3rd time trying finasteride...this time at .25mg! Still got side effects!

[teeth_of_lions]

Thedarkcolor, what made you continue the finasteride? I have read your past stories and finasteride seemed to have a pretty horrible effect on you, takes guts to continue while suffering like that.

I'm glad your oily skin/acne has disappeared and hope the other side effects will diminish as well. Best of luck.

By the way, could, hypthetically speaking, hyperandroginicity be stopped by taking oral spironolactone i.e. eliminating testosterone (or, more blatantly put; castration)? Sorry for the bro-science, just wondering.

 

[thedarkcolor]

Thedarkcolor, what made you continue the finasteride? I have read your past stories and finasteride seemed to have a pretty horrible effect on you, takes guts to continue while suffering like that.

I'm glad your oily skin/acne has disappeared and hope the other side effects will diminish as well. Best of luck.

By the way, could, hypthetically speaking, hyperandroginicity be stopped by taking oral spironolactone i.e. eliminating testosterone (or, more blatantly put; castration)? Sorry for the bro-science, just wondering.

Hey, thanks for the reply and for following my past stories. I got dealt a ****ty hand and was in and out of the hospital with PFS the first time I tried finasteride 3 years ago. I've tried numerous times since and each time I still got a plethora of side effects, but was sort of able to push past them this last time around. I just think I look really awful with a shaved head and it sucks to be a NW3 - beyond at 25 years old when none of my peers are balding or showing any signs of hairloss. I haven't had any relationship with a woman since I was 20 when I had long hair, and I'm now 25 going on 26 this year... Still single and ugly, in my opinion.

I kept listening to the forums and Reddit's r/tressless to try and push through the sides. "They will diminish...they are not serious...it's all in your head and you're thinking about it too much." I've always been very sensitive to drugs. I don't consume alcohol and I've never done recreational drugs. I consider myself straight-edge but was willing to take a serious hormone altering drug if it could save my hair.

Today however is the end of the line for me. I am not going to try this again. I'm flushing the remainder of my finasteride down the toilet. My brain fog has gotten pretty bad and I just can't take how this drug makes me feel. I just shaved my head down to a #3 and I'll have to just be that awkward, ugly, virgin dude who was never able to get laid.

Thanks for reading and following everyone.

 

[Dolph]

Took guts to shave it and ditch the finasteride, but you made the right decision. If you haven't got your health, then what's the point.

Please update us about your side effects / if they go away with time after discontinuation of finasteride.

 

[teeth_of_lions]

I'm sorry to hear that but you are probably making the right decision. Please keep us updated if the brain fog diminishes, again good luck.

 

[Dench57]

The scalp inflammation went away by I'd say 80-90%. I still get oily skin but it seems normal, not excess oil production. Acne has been gone for about a week or two... I'd say it's normal now. Maybe even better than baseline as far as acne goes.

Only thing is that my balding areas still itch occasionally. Like after 8 hours they begin to itch. I've tried not taking finasteride everyday and if I miss a day the itch gets worse in the balding areas, like my temples, crown, and forelock. So my theory is this: finasteride has helped with DHT, but my DHT is either strong or I product a lot of it quickly because it feels like finasteride wears off at the end of the day. I also think that my body is converting the excess to estrogen or something since I have mild brain fog, am far more forgetful, not nearly a sharp, and I feel lethargic 90% of the time.

Rock and a hard place. How're you doing Dench?

Damn. So it was actually working if it kept the DHT itch away. I know you said money is tight but hair obviously means a lot to you, you should try and scrape enough together for RU or Seti and at least slow things down. If you respond to Seti (2/3s of people) it is the best thing against itch.

I'm still the same. 24/7 burning/itching scalp. I guess the oily skin/acne/libido boost dissipated within a few months or so of quitting finasteride, so perhaps that was just the testosterone boost. The Androgenetic Alopecia inflammation is all that remains now.

 

[jh94]

I can only say I totally agree with you.

I felt the same. It was all a mental thing - and yes, quite impossible to think it could be when you are the one feeling like that.

It's very easy to say it was all in your head and you'll just relax next time - i've been there. Came off, buzzed and me and gf never been happier.

 

[pendo747]

Brain fog is terrible. I was on finasteride for a month. Tapered to .5mg after suffering bad brainfog and real bad hormonal change. Felt like casterated man. It has been almost 2 weeks since off it and just last 2 days ive felt pretty normal. Brain was all messed up. When i tried to be happy a mental block went on in my brain. That has subsided, but wake up a bit groggy stillIn morning, last couple days have got progessively better. Can anyone tell me how there brain fog cleared? What have you guys noticed as normal clearing time for brain fog? Thanks

 

[jh94]

Brain fog is terrible. I was on finasteride for a month. Tapered to .5mg after suffering bad brainfog and real bad hormonal change. Felt like casterated man. It has been almost 2 weeks since off it and just last 2 days ive felt pretty normal. Brain was all messed up. When i tried to be happy a mental block went on in my brain. That has subsided, but wake up a bit groggy stillIn morning, last couple days have got progessively better. Can anyone tell me how there brain fog cleared? What have you guys noticed as normal clearing time for brain fog? Thanks

It takes me about a month to feel recovered, currently coming off for the last time. Just relax and let your body do it's thing.

