Been off Minoxidil 5% for 7 months, however erectile dysfunction still persists

[DesperatelyNeedAdvice]

Ive read other threads of ppl experiencing erectile dysfunction from using the 5% minoxidil solution, HOWEVER no one has ever followed up and stated if their sexual function had ever returned to normal.

 

I first started off using the 2% solution and was on that for maybe 5 months. During that time I did notice that my erections were becoming a little weaker, but I never gave the minoxidil a single thought as a cause. Then I got off the stuff just because it was making my head itchy. When i discontinued it my sexual functioned returned.

 

Then about a month later I bought 5% minoxidil solution (remeber I didnt attribute my erectile dysfunction to the minoxidil when I was on the 2% so dont tell me i shouldnt of started using again as I DIDNT KNOW). About a week into being on the 5% I had noticed my erections were becoming EXTREMELY weak. Sex with my girlfriend was difficult due to not being able to sustain a real hard erection. I started waking up in the mornings without erections which was not normal at all. After about 2 weeks total of using the 5% I stopped completely.

 

Heres the problem now: This was 7 months ago! I still am NOT waking up with erections, having difficulty achieving/maintaining erections during sex, and not getting random erections at all throughout most days. Im 28 years old. Up until ever using any minoxidil I had an extremely high sex drive. And I would ALWAYS wake up in the mornings very hard--now nothing.

 

So here my question for those of you who have experienced these side effects: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR YOUR SEXUAL FUNCTION TO GO BACK TO NORMAL? Like I said its been 7 months for me now and im getting extremely sad/depressed about this. I dont even want to imagine that this is permanent. My doctor says I seem healthy otherwise. He recommended a urologist but Im pretty sure the urologist is just gonna prescribe me an ED med.

 

Serious answers please and only respond if you have gone through these symptoms.

[Wild]

I thought erectile dysfunctions were only due to propecia and never with minoxidyl.

[M&M]

I agree - this is likely psychological as there have not been reports to my knowledge of ED linked to minoxidil, only Propecia. Did you start taking Propecia at the same time? Other changes in your stress or diet?

[DesperatelyNeedAdvice]

Ive never used propecia. I never even linked the ED to the rogaine until after i got off it then researched a lot and seen on a few forums other people with the same complaints.

 

And no, this isnt psychological. Im not saying this is a common side effect. From my research ONLY A FEW people suffer from this side effect. A lot of websites say that one of the side effects can indeed be ED and reduced libido, and that it is RARE but it happens to some. Even on this website others have had the same experience.

 

Its way too much of a coincidence to believe that when i was on the 2% i developed a mild form of ED, then when i got on the 5% it got severe. Up to the very point before I even started using the 2% my sexual health was strong--I never had any issues with erections whatsoever.

 

As I was on the 5% things got worse. Even when I quit the 5% it was because it always left me with a VERY irritated and red scalp. So no, it isnt just "in my head" as I never even linked the rogaine to my ED until after I was totally off of it. I started researching this side effect because once i realized i had a serious problem I recalled back to when it had first occured and during that time the only thing I was on was rogaine.

 

Although i wish i had researched it before ever using it as if I knew there was even a small chance of ED occuring I would of never touched the stuff.

[Time to do something]

There are reports that Minoxidil can cause ED. I’d go to your primary care physician and see if you can get a referral to an Endocrinologist. They will send you for blood work to measure various things including testosterone to see what could be the physiological cause of your ED.

[mahhong]

Hi there,

 

First off I'm sorry to hear about your problem, although I'm sure everything will return to normal at some point. Also, at the risk of sounding glib, stress and worry are two really quite major cause of ED and whilst I'm not blaming those things for your problem they can't be helping.

 

The best thing you can do, as someone suggested. is take the advice of your doctor and go see a specialist (urologist and/or endocrinologist) and maybe get a blood test if you can as well. This will look at hormone levels and may be able to give you some help. That having been said, whilst I am no expert I don't think minoxidil has any effect on your hormones so I don't see that as being the problem.

