1 1/2 year update Propecia/OTC Nizoral

[porad]

Well, it's been a hell of a longtime since my last post, and I can now say I've put a long standing theory to rest. The reason you hear predominantly bad cases and results on this board, is because those with good results are out doing/worrying about other things.

I started in July of 02. At 20 I had been difusely thinging since I was @15. I noticed it a lot earlier than most, as I'm quite a***. I did nothing for years, as I was ashamed to seek treatment for hairloss at such a young age. Well five years later, I decided it would be far more embarrassing to have a bald head at such a young age, than it would be to fill a prescription for a pill, or buy a topical treatment. So I did some reading on the net, and found this great board. I will say it made me nervous, the lack of positive results, and the horror stories of massive shedding (propecia). but I said to hell with it, I had to do something. So I made an appointment with my doctor. I told him my problem, and exactly what I wanted (propecia). He said he didn't see a problem, but could see I had done my homework and wrote me the RX.

Here I am a year and a half later. I started with a fairly advanced state of difused thinning, and a small baldspot on my crown. On a regimen of propecia and OTC Nizoral shampoo (once every three days), the bald spot is now gone, and I have gained back a good bit of thickness throughout. I'm no longer afraid to go out without a hat, or scared of bright lights/sun.

I'm writing this because I don't want any of you to lose the faith. There are many success stories out there, you just have to realize those individuals now have better things to do than hang around a web board.

Good luck guys, and keep fighting the good fight!

~Jon

 

[coffee]

great news man!

 

[VoRteX]

any sides from the propecia?

Even a "possible" decrease in erection quality or libido?

I didnt feel like I had any "real" side effects from propecia until 2 weeks after I stopped it and had some of the best sex I'd had in months.

I could probably take it again with minimal problems, but I just can stomach messing with my hormones. Congratulation on your sucess!

 

[Axon]

Same here - no side effects, lots of regrowth.

 

[porad]

any sides from the propecia?

Even a "possible" decrease in erection quality or libido?

I didnt feel like I had any "real" side effects from propecia until 2 weeks after I stopped it and had some of the best sex I'd had in months.

I could probably take it again with minimal problems, but I just can stomach messing with my hormones. Congratulation on your sucess!

Umm, for a little while i'd say decreased labido..but not anymore.

I also had a tad bit of the normal shedding, but definitely nothing major.

Thanks guys!

 

[coffee]

A few questions for you porad. What's was/is your loss pattern like? horeshoe? diffuse throughout? Norwood scale? How long was it before you had noticible results?

I ask because I have diffuse loss throughout the entire top and crown for 4 years but I've maintained most of my frontal hairline. I've heard good stories from people who fit on the Norwood scale but not much from the diffusers.

Anyway, again, great news!

 

[porad]

A few questions for you porad. What's was/is your loss pattern like? horeshoe? diffuse throughout? Norwood scale? How long was it before you had noticible results?

I ask because I have diffuse loss throughout the entire top and crown for 4 years but I've maintained most of my frontal hairline. I've heard good stories from people who fit on the Norwood scale but not much from the diffusers.

Anyway, again, great news!

Diffuse completely throughout. It's still not as thick as it used to be obviously, but it's definitely picked up volume. My hairline never receeded.

As for how long it was before I noticed.. It's really hard to say, I tried my best to take the pill and stop thinking about it. I don't have digi pics of my progress, so it was hard to say when I was improving from one month to the next. i'd just look in the mirror each day, and get used to whatever I saw.

I do however remember distinctly that I had a spot at the crown that was quite visible. That spot is all filled in now. I also remember that I was very nervous about going out without a hat if my hair wasn't styled perfectly to conceal the problem (read: gel done just right to a*** perfection). Now it's totally not the case, and I'm quite comfortable going gel-less, in wind, etc.

The reason you probably don't hear much in the way of diffuse success, is it's very hard to determine when you're improving. I mean if you're filling in areas where there was no hair, it's pretty easy to see, but just increasing thickness is not always so easy.

Give it a try man, worked for me. Just Nizoral OTC and Propecia.

 

[RalphyWiggum]

Porad,

Awesome news brotha!

