1 Year On Finasteride - Hair Is Much Worse

SlinkyDink

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Pictures a little further down the thread..

Quick recap... 28 year old, UK.
Started noticing my crown thinning 2 years ago, I was shedding somewhat and noticed a little receding on the right temple. It was really getting me down. So I did some research and decided to apply minoxidil twice a day using a dermaroller 3-4 times a week. I had incredible results within 5 months. One of my friends actually pulled at my hair because he though I was wearing a wig. True story. My hair was so much thicker and darker, I was the happiest I had been for a while. Then all of a sudden, my hair started to shed again. I went to see a dermatologist and they prescribed me with 5mg of finasteride. (Still applying minoxidil daily) I had to cut the pill into quarters so I was taking 1.25mg daily. After 6 months I noticed no results. I did some more research and I read that it can shock your system so I dosed down to 1mg. L

So another 6 months on, today marks my 1 year on finasteride. I can honestly say, I wish I never started taking this crap. Ive not really had any sides, apart from watery semen :/ My hair is the worse it has ever been. The shedding never stopped, the whole top of my head has never ever been so thin. I actually cant believe how bad it's gotten in the past year. Worse affected areas is my crown and BOTH temples. My hair looks like sh*t. The past few months I have been getting tingling at the front of my head and itching. Yes I apply Nizoral 3 times a week.. So I think all I can do now is accept it isnt working for me. I've never felt so depressed about my hair, constantly looking in the mirror. I think after this pandemic is over my only last option is to get a hair system. My hair is the thing that makes me feel confident about myself. But those past year has been complete hell. I've read on other threads "keep taking it even after a year mark you might be a late responder" But in all honesty, I don't see it improving. I think I'll finish this last batch of tablets, then that's me..
 
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baba_yaga

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Perhaps you're loosing the sh*t you got from minoxidil. You can hop on duta anyways, look it up.
 

SlinkyDink

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Wet hair pictures..
First picture is about 14 months ago. Second picture is what it looks like now. As you can see, finasteride has completely ruined my life..
 

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whatintheworld

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Hmm this is tricky for sure. Your hair loss may have kicked into overdrive and overpowered finasteride, although I find that hard to believe as your initial pictures did not indicate aggressive male pattern baldness.

Have you been consistent in your minoxidil applications? People underestimate how big a role it plays and just assume finasteride is doing all the work.

If you have, probably it would be best to slowly taper off finasteride, and then re-assess a few months afterwards. I understand your frustration though because taking something should have helped, only to have it not, is surely hard to deal with. In the meantime just stay consistent with minoxidil, taper off finasteride and see where you stand.
 

SlinkyDink

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Hmm this is tricky for sure. Your hair loss may have kicked into overdrive and overpowered finasteride, although I find that hard to believe as your initial pictures did not indicate aggressive male pattern baldness.

Have you been consistent in your minoxidil applications? People underestimate how big a role it plays and just assume finasteride is doing all the work.

If you have, probably it would be best to slowly taper off finasteride, and then re-assess a few months afterwards. I understand your frustration though because taking something should have helped, only to have it not, is surely hard to deal with. In the meantime just stay consistent with minoxidil, taper off finasteride and see where you stand.
I said to myself I'm done with finasteride after this batch, but honestly I'm terrified of coming off it incase it gets worse.. Yes I'm still applying minoxidil twice daily.
 

TomRiddle

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Wet hair pictures..
First picture is about 14 months ago. Second picture is what it looks like now. As you can see, finasteride has completely ruined my life..

Why did you take it with that hair in the first place? Did you get a proper examination by a trichologist or something that can asses miniaturization in the first place? And also did you ever think of the way that minoxidil is syncing the hair cycles and this could be a synchronized minoxidil shed because it has put a lot of hair in once cycle and the other part is on another cycle and it grows in batches now?
 

SlinkyDink

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Why did you take it with that hair in the first place? Did you get a proper examination by a trichologist or something that can asses miniaturization in the first place? And also did you ever think of the way that minoxidil is syncing the hair cycles and this could be a synchronized minoxidil shed because it has put a lot of hair in once cycle and the other part is on another cycle and it grows in batches now?
The first picture is about 10 months on minoxidil, my hair was much worse before that picture. Minoxidil improved my hair a hell of a lot. Well if it is a shed, it's been going on for over a year and hasn't let up..
 

TomRiddle

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The first picture is about 10 months on minoxidil, my hair was much worse before that picture. Minoxidil improved my hair a hell of a lot.

I'm not saying it didn't i'm just saying that it synchronizes the hair cycles differently and can make a big patch of hair grow in a different cycle from the others. It's literally impossible to get all the hair in the same cycles with the recommended dosage and not just because of that but because of inconsistency also and a couple more unknown factors maybe... Maybe you should just keep at it if you don't have any sides or something and see how it goes, idk what to say...
 

SlinkyDink

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I'm not saying it didn't i'm just saying that it synchronizes the hair cycles differently and can make a big patch of hair grow in a different cycle from the others. It's literally impossible to get all the hair in the same cycles with the recommended dosage and not just because of that but because of inconsistency also and a couple more unknown factors maybe... Maybe you should just keep at it if you don't have any sides or something and see how it goes, idk what to say...
But surely I should have had some sort of regrowth within a year?
 

