido and no other noticeable sides. I started going all out pro-fin on forums or anywhere the topic came up. Over the months, my libido definitely dropped, my erections became a bit weaker, morning wood was a thing of the past, but I considered it manageable (and worth it to keep my hair).
I then noticed I was having a harder time remembering words or thinking of something then instantly forgetting what I was thinking about. Basically just weird memory problems.
I always had slight gyno from puberty. I noticed new lumps forming and then they started looking much "rounder", basically resembling actual female breasts. It is now considerably worse than it was 13 months ago. I need to get surgery.
The sad part is, my hair density increased by like 50% or more. It was AMAZING for my hair. It felt and looked as thick as it did when I was 21. The crown was still a bit thin but not noticeable unless in direct sunlight. Fin blew my expectations out of the water when it came to hair growth.
I decided to hop off 3ish weeks ago after realizing that messing with hormones forever probably isn't a good idea. All I can say is that I never believed the people who would say "you won't notice the difference until you stop". It really is true (for me at least). My libido is through the roof. I keep waking up with boners in the night, morning wood every day, my memory is a lot better, overall just feel more motivated and positive.
My plan now is to try topical dutasteride or combine a hair transplant + SMP and keep it shaved (if dut doesn't work). Basically hope to look like someone who intentionally shaves their head with a good hairline. I still refuse to be a slaphead.
This is not anti-fin propaganda. I know for a fact a lot of guys do ok on it. I do believe it affects everyone, but some are mild enough to not notice or it's seen as an acceptable trade off to keep hair. I was never worried about "post finasteride syndrome" as I truly don't believe that's a thing.
