Dutasteride Side Effects Concerns, What Are My Options?

[JohnOKelly]

Hey, I'll keep this as brief as I can. I had been taking finasteride 1.25mg daily for over 10 years but when I went below baseline, I recently decided to try Dutasteride .5mg daily instead in the hope I'd halt and maybe regrow what I'd lost.

I do have ED, I never get erections and have to take v**** for sex. However I should also mention that I have been on antidepressants (Effexor), Diazepam and Lyrica (pregabalin) which as far as I know can also cause ED.

So, I have heard the horror stories of permanent sexual side effects from Dutasteride and I am wondering are there people here who have taken it or currently taken it and noticed these side effects subside as your body gets used to the drug?

I know that if I wean off the other medications they do not cause permanent side effects, well, not ED anyway.

My options are keep taking it, along with minoxidil 5% as I have been for over 10 years, or give up the fight against hair loss, dump all those drugs, shave the head and hope that I haven't caused permanent side effects.

Any insight from Dutas users welcome.

Thanks.

 

[INT]

You can´t have sex without v**** and continue to use finasteride anyway for years? This does not indicate a lot of respect for your own (sexual) health so I guess you can just do whatever you want.

 

[JohnOKelly]

You can´t have sex without v**** and continue to use finasteride anyway for years? This does not indicate a lot of respect for your own (sexual) health so I guess you can just do whatever you want.

It's a little more complicated than that. I do have respect for my sexual health, hence the reason I posted. It's only this year that I started using v**** for sex after I was put on different antidepressants.

 

[Zoro]

Sexual sides aside, dutasteride is also a strong inhibitor of 5ar1 which is the main 5ar in the brain. 5ar1 is used for the production of certain neurosteroids, so it's probably a good idea to do some more research on those effects if you're already dealing with depression

 

[JohnOKelly]

Sexual sides aside, dutasteride is also a strong inhibitor of 5ar1 which is the main 5ar in the brain. 5ar1 is used for the production of certain neurosteroids, so it's probably a good idea to do some more research on those effects if you're already dealing with depression

Thanks for the response.

Yes I did do research into this and I am aware of that risk also. Yes I have already been diagnosed with severe depression and general anxiety disorder and panic disorder and I have been seeking help for these issues. My psychotherapist is also aware of my concerns of using Dutasteride and it's potential ED side effects... she is also aware that hairloss, for whatever reason, has become a vehicle for my anxiety, it's become like a phobia... hence why I would even risk taking such a drug despite the concerns it causes me. Her opinion, and what she would prefer to see me do, is to drop ALL meds for hairloss and just shave.

 

[JohnOKelly]

So is there anybody here who has found that their sexual sides subsided with time? Thanks

 

[sunchyme1]

dutasteride shrinked my dick by 5 inches bro

 

[JohnOKelly]

dutasteride shrinked my dick by 5 inches bro

I'm gonna take that as a joke... but I've heard some fairly outrageous claims on drug side effects before!

 

[WMQ]

Don't you see the problem here OP? You've been taking finasteride for a long long time and it's known to cause depression and anxiety. I'm not saying your mental problems can be solely attributed to it but maybe think about it, because this sounds like my story a lot.

 

[JohnOKelly]

Don't you see the problem here OP? You've been taking finasteride for a long long time and it's known to cause depression and anxiety. I'm not saying your mental problems can be solely attributed to it but maybe think about it, because this sounds like my story a lot.

I can see that there is a possible link alright. However, my depression and anxiety issues began a long time before taking finasteride. I'm working through those issues now with a psychotherapist and things are slowly beginning to improve. Due to my background it will most likely take a long time... decades worth of depression and anxiety will take a hell of a lot of work to get through. I'm putting the potential risk of depression from taking finasteride aside for now, as I am working on that issue separately and just wondering specifically about the sexual side effects of Dutas and have they subsided or reduced while taking the drug. I'm not saying that finasteride hasn't contributed somewhat to depression or anxiety... I may never know that...