16 And Going Bald Already?, Please Help..

jsmith123

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I saw my GP today and had a blood test done aswell, so once i get the results back and if normal can rule out all other non male pattern baldness causes. I informed her about propecia and she said i could very well take it if im deemed developed enough / the only reason it usually isnt prescribed to under 18s is because it wasnt tested in that age group, only from 18 - 41, so i could very well take it and be fine , however at the same time it isnt tested so i might not be. I guess its all about risk / chance. I am booking an appointment with a dermatologist / endocrinologist soon and they should be able to tell me what is best.
 

I.D WALKER

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Most likely you are experiencing male pattern baldness however, it positively won't hurt to get your Doctor to order a comprehensive blood work for you in order to rule out any other possibly overlooked causes ie; thyroid, juvenile diabetes, etc., Never cut any corners when it comes to your health. Also try to bring along a trusted adult family member/friend in order to help you process the information during your visit as well as for moral support. I am perfectly sensitive to the fact that you really have little choice but to tackle this as aggressively as you can, but no matter what recourse you take just continue to use your head while choosing a strategy you are going to be most comfortable with and one that will reward you the most positive results. You will always have the help of this forum. Damn the torpedoes!

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OH good you did get blood work I am sorry somehow I missed that in your last post. Best Wishes!
Most likely you are experiencing male pattern baldness however, it positively won't hurt to get your Doctor to order a comprehensive blood work for you in order to rule out any other possibly overlooked causes ie; thyroid, juvenile diabetes, etc., Never cut any corners when it comes to your health. Also try to bring along a trusted adult family member/friend in order to help you process the information during your visit as well as for moral support. I am perfectly sensitive to the fact that you really have little choice but to tackle this as aggressively as you can, but no matter what recourse you take just continue to use your head while choosing a strategy you are going to be most comfortable with and one that will reward you the most positive results. You will always have the help of this forum. Damn the torpedoes!
 

jsmith123

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If the dermatologist/ endo says i am good to go with propecia i will get onto it. Just a little worried about all the supposed 'sexual side effects' but thats only a tiny minority right?
 

I.D WALKER

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If you decide to try finasteride you can always start on lower dose ie;.25mg. This may help minimize any potential side effects plus it may be enough to stabilize your loss. There are guys who claim success who have taken this approach. Trial this for a few months you can always work your way up.
 

jsmith123

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I will definitely start off at a lower dose and work my way up, the side effects are usually a tiny tiny minority and i guess it doesnt help reading the 'rare' cases of it people post about on the internet to scaremonger right?
 

drgs

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I don't like the idea of altering your hormones while still in puberty
High levels of sex hormones, particularly estrogen, close the epiphyseal plates, and you stop growing
Does finasteride affect estrogen level in any way -- f. ex. trough high levels of testosterone where it caps off and converts to estrogen? Not sure, one way to find out hehe
 

jsmith123

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Is that because it can cause *definite* issues or simply because it was untested within my age bracket?
 

GoldenMane

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It's because DHT is responsible for development of secondary sex characteristics in males, and by inhibiting the formation of DHT, it may arrest your physical maturation. Finasteride doesn't completely inhibit DHT though, it just reduces the conversion of testosterone into DHT by something like 65% You still have DHT and your testosterone levels are unaffected.. Actually your testosterone levels may be higher as less tesosterone is converted into DHT.
 

I.D WALKER

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Unless your memory is photographic please take careful notes while asking your doctor all these important questions. Particularly at your tender age, I understand your overwhelming anxiety, still never rush into anything that might have irrevocable health damaging consequences. In the meantime I'm sure that between your proactivity and the generally insightful help of your friends here you'll eventually find a less compromising plan. I'll keep digging.:)
 

jsmith123

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Is it possible to have tests done to see if i have reached pretty much full development chemically etc ?. Or is it unknown
 

barfacan

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If you decide to try finasteride you can always start on lower dose ie;.25mg. This may help minimize any potential side effects plus it may be enough to stabilize your loss. There are guys who claim success who have taken this approach. Trial this for a few months you can always work your way up.

That's not how finasteride works, its a flat-dose response.

