Quitting Propecia After Long Term Use - Please Share Your Experiences

[horunger]

PS, to Ahmed Wolf,

I think the best thing for you to pick up that last 10% of your recovery is to get on with your life and not to worry too much more. If you took three doses of finasteride and you've recovered 90 percent, it seems that the rest of it is anxiety. I hope you don't find my comment offensive but you're probably back to 100 percent and you're holding yourself back worrying.

Could be anxiety but not likely, he could have gotten hypogonadism because the body dont know how to handle the high dht anymore and chose to reduce dht by producing less testosterone. Sounds weird after so short usage but just wait and see, pfs will be attributed mainly to testosterone reduction when research results are available. (For the few real pfs cases, all the fake reports of pfs are hindering progress in the research)

 

[ahmed wolf]

Could be anxiety but not likely, he could have gotten hypogonadism because the body dont know how to handle the high dht anymore and chose to reduce dht by producing less testosterone. Sounds weird after so short usage but just wait and see, pfs will be attributed mainly to testosterone reduction when research results are available. (For the few real pfs cases, all the fake reports of pfs are hindering progress in the research)

dude my total t levels are 11 max is 8 esto is 35 lh 8 fsh 5 shbg 40 dht 0.65 max is 0.85 these levels are the same fro the past 5 weeks with one or 2 number change so i am far from hypogonadal lol but i don't feel the same cuz i am always afraid for my health so i will always get that feeling
I fealt sides next day after taking the pill cuz i was reading all the stories online since last year lol

 

[ahmed wolf]

Here's my experience: I've been on finasteride for a year now, I lost my libido completely and got severe ED. I only get a weak erection when I watch p*rn. Morning woods are but a distant memory.

every time i see bringing this up i get ed and loss of libido

 

[stachu]

i had ed low libido and premature ejaculation together due to p**rn, masturbating,huge sex stress, lack of vitamins, anxiety + weight below normal ( too skinny ) at 18 years old I managed to rescue everything within 3 months. Then i jumped on finasteride when i was 19 ( year after rescue ) and it did nothing to my libido ed and bla bla. I even learned how to control ejaculation and i can last really long with my female partner.

Everything will change, if you meet a girl.
The sad part is...
If you're getting ed by watching p**rn and masturbating often. You will have bigger ed during sex. And propably Premature ejaculation will hop in also if you're still an unexperienced guy. I firstly took care about ED, then i managed to get strong erections during sex my premature ejaculation tottaly gone + additionaly i learned how to control it ( cause when i had ED i couldnt control it somehow.)


Idk why i am saying this but maybe it will help someone...

 

[michel sapin]

still on oral fina stachu ?

 

[ahmed wolf]

i had ed low libido and premature ejaculation together due to p*rn, masturbating,huge sex stress, lack of vitamins, anxiety + weight below normal ( too skinny ) at 18 years old I managed to rescue everything within 3 months. Then i jumped on finasteride when i was 19 ( year after rescue ) and it did nothing to my libido ed and bla bla. I even learned how to control ejaculation and i can last really long with my female partner.

Everything will change, if you meet a girl.
The sad part is...
If you're getting ed by watching p*rn and masturbating often. You will have bigger ed during sex. And propably Premature ejaculation will hop in also if you're still an unexperienced guy. I firstly took care about ED, then i managed to get strong erections during sex my premature ejaculation tottaly gone + additionaly i learned how to control it ( cause when i had ED i couldnt control it somehow.)


Idk why i am saying this but maybe it will help someone...

I never had sex before but i dont masterbate every day some times eod or at third day when i do i edge ans stay hard for while and control myself some times dont c*m i hold it
is that making me prone to ED edging and holding it for a while?
i never had a problem with that but finasteride cused me ED could be psychologic those cuz i was scaerd of the sides before starting

 

[RS85]

Just want to share something else:

when I quit finasteride (2 weeks after), I started getting morning woods like every single day. Hard rock ones. After resuming finasteride, they were pretty much gone. Today (11 months after restarting), I get them every now and then.. Not every day, but I would say 3 or 4 times per week. Not something that concerns me though.. Just wanted to share.

