Senior Member multiplier Posted January 2, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 2, 2011 This might sound unusual, but hear me out. I took proscar tablets, split, for about 5 years and have taken regular Propecia for another 5. In that time, I've noticed no side effects at all. This fall, I thought I was noticing more loss at the crown, so a doctor told me to try bumping my prescription from 1mg dail to 1.5mg. Last week I begun doing just that. But within 5 days, I noticed no more morning erections. And even when I had them throughout the day or during sex, it was only intermittent/semi-erect. I even felt a vague numbness like you experience when on anti-depressives. Until now, I have never had experienced ED. Is it possible an additional half dose would do this? Obviously my first course of action is rolling back to 1mg/daily and hoping the issue subsides. Seems very strange after all this time, a slight change would cause noticeable side effects. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member brentipold Posted January 2, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 2, 2011 The short answer is, yes its very possible. Its the same as when I experienced side effects from 1mg and none from .25mg. If I were you i'd stop all together and wait for your hormones to stabilize. I think by you just cutting it back to 1mg you won't see any improvement. Once ALL the side effects you are experiencing have disappeared then you should start taking again. I could be wrong about just cutting back on the dosage, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 15, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 15, 2011 Well, I dropped all finasteride 2 weeks ago and I'm not sure if I've seen any great difference. I can get erections but not as sustained. I even have a slight numbness. This is really confusing because I took fin for 10 years and experienced zero side effects whatsoever. My libido has always been high as a teenager. How could a one-week experiment affect me like this? Should I expect to be off fin altogether for a month before things are back to normal? Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Spanker Posted January 17, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2011 (I think a little numbness could help me a little) LOL I have been thinking about your post and a doctor is probably best to answer this. That said..no...I do not think one week of fin 1.5 mg could do this. I would at least consider there could be another factor. I started in Aug and have noticed less unintended "wood" (no big deal)...and "Take Two" problems...meaning I have to wait more that a few minutes for round 2 (not that I do that much anymore...). I am reluctant to point straight at the fin as the culprit but i do wonder about it. Hang in there buddy....no pun intended. Hope things get better. I am an online representative for Dr. Raymond Konior who is an elite member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. View Dr. Konior's Website View Spanker's Website I am not a medical professional and my opinions should not be taken as medical advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Einstein Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 I think it's all in your head bud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 17, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 17, 2011 I hope you're right, my friend. I'm just feeling very confused. I feel a numbness and constriction down below that I've never felt before. Even a little burning during urination which makes me think I may have an infection. I have read horror stories about people 'crashing' from stopping the medication and maybe that fear has gotten to me and is psychosomatic. It has been 2 weeks now and no morningtime or involuntary erections. In any case, I have an appointment scheduled with a top urologist this week. I cannot figure out how I've gone over a decade with zero side effects only to feel them now. I can't make sense of it. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member brentipold Posted January 18, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 18, 2011 People on the propecia board have experienced the same things you're talking about, myself included, I wouldnt buy into the whole "it's all in your head nonsense." As I've stated here multiple times, of course some ppl are going to tell you that when they have a very positive experience from taking the drug, because they themselves see no problem with it. A lot of ppl on that board experienced a "crash" after quitting the drug, and they had no major side effects while taking the drug. I myself did not, my sides simply never went away. Do you have any prostate pain? I'm assuming that you've had prostate trouble because you are taking the 5mg tab?I've experience what you're talking about once in a while. I do not think its an infection, Ive taken anti-inflammatories and it did nothing. It'll probably not persist for long and will not be bothersome after time. I believe it's more of your nervous system being inflamed then prostate or infection. If you've had prostate trouble in the past then it MIGHT be something related to that. What you want to do now is remain calm about the situation and not stress yourself out more, because that will make things worse. You have a couple of months before you should start to worry to about anything, so take the time now to relax and hit the gym. Its only been 2 weeks, sometimes it takes a month for people to start feeling better. Please keep me posted as to what your Uro. thinks, and if youre not feeling better in a few months then talk to me. Until then I'd recommend you stay away from PH.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 18, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 18, 2011 Thanks buddy. I do hear where you're coming from. I will say that reading message boards has gotten me into trouble a lot in the past with various medical problems because people post the worst possible experiences and suddenly I'm projecting them onto myself, and next thing I know I'm convinced I have them... So, today I visited what the internet considers the top urologist in Manhattan. Brilliant and nice guy. I told him about changing from 1MG to 1.5MG and he said that wouldn't have done anything. Penis, testes and prostate checked out fine. Then I told him about the sky-high levels of stress in my life (separation from wife, new city, a new job that could make or break my career). His eyes got big and he said by far more common a case than post-finasteride syndrome (which he thought was largely mental) for people in their mid-30s was self-induced stress to the point where things in the body really shut down for a bit. He took my blood just in case and wrote me scripts for Kolonpin for the next couple days and also Cialis if I wanted to try it. He also recommended a therapist which I'd already considered. In any case, I felt my body more relaxed after the appointment was done. I hope he's right. I am extremely high stress and have never had side effects from Propecia before. I'm going to really take it easy for the next 2 weeks and report back. Keep your fingers crossed and thanks again for the feedback. