Official Thread: Have you experienced side effects from finasteride? (Poll)

[yesplease]

8 hours ago, NARMAK said:

Personally i think it would be best for a person to get checked by a medical professional and rule out other causes first. 

I've had balls ache simply from sitting on them wrong or stretching into a position too quickly. Usually that resolves itself 

Obesity and aging particularly have an acute impact upon sexual functions and also aging in particular affects you in that area. Hence why those blue pills are out there in abundance. 

Modern society has many, many causes but what i particularly dislike is when something specific is scapegoated as the cause without proper evidence of that being the case. That's how Finasteride has got this reputation of negative things around it. Myths and half truths or overblown statistics misused. 

Definitely always a good idea to seek input form a medical professional if experiencing symptoms of any sort. 
 

But persistent testicular and/or penile aching and pain, that started after taking fin, and that was never experienced prior to taking it, and that abates once the medication is stopped, is quite clearly linked to the  medication. 
 

I’m not referring to ED, libido etc. Those aspects of sexual function are very complex and multi-factorial, and problems with them are often more difficult to ascribe to any single given cause. 
 

Pain, on the other hand, is more difficult to dismiss as being “all in your head”. 

[HairEnthusiast101]

Probably a dumb question but how much dht exactly does finasteride block on the scalp? And is it true it is better long term for keeping the crown than the hairline?

[jr1986]

I've been microdosing basically for 2 weeks, 0.2mg every second day. I understand this is nothing but I had intended to increase. Couple of days ago I got hit with brain fog about an hour after taking it and persisted most of the day. Felt dazed and exhausted. I'd say I'm still not 100%.

I skipped today and was planning to try tomorrow but I'm a bit hesitant. Being like that was not healthy. Im thinking one more shot and if I get hit again I'm going to have to stop. Disappointed as my scalp has felt great

Edited September 3, 2022 by jr1986

[general-etwan]

34 minutes ago, yesplease said:

I was not saying that testicular and genital pain was very common in ALL USERS of fin. Rather, of those that do report sides, it seems to be one that is commonly reported. Even many who otherwise do well with fin and stay on it seem to report testicular pain/aching, albeit sometimes temporarily. When I was on fin (which, in total, was a longer period of time than you have taken it thus far), I persistently experienced this symptom to varying degrees of intensity. 

 

And as an aside, I most definitely wouldn’t call a 10% incidence of any symptom or outcome anywhere near “rare”. Nor would anyone who is savvy with analyzing data and scientific/medical literature. 
 

Finally, your experience with it thus far is just that. Your experience. Not everyone’s physiology and pharmacogenetics are the same. Truly glad it’s working well for you, but your system’s ability to tolerate it is irrelevant to how others may respond to it, and does not preclude the occurrence of significant, drug induced side effects in others. 

Agree and disagree with different parts here. Yes, it's more "common" when looking at the population of side-effects-experiencers only; but testicular pain specifically has an unknown incidence rate among finasteride users; it is so low that it has not been reliably quantified. It's not near 10%. I only dropped the 10% number because I wanted to overestimate the studied incidence rate of the most common finasteride side effects, which I know are in the single digits. I think the most common ones are around 6%. 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by general-etwan

[NARMAK]

3 hours ago, yesplease said:

Definitely always a good idea to seek input form a medical professional if experiencing symptoms of any sort. 
 

But persistent testicular and/or penile aching and pain, that started after taking fin, and that was never experienced prior to taking it, and that abates once the medication is stopped, is quite clearly linked to the  medication. 
 

I’m not referring to ED, libido etc. Those aspects of sexual function are very complex and multi-factorial, and problems with them are often more difficult to ascribe to any single given cause. 
 

Pain, on the other hand, is more difficult to dismiss as being “all in your head”. 

