Thinking about dropping finasteride (sides). What do you think?

[xp15]

So, I've been on finasteride for about two and half months now. I did experience side effects, but they weren't bad enough for me to want to stop the drug. I'll list what I experienced:

1) Reduced libido, maybe by about 20-30%. However, no ED (I've been able to get it up fine if I want to, I just seem to want to less).

2) It appears I'm developing gynocomastia. I didn't even think about this until my doctor asked me if I was "experiencing pain in the breast area", and I definitely had noticed that. Until my doctor brought it up, I didn't know this could have anything to do with finasteride. He noted an unusual "puffiness" in that area and suggested I stop if I noticed more growth.

3) Brain fog. This is the scariest one to me. The first day I started finasteride (it was .5mg), I felt kind of a thickness in the head, and inability to concentrate. A feeling like I just wanted to stare at the wall and not think. This subsided on the second day. However, when I upped the 1mg, I experienced it again for a day. Now, after 2.5 months on the drug, I've had an episode of this for 3-4 days now. I just keep hoping it's gonna go away.

--- I should also mentioned I've noticed no hair regrowth, but it's too soon to tell if it's helping in that regard.

Even if I continued to get side effects 1 and 2, I really was just going to continue the drug. A little bit of reduced libido? So what, I'll deal with that. I even thought the idea of breast growth was not so bad compared to hair loss.

But difficulty concentrating and reduced cognition? This scares the **** out of me. I'm starting a master's degree right now, and it's very heavy on the quant/math and I'm worried about doing anything to impact my ability to study and learn this stuff. Really the worst time to be mentally handicapping myself.

I thought, even if the brain fog is "in my head" (figuratively and not literally, AKA I'm imagining it) - what does that really matter? Even if I'm imagining reduced cognition, if doing that actually brings about reduced cognition then really I'm just as worse off, right?

Pretty sure I'm gonna drop the drug. It's just a shame...... What do you guys think?

 

[CarlJohanson]

Oh.. So thats what brain fog is. That used to happen to me all the time as a kid. I have grown out of it now. Hasn't come back in the last week that I've been on finasteride... Thankfully... I think. But I seem to remember it being a very calming experience. I dont know, whatever.

From what I have read you should give it a bit more time to see if the sides go away before you decide to quite. Don't give up yet man! Push through!

 

[xp15]

One thing I forgot to mention, about 4-5 days ago (also when I started to notice increased brain fog) I switched from 1mg generic finasteride to 1.25 mg finasteride (proscar generic splitting into 4 pieces). I wonder if this switch could have anything to do with the increase side effect.

Also, I find it hard to split the 5mg piece into 4 equal pieces (my pill cutter is not great) - I feel like I might be getting 1mg one day and then 1.4mg another day, just because the pieces can't be cut so evenly.

 

[goodguybadhair]

I hear you man, it's tough, but the brain fog was the deciding factor for me as well. GL with whatever you decide to do. I can't really give any advice because, in my experience, so long as I took any amount of finasteride, there remained a detrimental effect on any and all of my cognitive faculties. Sorry, bro. It is what it is!

 

[xp15]

I suppose what I'll try to do first is lower the dosage. Maybe 1.25 EOD or .6 EOD/ED. It just sucks because I recognize this drug is really the only effective treatment in the long term to prevent hair loss. I really just don't want to sacrifice my cognitive abilities to remain on it though.

Another thing I can say is that I started classes again, and I've been thinking more about the possible "brain fog" and how it might impact my performance in these classes. And what do you know, suddenly I start experiencing "brain fog" just as classes begin. That is the only evidence that might point to me imagining it... idk.

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

Ya you thinking about it could definitely effect the brain fog, but it is a very real side with finasteride and going for a master's I would definitely say no. It is really the only long term solution we have as you stated, but maybe you could try as little usage as possible and just accept that you will still lose although much slower. Go EOD as you stated or shoot maybe even every 3 days. Use it on work out days/ relax days or whatever or just find what works best for you. This will greatly slow your loss and then after classes, assess your performance and see if you could handle it in your day to day life and devise a treatment plan or just drop it.

