Hi
I'm new to this forum having suffered sexual side-effects from taking Minoxidil (Rogaine) over the past month.
My timeline is as follows:
ROGAINE USAGE
Jun 2014 - Started taking Rogaine 5% Foam. Applied once a day, 3-4 times a week (it wasn't a priority).
Sep 2014 - Some sexual side-effects started: smaller flaccid penis, reduction in spontaneous and morning erections, some lower back pain on the left-hand side and heart palpitations. I didn't link any of these symptoms to Rogaine.
2-25 Nov 2014 - Three weeks without using Rogaine as I ran out of the product.
26 Nov 2014 - Went back on Rogaine, applied twice a day over the next week.
2 Dec 2014 - Unable to have penetrative sex for first time in my life owing to ED. Lost erection when I changed positions and couldn't penetrate.
3 Dec 2014 - Finally made connection between sexual side-effects and Rogaine. Stopped using Rogaine.
INITIAL DOWNTURN
4-12 Dec 2014 - Shrivelled, smaller-than-usual penis, coldness, tingling and numbness in my penis. Difficulty getting an erection followed by 4-5 days of total impotence.
6-7 Dec 2014 - Two days of irritability, anxiety and "brain fog". I normally can concentrate very well for hours at a time. For 36-48 hours I struggled. Then symptoms went away and haven't returned.
RECOVERY
13-17 Dec 2014 - Started to get some feeling in my penis back. Flaccid penis felt a little fuller. Day on day erections improved, although they needed manual and visual stimulation.
18 Dec 2014 - Had sex twice within 24-hour period with my partner after taking one Cialis tablet. Rock-hard erection - felt elated.
19-22 Dec 2014 - Good morning and spontaneous erections without any stimulation - better than they had been in September, October and November. Fuller penis in shower and under clothing during day. Things seemed to be 100% back to normal. I was delighted.
SECOND DOWNTURN
23 Dec 2014 - Before going to bed I noticed penis looked and felt a little more flaccid again. It had gone back to looking at it did during 4-12 Dec period and was unresponsive.
24 Dec-present (1 Jan 2015) - Gradual loss of erections - went from good erections (80%) without any manual contact purely from sexting, to needing some (light) manual stimulation, to difficulty getting an erection via manual stimulation, to needing 3 mins of manual stimulation in front of a video in order to get an erection that disappears as soon as the hand is taken off. Penis has become cold and numb and looks shrivelled when flaccid, although is fuller than it was during that initial downturn period (4-12 Dec). Morning erections have disappeared.
Further notes:
* During my initial sexual problems (4-17 Dec) I ate very cleanly (water, green tea, Zinc supplements, spinach, arugula/rocket, beets/beetroot, a glass of pomegranate juice every day).
* From Dec 18-23 I maintained most of these clean foods in my diet but also added some bad foods (processed meats, sweets, sugar, coffee, McDonalds....) because I thought I was better. I wonder if this dietary change may have been a factor in my second downturn.
* Heart palpitations have completely disappeared since I stopped using the product;
* I have less pain in the lower left back since I stopped using the product;
* No loss of libido at any point since I started taking Rogaine. A few minor ups and downs but this is mainly linked to worry about my physical condition rather than any loss of libido. My levels of lust/desire have remained somewhere between fairly high and very high depending on what else is going on in my life (work, being busy, etc), which is normal for me.
OBSERVATIONS
Having read several forums I have noticed that my timeline is similar to many Propecia users that experience a "crash". e.g - sexual problems while on the product, followed by an initial improvement ending the product, followed by more sexual problems. I am in no way saying Propecia and Rogaine work on the body in the same way, or that the symptoms from taking Rogaine are as severe or as long-lasting, but I couldn't help noticing the similarities from a chronological point of view.
I believe the fact I went off the drug completely for three weeks in November before returning with a greater dosage (twice a day rather than once a day) may have made my current reaction more severe. I am in touch with others affected by the product that believe this to be the case.
My side-effects are almost entirely sexual. The lower left back pain is a minor ache once or twice a day when I stand up. It then fades almost immediately. I have had no mood swings, no anxiety or irritability since those two days of "brain fog" last month and no changes to any other part of my body (face, eyes, dark circles, etc).
I have needed to pee more frequently on 2 or 3 days in the past fortnight. This hasn't happened often enough for me to be entirely sure it is a symptom of using Rogaine.
CAUSE
I am 100% sure this product and this product alone is caused my sexual problems. I have never experienced sexual dysfunction at any stage in my life before (I am 38 years old). All other areas of my life are and were calm, settled and happy.
SUMMARY
It has been a month since I stopped using Rogaine and at the moment I have close to no sexual function. I was delighted a fortnight ago when things appears to have returned to normal. The downturn over the past nine days has been a blow.
I would love to hear from you if you have suffered sexual side-effects from this product or have good information about this. I would be particularly interested to hear from people that had an adverse reaction on returning to it after a break.
As I have lost morning erections and am cold and numb during the day I wonder if I should stimulate myself to the point of erection (not orgasm) to maintain bloodflow or leave myself alone to recover?
