Need advice... been on propecia for 6 weeks

[TylerDurden1]

Hi everyone, so I decided to get on propecia as of march 22nd, so Ive been on it a little over 5 weeks. So far heres my experience... the first 2 or 3 weeks I noticed a strong increase in libido, I got get an erection within like 10 seconds, after that period I noticed a slight drop in libido but no it seems to be back to normal, however, as of the past week and half I have been having major problems getting and maintaining my erections. It's strange because I feel horny and I want to jack off or whatever but I cant seem to get an erection. Usually after about 5 minutes of manipulation I manage to get an erection but by then I c*m in like 2 seconds because Ive been playing with my dick for 5 minutes trying to get it up. Other than that major side I have nothing else of note to report. So my question is has anyone else experienced this? How long will this continue? I keep hearing people say that sides go away if you stick with it, however, I thought they usually only occured during the first month and I'm about 6 weeks in. Anyway, any advice or similar experiences would be great, cause I really want to keep my hair and not have to stop taking the drug.
thanks

 

[Optimistic]

Yeah, I had exactly the same experience. Just to confirm to myself I stopped Propecia about three weeks ago and my libido has increased massively. However, I've decided that my hair is more important to me so I'll be back on it as soon as I can.

 

[TylerDurden1]

Optimistic- you had been on propecia for over a year though, you wern't limp that whole time right? Was it just a phase in the first few months you went through?

 

[Eureka]

I dunno dude, I think we put too much stock in hair sometimes, or not enough in the other areas. Hair on your head isn't worth not being able to get it up, "In my opinion".

 

[redtan]

Yeah what's the point to be able to pick up a hot chick at a bar with your nice looking new hair if when you take her back home you can't even get it up.

 

[TylerDurden1]

Ok... you dont both think I understand that? Neither of you answered any of my questions. I'm hoping its a phase and I can keep taking propecia...

 

[TylerDurden1]

Ok so I was browsing through the "dealing with side effects" forum and found this in response to someone talking about weak erections and it scared the bit jesus out of me...

"Don't stay on it if its giving your sides early into the treatment. If you stay on it your body will start to adjust your hormones in the long term to adjust to low DHT."


Is this true or is it some guy making a major assumption...

 

[Mew]

You are chemically castrating yourself -- denying your penile tissues of vital androgen (DHT) necessary to maintain proper genital tissue size and function, impairing nitric oxide synthase containing nerves in the penile tissues (DHT mediates NO production, which is necessary for erections), PDE5 enzyme activity and more, and destroying your prostate via cell apoptosis (death). Note that men that undergo radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) often find they become impotent as a result of the procedure.

I experienced the exact same thing you did, so I know what you are going through. My advice is stop taking a medication that was never designed for cosmetic purposes, but for androgen deprivation treatment for prostate cancer and BPH. The drug changes your hormonal profile to match that of a pseudohermaphrodite via creating a surrogate state of 5AR2-deficiency, in addition to altering the androgen/estrogen ratio in your body in favor of estrogen and blocking other vital 5AR-pathways in the brain (neurosteroid production, ie Progesterone --> Allopregnanolone, Deoxycorticosterone --> DHDOC), thus interfering with normal GABA-A receptor function (anxiety, depression, brain fog).

I can provide links to studies if necessary to backup all of these claims. If I were you I would take my health over my hair -- hopefully you do not have issues continue after you quit, like some out there (self included).

 

[Optimistic]

Optimistic- you had been on propecia for over a year though, you wern't limp that whole time right? Was it just a phase in the first few months you went through?

I didn't have much of a problem getting a hard-on, but getting horny became very infrequent.

I had been on a selective seretonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) course of antidepressants from December 2006 until August 2007. I began taking Propecia in January 2007. Sexual dysfunction is a major side effect of SSRI antidepressants and so that's what I assumed it was. However, when I came off the antidepressants in August the sexual dysfunction continued and it's only now that I've stopped Propecia that I'm much more horny.

There are definitely side effects with sexual sensitivity when taking SSRIs, but obviously I must have compounded that with the Propecia.

 

[Thickandthin]

You are chemically castrating yourself -- denying your penile tissues of vital androgen (DHT) necessary to maintain proper genital tissue size and function, impairing nitric oxide synthase containing nerves in the penile tissues (DHT mediates NO production, which is necessary for erections), PDE5 enzyme activity and more, and destroying your prostate via cell apoptosis (death). Note that men that undergo radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) often find they become impotent as a result of the procedure.

I experienced the exact same thing you did, so I know what you are going through. My advice is stop taking a medication that was never designed for cosmetic purposes, but for androgen deprivation treatment for prostate cancer and BPH. The drug changes your hormonal profile to match that of a pseudohermaphrodite via creating a surrogate state of 5AR2-deficiency, in addition to altering the androgen/estrogen ratio in your body in favor of estrogen and blocking other vital 5AR-pathways in the brain (neurosteroid production, ie Progesterone --> Allopregnanolone, Deoxycorticosterone --> DHDOC), thus interfering with normal GABA-A receptor function (anxiety, depression, brain fog).

