PFS forum: join the SIDEfxHUB support groups

Looking for a PFS forum? SIDEfxHUB doesn’t run a public forum for post-finasteride syndrome (PFS), a condition that can last after stopping finasteride or dutasteride. We run four small, private WhatsApp groups instead, and joining is free.

The UK Propecia leaflet lists problems with erections, sex drive and ejaculation that persist “after discontinuation of treatment”. The people in our groups know what that sentence means day to day.

So how do the groups work, and how do you join one?

What is the SIDEfxHUB PFS forum?

It’s a set of WhatsApp groups that does the job of a forum, with real-time chat in place of threads. Each group covers PFS, PSSD and PAS, so you’ll meet people hurt by finasteride, antidepressants and isotretinoin.

The groups are sorted by language and time zone, so someone is usually awake when you write.

• United Kingdom & Ireland.
• Scandinavia: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
• Benelux, France & Italy: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Italy.
• US & Canada.

There’s no separate group for Germany or India yet. The full list is on our WhatsApp groups page.

Why not a public forum? Because people bring hard days to these groups: the appointment that went badly, the symptom that came back. That only feels safe if everyone is who they say they are.

Anything posted on a public page stays public. Search engines and archives keep a copy, for good. So we no longer print the invite links anywhere. They reach only people who have joined our registry, and a human admin approves every request inside WhatsApp.

You don’t need to use your real name. A pseudonym (a made-up name) is fine in the registry.

How do I join a group?

It takes three steps:

1. Fill in the registry form. No one screens you, and no diagnosis is needed. The link arrives by email straight away.
2. Open the link in that email. It lists the groups by country and language.
3. Tap your group to ask to join. An admin approves it by hand, usually within a day.

If a request is declined, it’s almost always about where you live, because the groups only work when people share a language and a time zone. It’s never about you. Email contact@sidefxhub.com and we’ll help you find the right group.

Join the registry and find your group

What do people talk about in the groups?

Mostly the things that are hard to say anywhere else. That covers sex, but also feeling flat, foggy or cut off from the people around you.

PFS is more than sexual problems. The 2022 diagnostic criteria say cognitive problems, depression and suicidal thoughts can occur without any sexual difficulties.

Matt took finasteride for three years without problems. A few weeks after he stopped, he says, “I began to feel very emotionally numb.”

Watch this extract to hear how that change felt from the inside, and why it’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t felt it.

Play video: Matt on feeling emotionally numb after finasteride (extract)

PFS reaches partners too. Thammika’s husband developed PFS, and in this interview she talks about loneliness and why “this is definitely not this man’s fault”. It’s worth watching if you’re wondering how to explain PFS at home.

Play video: Thammika on her marriage after finasteride

A group is people sharing what they’ve lived. It isn’t medical advice, and what helped one member may not suit you.

Can a support group replace my doctor?

No. The group can help you feel less alone and get ready for appointments, but your GP is the one who can check for other causes.

These medicines help many people. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. The Propecia leaflet says to stop and contact your doctor as soon as possible if you notice mood changes such as depression or suicidal thoughts.

Report it: it helps everyone

A doctor’s note helps you. A report to the medicines regulator helps everyone else: it is how patterns get noticed.

• No proof needed. A suspicion is enough, even years after stopping.
• Where: the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, MedWatch in the US.
• Use the right words. If symptoms continued after stopping, write Post 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor syndrome (MedDRA 10082430).

Our reporting guide walks you through it

What else do people ask?

Is the group free? Yes. Joining the registry and the groups costs nothing, and our written resources stay open to everyone, whether or not you join.

Do I need a diagnosis to join? No. Many people with PFS don’t have one, because doctors often don’t know the condition. If your symptoms began on or after finasteride or dutasteride, you’re welcome.

Are there other places to find support? Yes. Our guide to peer support for PFS lists more options, and our PFS page explains the condition.

Matt found words for what changed only after he’d heard others say it. Your group is three steps away.

Sources

1. Healy D, Bahrick A, Bak M and colleagues. Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin. Int J Risk Saf Med 2022;33(1):65-76. Proposed criteria from expert agreement. Section 5 (finasteride): “Additional finasteride effects that can occur independently of any sexual difficulties” include cognitive impairment, depression and suicidality.
2. Organon. Propecia 1 mg film-coated tablets, patient leaflet, electronic Medicines Compendium, last revised May 2026. Section 2: mood alterations such as depressed mood, depression and, less frequently, suicidal thoughts; “stop taking Propecia and contact your doctor”. Section 4, frequency unknown: “persistent difficulty having an erection after discontinuation of treatment”, “persistent decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment”, “persistent problems with ejaculation after discontinuation of treatment”.
3. SIDEfxHUB. WhatsApp groups: four groups by region, the three steps to join, admin approval and the reasons access runs through the registry.
4. Moral Medicine, This Year I’m turning 30 years old, and I haven’t felt an orgasm since I was 24, Matt’s film, 6 April 2026, embedded as an extract from 5:26 to 6:45. From the auto-captions: “I began to feel very emotionally numb” (5:32 to 5:37).
5. Moral Medicine, Post-Finasteride Syndrome Ended My Marriage, Thammika’s interview, 30 April 2025. From the auto-captions: “This is definitely not this man’s fault” (3:30); loneliness (14:00).
6. GOV.UK. Report a problem with a medicine or medical device.

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.