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 18, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 18, 2011 One more thing. The feelings of retraction/restriction and numbness only occurred starting Saturday afternoon right after I did some online reading at PropeciaHelp. Prior to that, I had just noticed slighter softness during erections. So for 4 days now I've had nervous butterflies and no sleep which I think has exacerbated things. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 18, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 18, 2011 On prostatitis "biofeedback" scenario: The Prostatitis Foundation Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member brentipold Posted January 20, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 20, 2011 High levels of stress could do this. Propecia stresses out the adrenal gland. It's what got me into the trouble im in. My cortisol levels were in the gutter. Did he test cortisol? You would need to take a 24 hour saliva test to get an accurate result. Blood tests for one time period show nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 20, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thanks Brent, I'm going to follow up with my urologist tomorrow and ask him about the blood test, although I don't anything will show up. He didn't mention a saliva test. Again, he showed no interest in the finasteride aspect, just focused completely on the mental aspect. In retrospect, the stress I've been under has been unthinkable. Was on the verge of a nervous breakdown in mid-December. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member brentipold Posted January 21, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 well like I said before.. Fin stresses out your adrenals.. with you being really stressed as it is doesn't help your situation at all, but of course your doctor is going to tell you that its all in your head and not the medication.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member balding1985 Posted January 21, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hey Multiplier, trust me these symptoms are not in year head bro! I suggest you keep following up with your urologist but if these symptoms persist, I think you should try to meet up with an endocrinologist. They ARE the experts on the endocrine system and the hormonal imbalances that we all create by taking this med! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 21, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 I appreciate the feedback, guys. I think you'd be surprised to hear my experiences of the last 4 days, though. Erections and libido have returned. I have been doing breathing exercises and shutting out all stress. I also spoke with an old friend who has never taken finasteride who had the exact same thing happen during his divorce. He had all the symptoms of inflammation and issues with prostate, but no actual infection or abnormalities. He basically worked on stress and hydration for a month and was right back to normal. Also spoke with my father (internal medicine doctor) and he wasn't the slightest bit surprised I had experienced this and also said it was highly unlikely to get that side effect out of nowhere from finasteride. Keep in mind, I have been on finasteride for 10 long years and never had a side effect. Now, did the combination of major stress combine with what Propecia does to your hormones to make the situation worse? Possibly. But how would that explain the many people who get stress-induced symptomatic prostatitis that have never taken Propecia ever? In all, I've spoken with 3 top docs and none of them could find any other evidence of side effects typically caused by finasteride, other than softer erections. BTW, I was able to get erections again with 24 hours of speaking with the doctor, reevaluating the stress in my life and relaxing with a Klonopin. Your opinions may differ, but I'm inclined to believe this is mental since the symptoms cleared up so quickly. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member multiplier Posted January 21, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 I think you should try to meet up with an endocrinologist. They ARE the experts on the endocrine system and the hormonal imbalances that we all create by taking this med! When I was having some acne last spring, I was taking both low-dose accutane + Propecia. I was so annoyed by the acne, I decided to see an endocrinologist and get a comprehensive test. All signs were very healthy/normal. Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR) Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro My Hairloss Blog » __________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member brentipold Posted January 21, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 I'm very glad to hear you have had improvement. Accutane + Propecia.. sheesh, thats a dangerous combo sir. Becareful, Accutane is already being sued for ruining peoples lives.. Propecia will be the next.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member balding1985 Posted January 23, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted January 23, 2011 Glad to hear that you have improved. I am kind of curious, after all this, are you still going to go back on finasteride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevebucknor1 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) I felt my body more relaxed after the appointment was done. I am extremely high stress and have never had side effects from Propecia before. This is really amazing and outstanding. (Promotional Link Removed by Moderator) Edited February 4, 2011 by TakingThePlunge Promotional Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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