I think this is probably a good cause and effect to lay more exclusively to Finasteride based on that single example but i think looking more broadly, there's a lot of anecdotal evidences where we can even see during clinical studies how placebo groups claimed to be affected by sides which wouldn't be at all down to the sugar pills or whatever inert thing they were given. So there is a clear body of evidence to highlight that medication isn't always responsible but a mental aspect can play a large part. 

That's why i always urge people who fear it to get fully tested to rule out other underlying causes that need to be addressed. 

Is the medication 100% safe? Nope.

Is the medication generally well tolerated? Millions of prescriptions per year in the age of the internet seem to indicate yes. 

Do a minority of overall users experience side affects that stop/reduce with reduced dosage and or discontinuance? Evidence seems to suggest so. 

That's why i find it frustrating that so many negative stories like most of the Internet are disproportionately cited as a much more common occurrence and a strong reason why a lot of guys fo end up bald because they even fear to try something with a 20+ year market age and long term scientific studies showing its effectiveness. 

I have said many times before, i wish i could have gone back 10 years ago and started it. I would have probably saved myself even more grafts, stopped my crown thinning as much as it has and that's coming from somebody who even at 31 got classed as a Norwood 2 with quite solid overall density still i would say. 

I can only imagine guys who got into a worse jam before finally giving it a go out of desperation finally drawing them into a corner to try save their hair. 

Finasteride also works best according to the long term Japanese study that was done on Norwood 3 and above for hair count. Reducing quite a bit from Norwood 4 onwards. 

3 hours ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

Probably a dumb question but how much dht exactly does finasteride block on the scalp? And is it true it is better long term for keeping the crown than the hairline?

Finasteride 1mg per day blocks approximately 41% scalp DHT. Dutasteride 0.5mg per day 51% scalp DHT. 

I decided to hop on Dutasteride and be pretty aggressive in trying to save as much hair as i could. The first 3 months took me a bit to get over sides due to the drastic drop in body DHT. 90%. However, that's because i didn't microdose or scale it up which is exactly how i would advise others to use medication. 

After, my body recalibrate and the sides abated largely. I consider mu slightly lower libido and morning wood rates in an acceptable range to try keep my hair. I have no issues imo trying to get to a stage where i would need to perform and i also am now 32 which as we age, things naturally begin to decline. 

 

[HairEnthusiast101]

1 minute ago, NARMAK said:

I think this is probably a good cause and effect to lay more exclusively to Finasteride based on that single example but i think looking more broadly, there's a lot of anecdotal evidences where we can even see during clinical studies how placebo groups claimed to be affected by sides which wouldn't be at all down to the sugar pills or whatever inert thing they were given. So there is a clear body of evidence to highlight that medication isn't always responsible but a mental aspect can play a large part. 

That's why i always urge people who fear it to get fully tested to rule out other underlying causes that need to be addressed. 

Is the medication 100% safe? Nope.

Is the medication generally well tolerated? Millions of prescriptions per year in the age of the internet seem to indicate yes. 

Do a minority of overall users experience side affects that stop/reduce with reduced dosage and or discontinuance? Evidence seems to suggest so. 

That's why i find it frustrating that so many negative stories like most of the Internet are disproportionately cited as a much more common occurrence and a strong reason why a lot of guys fo end up bald because they even fear to try something with a 20+ year market age and long term scientific studies showing its effectiveness. 

I have said many times before, i wish i could have gone back 10 years ago and started it. I would have probably saved myself even more grafts, stopped my crown thinning as much as it has and that's coming from somebody who even at 31 got classed as a Norwood 2 with quite solid overall density still i would say. 

I can only imagine guys who got into a worse jam before finally giving it a go out of desperation finally drawing them into a corner to try save their hair. 

Finasteride also works best according to the long term Japanese study that was done on Norwood 3 and above for hair count. Reducing quite a bit from Norwood 4 onwards. 

Finasteride 1mg per day blocks approximately 41% scalp DHT. Dutasteride 0.5mg per day 51% scalp DHT. 