 

[pendo747]

Jh94, did you not attempt drinking for awhile when recovering? Im planning to wait a couple months. Does that sound wise? Were you able to drink and recover as normal after awhile?

 

[jh94]

Jh94, did you not attempt drinking for awhile when recovering? Im planning to wait a couple months. Does that sound wise? Were you able to drink and recover as normal after awhile?

You can drink but it's probably best not to for a while. I could literally feel my liver acheing for hours the day after.

 

[pendo747]

How long you recommend taking off for drinking? I had taken saw palmetto for about 6 months prior to finasteride. No bad sides but feel i put on some weight and maybe slight gyno. Can gyno subside on its own? Nothing real noticable,but wondering if that could fade. I have a fast metabolism normally.

 

[jh94]

How long you recommend taking off for drinking? I had taken saw palmetto for about 6 months prior to finasteride. No bad sides but feel i put on some weight and maybe slight gyno. Can gyno subside on its own? Nothing real noticable,but wondering if that could fade. I have a fast metabolism normally.

Try and lay off the drink until you feel normal again, but it's not gonna be the end of the world if you get smashed one night or have a drink every so long.

Firstly determine if you 100% have gyno as it could just be fat.. if it doesn't resolve i've read around here and lifting forums about people using meds to resolve light gyno so afaik it's possible, check it out

 

[mjg90]

For me, i got pfs 8 months of my last dose of finasteride (last dose due to extreme anxiety out of no where, good job, good family, good head shape) it came after a 20mg 5 day run of prednisone. **** has hit the fan since. That was december, my estrogen levels were through the roof (blood checked) im currently on hcg as rx by my Doctor. But its not helping. I might have to be on TRT forever, but thankfully i can still get 100% errections. Its just the brain fog and lack of concentration/motivation or excitement to do anything

 

[AlexieJ]

Updated photos. I've now been on finasteride 1mg for about 2 months... I feel like I'm still losing hair and have made no progress. In fact my recession seems worse.

View attachment 38265View attachment 38266View attachment 38267View attachment 38268View attachment 38269View attachment 38270

Don't expect you will see progress in a short period of time. Two months is too soon for that better to wait 8 months to more than a year.

 

[kuca]

@Dench57
I got bad scalp pain before I started finasteride but my scalp started to hurt even more first couple of months on finasteride and it was relly awfull experience, but i decided to stick with finasteride and after year on finasteride my scalp started to feel a litlle better and now I m 15 months on finasteride and my scalp feels pretty damn good, I still may get some discomfort in my scalp maybe once in three days but very rearly
So maybe you should reconsiderd taking finasteride one more time, I don t know I just wanted to share my experience with you because I know how scalp pain is awful

 

[Dench57]

@Dench57
I got bad scalp pain before I started finasteride but my scalp started to hurt even more first couple of months on finasteride and it was relly awfull experience, but i decided to stick with finasteride and after year on finasteride my scalp started to feel a litlle better and now I m 15 months on finasteride and my scalp feels pretty damn good, I still may get some discomfort in my scalp maybe once in three days but very rearly
So maybe you should reconsiderd taking finasteride one more time, I don t know I just wanted to share my experience with you because I know how scalp pain is awful

Thanks for the info Kuca. The problem for me was that I had 0 inflammation before starting finasteride. However its been over a year since I quit and its just gradually gotten worse. I've started dutasteride recently, it's either going to make it worse or make it better.

 

[g.i joey]

when did you start dutasteride dench? hows it going so far?

 

[Dench57]

when did you start dutasteride dench? hows it going so far?

I'm starting with 1 every 5 days and gradually build up to once daily, only taken 2 pills so far, nothing to report.

 

[maxout777]

How's it been coming off this time thedarkcolor? SP has got me still screwed up a little over a month off, so I'm scared to try finasteride. But could possibly consider it seeing as how you seem to come back to 100% each time.

 

[thedarkcolor]

How's it been coming off this time thedarkcolor? SP has got me still screwed up a little over a month off, so I'm scared to try finasteride. But could possibly consider it seeing as how you seem to come back to 100% each time.

Well, it took me about a week to feel 100% normal again after completely stopping finasteride. Gyno pains went away and regained 100% of the mental acuity I had prior to being on finasteride... But with all of these also came extreme scalp DHT itches in the areas that I'm balding in. Which is almost as bad as the side effects in my mind, because it's a 24/7 thing!

I also lost about 2cm of hairline in my recessed temples since the last finasteride effort.

I began trying yet again...a 4th (or maybe it's a 5th or 6th...I can't remember anymore) time about 2 and a half weeks ago. Only this time I'm only doing .5mg every night. And within the 1st day- guess what:

-watery semen
-decreased ejaculate
-mild brain fog/difficulty remembering things
-no more DHT itch
-less oily skin
-bloating feeling in abdomen

Same as before. I just can't seem to win. I'm still on attempt number 4 as we speak and feeling pretty spaced out today. Last two days have been a blur because of it. I just absolutely refuse to be that bald guy in his twenties. I see what kind of social suicide it is.