8 yrs since I started Propecia, 3 yrs since I quit it

[erik]

An old-timer posting to this forum again after years of silence..

Background: I started Propecia 1mg Sep 2003, continued on it for 5 yrs. Then I stopped since my doctor had recommended to take a break as constant medication is always a risk in the long run. After starting the break from fina I didn't notice any difference and I thought I could continue fina if I see any changes with my hair.

It happened so that even after a year quitting fina I didn't see any alarming changes, so I didn't go back on it. But now, 3 yrs without fina I'm really starting to see crown thinning and need to once again start thinking what to do. I'm currently on Nizoral (twice a week), MSM 3000mg/day and vitamin B7. However, I'm sure these are not enough to fight thinning.

I've decided that I won't go back to Propecia for several reasons: reading my own updates when initially starting fina sound actually pretty scary now and I don't want to go thru that again (and risking if sides will be even worse this time). Also the recent news even in the general press that fina might seriously damage your sex drive is a major worry (although I think I wasn't affected last time). Third, some external treatments like revivogen have received such positive comments that I'll give them a try. One reason is also my age, I'm now 35 and having a bit of thinning on top isn't such a big deal (almost half of my friends and colleagues around same age have it, too, and nobody care) as it was when I was around 25.

Lastly, perhaps just psychological but even after all my commentary on my previous posts I think I wasn't completely observing and honest to myself when on fina, I think the 5 years period decreased my libido and especially the sensations during intercourse a bit. Sure, you could blame psychological things or even my age only but I'm almost convinced fina did some damage to me, after all. Nothing major, but I still think I'm only 90% of what I was before fina. I'm not going into graphical details, let's just say it's few things only I can notice and feel and just the thought itself that I'll never get it back I once had due to fina is the final reason I won't play with again.


You can check my 4 yrs on Propecia 1mg and all the older reports from:

viewtopic.php?f=61&t=41834

 

[Wuffer]

Hey Erik,

Keep in mind the male sex drive declines over time. If you were on it for 5 years, it sounds about right that you might be only 90% of what you were before you started.

I'm 29 now, and I’ve been on finasteride for 4 months. I can't notice a difference in sex drive over 4 months, but if I think back 5 years ago, I know there is a huge difference from back then. Many guys don't want to admit it, but sexual drive and ability decline over time. This happens after the age of 18. It's slowly downhill after that!

But obviously keep in mind that you can still maintain a healthy sex drive up into your 60's and beyond. Hopefully in 20-30 years when we are up at that age, there will be some more effective treatments for it! Also, realistic cyborg sex slaves.. But I digress.

I personally believe younger guys might be at more risk while taking finasteride. Since they usually have a stronger sex drive, they are more profoundly affected by sexual problems than older guys. Any dip in their sex drives may cause them great anxiety.

But ultimately it's up to you. There is a small risk by taking finasteride, but I believe the potential benefits far outweigh them. Keep in mind that at your age, it's much more socially acceptable for a man to be balding. Women over the age of 30 don't generally care if a man is balding. If you look absolutely terrible with a shaved head, then you might want to take it into consideration during your decision making process.

One last point.. Sexual desire is circumstantial also. I've been in a relationship with the same girl for over 2 years. We still have good sex, but it's nowhere near what it was at the beginning. If I get a new girlfriend tomorrow, I can guarantee I will feel like I was when I was 18 again, even though if it's just for a short time. If you've been with the same person for 2+ years, if you are stressed out, not taking care of yourself, depressed, anxious, etc., all those factors play a huge role.

It's never a simple as: My sexual desire was at x, after taking finasteride it is now at y, so finasteride caused x to be y. It would be nice if life were that simple!


Good luck, hope this helped a bit!

 

[DIYtony]

Do you really expect to have the same sexual function when you hit 40 as you did at 25?

 

[sandyc]

I'm glad I don't have the same sex drive as I did at 22! I wouldn't get anything done. My sex drive has declined naturally over the last few years before I even took finasteride. It works out better for me since I'm less eager and I think women like that.

 

[slurms mackenzie]

An old-timer posting to this forum again after years of silence..


It happened so that even after a year quitting fina I didn't see any alarming changes, so I didn't go back on it. But now, 3 yrs without fina I'm really starting to see crown thinning and need to once again start thinking what to do. I'm currently on Nizoral (twice a week), MSM 3000mg/day and vitamin B7. However, I'm sure these are not enough to fight thinning.

I've decided that I won't go back to Propecia for several reasons: reading my own updates when initially starting fina sound actually pretty scary now and I don't want to go thru that again (and risking if sides will be even worse this time). Also the recent news even in the general press that fina might seriously damage your sex drive is a major worry (although I think I wasn't affected last time). Third, some external treatments like revivogen have received such positive comments that I'll give them a try.

Sounds a little bit similar to my own situation, except i never had sides at the start and they only gradually crept up on, until one day I stopped out of lazyness, then notices a rebound in libido etc, exercise and getting rid of a beer belly have also helped.

As someone trying revivogen i'm not willing to trust it on it's own, so i've added some spironolactone, you could be an ideal candidate because whilst these are considered weaker treatments if it took you three years to notice hairloss creeping back in they could be enough, and how am i doing off the rev & spironolactone, well it's been two months now, and everything is holding steady.