19. Rapid Balding. Terrified of Finasteride

[kantian]

So I waited for almost year to take action on my balding. I was under the illusion that I could just do a hair transplant surgery if it got noticeable. Turns out, I have to be completely bald to attempt a hair transplant. So for the last 3 weeks I've been taking 5% Minoxidil, and hoping for results. Turns out minoxidil isn't supposed to be that effective. So I went to a dermatologist and he prescribed finasteride.

I'm terribly scared of this drug. Honestly, if you told me that this drug had a 2% chance of giving me cancer, I think I'd still find that preferable to the side effects that are mentioned. I've spent countless hours on the internet, and my mind is filled with stories of men who have had permanent mental and sexual side effects. I also don't trust the 2% chance of side effects number that Merck gives us. It doesn't at all seem to be true from the reports on forums, and even what my doctor's experience has been. It seems as though DHT is a potent androgen, and purposefully reducing it seems like essentially making an effort to castrate yourself. I don't actually understand how people can NOT have side effects from reducing its level.

What I ask from you is this: When did you take finasteride? What were the side effects and how long did they take to appear? Were you able to achieve a powerful erection when having sex? Thanks

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Also, are there any people who have not taken finasteride and gotten decent results? I would like to hear of your story.

 

[Notcoolanymore]

I've spent countless hours on the internet.

What I ask from you is this: When did you take finasteride? What were the side effects and how long did they take to appear? Were you able to achieve a powerful erection when having sex? Thanks

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Also, are there any people who have not taken finasteride and gotten decent results? I would like to hear of your story.

Biggest mistake.

Moving on to your questions: I started taking finasteride when I was 36. Had a mild ball ache for about a month or so. Nothing since then. Erections are fine and I still wake up with a hard on. The best advice I could give if you decide to take finasteride is stay off these types of forums, and don't masturbate 30 times a day to make sure you D still works.

 

[kpat]

I had a very similar hairline and thinning that you have, and I started using minoxidil on my hairline. I used it for a year, and it basically evened up my hairline, thickened it a littled, and maaaaaaaaybe brough it down a tad. I can't really tell. It filled in my temples a little bit, too. But not much. It's mostly just maintained it. But then I started reading how minoxidil loses effectiveness after 1 year or so. And it also doesn't stop the balding process. It just reenergizes your hair follicles and makes them grow (from my understanding at least), but doesn't block the DHT from destroying them. Finasteride is the only thing that will stop the balding. And so after that year of maintenance I decided to go on finasteride. There were a lot of factors in the decision, and I definitely went against my nature and took a risk, but I'm not looking back. I've been on it for a week or two, and I haven't noticed any side effects. I'm also not looking for any side effects. I'm keeping as calm about it as possible. My dermatologist also proved to be very knowledgeable about the drug and research behind it and has hundreds of patients taking it, and he told me he would be very surprised if I experienced any problems. And being on this site helped. I got the impression that a lot of side effects can be in your head. But I'm not just being blind to the anecdotes I've read (because I've scared myself ****less many times from horror stories about finasteride). I got to a point where I realized that getting rid of the stressor of my hair was worth the risk, because the stressor was a huge one in my life.

So yeah, I've been on finasteride for a couple weeks. I've masturbated three times I think, and each time was pretty much normal. The first time was actually better than normal, probably because I waited til I was really horny to do it.

Also, they recommend that you go on finasteride when you do a transplant so you can keep the hair, or else the balding process will just kill the follicles again.

If your hair loss has been rapid, you have the best chance of having it grow back if you start using the drugs. But I think you should just focus on making a decision. That will give you some clarity. Also, pumpkin seed oil has a little science behind it that says it helps regrow some hair, so eat some pumpkin seeds every day. I eat 1/8 a cup.

 

[kantian]

I took a finasteride pill and my balls ached for the rest of the night.

Do you guys have any suggestions for when to take the pill? What about making it .5mg instead of 1mg?

I'll post my progress here every month and note any side effects from finasteride. If there are no side effects, I'll play that up too as I think that's needed around here.

 

[zzzzz]

2% comes from the FDA, not just from Merck.

LOL at your balls aching almost instantly after taking finasteride, within hours.

Ball ache is nothing, ignore it, peoples balls ache all the time. Unless you are down on the floor in agony it isn't a problem. Sides get better over time. There is almost no difference between .5mg and 1mg. Just keep taking it

 

[Aeroes]

2% comes from the FDA, not just from Merck.

LOL at your balls aching almost instantly after taking finasteride, within hours.

Ball ache is nothing, ignore it, peoples balls ache all the time. Unless you are down on the floor in agony it isn't a problem. Sides get better over time. There is almost no difference between .5mg and 1mg. Just keep taking it

Dude. Seriously..You have to be careful with what you are saying to people. Finasteride can cause serious side effects to people, some men are extremely sensitive to it.

 

[Grammaton Cleric]

Biggest mistake.

Moving on to your questions: I started taking finasteride when I was 36. Had a mild ball ache for about a month or so. Nothing since then. Erections are fine and I still wake up with a hard on. The best advice I could give if you decide to take finasteride is stay off these types of forums, and don't masturbate 30 times a day to make sure you D still works.

No I encourage him to research as the number of nations Logging onto PFSFoundation.org rised to 26% http://www.pfsfoundation.org/news/nations-logging-onto-pfs-foundation-website-rise-26/ Also in an unrelated note I see Johnny Cage as your avatar here's a pic of him last week from a Mortal Kombat renunion Do you think he is on Propecia?

 

[SayifDoit]

If you're not willing to take propecia because of minor ball ache, you might as well start waving the white flag and just surrender to baldness.
Hey you might look terrible but you still have working junk which not all people can say, and I'm not being sarcastic.

You are probably better off just being a resident cue ball than being blueballs larry.