i dont want to jinx myself but i wanted to share this. i took my last dose of propecia on dec 17th, and today i can finally say that the sides are starting to wear off.
im not saying im 100% yet, but a girl actually gave me a boner today (wow) and i got spontaneous wood - at a job interview no less. a year and a half ago i would have found this embarrassing, today i see it as no less than a miracle. im getting morning wood more regularly, although its not rock hard like it used to be. i hope that ill be back too 100% soon.
i started taking finasteride in dec '09 at 25 years old when i started losing my hair. i had tried it once in my earlier 20s for a few months but quit when i read sites like propeciahelp.com. i myself had definitely experienced side effects then, but looking back i attributed them to nerves/anxieties at my young age. the side effects went away completely, and i had a normal sex life after that.
when i started taking propecia again, i started by taking .5mg, then panicked and went to the full dose. since dec. '09 i again saw a drastic decrease in libido, difficulty getting and maintaining erections (i could "get hard" but nowhere as easily as before - even with p**rn and jerking off). my penis was also always shrivelled when limp- half the size it used to be before i started finasteride. when i could get it up, my erect size was normal, but it was often wobbly, brief, and not sufficient to get the job done.
i went half a year without attempting sex because i was worried. last june - just when i started to get awesome results with my hair - i finally tried to get laid (i wasn't nervous... very relaxed actually). my penis would't let me follow through with the deed. at this time i still didnt feel the need to quit finasteride like i did the first time. i figured i would lower the dose (and observe for 2 months) until i got to a dose where the sides werent effecting me. i tried .5mg for 2 months, .25mg for 2 months, and then .5mg every M W F. each time i saw just a couple days where the sides improved before they began again.
i thought i could eventually "tweak" my dose to one that could allow me a reasonable sex life, but on dec. 17 my left pec felt sore and i felt a lump under my nipple which i believe to be the beginning stages of gyno. since i quit the lump got larger, but i believe it is now reversing. crossing my fingers... i will give it another week before i see a doctor. i have been taking 50mg zinc and l-arginine every night before bed.
right now im using rogaine foam twice a day, with tricomin in the mornings and revivogen at night. i bought some spironolactone to have around just in case i feel the need for it later on... although for now im avoiding strong anti-androgens (both systemic and topical).
after 13 long months i can finally say that propecia was not worth it. the lack of sex life, the sexual side effects, compounded with the fear of having post-finasteride syndrome and not being able to do anything about it, will make you lose your hair far sooner than dht ever will.
im not going to get on a bandwagon and say that propecia is the worst thing in the world, but the sides are definitely real for a lot of people. it works great at regrowing hair, but it is just not for everyone. a good friend of mine is on propecia and continues to get laid like a professional athlete. it is possible. just not for me and i am now ok with that.
im not saying im 100% yet, but a girl actually gave me a boner today (wow) and i got spontaneous wood - at a job interview no less. a year and a half ago i would have found this embarrassing, today i see it as no less than a miracle. im getting morning wood more regularly, although its not rock hard like it used to be. i hope that ill be back too 100% soon.
i started taking finasteride in dec '09 at 25 years old when i started losing my hair. i had tried it once in my earlier 20s for a few months but quit when i read sites like propeciahelp.com. i myself had definitely experienced side effects then, but looking back i attributed them to nerves/anxieties at my young age. the side effects went away completely, and i had a normal sex life after that.
when i started taking propecia again, i started by taking .5mg, then panicked and went to the full dose. since dec. '09 i again saw a drastic decrease in libido, difficulty getting and maintaining erections (i could "get hard" but nowhere as easily as before - even with p**rn and jerking off). my penis was also always shrivelled when limp- half the size it used to be before i started finasteride. when i could get it up, my erect size was normal, but it was often wobbly, brief, and not sufficient to get the job done.
i went half a year without attempting sex because i was worried. last june - just when i started to get awesome results with my hair - i finally tried to get laid (i wasn't nervous... very relaxed actually). my penis would't let me follow through with the deed. at this time i still didnt feel the need to quit finasteride like i did the first time. i figured i would lower the dose (and observe for 2 months) until i got to a dose where the sides werent effecting me. i tried .5mg for 2 months, .25mg for 2 months, and then .5mg every M W F. each time i saw just a couple days where the sides improved before they began again.
i thought i could eventually "tweak" my dose to one that could allow me a reasonable sex life, but on dec. 17 my left pec felt sore and i felt a lump under my nipple which i believe to be the beginning stages of gyno. since i quit the lump got larger, but i believe it is now reversing. crossing my fingers... i will give it another week before i see a doctor. i have been taking 50mg zinc and l-arginine every night before bed.
right now im using rogaine foam twice a day, with tricomin in the mornings and revivogen at night. i bought some spironolactone to have around just in case i feel the need for it later on... although for now im avoiding strong anti-androgens (both systemic and topical).
after 13 long months i can finally say that propecia was not worth it. the lack of sex life, the sexual side effects, compounded with the fear of having post-finasteride syndrome and not being able to do anything about it, will make you lose your hair far sooner than dht ever will.
im not going to get on a bandwagon and say that propecia is the worst thing in the world, but the sides are definitely real for a lot of people. it works great at regrowing hair, but it is just not for everyone. a good friend of mine is on propecia and continues to get laid like a professional athlete. it is possible. just not for me and i am now ok with that.