 

A urologist and endocrinologist should be able to give you a good examination and hopefully shed some light on your problems. You seem to be reluctant to visit your urologist in case he just gives you drugs but nobody on these boards will be able to give you better advice than a professional at a face-to-face consultation.

 

Where did your minoxidil come from? Was it Rogaine or were you buying generic drugs from a website or ebay? I am not suggesting you were getting ineffective or bad drugs but there could be other factors at play here. Whilst there is a possible link between Minoxidil and ED there is very little useful evidence and the numbers of people who report such problems are tiny. That's not to diminish your concerns but to say that finding answers to your questions on this message board might be a little difficult and might not help you in your personal journey. What I will say though is, at 28, if you're otherwise fit and healthy, you should be able to get back to normal.

 

The best thing to do is take a deep breath, make an appointment with a specialist (whoever your doctor recommends) and go from there. This will make you feel better psychologically (more proactive, less sad and depressed) and that in itself could put you on the path to recovery. If your urologist prescribes you ED tablets then perhaps try them; if you manage to get and maintain a good erection on them then if nothing else it proves the "machine" is working, even if it needs a bit of help at the moment! That could put you on the path to recovering your sexual appetite as well.

 

I really hope and believe you'll be able to overcome this problem but the best you'll get on this messageboard is somebody else's story which, whilst helpful, will be no indication of what will happen to you and will likely worry you or give you false expectation. Are you eating well? Do you do much exercise? Do you take any other drugs? Has anything else changed in your life which may be causing or aiding the problem? The worst thing you can do is convince yourself minoxodil has permanently altered your sexual drive. Whilst it may have made some negative impact convincing yourself you've done something irreparably bad is just going to depress you and make you feel unhappy. ED from depression and worry is horrendously common, so just by being in the position you're in you could be exacerbating or even maintaining the ED problem.

 

Best thing to do is take some proactive steps with your specialist, tell yourself you're going to make yourself better, look after yourself, try to manage your stress and stay positive. I'm sure your problem will be solved and those steps may go a big way towards it. Hope all goes well with your doctor and look forward to hearing when you're back on your feet again!

[DesperatelyNeedAdvice]

Hi there,

 

First off I'm sorry to hear about your problem, although I'm sure everything will return to normal at some point. Also, at the risk of sounding glib, stress and worry are two really quite major cause of ED and whilst I'm not blaming those things for your problem they can't be helping.

 

The best thing you can do, as someone suggested. is take the advice of your doctor and go see a specialist (urologist and/or endocrinologist) and maybe get a blood test if you can as well. This will look at hormone levels and may be able to give you some help. That having been said, whilst I am no expert I don't think minoxidil has any effect on your hormones so I don't see that as being the problem.

 

A urologist and endocrinologist should be able to give you a good examination and hopefully shed some light on your problems. You seem to be reluctant to visit your urologist in case he just gives you drugs but nobody on these boards will be able to give you better advice than a professional at a face-to-face consultation.

 

Where did your minoxidil come from? Was it Rogaine or were you buying generic drugs from a website or ebay? I am not suggesting you were getting ineffective or bad drugs but there could be other factors at play here. Whilst there is a possible link between Minoxidil and ED there is very little useful evidence and the numbers of people who report such problems are tiny. That's not to diminish your concerns but to say that finding answers to your questions on this message board might be a little difficult and might not help you in your personal journey. What I will say though is, at 28, if you're otherwise fit and healthy, you should be able to get back to normal.

 

The best thing to do is take a deep breath, make an appointment with a specialist (whoever your doctor recommends) and go from there. This will make you feel better psychologically (more proactive, less sad and depressed) and that in itself could put you on the path to recovery. If your urologist prescribes you ED tablets then perhaps try them; if you manage to get and maintain a good erection on them then if nothing else it proves the "machine" is working, even if it needs a bit of help at the moment! That could put you on the path to recovering your sexual appetite as well.