Beard growth had slowed down substantially too.. Off finasteride, I had to shave every couple of days. Now, I can shave once every 2 weeks...

@br1

Thanks for sharing. I think you are one of the lucky ones whose hair is very decent with finasteride and whose sexual life is not significantly affected by it. Your hair also look great. I dont think you have too much of an issue with the temples..

 

[RS85]

I

i hope so man thanxx for ur help

@ahmed wolf @Wanheda

Thanks for sharing guys.

Ahmed, i think the 10% your refer to is psychological. You should be fine over time. Do lead your life as normal and provide us with an update in due course.

 

[RS85]

RS85,

When I quit Propecia, my HPTA did not adjust and my testosterone dropped to 223 ng/ml. I was hypogonadal and had all the symptoms of PFS. The thing is, I took Propecia for six or seven years without any noticeable side effects. I would recommend that you quit very slowly, tapering dose down and then skipping days. It might take you several months to completely wean off but there's no reason to quit cold turkey because you're not having acute side effects.

Val

@Valiant

Thanks for sharing Val. When did you quit finasteride? How is your condition now?

I am reducing dosage very slowly in hopes of avoiding PFS. But i am also seeing more shedding so i am considering my options and whether a low dose of finasteride works. I will provide an update shortly on my experience so far and would be grateful for your comments.

 

[RS85]

Here's my experience: I've been on finasteride for a year now, I lost my libido completely and got severe ED. I only get a weak erection when I watch p*rn. Morning woods are but a distant memory.

@Dante92

Hi Dante, so did you quit? Have things improved?

 

[ahmed wolf]

I


@ahmed wolf @Wanheda

Thanks for sharing guys.

Ahmed, i think the 10% your refer to is psychological. You should be fine over time. Do lead your life as normal and provide us with an update in due course.

today is 8 weeks since I took it planning to do a blood test tomorrow.
i get ererctions when sleeping and waking up almost every day bit i didn't today cuz I slept like 3 hr i had a presentation to do lol so it could be stress
spontaneous not so much only when talking to girls and but if i saw a picture or something sexual I get am ererction but not super strong

 

[RS85]

i had ed low libido and premature ejaculation together due to p*rn, masturbating,huge sex stress, lack of vitamins, anxiety + weight below normal ( too skinny ) at 18 years old I managed to rescue everything within 3 months. Then i jumped on finasteride when i was 19 ( year after rescue ) and it did nothing to my libido ed and bla bla. I even learned how to control ejaculation and i can last really long with my female partner.

Everything will change, if you meet a girl.
The sad part is...
If you're getting ed by watching p*rn and masturbating often. You will have bigger ed during sex. And propably Premature ejaculation will hop in also if you're still an unexperienced guy. I firstly took care about ED, then i managed to get strong erections during sex my premature ejaculation tottaly gone + additionaly i learned how to control it ( cause when i had ED i couldnt control it somehow.)


Idk why i am saying this but maybe it will help someone...

@stachu

Thanks Stachu, useful for all of us. I agree that to control ED, it is essential to stop abusing p**rn and to get the masturbation in control.

 

[RS85]

Progress Report 1 - 21 Jan 2017

History

Cut propecia from 1 mg daily to 0.25 mg daily on 7 Jan 2017 (2 weeks ago)

Started using Regenepure twice a week for the past 2 weeks but increasing it to 3 times a week this week onwards.

Experience

The loss of hair has increased. From 3-10 strands during the shower every day, it has now increased to anything between 20-30 strands. And the hair is thick, long hair from my crown.

Side effects - so far, not noticed any significant or noticeable improvement. I think my erections are very slightly better now, but the difference is very very marginal and i cant tell if it is actually there or i am imagining it.

Observations

(1) Everyone keeps talking about that study which states that 0.2 mg finasteride daily has the same impact on dht as 1 mg daily. In my experience, that is not true. Take note that the study is a conclusion drawn from many different men - the results may vary in your individual case. In my case, over 2 weeks, i have noticed an increase in shedding (which should not be the case if the same amount of dht is blocked) and a very slight decrease in side effects.

