Propecia side effects continuing 5 weeks after discontinuation, what can I do?

Question

I took Propecia for 6 months.Dosage was 0.5mg per day.I experienced side effects.These were: 'weaker' erections, a decrease in the frequency and 'strength' of spontaneous erections and morning erections and my face was bloated.I discontinued.5 weeks have passed but I am still experiencing all of the side effects. Is this normal and usually how long does it take for the side effects to cease after discontinuing the medication? Is there anything I can do to get rid of the side effects faster?

Konstantinos Anastassakis, MD, PhD · Answer

The wash-out period for Finasteride is just 7 days. So by now it is out of your body for good. Wait it out, the whole hype on persistent symptoms is overstated and it might have affected you. this is called the nocebo effect, i.e. an adverse side effect that is not a direct result of the specific pharmacological action of the drug, but due to patience awareness of the possibility of this adverse effect.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

No, this may not be typical, but side effects for the individual can vary. I suggest seeing a hair loss expert now to evaluate and go over your condition and provide you information about your best treatment options. There are great non-invasive options like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Robert Nettles, MD · Answer

Propecia (Also known as Finasteride) affects everyone differently 
because is not customized to the individual. Like millions of Big Pharma
 medications out there, the exact same dose of Propecia/Finasteride is 
given to people who have different heights, weights and biochemistry. 
This means that men who want to stop hair loss for good can take the 
recommended dose of Propecia every day, and experience nasty side 
effects for no good reason! While for other's their dose may be 
insufficient to even reduceDHT by the 60% it is rated at.
Also, even if you do not receive any side effects:Finasteride only works for a short
period of time.  It works for just a few hours a day (its half-life is 6 hours).Finasteride
 does a poor job of
actually blocking DHT production. Propecia only blocks 1 out of 3 types 
of DHT receptors. That means hair loss is
STILL taking place while you are using the medication.  This combined 
with the short half life means that Propecia is about 60% effective at 
stopping DHT from thinning your hair.Any
 medicine that actually can make changes inside your body, are required 
under the FDA to be available by prescription only. This therefore means
 that it is not possible for anything that does not require a 
prescription to cure or prevent hair loss or regrow thinning hair. Thus,
 a personalized medicine will be the best choice because instead of a 
"one size fits all" approach, you will be taking something which is truly catered to your body's needs.
The treatment is out there. Good luck on your search.

Monika Soni, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question! No, this may not be typical, but side effects for the individual can vary. I suggest seeing a hair loss expert now to evaluate and go over your condition and provide you information about your best treatment options. There are great non-invasive options like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation.

Jay Goldstein, MD · Answer

It can take months. There is nothing you can do except wait. The good news is that it these side effects will go away but in many cases in takes a long time. There are many patient forums on this subject. Do some Googling and discover what others in your situation went through and how long it took to resolve.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

If the side effects of finasteride lasting 5 weeks, then you have no choice but to wait it out. Some people take a few months to reverse

Propecia side effects continuing 5 weeks after discontinuation, what can I do?

Answers (6)

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