 

I really hope and believe you'll be able to overcome this problem but the best you'll get on this messageboard is somebody else's story which, whilst helpful, will be no indication of what will happen to you and will likely worry you or give you false expectation. Are you eating well? Do you do much exercise? Do you take any other drugs? Has anything else changed in your life which may be causing or aiding the problem? The worst thing you can do is convince yourself minoxodil has permanently altered your sexual drive. Whilst it may have made some negative impact convincing yourself you've done something irreparably bad is just going to depress you and make you feel unhappy. ED from depression and worry is horrendously common, so just by being in the position you're in you could be exacerbating or even maintaining the ED problem.

 

Best thing to do is take some proactive steps with your specialist, tell yourself you're going to make yourself better, look after yourself, try to manage your stress and stay positive. I'm sure your problem will be solved and those steps may go a big way towards it. Hope all goes well with your doctor and look forward to hearing when you're back on your feet again!

 

 

As soon as I can afford to do it im gonna make an appointment with a urologist. The 5% minoxidil was a generic brand that I had bought from Kmart. The 2% was the off brand that walmart sells.

 

I hate to keep repeating it, and you dont know HOW BAD I wish this was the case, but this is NOT a psychological issue. During the time this all started happening I was happy, stress free, etc. The only thing different in my life was the minoxidil. I still get very turned on mentally and still have the drive for sex, but achieving and maintaining rock hard erections is very difficult now. Its gotten to the point that Im having difficulty even masturbating when im aroused cause it wont stay hard usually. Another big indication that this isnt psychological (and even my doctor said) is that I NO LONGER EVEN WAKE UP WITH ERECTIONS.

 

You know, after I got off the stuff and finally made the connection to the minox, I still didnt stress out too bad. And this was because I figured that hey, i must of applied too much of the 5%, the minox probably got in my bloodstream, but since im off it now this terrible side effect will eventually go away. So, I just waited it out and didnt think about it a lot because, like i said, you get off something and side effects should go away...right? Well, after about the 3rd/4th month I started worrying--I knew there was something very wrong. And what made me worry even more is reading on a few different forums of other people with the same problem and theyve been off it for years.

 

Not to get to graphic but it has made my penis feel like its not getting a lot of blood to it, like a numbed, lifeless feeling. Also, one of my testicles has gotten slightly smaller.

 

Before using the 5% every single day I would wake up in the mornings with a very firm hard erection--so hard that I would literally sit on the toilet a few minutes and wait for it to go down so I could urinate. Its been 7 months since Ive woken up with an erection. My doctor told me that he read about the possibility of rogaine causing ED, but hasnt came across any literature stating whether sexual disfunction will cease over time. He actually did prescribe me viagra after the visit and I took it for a week. It helped, but barely. I should also mention that I am in good shape and fit.

 

And now I am extremely depressed and sad. To some people they would just let it go, but you dont understand my life almost revolved around sex. That was one of the main activities I enjoyed the most in life. This has come as a trauma to me. The thing that bothers me the most is that I essentially did this to myself. If I would of not freaked out so bad about my thinning hair I would of never gotten on the minoxidil. I should of just let nature take its course. Ironically when I was on the 2% it did help me grow some hair back. Now my hair is the least of my worries

 

I appreciate your response and supportive words. Again, I really wish this was all just psychological..you dont know how bad I wish that. But its more than evident that it isnt. I guess my only choice is to wait it out and hope that things get better. I will see a urologist when I can but im not having much hope that one will even be able to do anything for me.

[mahhong]

As soon as I can afford to do it im gonna make an appointment with a urologist. The 5% minoxidil was a generic brand that I had bought from Kmart. The 2% was the off brand that walmart sells.