I decided to hop on Dutasteride and be pretty aggressive in trying to save as much hair as i could. The first 3 months took me a bit to get over sides due to the drastic drop in body DHT. 90%. However, that's because i didn't microdose or scale it up which is exactly how i would advise others to use medication. 

After, my body recalibrate and the sides abated largely. I consider mu slightly lower libido and morning wood rates in an acceptable range to try keep my hair. I have no issues imo trying to get to a stage where i would need to perform and i also am now 32 which as we age, things naturally begin to decline. 

 

Is there anyway possible to get 100% dht gone? Also can you try for kids on dutasteride? That’s I why I have not tried it yet!

[NARMAK]

7 minutes ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

Is there anyway possible to get 100% dht gone? Also can you try for kids on dutasteride? That’s I why I have not tried it yet!

I'm going to strongly urge people to probably follow the medicines warnings and consult a proper medical physician for advice when trying to conceive. 

The general advice however seems to be to stop the medication whether it is Dutasteride or Finasteride and allow it to leave the system almost entirely based on its half life. Then try to conceive. 

There are people anecdotally who have conceived on the medication however i think i would personally stop it as a precaution. The health of any future children and my partner are worth infinitely more than my vanity. 

You could potentially lose a little ground if your hair loss is particularly aggressive however, i think in terms of actual long term damage, stopping the medication for the period of time required to conceive should be minimal and you can once again save the affected hair providing your hair loss is within an average range of loss. 

https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/research/dutasteride-vs-finasteride/#:~:text=The 2.5-mg dutasteride dose,92%).

This link shows 2.5mg blocks like 79% scalp DHT but you furthee reduce body DHT which is significantly suppressed already with 0.5mg.

There's unfortunately no 100% scalp DHT blocking method we have from a single medication. However, i've said in the past and people said my interpretation of this is wrong, but basically our hair is generically resistant to DHT by a certain %. My theory was that if you take that and the medication, together they could theoretically combine to halt hair loss entirely on some individuals. We know this to be true because some people practically seem to never lose more hair for decades on the medication. 

We need a new medication developed from top to bottom and i think there's a few new medications looking for FDA approval and if we can combine them with Finasteride/Dutasteride we mighr have a really, really effective regimen for younger guys to prevent hair loss in the future. Pricing however will be a big problem, and maybe we'll end up with more threads like this discussing side affects. 

[HairEnthusiast101]

4 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

I'm going to strongly urge people to probably follow the medicines warnings and consult a proper medical physician for advice when trying to conceive. 

The general advice however seems to be to stop the medication whether it is Dutasteride or Finasteride and allow it to leave the system almost entirely based on its half life. Then try to conceive. 

There are people anecdotally who have conceived on the medication however i think i would personally stop it as a precaution. The health of any future children and my partner are worth infinitely more than my vanity. 

You could potentially lose a little ground if your hair loss is particularly aggressive however, i think in terms of actual long term damage, stopping the medication for the period of time required to conceive should be minimal and you can once again save the affected hair providing your hair loss is within an average range of loss. 

https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/research/dutasteride-vs-finasteride/#:~:text=The 2.5-mg dutasteride dose,92%).

This link shows 2.5mg blocks like 79% scalp DHT but you furthee reduce body DHT which is significantly suppressed already with 0.5mg.

There's unfortunately no 100% scalp DHT blocking method we have from a single medication. However, i've said in the past and people said my interpretation of this is wrong, but basically our hair is generically resistant to DHT by a certain %. My theory was that if you take that and the medication, together they could theoretically combine to halt hair loss entirely on some individuals. We know this to be true because some people practically seem to never lose more hair for decades on the medication. 

We need a new medication developed from top to bottom and i think there's a few new medications looking for FDA approval and if we can combine them with Finasteride/Dutasteride we mighr have a really, really effective regimen for younger guys to prevent hair loss in the future. Pricing however will be a big problem, and maybe we'll end up with more threads like this discussing side affects. 

