ME/CFS
Outcome unclear
ME/CFS with aching and brain fog, flared by finasteride; LDN and acupuncture invaluable
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Not stated
- Ill for
- Not stated
- Last post
- Aug 2025
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I already have cfs.
In context ↗
Summary
Already had CFS, they took finasteride, which brought aching, depression, anxiety and bad brain fog plus a prediabetic A1c and raised thyroid antibodies; all came down after stopping. A second, much lower dose brought every side effect immediately and worse, leaving them in a CFS flare. They called LDN and acupuncture a super combo and invaluable; baclofen and phenibut had caused mania and insomnia, and phenibut had caused gastritis.
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What they tried
Also tried
LDN· Helped a lotacupuncture· Helped a lotbaclofen· WorsePhenibut· WorseFinasteride (Propecia)· WorseFin (finasteride)· Much worsesoma· Not said
Their words about each treatment
- Fin (finasteride) · Much worse
I developed every side effect in the book when taking fin.
In context ↗ - baclofen · Worse
I find baclofen made me feel manic
In context ↗ - Phenibut · Worse
Phenibut was similar. Plus it messed up my stomach as I developed gastritis.
In context ↗ - soma · Not said
I would need to take soma to knock me out.
In context ↗ - LDN · Helped a lot
LDN and acupuncture have been invaluable.
In context ↗ - Finasteride (Propecia) · Worse
I recently tried Fin again at a much lower dose. I had all the sides immediately and much worse actually.
In context ↗
Their path
They say too little about how ill they were at each step to draw it on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | After |
|---|---|---|
| — | already had ME/CFSI already have cfs.In context ↗ | |
| — | first course of finasteride brought side effectsI started feeling achy, depressed, anxiety, brain fog real bad.In context ↗ | |
| — | labs came down after stopping finasterideAll have come down since stopping.In context ↗ | |
| 2025-06-10 | finasteride retry at a much lower dose brought all side effects and a CFS flareI recently tried Fin again at a much lower dose. I had all the sides immediately and much worse actually.In context ↗ | |
| 2025-08-30 | reported LDN plus acupuncture as invaluableIt’s like a super combo for me ... LDN and acupuncture have been invaluable.In context ↗ | Low-dose naltrexone |
Adverse events
- Finasteride (Propecia)“I developed every side effect in the book when taking fin.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Finasteride (Propecia)“I was ok for a while then I started feeling achy, depressed, anxiety, brain fog real bad.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Finasteride (Propecia)“I recently tried Fin again at a much lower dose. I had all the sides immediately and much worse actually.” In context ↗ Made symptoms worse
- Baclofen“I find baclofen made me feel manic and I couldn’t sleep.” In context ↗ Mood or psychiatric effects
- Baclofen“I find baclofen made me feel manic and I couldn’t sleep.” In context ↗ Insomnia from treatment
- Phenibut“Phenibut was similar.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Phenibut“Plus it messed up my stomach as I developed gastritis.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Pain & fibromyalgia
I started feeling achy
In context ↗ - Anxiety & low mood
I started feeling achy, depressed, anxiety, brain fog real bad.
In context ↗ - Brain fog
brain fog real bad
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I couldn’t sleep
In context ↗ - Gut problems
it messed up my stomach as I developed gastritis
In context ↗