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Is it possible to have tests done to see if i have reached pretty much full development chemically etc ?. Or is it unknown

What do you need tests for, you're 16 and VERY likely still develop. ****, males can still be developing until 25.
 

Jlyncher

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Fwiw jsmith, I was in a similar position at your age. I started using minoxidil religiously(2% was all that was available to me) the end of my junior year, and by graduation I had regrown a significant amount of hair. Jumped on finasteride at 21, and 11yrs later my hair is better than it was at 17. Granted I was a good responder, but you may be too. Make sure you stick with it long enough to find out. Good luck!
 

jsmith123

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Thanks Jlynch, makes me feel a bit better knowing im not the only one this has happened to !. I will ask the dermatologist if he thinks this is a real fast acting case or if it is slow and if minoxidil / nizoral / spironolactone could hold my hair as is for about 16 months. Im a bit scared of jumping on finasteride after reading so many horror stories, it seems to be either you get lucky with it or you get unlucky and it just doesnt work for you. Did it maintain your hair as is for 11 years and did you experience any sides etc ?
 

Jlyncher

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Yes, it has maintained my hair in the long term. I actually had some regrowth all over, and remain above baseline. I had zero sides, finished college, got married, started a family, business etc. It may seem pretty bad right now for you, but you're certainly not alone, and it is treatable in most cases if you jump on it early. Many of the same guys that commented on my hair in high school are now bald or balding, and I still have my hair :). I'm not telling you to get on finasteride right away, that's for you and you're dermatologist to figure out. Just make sure the derm is well informed on male pattern baldness and possible treatments.

Here's some more good info on finasteride; http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatment/medications/propecia-finasteride/

10yr study; http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/downloads/Rossi_Finasteride_10Yr_ 2011.pdf
 

jsmith123

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Thanks very much, My dermatologist specifies in dealing with male pattern baldness so I trust his decision that he makes for me. So is all the horror stories from finasteride etc just a tiny tiny minority however because its the only minority that speaks about it on the internet it seems like a huge common problem?
 

I.D WALKER

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Hi Barf I realize you are being helpful but I am familiar with several finasteride. users that respond moderately well on lower doses. Best Wishes.
That's not how finasteride works, its a flat-dose response.

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What do you need tests for, you're 16 and VERY likely still develop. ****, males can still be developing until 25.
 

jsmith123

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Hi guys, back with an update. I saw the dermatologist yesterday, he said yes I do have male pattern baldness and it is definitely pretty fast acting for me. He said at the moment it hasnt got the point where it is gravely noticeable (only if i have my hair wet/ pull it back). He looked at my blood test results and also concluded that it will be safe for me to take finasteride. He said if this has already started happening then Im pretty much properly developed atleast enough (also concluded that from looking at my test results which were that of a normal adult males). He said the only option is finasteride because at the rate it is going if i was to wait another year until i am 18 then i could very much have lost a LOT of my hair and if i catch it now i could maintain it for long. i trust he knows what he is talking about (he is bald himself) and has treated alot of his patients for male pattern baldness. I start finasteride in 2 days and he booked an appointment for me to come back in 6 months so we can see how it is going and holding up. I am quartering the 5mg Proscar tablets, I will take a photo from now and compare it with one i take 6 months down the track.
 

GoldenMane

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Yeah, that's what I thought. Another year and it may be too late... Well best of luck with finasteride, hope you respond well. Also good to hear that you are developmentally equivalent to an adult male, that should means less concern over DHT and secondary sex characteristics.
 

jsmith123

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When i am starting finasteride should i take note of any potential worrying things that might pop up?, i know its common for a few side effects to happen maybe within the first week etc etc as i am adjusting to it. Also since I am at the gym, is it fine to take supplements with finasteride? (creatine, whey protein, pre workout, caffeine) etc?.
Another thing , what is the drug interaction with finasteride and other chemicals?, hate to have to ask this but a few times here and there I will take MDMA, usually at a music festival, and considering I have one in March I want to make sure it wont put me at a potentially dangerous combo, I havent been able to find anything on consuming MD whilst on finasteride.
 
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