Hello all! I will first give some background about my life and where I am now.

I have always been relatively active since I am a competitive Target archer winning a few competitions. *applause*. My diet would consist of Chicken, Fruit, Veg and rice for about 5 out of the 7 days a week. I am low Body-fat but also not bulky, A sort of lean-skinny type with wide shoulders.

Monday 7th November 2022

Now let’s begin. I first took finasteride 1mg on Monday 7th November 2022, at 13:46 pm (I logged it). I felt instant relief as soon as I took it. I thought to myself “I’ve finally stopped my hair loss!” and had a mini celebration with my housemates for 30 minutes after I took it…

2 hours after my first dose of finasteride I tried to masturbate since I was a “horny freak” and I could get it up, although much slower than before which spooked me a little bit so I assumed it was a nocebo effect since everything else was fine. Here is where it goes downhill. Tuesday morning rolls around and I experience things I have never experienced before… These include:

Impotence
Loss of sensitivity in the tip of the Penis
No Libido
Insomnia (1-3 hours of sleep)
Testicular Atrophy or I suppose a shrivelled and less full look and more retracted.
Penis was hard when soft. Almost like I was erect but in flaccid size. (This one really confused me because I have not heard this before)
Fatigue (Probably due to Insomnia)
Brain Fog (had the worst short-term memory loss I’d ever heard of)

Fast Forward… Monday 21st November 2022

Able to get an erection if watching porn or touching myself for an extended period. libido is almost non-existent also it’s a little bit harder to maintain an erection. The penis is still moderately numb but not cold to the touch. The refractory period is slower than before and at about 30% baseline.

Fast Forward… Friday 2nd December 2022

the erection wouldn’t always be able to stay at 100% hardness and would go from 70-100% but could maintain. After ejaculating pre-fin I would keep an erection for about 5 minutes but after fin, I seem to lose it about 1 minute after ejaculating. Morning wood is rare but happens still and I don’t have a decent rigidity in my flaccid penis (very floppy like it’s hollow). Still have horrible Insomnia and Fatigue.

The Regimen I was taking PRE-FIN which is not the way to go according to TMO so will be cutting it out and cycling herbs.

Test booster containing:
Vit D3 - 25μg
Vit B6 - 10mg
Zinc - 20mg
Selenium - 100μg
Tribulus Terrestris - 10,000mg
Ginger Root - 2500mg
Maca Root - 1,500mg
D-Aspartic Acid - 960mg
Ashwagandha Root - 500mg
Fenugreek Seed - 500mg
Caffeine Anhydrous - 80mg
Black Pepper Extract - 5mg

Omega-3 Fish Oils - 2000mg (600mg EPA, 400mg DHA)

Before GYM:
BCAA’s - 1000mg
L-Leucine 500mg
L-Isoleucine 250mg
L-Valine 250mg
Beta Alanine - 1000mg

Improvements I am Looking to make:

I want to begin a Fast or Juice Feast however, I am already fairly light so I don’t want to lose a serious amount of weight in calories since it could send me to the hospital. Still doing research on the TMO page though so I am still trying to figure out the plan!

Herb Changes:
I need to cycle herbs and not take them in bulk so I am tossing the T-Booster and looking to add Pine Pollen since many people have said it helps a lot. Royal Jelly and Tongkat Ali seem to work for most so I will also be adding those and the rest of the herbs recommended provided I can find them in the UK.

I was taking Melatonin before bed for insomnia but stopped due to it having Aromatase inhibiting properties which would make things worse.

Dietary Changes
Currently adapting my diet to fit the Paleo Diet and adding fish into my weekly meal plan. Adding veggies to my lunchtime meals.

I am also studying Carb Backloading and how it helps. Along with a Mass Gainer with some creatine, however, I may not do this since It can upset the stomach.

GYM + Training
Adding in a HIIT session during gym training and going more consistently. Looking into lifting heavier.

Brain / Sleep / Wellbeing
I began breathing exercises for 15 mins in the evening and attempted meditation although I am not great at it so far.

I am also going to attempt a 5-minute cold shower a couple of hours before bed and shut off all blue-light devices 1 hour before sleep. Also looking into L-Theanine. I have also looked into Magnesium 30 minutes before sleeping seems beneficial, I will have to test it.

No more alcohol!

Sexual
I am going to try and do no-fap for 1 week periods and develop it into 2 weeks etc. It’s a marathon not s sprint. Since I know that Testosterone seems to spike up to the 1 week period of no-fap from anecdotal studies and some input from MorePlatesMoreDates.

Will start going to the GYM 3x per week (Push-Pull-Legs) split and a HIIT session with sprinting 2x per week.
And still do archery for 3x per week 2-hour sessions pulling/holding 42lbs * 6 arrows every 3 minutes or so.


Things I don’t want to try just yet:

Pro-hormones - This is sort of a last-resort approach for me. I don’t want to mess with hormones any more than I already have.

Sunning - I live in the UK, and the sunlight is a rarity which is why I supplement Vitamin D. Also sunning my “boys” is impossible since I live in a residential place where neighbours would have a lovely view.

Fasting - I am a lightweight individual with lean mass. Fasting might cause me to become lightheaded and non-functional should we say although I am not completely opposed to Juice Feasting but will need to invest in a blender and some research.


I am able to keep normal composure for most of my day especially after reading SwoleSource and being advised to stay away from Propecia Help or Tressless > fucking silly Redditors! It was the biggest lifesaver in terms of anxiety.

I believe 100% this is a way out and I believe it’s a journey that could last anywhere from 1-5 years but I am prepared! It’s almost like life is forcing me to get my life in gear and not be so lazy and silly with drugs and vanity.

That’s all I have to say. I will try and keep everyone updated monthly for Upswings/Downswings and progress.

Copper, Master Mal, Chi, and English all had wonderful recovery stories. Helps me stay positive

Also, I am still reading and preparing TMO plans because I don’t want to get them wrong so any help would be appreciated!

Thanks All,
Kurse