(2) This also shows that side effects are associated with dht. More dht --> less side effects AND less hair. Less dht --> more side effects and more hair.

(3) I forgot to mention in previous posts that for the past year, i was on a hair regrowth regime with a clinic which gave me minoxidil which had (supposedly) 3 times absorption rate as normal 5% minoxidil. In addition, i was also taking saw palmetto daily for the past 1 year as part of the regime. I have now quit that clinic. I ate my last saw palmetto 2 days ago. I suspect the saw palmetto had an impact on my sex drive (as i specifically noticed the decrease in the past year). Now that i have stopped it, and have reduced my finasteride intake, i wonder whether that will improve things. Will report on progress in time to come.

Next Steps

As my hair is precious to me, i can't stand losing them. I am still playing around with my regime to see if i can find the balance where i can keep my hair and reduce the sides. I have been doing 0.25 mg daily for 2 weeks and will continue for 2 more weeks and monitor the progress (or rather the increased hair loss as time goes by).

After the next 2 weeks, I am considering changing my current regime (0.25 mg daily) to 0.5mg every other day. I wonder if the 0.5 mg will reduce dht more than what 0.25 mg is doing for me right now and then due to half life and all, if i take it every other day, it will help me keep my hair. Essentially the dose remains the same. I will also monitor if there is any impact on sides (though i doubt it) and will report back.

Grateful for comments from people who are doing 0.5mg finasteride every other day - has this improved your condition?

 

[RS85]

today is 8 weeks since I took it planning to do a blood test tomorrow.
i get ererctions when sleeping and waking up almost every day bit i didn't today cuz I slept like 3 hr i had a presentation to do lol so it could be stress
spontaneous not so much only when talking to girls and but if i saw a picture or something sexual I get am ererction but not super strong

@ahmed wolf

I think you are doing fine and are actually back to normal. Please let us know once you get the results of the test tomorrow.

 

[RS85]

I'm still on it, and my hair got worse anyway. I'll be Norwood 5 in maybe a year at this rate.

@Dante

Sorry to hear that bro. Give it time tho. My shedding took a good 6-8 months to stabilise when i started finasteride.

 

[ahmed wolf]

@ahmed wolf

I think you are doing fine and are actually back to normal. Please let us know once you get the results of the test tomorrow.

i will

 

[ahmed wolf]

It's been a year now, I seriously doubt things will improve. I'll go bald, and I can't do anything about it.

when did u starting to notice sides for real bro no trolling?

 

[RS85]

Progress Report 2 - 9 Feb 2017

History

Cut propecia from 1 mg daily to 0.25 mg daily on 7 Jan 2017 (4 weeks ago)

Changed dosage to 0.5 mg every other day (M, W, F, S) (started this on 6 Feb 2017 - taken 2 such doses so far)

Started using Regenepure twice a week for 2 weeks and increased it to 3 times a week for past 2 weeks.

Experience

I can now confirm that the loss of hair has increased when i was on 0.25 mg propecia daily. From 3-10 strands during the shower every day, it increased to between 30-45 strands daily. And the hair is thick, long hair from my crown.

Side effects - I can now confirm a definite slight decrease in side effects. Erections are slightly better and so is the volume and consistency of the ejaculate.

Observations

(1) When i changed the dosage to 0.5 mg every other day (M, W, F, S), i felt my libido decrease and the ejaculate decreased significantly. I've only taken 2 such doses so far so a bit premature to tell. Also not sure if this is a reverse placebo effect.

(2) I changed my intake pattern to see if this would decrease the hair fall. I think it might, but it will increase side effects again. The increase is quite obvious given that i had seen noticeable decrease in the side sexual effects at 0.25 mg daily (down from 1 mg daily for 9 years).

(3) Anyways, will continue this pattern for 1 month and see what the results are like once the propecia stabilises.

