Followup on Recovery Post from 18 months ago

Hi All!

I put up a post about 18 months ago about how I effectively resolved my Propecia symptoms once I got treated for a parasite called e. histolytica. Instead of repeating the contents of that post, please just click on my username and look at my post history for clarification.

As it turns out, I completely forgot I put up that post and feel very bad for not monitoring it for replies! I realize it's been a long time since I initially posted about this topic, but here are some general guidelines I wanted to share that worked for me:

1. I saw a parasitologist in NYC who did a rectal swab and received my e. histolytica diagnosis the next day.

2. I was treated with a course of two Antibiotics and symptoms totally vanished (ALL of them--sexual, mental, emotional).

3. About 4 weeks after treatment, some symptoms began to creep back in, but not all. I was very surprised at how much the fatigue came back.

4. I was a big believer in gastroenterology by this point so I went to a gastroenterologist, had an endoscopy and a lactulose breath test (LBT), and was diagnosed with SIBO (small intestine bacterial overload), which apparently can spring up in the aftermath of a parasite infection.

5. Treating SIBO was a paaaain ( Antibiotics weren't effective), but I did overcome it! I followed the "Fast Tract Digestion" diet and took the RenewLife brand 50 billion count probiotic 3x a day. Following the diet, my symptoms very quickly began to clear back up. I'm talking 1-2 days.

6. I've stayed mostly on the fast tract diet since then because it's just a pretty healthy way to eat, but I definitely don't feel constrained to it. The core of the diet is sort of like Weight Watchers, in that all foods are assigned a point value for how readily they can ferment and feed undesirable bacteria in the gut. By limiting foods with high FP (fermentation potential), it really helps control bacteria populations in the gut.

While I can't say this approach will work for everyone suffering from Propecia side effects, I CAN say that it completely worked for me. I initially took Propecia when I was 19 for two weeks, which spiraled into 10+ years of debilitating sexual, mental, and physical side effects. I was basically impotent, my libido was zero, I suffered from shortness of breath and anxiety, and I couldn't form a complete thought to save my life. It completely felt like the person I was had been taken away from me, and I can firsthand relate to how devastating the side effects of this drug can be.

Here are some other random thoughts that I thought people might be interested in:

1. I did try to spread the word about my e. histolytica infection on the PropeciaHelp message board, but the moderator, Mew, sent me a very curt email basically telling me I was full of it and that he wouldn't let me become a member. In response to that, I put up my first CureZone post and also emailed a university department that had published a paper about longterm Propecia side effects suggesting that there might be a gut connection. Never heard back from them, but hopefully it helped somehow?

2. I developed renewed interest in Propecia side effects after finding out a neighbor of mine was suffering from them. I Googled around looking for my original Curezone post and was surprised to see a handful of people accusing me of being a "corporate shill" for Merck. I promise I am not one! Also I really doubt any company would waste their time spreading false information on the internet when this issue already seems to be moving to the courts (I'm also a co-signer on a class action lawsuit agains this drug in the US).

3. I don't want to throw out wild theories for how Propecia gave me stomach problems, but I have read research about the relationship between progesterone and gut motility. It seems like if progesterone gets low (which apparently Propecia can cause), gut motility can also become quite slow, which can create an ideal environment for undesirable bacteria to flourish. Maybe it was something as simple as that? I also don't know if I contracted e. histolytica before or after taking Propecia, but my mother also tested positive for it and I can guarantee she's never taken any 5ar inhibitor (ha).

4. I promise I will try to monitor this post for responses in the future! I wish everyone the best of luck, and I highly, highly recommend you go see a gastroenterologist or parasitologist to get checked out for a parasite and to see if you have SIBO. Tweet