Questions For Current & Former Long-Term Propecia/Finasteride Users

[zenmunk]

I've been on propecia so long that I can't remember what I felt like before starting it (14 years in August). If I have sides, they are so minor that they don't register after such a long time. If they exist, they've become my "new normal."

 

However, I often wonder what I'd feel like if I stop. I wonder if my overall sense of well-being would improve. That, plus staying on meds for non-medical reasons never sit too well with me, and the recent attention to finasteride side effects leaves me feeling unnerved. Also, I'd save a lot of money if I quit.

 

On the flip-side, I wonder if stopping may have bad long-term effects on my body (I know it will on my hair), because my body may have become dependent on the meds to whatever degree.

 

Propecia has been quite successful for me and the detectable sides (if any) are very minor, so it's a very hard decision. When I think about losing all of the hair I've preserved it really disturbs me, but it also disturbs me to think of what the meds may be doing to my body on levels that are not easily detectable.

 

I was wondering if other long-term finasteride users struggle with the same things. If so, what are your thoughts on the matter?

 

And, for those long-term users who have quit finasteride, I was hoping you could address the following questions:

 

1. How long were you on the meds before you quit?

 

2. How long has it been since you quit?

 

3. What were the side effects you experienced while on the meds? Or, what prompted you to quit?

 

4. Did any of your sides increase, or new ones develop, after discontinuation?

 

5. Have all of your sides resolved since stopping? If so, how long did it take?

 

6. Have you lost any hair since stopping meds? If so, how soon after? And, how much?

 

Thanks,

 

z