I didn’t expect a hair loss drug to mess with something so personal.
When I started finasteride, I was ready for some shedding, maybe a few months of patience. What I wasn’t ready for? Feeling numb, disconnected, and like someone had dimmed the lights on my own body.
Let me be clear:
Finasteride worked. My hair stopped falling. My temples thickened. My crown stopped glaring back under fluorescent lights.
But something else changed, quietly and subtly at first — then unmistakably.
🧨 The Crash
Week 3: I noticed I wasn’t initiating intimacy as often.
Week 4: Morning wood? Inconsistent.
Week 5: My brain and body felt… off. Like my drive was there intellectually, but the spark wasn’t connecting.
Was it placebo? Stress? Just “in my head”?
I wanted to believe that.
But when I looked into it — forums, studies, anecdotal posts — I wasn’t alone.
💡 What Was Actually Happening?
Finasteride blocks an enzyme (5α-reductase) that converts testosterone into DHT — the hormone that shrinks your hair follicles… and also plays a role in your libido and mood.
When you cut DHT too much, some guys — not all, but some — report:
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Reduced libido
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Erectile dysfunction
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Mood swings
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Brain fog
Doctors call it rare. Forums call it common.
The truth? It depends on your body — and your dose.
🛠️ The Fix That Changed Everything
I didn’t want to quit. I didn’t want to go bald, either.
So I changed one thing:
I cut my dose in half.
Instead of 1mg daily, I started taking 0.25mg every other day.
Sounds tiny, right? But within 2–3 weeks, things started to click back into place:
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Morning arousals returned
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My mental sharpness came back
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My interest in sex felt natural again, not forced
And the best part?
My hair didn’t fall out again.
🧪 Why Lower Doses Still Work
Most guys (and most doctors) assume 1mg/day is the only way. But here’s what blew my mind:
Clinical studies show that:
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0.2mg/day blocks ~55% of DHT
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0.5mg/day blocks ~65%
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1mg/day blocks ~70%
The difference between 0.5 and 1mg? Not that huge.
For some bodies — mine included — 1mg is just too much. But lower doses? Still effective. Much easier to tolerate.
🧘♂️ Other Habits That Helped
Here’s what else I did alongside microdosing fin:
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Zinc + magnesium (supports testosterone)
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Ashwagandha (adaptogen, helped reduce cortisol)
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Daily exercise (big for libido and blood flow)
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Microneedling + minoxidil (to support regrowth so I wasn’t relying 100% on fin)
It wasn’t just one magic fix. It was a shift in mindset: treat the whole system, not just the scalp.
🧠 Why This Needs to Be Talked About More
Too many guys suffer in silence.
They either:
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Stay on the full dose and feel broken
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Quit altogether and go bald out of fear
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Or worse — blame themselves for “just being off”
We need more middle ground.
Finasteride isn’t evil. But it’s not one-size-fits-all either.
If your sex drive drops? It’s not weakness. It’s a sign your body wants you to listen.
And adjusting your dose isn’t giving up. It’s getting smarter.
🎯 Final Thoughts
Hair loss sucks. But so does losing yourself in the process of fixing it.
If I could go back, I’d tell myself this:
“You don’t have to choose between hair and libido. You just have to find your balance.”
For me, that balance was low-dose finasteride.
My hair stayed. My sex drive came back. And most importantly — so did I.
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