 

[xp15]

Also, my doctor wanted to do blood tests after he noticed the puffiness in the breast area, however it appears everything came back normal. Although, it seems my testosterone is higher than the "normal" range posted here, but he said my levels are normal:

Panel/Test	Value	Unit	Normal Range
	Total Estrogen	200.3	pg/mL	***

TESTOSTERONE FREE AND TOTAL (INCLUDES SHBG)

	Panel/Test	Value	Unit	Normal Range
	Testosterone, Total	1346	ng/dL	300-890
Note: . Tanner Stage Male Female . I < 30 ng/dL < 10 ng/dL . II < 150 ng/dL < 30 ng/dL . III 100-320 ng/dL < 35 ng/dL . IV 200-970 ng/dL 15-40 ng/dL . V/Adult 300-890 ng/dL 10-70 ng/dL
	Sex Hormone Binding Globulin	33	nmol/L	13-71
	Testosterone, Free (Calc)	351.0	pg/mL	47.0-244.0
Note: The concentration of free testosterone is derived from a mathematical expression based on constants for the binding of testosterone to sex hormone-binding globulin and albumin.
	Testosterone, % Free (Calc)	2.6	%	1.6-2.9

Panel/Test	Value	Unit	Normal Range
	Prolactin	4.8	ng/mL	2.1-17.1

 

[xp15]

Gonna try splitting the 1.25 in half again and take .6mg. Will report back in a week.

 

[abcdefg]

Sides verse hair I mean its really your call. Drop the dose try that. Not much else you can really do. Nothing else out yet really replaces propecia so still a few more years of needing it if you want to keep hair. I agree though I would worry about the brainfog because we know DHT is in the brain and finasteride crosses the BBB. Given how complex the brain is that is not something I would ever take chance with its unfixable.

 

[xp15]

Sides verse hair I mean its really your call. Drop the dose try that. Not much else you can really do. Nothing else out yet really replaces propecia so still a few more years of needing it if you want to keep hair. I agree though I would worry about the brainfog because we know DHT is in the brain and finasteride crosses the BBB. Given how complex the brain is that is not something I would ever take chance with its unfixable.

I hear a lot of people saying that finasteride is needed for a "few more years". Is there really some sort of alternative breakthrough treatment that's in the works? I feel like people always feel like there's some "miracle" treatment on the way, when in reality people just have their hopes up too much.

 

[losing hair]

Future is in Laser Therapy - that is my belief.......

Have a look and research LLLT - Low Level Laser Theraopy - there is not much about it on this Forum - other than 1 laser comb on its "sell page". It is reeeaaally difficult to find any sort of information - I wonder why?? There was a thread about Theradome - selling for the price similar to this laser comb - how can anyone makie a judgement about this new technology when 2 absolutely different products sell for the same price? - I did some research and laser combs use only 1 - ONE - laser diode - and Theradome has 80 nof them I believe? There are even other products with up to 300 diodes....this makes me think - is it not "the more laser diodes - the BETTER?".. I would never try finasteride or dutasteride - there are so many stories of side affects - not for me....and Rogane ? with so much of PPG? it must make more harm than good.... DNC-N is nanoxidil - new generation of Minoxidil with NO PPG - that's what I call PROGRESS... Rogain is the thing of the past - or at least it should be...- it was one of the first minoxidil generic products..without any improvement to date....

 

[mr.patches]

Have a look and research LLLT - Low Level Laser Theraopy - there is not much about it on this Forum - other than 1 laser comb on its "sell page". It is reeeaaally difficult to find any sort of information - I wonder why?? There was a thread about Theradome - selling for the price similar to this laser comb - how can anyone makie a judgement about this new technology when 2 absolutely different products sell for the same price? - I did some research and laser combs use only 1 - ONE - laser diode - and Theradome has 80 nof them I believe? There are even other products with up to 300 diodes....this makes me think - is it not "the more laser diodes - the BETTER?".. I would never try finasteride or dutasteride - there are so many stories of side affects - not for me....and Rogane ? with so much of PPG? it must make more harm than good.... DNC-N is nanoxidil - new generation of Minoxidil with NO PPG - that's what I call PROGRESS... Rogain is the thing of the past - or at least it should be...- it was one of the first minoxidil generic products..without any improvement to date....

$$$$$$$$ Still sharking huh?

 

[Donny J]

from personal experience with brain fog, i do think that you should quit...i fought through the fog, lowered libido (manageable), and a couple other symptoms for a few years, and i regret it, as I've been off the finasteride for 4 months now and am experiencing some ongoing negative effects which weren't noticeable in the first even couple years of being on the drug.... what i'm saying is that even if you manage to make your current symptoms manageable, there's a CHANCE (please, don't everyone chastise me for saying this, because it doesn't happen to everyone) that the symptoms will manifest into alternate sides, and possibly even into longer-lasting ones.