 

I hate to keep repeating it, and you dont know HOW BAD I wish this was the case, but this is NOT a psychological issue. During the time this all started happening I was happy, stress free, etc. The only thing different in my life was the minoxidil. I still get very turned on mentally and still have the drive for sex, but achieving and maintaining rock hard erections is very difficult now. Its gotten to the point that Im having difficulty even masturbating when im aroused cause it wont stay hard usually. Another big indication that this isnt psychological (and even my doctor said) is that I NO LONGER EVEN WAKE UP WITH ERECTIONS.

 

You know, after I got off the stuff and finally made the connection to the minox, I still didnt stress out too bad. And this was because I figured that hey, i must of applied too much of the 5%, the minox probably got in my bloodstream, but since im off it now this terrible side effect will eventually go away. So, I just waited it out and didnt think about it a lot because, like i said, you get off something and side effects should go away...right? Well, after about the 3rd/4th month I started worrying--I knew there was something very wrong. And what made me worry even more is reading on a few different forums of other people with the same problem and theyve been off it for years.

 

Not to get to graphic but it has made my penis feel like its not getting a lot of blood to it, like a numbed, lifeless feeling. Also, one of my testicles has gotten slightly smaller.

 

Before using the 5% every single day I would wake up in the mornings with a very firm hard erection--so hard that I would literally sit on the toilet a few minutes and wait for it to go down so I could urinate. Its been 7 months since Ive woken up with an erection. My doctor told me that he read about the possibility of rogaine causing ED, but hasnt came across any literature stating whether sexual disfunction will cease over time. He actually did prescribe me viagra after the visit and I took it for a week. It helped, but barely. I should also mention that I am in good shape and fit.

 

And now I am extremely depressed and sad. To some people they would just let it go, but you dont understand my life almost revolved around sex. That was one of the main activities I enjoyed the most in life. This has come as a trauma to me. The thing that bothers me the most is that I essentially did this to myself. If I would of not freaked out so bad about my thinning hair I would of never gotten on the minoxidil. I should of just let nature take its course. Ironically when I was on the 2% it did help me grow some hair back. Now my hair is the least of my worries

 

I appreciate your response and supportive words. Again, I really wish this was all just psychological..you dont know how bad I wish that. But its more than evident that it isnt. I guess my only choice is to wait it out and hope that things get better. I will see a urologist when I can but im not having much hope that one will even be able to do anything for me.

 

Thanks for your reply. I completely understand how upset you must be and this is the right place to vent your personal frustrations as people can understand and empathise.

 

It's interesting that you say your desire for sex remains but your physical ability to get and maintain erections has diminished. This would be potentially consistent with minoxidil since where propecia users with ED tend to have less drive for sex overall (due to diminished DHT) your symptoms sound different.

 

I don't know enough about the situation to say it's definitely psychological and of course we have to take into consideration how convinced you are it's the minoxidil that has done this. Seeing the urologist is important now and getting a blood test might also be a good idea, so you're on the right track. I know how difficult this must be and I don't want to sound like a bad counsellor but try to stay optimistic and look after yourself until you get the answers. You seem convinced a urologist won't be able to help when in reality they have lots of potential options for you to try and may have more answers than you think. It sounds like you're convinced this is permanent and not going to get better but you have a good chance of getting back to normal and there are lots of options for you.

 

Finally you'd probably be best not to read so much on the internet, as contradictory as that may sound. The internet is a fantastic resource but, the problem with it is, there are virtually endless stories and medical cases and very little quality control and you can end up reading yourself into a state. Don't take other people's stories as hard fact and convince yourself you won't be the same again. This will only sadden you further, make it more difficult to see fact from fiction and work yourself up into complete terror. All you know is your own case and that's the only one worth worrying about. You can type in pretty much anything and find evidence of it. Did you know minoxidil has been touted by many as a great way to enhance erections? I know that probably sounds like a sick joke to you, but it's just another example of how wide ranging and unverifiable the stories on the net are.

