Post Finasteride Syndrom

[BaldReaper]

What is your opinion on PFS? Is it real or it already existed? how many people does it affect? I also found this youtube chanel

 

 

I would love to hear some experienced members opinions

Edited May 31, 2022 by Melvin- Moderator
Removed link

[RTC]

Finasteride just seems like a problematic drug all around.. not worth it for me at all. I'm sure many do well with it, but too much stress.

Not sure whether permanent problems would occur, but seems it's very rare if so.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Post finasteride syndrome Is considered real enough that Merck decided to add that there is a possibility of long-term or permanent side effects on the label.  To be honest, I’m really not sure if this is real or not. A lot of people who report long-term side effects From fast ride may actually be experiencing erectile dysfunction or other social issues for other reasons other than the medication.

that said, it’s always enough people have come forward and as a result, I tend to think that while it may be rare, this may be a very real possibility. This is why I tell people about the possibility of using medication but I certainly think it’s a bad mantra to tell individuals that hair transplant surgery is not a possibility without medication.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Ryan Daniel]

When is the earliest that people usually show side affects? I've been taking 1mg oral finasteride for almost 31 days now without side affects. I have felt no difference in my body or my mood yet. Do people show side affects after a few months or what? 

I know its different for everyone but I would appreciate a general answer for the question 

Either way, I'm still stuck with the medication. I have a very positive and optimistic attitude about it 

[Gatsby]

For myself I first developed sexual side effects after 2 months (roughly) on 1mg a day. For others it can be ten months later and for some it’s been stated that side effects have occurred after less than one week. I think the best thing is to not even focus or to try and think about side effects. I thought I was fine because after a month nothing had changed. 
If however side effects do occur then simply cease the drug. My sex drive came back after a week with a bang! I tried Finasteride a second time micro dosing up to 1mg every second day. By six months after I reached 1mg my libido disappeared again! I’m no longer on the drug. I may choose to go back to 0.5mg every second day (which I was fine on before). 

[BaldDude]

46 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

For myself I first developed sexual side effects after 2 months (roughly) on 1mg a day. For others it can be ten months later and for some it’s been stated that side effects have occurred after less than one week. I think the best thing is to not even focus or to try and think about side effects. I thought I was fine because after a month nothing had changed. 
If however side effects do occur then simply cease the drug. My sex drive came back after a week with a bang! I tried Finasteride a second time micro dosing up to 1mg every second day. By six months after I reached 1mg my libido disappeared again! I’m no longer on the drug. I may choose to go back to 0.5mg every second day (which I was fine on before). 

I had ED for years aftewards...yeah yeah could've beeen due to other reasons but my doctor thinks it was due to fin.

[Gatsby]

2 minutes ago, BaldBobby said:

I had ED for years aftewards...yeah yeah could've beeen due to other reasons but my doctor thinks it was due to fin.

Has the ED resolved itself now? If so how long did it take. Sorry you had to go through this. 

[BaldDude]

1 minute ago, Gatsby said:

Has the ED resolved itself now? If so how long did it take. Sorry you had to go through this. 

Yes thank god...took a couple of years to improve.  I was only on fin like 6 months.

[NARMAK]

The medication is FDA approved but like any medication out there, there are side affects. Personally i don't believe until all other issues are addressed under a clinical setting to rule out other causes, that i'd squarely blame Finasteride for some of the issues cited which can range from Nocebo to people also blaming the pill they took rather than a lifestyle choice or underlying health condition they need to address that the medication exposed. 

The lawsuit and updated labelling was necessary because of the way that subjective feelings apparently were used rather than fully objective data in the court cases and they decided it was easier to settle and update the labels regarding side affects than a protracted court battle. This happens all the time. 

I think some people genuinely can't use it and i choose to respect the choice of others not to do so either, but i genuinely wish i had started myself 10 years ago. It would have saved me some hassle i think and a fair bit of grafts. 

[BaldDude]

Yes I was very sad to stop it because it regrew my crown in my 20s.  Now I'm in my 40s and my crown is shiny bald.

[Melvin- Admin]

It’s real, but very rare. There’s no way the FDA would put it on the box if it were a hoax. 

