I guess I'm one of the "2%"...thanks Merck

[Z-Man]

Ok, I know it's been beaten to death (no pun), but how long should I ride out this demolition of erectile function? I mean, it feels like my penis has been reduced to a clitoris minus the sensation. I was able to get it up after studying some p**rn, but i've been declining in the mojo department since day one.

I started Finpecia 1/2/06. I was considering starting on .5mg but decided to try the recommended treatment first. I know this will attract a mix of experiences but please reply ONLY if you are Kurt Cobain or had ED due to finasteride. Please tell me how long it took to return to normal. I wanna start dating again!

I know everyone's different and I haven't been on it more than a couple weeks, but each day feels like a month when your bonners turn to gonners. I've tried the L-Arginine and it only helps mildly.

 

[Dinzy]

MY experience wasn't that bad but it did feel weird. It went away after a couple of weeks

 

[Aplunk1]

I find that L-Arginine really helps. I take 2/g per day. How much do you take?

 

[Z-Man]

I've been taking 2g's in the morning on an empty stomach, then eating an hour later. I'll feel kind of good in the morning but it usually dies in the afternoon and evening.

 

[doubleplay]

hey fellow 2%er. Ride it out till 2 months and if it's still the same then quit. Chances are likely it will disspate to a tolerable level. Two years from now after losing even more hair you'll be wanting to kick yourself for not trying to hold out longer so just do it. If it aint cool at month 2 just drop it and everything will go back to normal.

I personal never got any side effects from finasteride so what i say is just what ive read from others here. I have taken some other medications that initially the sides were horrid but they dropped after my body got used to them.

gl

 

[Z-Man]

I realize that too many people come to b**ch and not enough relay their good results, so here's an update.

The last few days I've been waking up with the good old morning wood. My libido seems to be slowly coming back, and erections don't seem to be an issue although they're still a bit softer than usual. My ejaculate volume has decreased as well. I expect this to get better with time. After all, I've only been on finasteride a little over 3 weeks.

I'm still getting testicular pain (in my lefty) at the end of the day, and my sex drive seems to diminish toward night time, however this shows signs of abatement as well. In addition to finasteride I take 2mg of l-arginine right before bed. Arginine has helped me in so many ways. I highly recommend it!

Oh and the hair.....better than ever.

 

[Siberian]

I'm still getting testicular pain (in my lefty) at the end of the day...

Yea, I had that too. Over a few months it went from a constant ache, to sporadic aches now and then, and then faded away completely.

The pain that is, not the testicle

That happened pretty early on in my treatment, probably around year 1-2. It never came back, even after 5 years.

 

[Britannia]

Sides from taking Propecia usually disappear with time. I had testicular pain for several weeks after starting Propecia but it soon went away. I never had ED so cant really relate to you. I suppose my only advise would be ride it out as long as you can without ED causing you lifestyle worries.

 

[Z-Man]

I guess this depends on the individual but how long should I wait?

 

[mogadon]

I guess this depends on the individual but how long should I wait?

you answered your own question

 

[Z-Man]

I guess this depends on the individual but how long should I wait?

you answered your own question

Thanks, but I was looking for a general time frame from people who've been on it a while and passed the initial side effect period.

 

[Britannia]

[quote="Z-Man":0761d]I guess this depends on the individual but how long should I wait?

you answered your own question

Thanks, but I was looking for a general time frame from people who've been on it a while and passed the initial side effect period.[/quote:0761d]

You should take it for 12 months, providing the sides are not significantly effecting your life.

 

[Z-Man]

Guys it seems like things are getting better. The nutache is almost completely gone and my libido is back. I was with a girl last night and had no problems down there. I guess with time things really do settle down. It's been almost a month since starting finasteride.

 

[MEvsMPB]

Hi Z Man

nice to hear that from you.

After all do you think it is possible that it could have been all mental/ in your head??

 

[Z-Man]

Hi Z Man

nice to hear that from you.

After all do you think it is possible that it could have been all mental/ in your head??

Not a chance. There's no denying the physiological changes this drug causes - if only temporary. You can't just "imagine" a sharp decrease in ejaculate and then water semen (both of which i've had recently). Sure state-of-mind has a whole lot to do with libido but come on.....when you go from not being able to get up from your desk in the morning to wondering where your penis went, you can pretty much pin it on the meds

 

[rkim]

I've been on finasteride just under 5 months. The sides were there right away. I went down to .5mg at about the 2.5 month mark. The sides seemed to get worse and then all of a sudden much better. I thought I was in the clear until last night, a major malfunction. So damn embarrassing!!!!!! And I really liked this chick. According to the Doctor the sides should have gotten better within a month or so. He says 5 months means they're no way going to get better. And I think I'm seeing some regrowth. Definitely less shed. Damn!!!
I also had a lot of breast pain and swelling that went away after the decrease.

I'm getting tests back this week on estrogen and test levels.

What I notice is, the SE's fluctuate over about a months time. About 3 day peak and a three day low and mediocre in between. I suppose it's always been like that just less noticeable. Now everything is just diminished.
I've just started to keep track day to day.

Ya know, the weird thing is I was on finasteride a few years ago for over 6 months with no sides. I stopped due to lack of funds. Didn't know about the cheap online stuff.

Some more fyi: My dermatologist said he's never had a patient who's sides didn't go away. He was amazed by mine staying so long. That's just one Doctor though. He also said that you should see results after 3 months. Again, all his patients have. I know there will be cases that take longer, but they're probably the very small minority. I actually did notice results rather quickly the first time I used it. What the hell happened to my body for this drug to have such a different affect a few years later? Age? This is crazy!

 

[Z-Man]

You know, I completely understand where you're coming from. I actually did 1 month of finasteride in september and quit because when the one month mark was aproaching, I felt a decrease in libido. I freaked out after reading the permanent side effects posts and quit. I decided to give it another shot and the side effects hit me almost instantly. It's weird...my body reacted differently the second time around. I actually read another post somewhere here that said he experienced harder side effects his second go-round.

 

[-cj-]

I haven't started treatment yet, still thinking about it.

My derm says that all the people he's prescribed it to have had no side effects, so that helps.

 

[rkim]

Can sides continue to get worse over a long period of time? Even after cutting back my sides seem to be worse than ever. What's the deal with that?

 

[taserbrod]

Has anyone here (other than me) experienced side effects later...what I mean...did not have side effects initially and then experience such after some time (for me perfect until month 5 then libido probs.)