Sexual side effect from finasteride

[jayther2]

Hey guys, So i've been on generic proscar 5mg tabs (split 4 ways) for about a month now. It's working good on my hair. All fall-out has stopped. However I have experienced sexual problems. I guess this is common with this med from what I read. I hope it subsides soon. It's not real bad I just notice it is a little bit harder for me to get and maintain an erection. And it really postpones ejaculation (they should prescribe this for pre-mature ejaculation) My girl like it though lol. Takes me like 20-30 mins now. It used to take 2-3 mins lol Anyways, anyone else experience this??

[billyboy1965]

Hey guys, So i've been on generic proscar 5mg tabs (split 4 ways) for about a month now. It's working good on my hair. All fall-out has stopped.

If you said you were taking it for prostate problems, I would have asked if you tried saw palmetto, which my doctor recommended to me instead of this stuff for exactly the reasons you've mention.

I have 2 friends who have taken it. Same complaints. For them it just didn't go away. If it's scripted by your doctor, I'd ask if adding any of the ED meds would be a bad combination for you. With one of my buddies, it was not and he does. Big monthly prescription bill.

My other buddy just got fed up and stopped. He's 33. Now he just shaves his head and goes with that look.

So I guess it comes down to what's more important ~ where you want your girlfriend's hands. Running through your hair or...getting a grip.

[jayther2]

Haha yeah your right @Billyboy1965. How important is my hair anyways. Not that important. It does'nt happen all the time but I do notice it when I'm with my gf. It's like something is blocking me from a full erection. Also, I highly recommend this drug for anyone with premature ejac problems. Itdoes something in that department as well. My gf trips out cause I can go for like 30 min straight. I'm not a Dr. Just saying The only other med i take at the moment is Tramadol but I never had sexual sides with Tram before so I know it's the Finasteride.

[jayther2]

Haha yeah your right @Billyboy1965. How important is my hair anyways. Not that important. It does'nt happen all the time but I do notice it when I'm with my gf. It's like something is blocking me from a full erection. Also, I highly recommend this drug for anyone with premature ejac problems. Itdoes something in that department as well. My gf trips out cause I can go for like 30 min straight. I'm not a Dr. Just saying The only other med i take at the moment is Tramadol but I never had sexual sides with Tram before so I know it's the Finasteride.

Ok guys so I have been searching all over the net trying to find some solid info on this topic. I do believe it is the Tram now as well. Well that's great, there are probably two drugs known to man that cause sexual problems and I am on both of them I was reading about other men (and women) having no libido while on Tramadol. This combined with the finasteride (which also lowers libido) and no wonder I have'nt thought about sex in a month. It's literally like I'm numb from the waist down I'm looking for some guidance here guys, other than stopping the meds (no shit). I have decreased my Tram intake to 250mg a day and even half of the recommended does of Propecia .(05mg). Hopefully this helps me get back to normal. As a man you panic when things get weird down there. I didn't want to put this on you guys but there are no other forums in regards to both meds so I figured I would start here. I may have to stop one of the drugs. I would like to keep my hair if possible so I might have to look into another pain med....which I dont want to do cause Tram works for me. Thanks gentleman.

[Nicholas440]

I would check into some other form of medications for your situation. I've read some articles about Finesteride, and they didn't sound promising. I take all natural supplements for my prostate to keep it in good shape. I had a bad prostate infection a year ago and believe me you never want to get one of those. But what I found that worked was a few natural supplements, namely Beta Sitosterol, Saw Palmetto, and Pygeum, also adding 15mg of zinc, and vitamin D3 daily brought my prostate back in great shape within 2 months, it was slow but each day I noticed improvements.

I was also told that these supplements are good for stopping or reducing hair loss. Now, Tramadol is another one as you may have read that lowers the libido, and actually any pain drug will have some effect on the libido. You might want to try one that isnt so potent and see if that helps the pain you have. Your libido will get a boost from the Saw Palmetto and Beta Sitosterol as well. Mine did.

[H20shed65]

Hi@jayther2. Finasteride regardless of the reason you are taking it, is well known to cause sexual side effects including reduced libido and delayed ejaculation. These side effects would be very unlikely to be caused by Tramadol. Previous posters are correct that there are many ED drugs that would be helpful here. Also, you may want to have your physician check your testosterone levels as well. Finasteride works by blocking DHT which is what causes both BPH and hair loss as well in men. An unfortunate side effect is that it can reduce the amount of free testosterone in your system as well. If you are taking this for hair loss and NOT BPH, you may want to ask your physician about adding testosterone to your regimen which will fix your libido problem IF your testosterone levels are indeed low for a man your age. New T level ranges were recently put out so previous test results which might have shown your T levels to be within range at that time may merit review. Talk to your physician. Hope you find this helpful and good luck to you.