[GaryStruthers]

If FIN sides were to creep up over time, what would a “reset” time frame look like to recommence micro-dosing…..7 to 10 day break of no FIN at all? After a year of use at 1mg per day, I fall into the “no real sides” bucket. Sexually functional, lower libido etc. Would it make sense to drop down to .5 to possibly reset to a pre medicated state?

[NARMAK]

57 minutes ago, GaryStruthers said:

If FIN sides were to creep up over time, what would a “reset” time frame look like to recommence micro-dosing…..7 to 10 day break of no FIN at all? After a year of use at 1mg per day, I fall into the “no real sides” bucket. Sexually functional, lower libido etc. Would it make sense to drop down to .5 to possibly reset to a pre medicated state?

If you just have a lower libido, that's considered a "normal" side affect but don't forget that age and health also play a part in declining libido. I've heard of older guys say how they got into better shape and things down there have been better than in many years. 

Health is an all around factor and abusing alcohol, cigarettes and being overweight aren't usually the culprits for some yet Finasteride caused their ED

[hairman22]

Got PFS in 2017. 

5 years later i have not fully recovered.

But i dont dwell on it too much. I am able to have sex at least & it no longer affects my life or think about that much. I do wonder will it affect me having children. I produce far less sperm than previously.

I didnt get any other PFS symtoms bar some sleep issues.

Sides happened with me after 2 years. I wasnt anxious at all taking the drug in 2015 i thought PFS was fake tbh.

 

The drug in general seems dangerous. Sides could happen at any time. I think as a young man it could be very risky in terms of having children. Can reduce your sperm count by quite a lot.

 

The crazy thing is that Hairloss still worries me more despite having overcome PFS. This is even after my GF not caring about it at all.

I really believe hairloss has such a negative affect on so many men's mental state

Edited May 31, 2022 by hairman22

[Bandit90]

I’m agnostic when it comes to PFS. I think the dudes that get it have more serious underlying health conditions. I have taken for 3 years now at 1mg daily, had zero sides. Also managed to conceive a child with my wife in that time without any difficulty. My only regret was listening to the alleged horror stories and let myself become slick bald, when in reality I would have tolerated the med just fine.

Don’t wish to sound blasé but I do think that most men who get the ED issues are generally caused by ‘overthinking  it’ and probably no doubt suffer from performance anxiety issues to start with.  So many middle aged men have been taking this drug since the 80s at 5mg daily for enlarged prostates and they haven’t been claiming permanent sides.   

Edited May 31, 2022 by Bandit90

[helpthisguypls]

1 hour ago, hairman22 said:

Got PFS in 2017. 

5 years later i have not fully recovered.

But i dont dwell on it too much. I am able to have sex at least & it no longer affects my life or think about that much. I do wonder will it affect me having children. I produce far less sperm than previously.

I didnt get any other PFS symtoms bar some sleep issues.

Sides happened with me after 2 years. I wasnt anxious at all taking the drug in 2015 i thought PFS was fake tbh.

 

The drug in general seems dangerous. Sides could happen at any time. I think as a young man it could be very risky in terms of having children. Can reduce your sperm count by quite a lot.

 

The crazy thing is that Hairloss still worries me more despite having overcome PFS. This is even after my GF not caring about it at all.

I really believe hairloss has such a negative affect on so many men's mental state

Did you see any improvements over time or with the use of supplements?

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, Bandit90 said:

I’m agnostic when it comes to PFS. I think the dudes that get it have more serious underlying health conditions. I have taken for 3 years now at 1mg daily, had zero sides. Also managed to conceive a child with my wife in that time without any difficulty. My only regret was listening to the alleged horror stories and let myself become slick bald, when in reality I would have tolerated the med just fine.

Don’t wish to sound blasé but I do think that most men who get the ED issues are generally caused by ‘overthinking  it’ and probably no doubt suffer from performance anxiety issues to start with.  So many middle aged men have been taking this drug since the 80s at 5mg daily for enlarged prostates and they haven’t been claiming permanent sides.   

I think the best thing to do is to try it, no one should view it so black and white. As you said, much hair could’ve been saved. 

