A brief rundown of my journey:
I’d been on dutasteride for 2 years before I started to notice side effects (penis shrunk somewhat and erections weren’t staying hard) I came off immediately after noticing this.
This was just over 12 months ago. After I came off around 3 months later I started TRT (180mg) for gym purposes and also to try and help my libido come back from PFS.
A couple of months into TRT and I wasn’t noticing any difference at all. No uptake in libido, no mood improvement, nothing. Because of this I decided to add in masteron (at first Enanthate then switched to Proprionate a shorter acting ester). This being a DHT derivative brought back my mood and libido almost straight away. I ran this as long as I could until I ran out then switched to Andractim (DHT gel) applied to my balls once daily. This did also help but the effects were much more peaks and troughs becasue of the topical application. I managed to procure some more mast and have been running that since at 50mg EOD with largely success. The downside of this compound is it accelerates hair loss massively- the one thing I was trying to prevent when I first started dutasteride- the irony!
I tested my natural levels intermittently by missing a few days of pins every couple of months or so but unfortunately I found my mood and libido dropped very quickly.
That was until last week. I have come off masteron completely and feeling great. Because it is a short acting ester the compound cleared my body within the week and I’m now fully supported by my own endogenous DHT, converted by my now functional 5AR.
I wanted to share my story because for as long as I can remember over the last 2 years I felt completely hopeless like it was never going to end and I was going to be dependent on external compounds forever.
I know I’m probably one of the lucky ones but just goes to show sometimes if you give your body time(for my timeline it was a fully 12 months after I stopped dutasteride), support it with the correct nutrients and heavy training and activity there is a chance your 5AR can recover even after the harshest suppression from these 5AR blockers. Keep fighting 🙏🏼
Not to mention having the most supportive gf who stuck with me throughout the worst of it all. Surround yourself with your loved ones, they will want to help you!