Next Steps

Depending on my results at the end of this month, i will consider whether to go back to 0.25 mg daily, whether to change to 0.25 every other day or some other pattern.

Alternatively, i am considering doing 1/3 pill (about 0.33-ish mg) every other day - M, W, F, S and if that helps, decreasing it to M, W, F.

It all depends on the results at the end of this month so will continue monitoring and will decide then. Will update here on this thread.

P.s. any tips on how to cut a round pill into 3 equal parts? Please let me know if you are currently doing this and how you do it.

Current regime:

(a) Minoxidil 5%, 1.5 ml twice a day (I increased it from 1 ml twice daily in hopes that it will help with hair regrowth - I read on other forums that other users have experienced better results with more/higher concentration of minoxidil)

(b) propecia 0.5 mg - M, W, F, S

(c) Regenepre shampoo - T, T, S

 

[Wanheda]

Interesting stuff and good to see the update especially for those of us who couldn't take finasteride at higher doses. Very insightful. Keep us posted!

 

[RS85]

Progress Report 3 - 5 March 2017

History

Cut propecia from 1 mg daily to 0.25 mg daily on 7 Jan 2017 (8 weeks ago)

Changed dosage to 0.5 mg every other day (M, W, F, S) (started this on 6 Feb 2017)

Started using Regenepure twice a week for 2 weeks and increased it to 3 times a week for past 6 weeks.

Experience

I can now confirm that the loss of hair has increased even further when i am on 0.5 mg propecia every other day (M, W, F, S). From 3-10 strands during the shower every day, it increased to between 45-55 strands daily. And the hair is thick, long hair from my crown.

Observations

(1) When i changed the dosage to 0.5 mg every other day (M, W, F, S), i felt my libido and ejaculate did decrease.

(2) There is some commentary that taking propecia every other day can mess around with the effect of DHT on your hair and this may result in an increase in hair loss. That is certainly the case for me.

(3) There was also some commentary that due to the half life of finasteride, a 0.5 mg dose should not allow the DHT to creep back within a day (i.e. a dose every other day should have the same effect as taking it daily) - again, that is not my experience. For me, the hair loss was more when i did 0.5 mg every other day as opposed to 0.25 mg daily. I think it is very individualistic so you need to try it for yourself. You cant really depend on advice from others.

(4) Regenepure - i have recently changed the method of application of the Regenpure shampoo. I notice a lot more hair loss when i use that shampoo as opposed to the days when i use my normal shampoo. I cant decide if this is an initial shed (which some people reported going through) or if the shampoo is simply unsuitable for me. Anyone with experience, please provide some advice. I am quite nervous about the hairloss caused by that shampoo.

(5) For those trying out these new experiments, i would suggest that you do it very slowly - 1 change at a time - so that you can accurately isolate what works and what does not. My changes in the Finasteride doses, along with Regenepure and change in minoxidil brand leave me a bit confused at times as to what is working and what is not working.

Next Steps

From tomorrow, i am changing my Finsteride dosage to 1/3 pill daily. I was hoping not to make finasteride a daily thing, given its many ill effects; but it appears i dont have a choice if i want to keep my hair.

I will update in a month how that is working.

Previous & Current regimes

Jan 2017

(a) Minoxidil 5%, 1 ml twice a day

(b) propecia 0.25 mg daily

(c) Regenepre shampoo - W, S

I.e. 1.75 mg Finasteride / week

Feb 2017

(a) Minoxidil 5%, 1.5 ml twice a day (I increased it from 1 ml twice daily in hopes that it will help with hair regrowth - I read on other forums that other users have experienced better results with more/higher concentration of minoxidil)

(b) propecia 0.5 mg - M, W, F, S

(c) Regenepre shampoo - T, T, S

I.e. 2 mg Finasteride / week

New Regime

Mar 2017

(a) Minoxidil 5%, 1.5 ml twice a day

(b) propecia 1/3 pill (approx) i..e 0.35 mg daily

(c) Regenepre shampoo - T, T, S

I.e. 2.33 mg Finasteride / week

Comments, advice, experiences welcome!