[Mike10]

Yeah, it real man, Merck even put it on the label. However, it only concerns  a verly small minority

[Mike10]

1 hour ago, Bandit90 said:

I’m agnostic when it comes to PFS. I think the dudes that get it have more serious underlying health conditions. I have taken for 3 years now at 1mg daily, had zero sides. Also managed to conceive a child with my wife in that time without any difficulty. My only regret was listening to the alleged horror stories and let myself become slick bald, when in reality I would have tolerated the med just fine.

Don’t wish to sound blasé but I do think that most men who get the ED issues are generally caused by ‘overthinking  it’ and probably no doubt suffer from performance anxiety issues to start with.  So many middle aged men have been taking this drug since the 80s at 5mg daily for enlarged prostates and they haven’t been claiming permanent sides.   

There might actually some truth to it that people with PFS tend to have some underlying condition and that the Propecia really pissed some downhill. 

On the other hand I think little about your theory that people with sides on Fin make that up in their head.

[ciaus]

edit-on second thought

Edited May 31, 2022 by ciaus

[Bandit90]

40 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

There might actually some truth to it that people with PFS tend to have some underlying condition and that the Propecia really pissed some downhill. 

On the other hand I think little about your theory that people with sides on Fin make that up in their head.

Was probably a sweeping statement by me there. However, I do still believe that the ED issues may be attributed to the placebo/nocebo effect. I just think that if you take the pill knowing there are potential impotence side effects, then it stays in the back of your mind and transpires into anxiety related ED. That’s my ten cents worth anyway.  

[Euphoria]

It’s just nonsense, that’s what I think.

No drug is that good that its effects stay forever. Certainly hairloss continues really rapidly when you stop fin, clear indication that nothing is wrong physiologically.

Reproductive system is like 99% totally controlled by mind. What you believe happens down there and so what people believe does happen. 

[BaldReaper]

1 hour ago, Euphoria said:

 

Reproductive system is like 99% totally controlled by mind. 

lol

[yesplease]

5 hours ago, Euphoria said:

It’s just nonsense, that’s what I think.

No drug is that good that its effects stay forever. Certainly hairloss continues really rapidly when you stop fin, clear indication that nothing is wrong physiologically.

Reproductive system is like 99% totally controlled by mind. What you believe happens down there and so what people believe does happen. 

While you are certainly entitled to you opinion, to say that sexual side effects can’t be long-term or permanent because hair loss continues once you stop finasteride is medically unsound logic. The endocrine system is incredibly complex and far reaching within the human body, and hormones have vastly different effects on different aspects of physiology. Because one effect “resolves” does not equate to all potential other impacts returning to baseline in the same manner. 
 

I certainly suffered from side effects, and it was quite clearly related to the medication. I am a physician and took it fully expecting to be side-effect free, given the track record of finasteride in the treatment of BPH as well as the available literature and data in regards to its use in treating  MPB. These side effects have improved but not fully resolved. 
 

To be sure, it is a medication that is tolerated well by most, but poses very real risks (of varying degrees) to a minority. 

[Euphoria]

2 hours ago, yesplease said:

While you are certainly entitled to you opinion, to say that sexual side effects can’t be long-term or permanent because hair loss continues once you stop finasteride is medically unsound logic. The endocrine system is incredibly complex and far reaching within the human body, and hormones have vastly different effects on different aspects of physiology. Because one effect “resolves” does not equate to all potential other impacts returning to baseline in the same manner. 
 

I certainly suffered from side effects, and it was quite clearly related to the medication. I am a physician and took it fully expecting to be side-effect free, given the track record of finasteride in the treatment of BPH as well as the available literature and data in regards to its use in treating  MPB. These side effects have improved but not fully resolved. 
 

To be sure, it is a medication that is tolerated well by most, but poses very real risks (of varying degrees) to a minority. 

If you’re a physician, you should know the psychological component of sexual performance. In finasteride studies where they administer placebo to some people, the rate of sexual side effects are almost similar ( in this particular study e.g found erectile dysfunction reported in 3.4 to 15.8 percent of patients treated with finasteride 5mg daily versus 1.7 to 6.3 percent treated with placebo ) 

That’s just crazy, these people had ED from sugar pills. Why? Because they expected it and it happened. You won’t see ED as a side effect for people taking amoxicillin placebo for the simple reason they don’t expect to get ED from taking an antibiotic.

If you believe you’re flawed in some way, you will be flawed in some way for as long as you wish to believe it.