I can provide links to studies if necessary to backup all of these claims. If I were you I would take my health over my hair -- hopefully you do not have issues continue after you quit, like some out there (self included).

Just curious, but what is your stance on very low dose finasteride (<.2mg/day?)

Seems to be beneficial for hair (lowers scalp DHT) without lowering overall DHT quite as much.

 

[Mew]

Just curious, but what is your stance on very low dose finasteride (<.2mg/day?)

Seems to be beneficial for hair (lowers scalp DHT) without lowering overall DHT quite as much

Read and learn:

http://www.physics.upenn.edu/facultyinf ... peciafda2/

Drug has near flat-dose reponse, thus doesn't matter if you take 0.2mg or 5mg, you inhibit nearly same amount of DHT -- thus even lower dosages are prone to giving same side effects as "regular" doses. It's only when you get to microscopic amounts of Finasteride (ie 0.05mg) that you start seeing a decrease in DHT inhibition, and consequently less of an impact on hair.

The drug is extremely potent.

 

[TylerDurden1]

You know Mew... I've looked at your previous posts and I've looked at your website (propeciahelp.com) and you are the only person in the entire world with the unique experience you've had with the drug. Not to mention I found a few of your posts about getting an erection sitting down versus. standing up so it sounds like things are getting on track for you.

Can I please get a response from one of the other million plus people who haven't dedicated their lives to mind f*****g other people.

thanks

 

[NicholasLim]

"Don't stay on it if its giving your sides early into the treatment. If you stay on it your body will start to adjust your hormones in the long term to adjust to low DHT."



IS THIS TRUE ??? someone please comment on it

 

[Mew]

You know Mew... I've looked at your previous posts and I've looked at your website (propeciahelp.com) and you are the only person in the entire world with the unique experience you've had with the drug. Not to mention I found a few of your posts about getting an erection sitting down versus. standing up so it sounds like things are getting on track for you.

Can I please get a response from one of the other million plus people who haven't dedicated their lives to mind f****ing other people.

thanks

Wait, you ask for advice from others who have been through the same experience, then dismiss everything they say?

The only reason I even bothered to research and know what I know is because my side effects did not resolve completely after I discontinued the drug, unlike most men -- and I want(ed) to know the reasons for why I got them in the first place, unlike you it seems. Because just as you described in your initial post with difficulty getting and maintaining the erection (which I've noticed in my case sitting vs standing makes this somewhat easier, but I am nowhere near the man I was in this department compared to before finasteride), I STILL share the same issues you do, which also manifested on the drug... and it is not just me and you that have had these issues happen (although we are in a small minority) of finasteride users worldwide. And yea, I "stuck with it" for 11 months because I also heard that side effects should resolve the longer you stay on -- turned out that was BS and they only got worse in my case.

If you would rather NOT listen to or believe the info I present, that is fine -- carry on then. But doing so does not change Finasteride's mechanisms of action -- and I have no idea why anyone like yourself would so easily dismiss and NOT want to know HOW or WHAT a drug they are taking is doing to their body, especially when side effects occur -- but that's your perogative. Just don't go asking for advice from others who have been through the same sh*t you have, then turn around and tell them to piss off -- especially since you're the one sitting there wondering "why is this happening to me", couldn't be bothered to research why yourself, yet have the audacity to flip off someone who has.

Hope your "problems" do resolve the longer you stay on and especially should you quit -- but if not, then you'll understand what I was trying to tell you in my initial post. So much for trying to help people round here, good luck pal.

 

[TylerDurden1]

Could it have all been in my head? Yesterday I cut a propecia pill in half and took that, then this morning I did the same thing and this morning I got a raging erection when I look at some p**rn and everything was fine. Could two days of not taking a full 1mg dose make that big a difference or has it all been in my head...

 

[Optimistic]

Could it have all been in my head? Yesterday I cut a propecia pill in half and took that, then this morning I did the same thing and this morning I got a raging erection when I look at some p**rn and everything was fine. Could two days of not taking a full 1mg dose make that big a difference or has it all been in my head...

I stopped Propecia three weeks ago. Two weeks later I got super horny jacking off twice a day and getting erections that wouldn't go down. That's subsided now, but it demonstrates how Propecia must regulate the hormones. So when I go back on it will I get a sudden increase in libido?

 

[Thickandthin]

Could it have all been in my head? Yesterday I cut a propecia pill in half and took that, then this morning I did the same thing and this morning I got a raging erection when I look at some p**rn and everything was fine. Could two days of not taking a full 1mg dose make that big a difference or has it all been in my head...

Sexual problems are often all in a person's head.

When I had my first g/f and tried to have sex with her, I got nervous and couldn't keep an erection long enough to actually do anything. Because of this, I got super stressed out and thought I was impotent. I couldn't even get an erection when trying to masturbate. Eventually I calmed the f*** down and things slowly went back to normal.