 

Once you've seen your urologist I'm sure you'll feel better and more hopeful. You may need some meds to kickstart your erectile ability or some tests to determine exactly what's wrong but your urologist will have seen more men with ED than they've had hot dinners and all of them are probably worried, convinced their sex life is over and terrified something is badly wrong. In reality most men get back to normal through some combination of treatments, tests and advice and at 28 you're in great stead to be one of those guys.

 

I am not a doctor so please don't take what I am about to say as fact (it's mere conjecture) but the reason Minoxidil has been touted as a cure for ED is because it widens blood vessels. In theory this should allow more blood to get to the vessels in the penis and give you stronger erections. However my understanding is that this could, potentially, cause some damage to blood vessels in certain individuals susceptible to it (though it's rare), especially if it is combined with some mild trauma (which could potentially be defined as excessive sex, rough sex, or use of penis enlargement tools or the such like). Therefore (and this is purely my layman opinion, I must add) I would assume it is possible you might have temporarily damaged some blood vessels in your penis. However I stress temporarily since blood vessels are sturdy so-and-so's and built to last. In addition there are medical and surgical options when it comes to repairing or fixing blood vessel problems.

 

Anyway that is one person's uninformed opinion based on some basic observations and reading. Your urologist will know much more and may completely rule out anything like that. Nevertheless there are lots of options whatever the cause may be so look forward to sorting yourself out and try to stop convincing yourself you're permanently damaged!

[DesperatelyNeedAdvice]

Guys i had my T tested and i am well in the normal range. I tested at 619 and the normal range for my age, according to the nurse, is 241-837.

 

I am beginning to believe that the Minox either damaged blood vessels or messed with another hormone curcial to sexual function like DHT.

 

I am so frusterated!

[j1j9j85]

get your oestrogen checked...... to much oestrogen or 2 little in relation to test will result in ED!!!!!!!!

 

minox isnt whats wrong here im sure there is some thing else at play go to your DR as ED is linked to heart problems and many other conditions etc etc

 

[helpmeplease]

Guys i had my T tested and i am well in the normal range. I tested at 619 and the normal range for my age, according to the nurse, is 241-837.

 

I am beginning to believe that the Minox either damaged blood vessels or messed with another hormone curcial to sexual function like DHT.

 

I am so frusterated!

 

Hi despera...

 

I have been suffering the same problem since 5 years ago, although I started minoxidil with small proportion of progesterone + propecia

 

ED started gradually since 5 years ago, and unfortunately it got worse by passing years.

I stopped using all the drugs due to this problem about 3 years ago, but my sex drive didn't return at all till now, and I'm here to ask for your help or any one else advice !

 

I was going to check my Testosterone but after reading your post which yours was within normal range, I face with dilemma,

 

what should I do? please help !

Edited May 18, 2012 by helpmeplease

[1978matt]

I think it is sometimes forgotten that sex drive drops in normally healthy men, even those not taking any kind of medication. This certainly happened to me in my early 30s.

 

Definately do some research on that before attributing anything to the medication you have taken. Personally I don't believe Minoxidil alone would make a blind bit of difference.

[Reincarnated]

Hey matt,

 

I hope all is well now and you have recovered from ED.

 

But I just wanted to tell my story. I used rogaine for 10 days and got every symptoms like you.

 

I have recovered now and back to normal. I had ED but I am not sure what helped me.

 

However the week where i got it back, I did the following.

 

1) Ate pumpkin seeds

2) had heavy whisky with my friends, I guess my liver started to functioning back normal with that.

 

Cheers

[london81]

I've never heard of sexual Dysfunction from Minoxidil!

[jaw123]

Hi DesperatelyNeedAdvice,

 

I know it's been a while now, but I was hoping you could update us on your situation.

 

I have exactly the symptoms you describe but am still on Minoxidil.

Did you eventually manage to fix the ED?

 

Thanks,