These have been compiled from social media. Links to original posts and comments are provided after each quote.
This is not some easy cure-pill… I know enough now… this drug is def not worth it. Dangerous.
This drug was beyond serious for me. Was on it for nearly 5 months straight. Knew what I was going into. Saw slow improvement and [hair] thickness was amazing, but these sides are too [f***ing] heavy. Recovering now asap. […] This is not some easy cure-pill. It connects to receptors and blocks a enzyme. But I know enough now. I thought I hated balding, but what I’ve seen now on this drug is def not worth it. Dangerous.
Comment on r/tressless, 7 Jun 2021
By the fifth year, [my sex drive] was completely destroyed. I quit taking the drug, expecting things to bounce back. They didn’t.
I took finasteride for five years. The first year, my sex drive was fine. By the fifth year, it was completely destroyed.
I quit taking the drug, expecting things to bounce back. They didn’t. It was another year before they updated the labeling in the US to mention that effects might be irreversible.
If you take it, pay attention to your body. If you start getting side effects, which can come on gradually, consider the long term ramifications. When it comes time to settle down with someone, there are a lot more people attracted to bald men than men with no sex drive.
Comment on r/tressless, 9 Jun 2021
Depression, no sex drive, shrinking penis.
Responding to the question: “Did any experience the side effects of Finasteride?:
I did, depression, no sex drive, shrinking penis.
Taking Fin for hairloss is like trying to swat a fly with a sledgehammer. You’ll kill the fly, but you’ll do a lot of damage.
Comment on r/HairTransplants, 26 May 2021
Just FYI, I have had brain fog (makes you feel like you’re retarded) and very low sex drive with penile pain since stopping fin in dec.
Honestly the hardest 5 months of my life and I actually wanted to kill myself to end the suffering, but I think I am gonna make it.
It is really scary.
Comment on r/tressless, 21 May 2021
My balls shrunk to 1/3rd the size with significantly reduced ejaculate and sperm volume. I can confidently say it was the finasteride that did this. PFS is all nocebo and mental illness until it happens to you.
Comment on r/tressless, 24 Apr 2021
And I’m not discounting all Derms [dermatologists]. Just my derm every time I came with real symptoms, he would immediately jump to “it’s probably in your head” first. This made me dismiss how my body was reacting and now things seem permanent. He still claims my numb penis and my [enlarged breasts] I grew are in my head. People in this forum who don’t experience sides will say the same.
Comment on r/tressless, 26 Mar 2019. Quotation marks added for clarity.
I have never experienced erectile dysfunction before in my life; it was not in my vocabulary.
Help: Erectile Dysfunction and Penis Shrinkage 3 weeks Into Finasteride
I am 28 years old and I first noticed changes to the sensation on my penis within the first few days of starting 1mg finasteride.
Now, I am exactly 22 days into therapy, I have been experiencing pretty drastic erectile dysfunction since that time that has not gone away. I would describe it as major difficulty getting hard, and when I do it’s only about 70% of regular hardness and quickly becomes flaccid. Sensation all over penis is decreased, and libido is lower. I used to be up like a light, easily aroused by small sensations and no problem maintaining erections. I noticed my nocturnal erections are also flaccid now, which has scared me. I have never experienced erectile dysfunction before in my life; it was not in my vocabulary. I had one sexual encounter in this month, and I could not get hard enough for sex.
I have also noticed changes to the appearance of my package- penis skin seems more wrinkly, like there is “too much skin”, and the shaft used to be more firm and defined even when it was flaccid- now, it’s very limp and has much less sensation. My penis and scrotum both look and feel different, and I am very frightened.
Will these effects go away? I am concerned this is permanent or long-lasting, as I am clearly in the subset of people who get these sexual side effects. I am considering tapering to 0.5mg/daily or stopping finasteride altogether. Anyone have any experience with this, or know if these are early signs of PED or PFS?
Comment on r/tressless, 4 Sep 2019