TomRiddle

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But surely I should have had some sort of regrowth within a year?

If the situation has gotten only worse and worse since you started i think yes, you should have had... I heard a doctor recently that stated that finasteride can have a 10% of it's users experiencing something similar with what you have experienced... Idk what to say, if not even doctors are not sure and have no idea of how this works not even after 30 years what can i say, i don't even know what i would do in your position, maybe drop it and see how it goes for a couple of months but as you said, maybe it will go downhill from there, i really don't know what to say. Whatever decision you take good luck
 

md2002

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If I had the hair you had in pic 1, I don't think I would have started finasteride. I would have stuck with minoxidil until you needed the pill. That being said, if you stop finasteride there is no telling what will happen.
 

joeblack2017

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Well not everyone is a great responder to finas. And over time whether you're taking it or not, you'll eventually lose some thickness and have thinning as you age.
 

dudealpha

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Pictures a little further down the thread..

Quick recap... 28 year old, UK.
Started noticing my crown thinning 2 years ago, I was shedding somewhat and noticed a little receding on the right temple. It was really getting me down. So I did some research and decided to apply minoxidil twice a day using a dermaroller 3-4 times a week. I had incredible results within 5 months. One of my friends actually pulled at my hair because he though I was wearing a wig. True story. My hair was so much thicker and darker, I was the happiest I had been for a while. Then all of a sudden, my hair started to shed again. I went to see a dermatologist and they prescribed me with 5mg of finasteride. (Still applying minoxidil daily) I had to cut the pill into quarters so I was taking 1.25mg daily. After 6 months I noticed no results. I did some more research and I read that it can shock your system so I dosed down to 1mg. L

So another 6 months on, today marks my 1 year on finasteride. I can honestly say, I wish I never started taking this crap. Ive not really had any sides, apart from watery semen :/ My hair is the worse it has ever been. The shedding never stopped, the whole top of my head has never ever been so thin. I actually cant believe how bad it's gotten in the past year. Worse affected areas is my crown and BOTH temples. My hair looks like sh*t. The past few months I have been getting tingling at the front of my head and itching. Yes I apply Nizoral 3 times a week.. So I think all I can do now is accept it isnt working for me. I've never felt so depressed about my hair, constantly looking in the mirror. I think after this pandemic is over my only last option is to get a hair system. My hair is the thing that makes me feel confident about myself. But those past year has been complete hell. I've read on other threads "keep taking it even after a year mark you might be a late responder" But in all honesty, I don't see it improving. I think I'll finish this last batch of tablets, then that's me..
I'm also nearing 1 year on finasteride (I'm at the 8-9 month mark), and I have one piece of advice: DON'T STOP. I'll make an update myself, but a month or two ago my hairline was looking damaged af after looking quite ok after 5 months of finasteride, but then it started to slowly fill in again and now it's back. Don't worry for now, and just continue with your treatment.
 

hairhelp777

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Pictures a little further down the thread..

Quick recap... 28 year old, UK.
Started noticing my crown thinning 2 years ago, I was shedding somewhat and noticed a little receding on the right temple. It was really getting me down. So I did some research and decided to apply minoxidil twice a day using a dermaroller 3-4 times a week. I had incredible results within 5 months. One of my friends actually pulled at my hair because he though I was wearing a wig. True story. My hair was so much thicker and darker, I was the happiest I had been for a while. Then all of a sudden, my hair started to shed again. I went to see a dermatologist and they prescribed me with 5mg of finasteride. (Still applying minoxidil daily) I had to cut the pill into quarters so I was taking 1.25mg daily. After 6 months I noticed no results. I did some more research and I read that it can shock your system so I dosed down to 1mg. L

So another 6 months on, today marks my 1 year on finasteride. I can honestly say, I wish I never started taking this crap. Ive not really had any sides, apart from watery semen :/ My hair is the worse it has ever been. The shedding never stopped, the whole top of my head has never ever been so thin. I actually cant believe how bad it's gotten in the past year. Worse affected areas is my crown and BOTH temples. My hair looks like sh*t. The past few months I have been getting tingling at the front of my head and itching. Yes I apply Nizoral 3 times a week.. So I think all I can do now is accept it isnt working for me. I've never felt so depressed about my hair, constantly looking in the mirror. I think after this pandemic is over my only last option is to get a hair system. My hair is the thing that makes me feel confident about myself. But those past year has been complete hell. I've read on other threads "keep taking it even after a year mark you might be a late responder" But in all honesty, I don't see it improving. I think I'll finish this last batch of tablets, then that's me..
If you have tingling/itching I'd suggest seeing a derm specialising in hair loss (not just a general derm). It could potentially be Lichen planopilaris (what I have) which can cause itching/burning. Those are similar to symptoms I had. It could be another condition too...but it sounds like you have some type of unusual condition.
 

Norwoody

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It is likely an increase in androgen receptor sensitivity. I would look into RU58841 and oral minoxidil. Perhaps you also had a reaction to the PG in topical minoxidil.
 

300

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It is likely an increase in androgen receptor sensitivity. I would look into RU58841 and oral minoxidil. Perhaps you also had a reaction to the PG in topical minoxidil.
So,are you saying that finasteride caused his hairloss?
 
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