I’m Not Sure if Finasteride or Oxycodone is Causing My Erectile Dysfunction

I am a 23 year old male currently taking 1mg finasteride daily. I am about 16 days into taking the drug and have recently noticed some of the sexual side effects that this drug “may” cause.

I am also on oxycodone for a current procedure I had done which might be the cause of my erectile dysfunction I am having. I don’t know which is to blame right now. I know you have stated before that one could take .5mg to cut down on the side effects which I just started to do today to see if it cuts down on the side effects. My question is by doing so is there a large decrease in the effectiveness of the drug?

Another question is if I do not regain the ability to have a lasting erection for sexual intercourse should I immediately stop the use of Propecia? Since I was on oxycodone I want to give the .5mg of finasteride a shot for at least week and if things don’t get better I guess I will go from there.

You need to speak to a doctor in person (face to face) about these issues. There may be many things going on that I cannot assess via the web. A physical exam and a detailed medical history is an important part of assessing a medical issue.

Finasteride can cause erectile dysfunction in about 1 to 2% of the patients. A narcotic such as oxycodone will also cause erection problems. I even think pain in general (because of your surgery and the need to be on a strong pain medication) can cause erection problems.

To answer the first question though, the efficacy of the finasteride should be about 80% if the dosage is down to 0.5mg. Talk to your prescribing doctor about any dosage changes to your prescription medication.