So taking fin 5 times a week and Dut once wpild halt it? Isn’t Dut only sold in .5mg or atleast that’s what I have. Also it is stronger for crown than hairline correct?

[general-etwan]

According to another study it's 64% reduction in scalp DHT from 1 mg of Finasteride. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10495374/

[NARMAK]

2 hours ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

So taking fin 5 times a week and Dut once wpild halt it? Isn’t Dut only sold in .5mg or atleast that’s what I have. Also it is stronger for crown than hairline correct?

Just to clarify, taking 1mg Finasteride everyday = 41% scalp DHT reduction. 

Dutasteride 0.5mg everyday = 51% scalp DHT reduction. 

You basically need to be on each respective medication at least once a day for an entire week. Some choose to take Finasteride 6 times a week and Dutasteride once a week to try boost the DHT blocked, but then they also may slowly transition over completely to Dutasteride. 

0.5mg Dutasteride is usually the standard dosage sold off label, which is what i'm using. 2.5mg like that study isn't readily available. If i had to guess, it's much more specifically used for prostate affected individuals. The lower dosage medications of both Finasteride and Dutasteride are aimed for hair loss. Finasteride is FDA approved for hair loss in the US but Dutasteride isn't because the manufacturer never applied to have it recognised. However, in Japan it is approved. The FDA imo isn't the be all and end all for approving drugs. 

[Yaz123]

Had some pain in the testes for the first few days, now the pain has subsided. No depression and problem with the morning wood. I was really scared about those sides, but I guess I got lucky

[Gatsby]

Just now, Yaz123 said:

Had some pain in the testes for the first few days, now the pain has subsided. No depression and problem with the morning wood. I was really scared about those sides, but I guess I got lucky

Great news! 👍

[Yaz123]

Just now, Gatsby said:

Great news! 👍

Hey @Gatsby does fin and minox help with strengthening the donor Area? I was told to take it for like 6m-1y before transplant 

[Gatsby]

Just now, Yaz123 said:

Hey @Gatsby does fin and minox help with strengthening the donor Area? I was told to take it for like 6m-1y before transplant 

Yes it certainly does @Yaz123. I would take it for 12 months and no less. 👍

[Yaz123]

Just now, Gatsby said:

Yes it certainly does @Yaz123. I would take it for 12 months and no less. 👍

I heard that minox is meant for the Crown area, so I'm guessing the fin helps with donor Area 

[Gatsby]

2 minutes ago, Yaz123 said:

I heard that minox is meant for the Crown area, so I'm guessing the fin helps with donor Area 

When the studies were first completed on minoxidil for hair loss they focused using the drug mostly on the crown. So no it is not solely for the crown. This area however is where many see benefits if you are bald and still have miniaturized hairs in. I used minoxidil in 1986 when it was first available in Australia in 1985. I had to get a script from a dermatologist and have it compounded at a hospital pharmacy. I'm currently again taking topical minoxidil myself and I'm applying it all over the scalp/crown and my nape. I intend on pulling my finger out and seeing a dermatologist and switch over to oral minoxidil. All the best.

[Gatsby]

7 minutes ago, Yaz123 said:

I heard that minox is meant for the Crown area, so I'm guessing the fin helps with donor Area 

Sorry I didn't directly answer your question. Yes the benefits of oral finasteride are that it protects all of your scalp hair as it is systemic after it passes through your liver.

[Yaz123]

1 minute ago, Gatsby said:

When the studies were first completed on minoxidil for hair loss they focused using the drug mostly on the crown. So no it is not solely for the crown. This area however is where many see benefits if you are bald and still have miniaturized hairs in. I used minoxidil in 1986 when it was first available in Australia in 1985. I had to get a script from a dermatologist and have it compounded at a hospital pharmacy. I'm currently again taking topical minoxidil myself and I'm applying it all over the scalp/crown and my nape. I intend on pulling my finger out and seeing a dermatologist and switch over to oral minoxidil. All the best.