All tips, advice and shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Alex
I'm new to this forum having suffered sexual side-effects from taking Minoxidil (Rogaine) over the past month.
My timeline is as follows:
ROGAINE USAGE
Jun 2014 - Started taking Rogaine 5% Foam. Applied once a day, 3-4 times a week (it wasn't a priority).
Sep 2014 - Some sexual side-effects started: smaller flaccid penis, reduction in spontaneous and morning erections, some lower back pain on the left-hand side and heart palpitations. I didn't link any of these symptoms to Rogaine.
2-25 Nov 2014 - Three weeks without using Rogaine as I ran out of the product.
26 Nov 2014 - Went back on Rogaine, applied twice a day over the next week.
2 Dec 2014 - Unable to have penetrative sex for first time in my life owing to ED. Lost erection when I changed positions and couldn't penetrate.
3 Dec 2014 - Finally made connection between sexual side-effects and Rogaine. Stopped using Rogaine.
INITIAL DOWNTURN
4-12 Dec 2014 - Shrivelled, smaller-than-usual penis, coldness, tingling and numbness in my penis. Difficulty getting an erection followed by 4-5 days of total impotence.
6-7 Dec 2014 - Two days of irritability, anxiety and "brain fog". I normally can concentrate very well for hours at a time. For 36-48 hours I struggled. Then symptoms went away and haven't returned.
RECOVERY
13-17 Dec 2014 - Started to get some feeling in my penis back. Flaccid penis felt a little fuller. Day on day erections improved, although they needed manual and visual stimulation.
18 Dec 2014 - Had sex twice within 24-hour period with my partner after taking one Cialis tablet. Rock-hard erection - felt elated.
19-22 Dec 2014 - Good morning and spontaneous erections without any stimulation - better than they had been in September, October and November. Fuller penis in shower and under clothing during day. Things seemed to be 100% back to normal. I was delighted.
SECOND DOWNTURN
23 Dec 2014 - Before going to bed I noticed penis looked and felt a little more flaccid again. It had gone back to looking at it did during 4-12 Dec period and was unresponsive.
24 Dec-present (1 Jan 2015) - Gradual loss of erections - went from good erections (80%) without any manual contact purely from sexting, to needing some (light) manual stimulation, to difficulty getting an erection via manual stimulation, to needing 3 mins of manual stimulation in front of a video in order to get an erection that disappears as soon as the hand is taken off. Penis has become cold and numb and looks shrivelled when flaccid, although is fuller than it was during that initial downturn period (4-12 Dec). Morning erections have disappeared.
Further notes:
* During my initial sexual problems (4-17 Dec) I ate very cleanly (water, green tea, Zinc supplements, spinach, arugula/rocket, beets/beetroot, a glass of pomegranate juice every day).
* From Dec 18-23 I maintained most of these clean foods in my diet but also added some bad foods (processed meats, sweets, sugar, coffee, McDonalds....) because I thought I was better. I wonder if this dietary change may have been a factor in my second downturn.
* Heart palpitations have completely disappeared since I stopped using the product;
* I have less pain in the lower left back since I stopped using the product;
* No loss of libido at any point since I started taking Rogaine. A few minor ups and downs but this is mainly linked to worry about my physical condition rather than any loss of libido. My levels of lust/desire have remained somewhere between fairly high and very high depending on what else is going on in my life (work, being busy, etc), which is normal for me.
OBSERVATIONS
Having read several forums I have noticed that my timeline is similar to many Propecia users that experience a "crash". e.g - sexual problems while on the product, followed by an initial improvement ending the product, followed by more sexual problems. I am in no way saying Propecia and Rogaine work on the body in the same way, or that the symptoms from taking Rogaine are as severe or as long-lasting, but I couldn't help noticing the similarities from a chronological point of view.
I believe the fact I went off the drug completely for three weeks in November before returning with a greater dosage (twice a day rather than once a day) may have made my current reaction more severe. I am in touch with others affected by the product that believe this to be the case.
My side-effects are almost entirely sexual. The lower left back pain is a minor ache once or twice a day when I stand up. It then fades almost immediately. I have had no mood swings, no anxiety or irritability since those two days of "brain fog" last month and no changes to any other part of my body (face, eyes, dark circles, etc).
I have needed to pee more frequently on 2 or 3 days in the past fortnight. This hasn't happened often enough for me to be entirely sure it is a symptom of using Rogaine.
CAUSE
I am 100% sure this product and this product alone is caused my sexual problems. I have never experienced sexual dysfunction at any stage in my life before (I am 38 years old). All other areas of my life are and were calm, settled and happy.
SUMMARY
It has been a month since I stopped using Rogaine and at the moment I have close to no sexual function. I was delighted a fortnight ago when things appears to have returned to normal. The downturn over the past nine days has been a blow.
I would love to hear from you if you have suffered sexual side-effects from this product or have good information about this. I would be particularly interested to hear from people that had an adverse reaction on returning to it after a break.
As I have lost morning erections and am cold and numb during the day I wonder if I should stimulate myself to the point of erection (not orgasm) to maintain bloodflow or leave myself alone to recover?
All tips, advice and shared experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Alex