I honestly think that if guys were completely clueless about Propecia causing sexual sides, then they wouldn't get any. And if they did, they would likely attribute it to something else other than Propecia - thus preventing them from falling victim to the vicious side effect cycle that many of us fall into.

Its lame because if you look at these forums and get on finasteride, you start becoming extremely perceptive of your body - much more so than usual - because you are LOOKING for side effects that often aren't there. Hysteria isn't a new concept. Things like this are as old as time itself. I think the best one I've heard yet is "brain fog". What exactly is the medical terminology for that? Where in medical literature is this mentioned? Nowhere - it started because a few paranoid hypochondriacs thought Propecia was the reason they forgot something, and now everyone who experiences forgetfulness or is slightly slow on the draw in a conversation automatically has "brain fog" from finasteride.

My dad had a heart transplant and at one time was taking close to 20+ medications with side effects that make Propecia look like Advil. But instead of spending hours on message boards agonizing over dosages and side effects, he just took them (its not like he had much of a choice though). And low and behold, nothing bad happened. In fact, because of his immunosuppresants, he regrew hair!

Anyone out there desperate enough to risk having the immune system of an AIDs patient to regrow some hair?

 

[TylerDurden1]

thick and thin-

that truly is a great and uplifting story.

However, I dont know how much stock I can place in your comments, as well as to my post about .5mg... afterall this is from from of your posts:

"Have been taking it for less than a week, cutting the pill into 1/4s (taking .25 mg/day) and I swear I'm already getting sides.

Dribbling when I piss, flaccid penis size is smaller, and harder to get an erection. Also no morning wood.

I never had a tremendous sex drive to begin with so cant comment on that. Physical changes are evident though.

So what the hell? Is this normal? Will the sides eventually go away?"



hope everything works out for you though, just try not to be so hypocritical.

 

[Thickandthin]

thick and thin-

that truly is a great and uplifting story.

However, I dont know how much stock I can place in your comments, as well as to my post about .5mg... afterall this is from from of your posts:

"Have been taking it for less than a week, cutting the pill into 1/4s (taking .25 mg/day) and I swear I'm already getting sides.

Dribbling when I piss, flaccid penis size is smaller, and harder to get an erection. Also no morning wood.

I never had a tremendous sex drive to begin with so cant comment on that. Physical changes are evident though.

So what the hell? Is this normal? Will the sides eventually go away?"



hope everything works out for you though, just try not to be so hypocritical.

Well, if you read my post again, you'll see that I mentioned the "vicious side effect cycle that WE all fall into".

Yes, I'm part of that as well. I freaked out at first because I had very high hopes that I wouldn't get any sides. However, I decided to just chill out and let the finasteride do its job. Once I relaxed the sides became non-existent, because I was creating them in my own head. And maybe because I lowered my dose and my body got used to it In any case, I'm not worried anymore.

I once took Accutane at 16 and had the same experience - every change in my body freaked me out and I immediately attributed it to the drug. It was around this time that my dad had his transplant and when I saw the medicine he was taking and actually looked it up, I suddenly felt a lot better about taking the very benign Accutane.

My advice: don't read about people's side effects. And for every person who has ever logged onto the net to report side effects from a medication, think about all the people who pop the pill everyday with nothing to complain about and never log onto "gourmetstylewellness.com".

 

[el_duterino]

You are chemically castrating yourself -- denying your penile tissues of vital androgen (DHT) necessary to maintain proper genital tissue size and function, impairing nitric oxide synthase containing nerves in the penile tissues (DHT mediates NO production, which is necessary for erections), PDE5 enzyme activity and more, and destroying your prostate via cell apoptosis (death). Note that men that undergo radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate) often find they become impotent as a result of the procedure.

I experienced the exact same thing you did, so I know what you are going through. My advice is stop taking a medication that was never designed for cosmetic purposes, but for androgen deprivation treatment for prostate cancer and BPH. The drug changes your hormonal profile to match that of a pseudohermaphrodite via creating a surrogate state of 5AR2-deficiency, in addition to altering the androgen/estrogen ratio in your body in favor of estrogen and blocking other vital 5AR-pathways in the brain (neurosteroid production, ie Progesterone --> Allopregnanolone, Deoxycorticosterone --> DHDOC), thus interfering with normal GABA-A receptor function (anxiety, depression, brain fog).

I can provide links to studies if necessary to backup all of these claims. If I were you I would take my health over my hair -- hopefully you do not have issues continue after you quit, like some out there (self included).

Your sexual system will reajust to a lower amount of DHT after some time, libido issues will improve and most likely dissapear. finasteride does not castrate you, it removes about 50% of DHT. Enough DHT is left over for most of the people unless you have very little DHT to start with.

There are DHT creams (Androctrim) that can be used to rub to your dick.
You can use v****/Clialis generic if needed.
I am on 0.5 mg of dutasteride a day and can have several intercourse ( 5) in one day without ED drugs, if the chick is hot and into sex. I would feel very weak & stressed without hair.

Good luck
El DUternio