[Stillgoingstrong]

Finasteride actually gave me some very unpleasant side effects down there. Pressure on the 'vas deferens', tickling sensations that took days to go away. Very unpleasant so I had to shift to using just some caffeine shampoo.

[Yiv2012]

Hahaha 3 minutes to 20-30 minutes? That's like SSRI level.

[juniperpansy]

Hi@jayther2. Finasteride regardless of the reason you are taking it, is well known to cause sexual side effects including reduced libido and delayed ejaculation.

Is there new information on this? When I read up about the finisteride study about 1.5% of the finisteride group experienced ED while the placebo group 1% experienced ED. Unless there is new info I'm a little sceptical of the causing ED claim.

[H20shed65]

Hi @juniperpansy

The answer likely depends on why and how you take Finasteride. For example, if you're taking 1mg PO for hair loss and you're under 50 years of age, sexual side effects are unlikely. However, if you're taking 5mg PO for BPH and are 50 years of age or older, sexual side effects are more likely. Why? Firstly, older men naturally have lower testosterone levels due to age, combined with the higher dose, can result in ED or delayed ejac. According to Micromedex, between 1.8%- 10.0% experience these side effects. So to summarize, these side effects are very age and dose related.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. My original answer was a bit broad.

[rotaholic]

I took proscar for 2 years and it was great for my hair, but not so great for my libido and I think I actually shrunk penis size?

[somuchforthat22]

sex drive killer, morning erection killer, ejaculation killer... pretty much killer. it did keep my hair from falling out, but wasn't worth it.

[Buchanan35]

I was on Propecia for almost 10 years, then I recently switched to the 5mg Proscar b/c its way cheaper. I had always had the side effects you mentioned in your post, well basically it was easy to get started, but would take forever to finish. Sometimes, it would get to the point where I would be so exhausted and frustrated I would just quit. However, since Feb. when I started taking Subutex (plus all of my other Rxs: adderall, xanax, and finasteride). Anyway, now I have absolutely no sex drive at all!!! So, I just don't know what is causing it. Maybe its the propecia, but that wouldn't explain the last few months on subutex. And I have found absolutely nobody else who has mentioned any side effects that I am having.

So, yeah I had heard that a lot of guys were going bald b/c of the sexual side-effects related to propecia. Hey, at least you actually are having side-effects, compared to the non-existence of any sex.

[billyboy1965]

Did I recently hear a news report that hair loss medication side effects may not be short term even after discontinued use?

[JackRyan]

Did I recently hear a news report that hair loss medication side effects may not be short term even after discontinued use?

Yes you did Propecia (finasteride) Permanent Sexual Dysfunction Risk this is just a quick link but if you google it there is many many more that the sexual side effects may be permanent or persist for quite some time after stopping the med.

[Soniccc]

I've often wonder if it's really worth it. The reason is that my hair is still thick but my hairline is slowly thining out. It's not that bad, but I feel that if I don't fix it soon, it'll become a problem.

I mean, how effective IS finasteride? I've seen 'before and after' pics online, but sometimes I wonder if they're legit.

[timeflyer]

My personal experience with Finasteride has been very good, although not amazing. The mirror shows that I've had some hair growth that is definitely worth the purchase price.

[xx13]

If you take propecia and don't get sides great it works for you. If However, you do get sides, don't think you can overcome the sides with other meds.. Works for some, posion for others..

[WangChung]

Do not take finasteride. I have been suffering its sexual side effects for the last ten years. I have no libido and it is impossible to get an erection without physical stimulation. It seems the side effects are permanent. Do a simple google search for propecia side effects before considering this drug.

[TheBangMeister]

Stay away from finasteride!! I took it for less than a month (literally) and have been struggling w the side effects for several years now. My libido is down (way down) as is my drive and joy for everyday life. I mean, I honestly cannot remember a time in the last few years where I've been excited for anything. Not Friday evenings w friends after a long week, not holidays, not food... You get the point.

BTW, I asked the doc about side effects prior to prescription... He said there was nothing to worry about. Next time I see him, I'll be sure to mention the info Merck put out recently regarding side effects... Naturally, he'll shrug it off. A hole.