Hey guys, I am 24 years old and here are my results of 1.5 years of finasteride/rogaine/nizoral. As background, my hair started thinning at 17 and I tried every possible natural treatment until 23 (saw palmetto, pumpkin seed, etc). I would consider myself a diffuse thinner. It was at Jan 2016 when I decided natural treatments weren't working and took the next big step with finasteride. I was scared to use finasteride because of all the horror stories and my young age, but I decided to bite the bullet and take it. I felt a weight off my shoulder as soon as I took my first pill. In terms of side effects, I felt a mild testicle ache the first week, but it went away after that. Thankfully, I did not experience any negative side effects such as decreased libido or erectile disfunction.
I experienced some shedding the first month of use of the Big 3, but I experienced a slow, but steady growth after that. I was feeling so optimistic with all the growth! My hair started thickening, less shedding, and I was growing more hair on my hairline. However, after 1 year of use, I feel like my progress has come to a halt and I first noticed this decline around Late March '17-Early April '17. It just got worse from there. Now that it's July, my hair has not recovered and my hair continues to shed and thin. The temples are even worse and my hairline has just gotten so thin, I can't even style my hair right anymore.
I did not change anything in my regimen (Propecia 1mg 1x a day/Rogaine 2x a day/Nizoral EOD), however I believe the effect is wearing off. To be clear, I went to a reputable dermatologist who examined my case and prescribed me finasteride which I get from real pharmacies (generics from Costco an CVS pharmacy).
I've been an avid gym goer since I started and actively lift weights 3-4x a week with a balanced diet. I don't take any fitness supplements such as creatine or pre-workout, except protein powder with no added fillers (I looked at the ingredient list and it's only whey protein isolate). If anything changed, I started doing deadlifts consistently the time I noticed shedding, however, I believe the propecia would offset the added DHT? I also go to grad school, but to be honest, it doesn't really stress me out (I don't find it difficult and I like going to class). I sleep 6-9 hours a day, but I do sleep late.
In regards to vitamins, I take a multi-vitamin, viviscal, and oral keratin everyday. On my off-days of nizoral, I use either nioxin or black castor oil shampoo. I also use a leave-in black castor oil conditioner almost everyday which gives my hair a thicker texture (10-15 min right after applying rogaine after showering).
As of now, I went to my derm last week (who has been using propecia for 10 years to maintain his hair which he said he has) and I told him my case and gave me the option to start using dutasteride. He informed me about it and was a little hesitant to prescribe it to me due to my age, and he also told me of all the potential side affects such as decreased libido, but said if I wanted to try it, the prescription is ready at my local pharmacy. The metaphor he gave me for dutasteride is "Imagine Finasteride as regular 87 gas and dutasteride is high octane 91 premium gas." Thought it was very true haha. After much uncertainty about taking it and being aware of all the possible side effects, as much as I don't want to really do it for the hormone and sexually altering effects, I decided to bite the bullet and give this a shot.
You can read all of the testimonials and experiences online to inform you, but at the end of the day, drug effects are idiosyncratic and you won't know how you will be affected until you actually try it yourself. With this in mind, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't experience any negative side effects, as I have not with finasteride. If any arise, I will discontinue. I'm picking it up tomorrow and will start my first pill then. I will keep you guys posted! Feel free to ask questions or post comments in the mean time.
I took pics the same time of the month under the same conditions (lights, room, etc). Some may be altered due to camera quality.
I experienced some shedding the first month of use of the Big 3, but I experienced a slow, but steady growth after that. I was feeling so optimistic with all the growth! My hair started thickening, less shedding, and I was growing more hair on my hairline. However, after 1 year of use, I feel like my progress has come to a halt and I first noticed this decline around Late March '17-Early April '17. It just got worse from there. Now that it's July, my hair has not recovered and my hair continues to shed and thin. The temples are even worse and my hairline has just gotten so thin, I can't even style my hair right anymore.
I did not change anything in my regimen (Propecia 1mg 1x a day/Rogaine 2x a day/Nizoral EOD), however I believe the effect is wearing off. To be clear, I went to a reputable dermatologist who examined my case and prescribed me finasteride which I get from real pharmacies (generics from Costco an CVS pharmacy).
I've been an avid gym goer since I started and actively lift weights 3-4x a week with a balanced diet. I don't take any fitness supplements such as creatine or pre-workout, except protein powder with no added fillers (I looked at the ingredient list and it's only whey protein isolate). If anything changed, I started doing deadlifts consistently the time I noticed shedding, however, I believe the propecia would offset the added DHT? I also go to grad school, but to be honest, it doesn't really stress me out (I don't find it difficult and I like going to class). I sleep 6-9 hours a day, but I do sleep late.
In regards to vitamins, I take a multi-vitamin, viviscal, and oral keratin everyday. On my off-days of nizoral, I use either nioxin or black castor oil shampoo. I also use a leave-in black castor oil conditioner almost everyday which gives my hair a thicker texture (10-15 min right after applying rogaine after showering).
As of now, I went to my derm last week (who has been using propecia for 10 years to maintain his hair which he said he has) and I told him my case and gave me the option to start using dutasteride. He informed me about it and was a little hesitant to prescribe it to me due to my age, and he also told me of all the potential side affects such as decreased libido, but said if I wanted to try it, the prescription is ready at my local pharmacy. The metaphor he gave me for dutasteride is "Imagine Finasteride as regular 87 gas and dutasteride is high octane 91 premium gas." Thought it was very true haha. After much uncertainty about taking it and being aware of all the possible side effects, as much as I don't want to really do it for the hormone and sexually altering effects, I decided to bite the bullet and give this a shot.
You can read all of the testimonials and experiences online to inform you, but at the end of the day, drug effects are idiosyncratic and you won't know how you will be affected until you actually try it yourself. With this in mind, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I won't experience any negative side effects, as I have not with finasteride. If any arise, I will discontinue. I'm picking it up tomorrow and will start my first pill then. I will keep you guys posted! Feel free to ask questions or post comments in the mean time.
I took pics the same time of the month under the same conditions (lights, room, etc). Some may be altered due to camera quality.