Maybe I should stop using finasteride

[Celal Şahin]

Before making any decisions, I'd try to fix the obvious lifestyle factors first. Sleeping at 3–5 a.m., chronic stress, and not exercising can all affect libido and erectile function on their own.

Since finasteride was working for your hair for over a year, it's difficult to know whether the recent changes are from the medication, your lifestyle, or a combination of both.

If things don't improve after getting your sleep and stress under control, then discussing options like topical finasteride or adjusting your treatment with a dermatologist sounds reasonable. I just wouldn't assume finasteride is the only explanation based on what you've described.

 

[Yar]

It's been almost a year since the last post
I haven't been on this forum for the past few months because I feel that my status has been okay and the side effects seem to have little impact.
But starting from October 8th, sexual side effects reappeared, morning erections began to disappear again, and erectile function became somewhat poor.
But this year, my dosage of finasteride has been very low. For a few months, I took a quarter of a tablet every day, and in recent months, I have been taking half a tablet every two days.
Of course, it could also be related to my lifestyle this year. I spent about half of the year sleeping between 3-5 am and waking up between 11-1 am. Lack of exercise, and in recent months, many things have made me feel mentally anxious.
I don't know, maybe oral medication is not suitable for me. I need to adjust my lifestyle first and see if there is any improvement. Maybe I should switch to topical finasteride or only use minoxidil.

If you've started waking up between 4 and 5 a.m. and your sleep has worsened, this is due to inhibition of 5-aP reductase, as it's responsible for the synthesis of pregnenolone, the hormone of calm and sleep. Try taking natural progesterone an hour before bed, as it doesn't interfere with pregnenolone synthesis. You'll have to stop taking finasteride.