Tim's story: nearly 17 years on finasteride

Prescribed for a prostate problem

Tim was prescribed finasteride for prostate-related problems, and was told he might need it for the rest of his life. He took 5 mg a day.

He says he was not warned that it could affect his sexual health, his nervous system or his mental health. Changes began soon after he started, he says, and what followed was a gradual decline. He took the medicine for nearly 17 years before he connected it with his symptoms.

What Tim describes

• Loss of libido and erectile dysfunction, soon after he started.
• Sexual dysfunction that has not gone away.
• Neurological problems, and a diagnosis of neuropathy.
• A loss of mobility that has lasted.
• The end of a 23-year relationship, which he connects with these changes.

When he eventually found a warning about finasteride, he stopped taking it. At the time of this interview, nearly a year later, he says his symptoms have not changed. He says he received no meaningful support when he told medical professionals about them.

Moral Medicine notes that many people take finasteride without immediate problems, while others report persistent symptoms often referred to as Post-Finasteride Syndrome (PFS). It says it is unclear how this happens, and that there is no reliable way to predict who may be affected.

Thank you to Tim for telling this story. This interview was recorded by Moral Medicine, who have filmed more than ninety of these conversations.

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