I have to completely agree with you on your assertion that those of us who obtain quality results come back less and less. This has happened with me so I completely identify...anyway don't get it twisted I love this site and am forever in debted to it for the knowledge it has imparted on me, but I am happy now and I come back here now out of interest NOT desperation.

Keep on keepin on 8)

 

[fuzbucket]

Porad,

I would like to know the details of your results.... at what stages you noticed changes..... when did you stop losing hair? when did hair stop filling in? when did your hair thicken up?

The reason I ask is because I'm also a diffuse thinner, and at 5 months with propecia and nizoral, now I haven't really noticed anything, infact it's getting worse especially my crown area looks worse.

Thanks.

 

[porad]

Porad,

I would like to know the details of your results.... at what stages you noticed changes..... when did you stop losing hair? when did hair stop filling in? when did your hair thicken up?

The reason I ask is because I'm also a diffuse thinner, and at 5 months with propecia and nizoral, now I haven't really noticed anything, infact it's getting worse especially my crown area looks worse.

Thanks.

I was losing my hair fro about 5 years prior to starting treatment. I noticed it a lot earlier than most imo.

Hmm It's really hard to say for me at what point I stopped shedding and started filling in. I never really had major sheds. I had one, but it was brief and I atribute that to massive doses of vitamin b5 for something else (acne). I will say that at your stage of treatment I hadn't seen any real change. It def took awhile for me. But I stopped checking my hair out under a microscope so to speak, and let the pill work it's magic in stopping the evil dht :evil: I just basically looked at my bald spot one day, and realized it was no longer there :shock: And I had been keeping my hair relatively short ever since I started thinning, and I just grew it back recently (hangs down to about my eyes). I was very surprised at the thickness I had again. Now I can rough it up, part it etc, and barely see any scalp!

All I can say for sure is it worked for me, and I'm not your typical male pattern baldness case.

Give it time man, and try not to think/stress about it as hard as I know it is.

 

[pkpkpk!]

LOL
You on B5 eh? Did it help you out? I mega-dosed on that and only just helped me lose hair ... 200+ in the shower.

Great news ... because I am in exactly the same boat as you. Except I am already a NW2 with diffuse @ 21.

 

[porad]

LOL
You on B5 eh? Did it help you out? I mega-dosed on that and only just helped me lose hair ... 200+ in the shower.

Great news ... because I am in exactly the same boat as you. Except I am already a NW2 with diffuse @ 21.

nah it didn't do sh*t for me, except for the shedding :freaked: I always comb my hair forward before styling, and every downward stroke would free about 10 hairs. I can't believe I did that to my body in retrospect :freaked2:

 

[Resultsnottypical]

GREAT NEWS!

Porad, that is great news man. I can understand what you are saying about not really being able to tell. I am a diffuse thinner, with the traditional bald spot, except there are still fine blond hairs everywhere on my head...I have basically a horseshoe because the top area is full of poor quality hair.

Having been on minoxidil now about 5 months, I have seen improvement, but it is HARD To tell when it actually happens..it is just such a slow process.

Question for you though...can you, if you can recall, explain the stages you went through libido wise on propecia. When was the onset of the lost libido, how long was the decrease, when was the pick up, can you judge it as the same as before? Erection as hard? etc.

THIS is what I am really curious about...I took it for five weeks about three years ago and admit totally chickening out because I went from a super-high drive (and driven higher the first two weeks) to a depressed state and low libido. I know HairLossTalk.com doens't like it when someone attributes something to a particular drug and I admit I might have been dreaming, but day after day, I noticed that my state of being was depressed and was "weird"...while taking propecia.

I might have pulled out of it, and I might try it again.

 

[kiwi1973]

I think alot of people that get side effects from propecia are due to the placebo effect,eg they read about the side effects then get them, if the side efects didnt get published i bet you would get a lots less people with them
all i got was slightly sore balls which went away after a month

 

[jblig]

good news, im on the same regimin, propecia and nizoral....

 

[odb]

Celtictigyr, I had sexual side effects for the first 3 months, Low libido, could not keep an erection and less ejaculate. It was a little scary but I decided to stick with it for 6 months and then decide if I should stay on it or quit, After 3 months the sides slowly went away. My sex drive is still a bit low I think. With a bit low I mean that I don´t think of sex as much as I used, thats it . But when I´m with a chick and having sex its just like normal.