Propecia side effects finally hitting me, should I stop?

[macavelli]

Hello everyone,

I have been on propecia since my 20's and I am now 46 so probably at least 16 years but maybe 20 years.  I don't remember having any sexual side effects when i was younger or for the first 10 or so years.  But in the last few years it has gotten worse and worse.  I spoke with my dr and urologists and they recommended quitting propecia.  First or all, I want to make sure that it is the propecia that is causing it before I quit.  I am scared that I permanently ruined my sex life and even if I quit it won't come back, but instead I will start loosing my hair.  It's really stressful and I have other factors that contribute I am sure, ( anxiety, stress, poor sleep, not exercising enough).  If anyone has any experience in this area I would really appreciate it.  I don't want to loose my hair, but did I sacrifice my sex life?  Thank you for reading.

[aaron1234]

Fin ain't the only thing in the world causing ED.  If you were on it for 20 years without side effects then it is quite possible that something else is behind the issues you're facing right now. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by aaron1234

[macavelli]

That's what I think!  The dr. told me you can start getting side effects after years of being on it.  I had sex or jerk off everyday for 20 years.  

[NARMAK]

Firstly you're older and our bodies begin to have general performance issues as we age compared to our 20s.

What i'd personally recommend is maybe getting these doctors to do a blood test to rule out any other suspects being the cause and in some cases, you could even be suffering from lowered testosterone which can hit guys too. 

If you do need to as well, you can reduce the dosage and it could still offer help against hair loss. 

Also, don't stress as much. That causes hair loss too. 

[pre-screened]

From your original post it seems like you know there are some other factors going, forgive me if I’m wrong here - but you slipped in mentions of sleep, stress, anxiety, lack of excercise…..………..most people are looking for an external factor when health issues arise……..its hard sometimes to look within and assign fault to your own failure to look after yourself or address underlying issues in your life causing stress. Easier perhaps to blame/focus on propecia as the culprit.

Listen propecia might be a factor in what your experiencing, its possible for sure………but if your crusiing into your 40’s, dont sleep much, eat tonnes of sugar/carbs, drink alcohol, are at worst overweight or at best just cardiovascularly unfit and are stressed out your head with high levels of cortisol running around your system. Well ya know sexual sides is what you’d expect to happen to a guy like that NOT taking Propecia.

Specialized health care professionals like urologists and GP’s - like SINGLE item solutions to problems…….getting off propecia is a great single solution direction……or take X pill that should fix it…….its the way the system works in and out the door in 20 minutes or less……..I’d suggest going to more of a functional medical approach where the doc or docs are trying to address all the factors i listed above…..sleep, cortisol, fitness, body composition, diet, blood level deficiencies (vitamin d), insulin resistance, stress/anxiety strategies etc etc. 

Sorry went on a bit too much and took some broad leaps in assumptions but you get my point

 

 

[JDEE0]

As others have said, you're getting older and the problems you describe happen to quite literally tens of millions of men every year, often spontaneously and often with increasing prevalence as the years tick on by and with no explainable cause.

Personally, I highly doubt the root cause has anything to do with fin seeing as you have been taking it for so long, it's far more likely to be caused by hormonal changes with age, stress from work, maybe getting out of shape and not being as fit as you once were (speculation of course, you might be in great shape, I don't know), being with the same partner for decades who no longer gives you the same feeling or fulfilment as when you were 25 and so on.... I don't mean to overstep the mark there or make any assumptions, but you get my point, as the list really is endless in terms of what can affect this sort of thing.

This is very common in all men, fin or no fin, as they get older. Just look up rates of ED etc by age group in whatever country you're from, and you'll see exactly what I mean. Most obviously don't use fin and it happens anyway.

With that said, if you think maybe it really is being caused by finasteride (which I personally doubt based on the history you've given, but it's certainly possible, and only you know your body) then it might be worth stopping for a bit and seeing how you get on. There is really no way to know either way, no matter what doc you see or what tests you do, no one can tell you one way or the other at the end of the day. It would all be conjecture or speculation.

Really, the only thing you can do is make the necessary change if you feel you need to and see if it helps or not. Even then, it could be nocebo, who knows, but I wouldn't rule out trying if you think it could be the culprit.

[Gatsby]

I'm not a doctor and that's a long time to be on finasteride. Can I make a suggestion? Speak with your doctor first. But I would consider ceasing the drug until the side effects have gone. Finasteride can stay in the scalp tissue for up 30 days. After a wash out you could start micro dosing if you have been taking the drug at 1mg a day, everyday. If however you really want finasteride out of your life then go for it. I bring this up as I had side effects on 1mg a day and I could not tolerate the drug from then on. I had a wash out for a few months and challenged the drug again at 0.5mg on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. After a few months I increased Monday's dose to 1mg. Several months later with no side effects I increased Wednesday up to 1mg. Then again after a few months with still no side effects I increased Friday up to 1mg. So far so good. I realise your case is a lot different however but it's worth a thought and I wish you all the best!

[Mike10]

I urge you to immediately stop this medication.  That is what any responsible Dr would tell you. Side effects can abolutely appear after many years of use of Finansteride.  

[ciaus]

 

Look at the title of this thread and the name of the guy that started it, a bastardized spelling of Machiavelli. For the uninitiated, Websters dictionary: 

Essential Meaning of Machiavellian

: using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something : clever and dishonest

 

Even if someone doesn't read the replies, just the topic title is crafted to maximize the spread of paranoia. The effects are not only here, they are "finally" here. And if you read on he gives no supporting evidence for that declaration. He's just an everyday guy like you and me, and he's "talked" to his doctors. And instead of starting with addressing his bad lifestyle issues and doing diagnostic blood work, the doctors just tell him to chuck out the finasteride. And then he sprinkles in some of that 'permanent' life ruining language typical of the fringe online anti-finasteride crowd.

 

Sorry to read the sincere replies from good members trying to be helpful. But there's just too many red flags, this is about putting a little nagging thought in the back of every guy's head that is thinking about starting finasteride. And even the ones that have been taking it for decades!

For those that are sincerely looking for help and reading this, start with actually talking to your doctor. Optimize your lifestyle habits and get bloodwork done. And remember that around the time hair loss really starts to get bad for alot of guys is also when their bodies naturally start falling apart and having performance issues. Especially if they haven't been taking good care of themselves. Which is very common in parts of the world where guys have the luxury to worry about hair loss.

[Future Hair Doc]

Your personal doctor would know best. What dose are you on and how often do you take it? You can take it every other day and it'll still be effective and the chances of side effects will decrease. 

[macavelli]

I have always taken 1mg. I could try every other day. Thank you. 

[bald-and-bearded]

Topical is an experimental option to consider.