Thanks for the informative reply, I'm a noob here and enjoy learning from experienced members like you. Can oral min and fin be taking together or you have to take one Topical one oral? 

[Gatsby]

No. Depending on your doctor and your individual health, etc you can take both orally. In fact that would be the ideal as both would be more effective orally and be a lot less messy than topical.

[Yaz123]

3 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

No. Depending on your doctor and your individual health, etc you can take both orally. In fact that would be the ideal as both would be more effective orally and be a lot less messy than topical.

Thanks again boss, I appreciate it 

[GoliGoliGoli]

21 hours ago, LookMaxx said:

It’s about fin sides and my depression is definitely fin induced. Not sure why you hate my posts, you can just ignore them ya know. 

He seems to react very strongly to anything even approaching mild criticism of Fin. I for one appreciate hearing peoples honest stories, both good and bad about this medication. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

20 hours ago, jr1986 said:

I've been microdosing basically for 2 weeks, 0.2mg every second day. I understand this is nothing but I had intended to increase. Couple of days ago I got hit with brain fog about an hour after taking it and persisted most of the day. Felt dazed and exhausted. I'd say I'm still not 100%.

I skipped today and was planning to try tomorrow but I'm a bit hesitant. Being like that was not healthy. Im thinking one more shot and if I get hit again I'm going to have to stop. Disappointed as my scalp has felt great

They did a study showing 0.2 mg Fin lowers DHT basically as much as 5mg, so 0.2 mg is definitely not nothing when it comes to Fin. 

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(99)80051-6/fulltext

In this study, doses of finasteride as low as 0.2 mg per day maximally decreased both scalp skin and serum DHT levels.

[jr1986]

3 hours ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

They did a study showing 0.2 mg Fin lowers DHT basically as much as 5mg, so 0.2 mg is definitely not nothing when it comes to Fin. 

https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(99)80051-6/fulltext

In this study, doses of finasteride as low as 0.2 mg per day maximally decreased both scalp skin and serum DHT levels.

I was trying to start with 0.2 every second day. Seems my body doesn't e even like that. Brain fog again today but not as bad as last time. Not sure I should continue or not. I don't particularly like these symptoms

 

[Peladophobia]

I'm new to the forum and this was the first thread I saw.
I have been taking finasteride for a few years now, and have not noticed any obvious side effects, but I also don't know exactly what to look for. To me, it would make sense to add a sticky to the top of this thread that lists the most common side effects, as people could easily be experiencing them while assuming they are unrelated.

While I am saying this, I also went six pages into the thread before feeling like a hypochondriac as I saw sexual libido issues. I started taking Tadalafil prior to taking finasteride, and I assume hair loss and ED are issues that for many men would take place at nearly the same point in their lives.

[NARMAK]

4 hours ago, Peladophobia said:

I'm new to the forum and this was the first thread I saw.
I have been taking finasteride for a few years now, and have not noticed any obvious side effects, but I also don't know exactly what to look for. To me, it would make sense to add a sticky to the top of this thread that lists the most common side effects, as people could easily be experiencing them while assuming they are unrelated.

While I am saying this, I also went six pages into the thread before feeling like a hypochondriac as I saw sexual libido issues. I started taking Tadalafil prior to taking finasteride, and I assume hair loss and ED are issues that for many men would take place at nearly the same point in their lives.

And this is exactly why i don't like threads like this because it has done exactly what i said. Fearmongering and made you mentally think you might be affected by them when you were going perfectly along with your life. 

The most common side affects are actually listed on the medication leaflets you receive with the product. 

Aging does indeed play a key factor in sexual problems of ED as does anxiety and so does being overweight which people generally don't discuss given how much fatter many people are getting on average. 

Hair loss though is genetic and i wouldn't say its as age related as other issues. You could have very aggressive hair loss when younger, or somehow get to a certain age looking fine and then get affected more quickly.