21 Yo - Drugs Have Changed My Life – Oral Minoxidil + Finasteride

[DuckThisSheet]

Heya, before you read the rest of this text, here are a few things worth noting:

The whole text will be written in points to keep it clean and transparent

English is not my primary language, so I apologize if there are any errors somewhere or something is incomprehensible. Feel free to ask

I am a person who downplays side effects, I assume many scenarios where side effects may not be from medications that I take.

And most importantly, hair is more important to me than health in many cases. Therefore, before you follow my path, think twice, because you risk your health.

Enjoy!

Who am I + Balding history

I am a 21-year-old boy from Poland who started balding just after turning 18.
My balding was very aggressive. I probably should be bald at this moment, or very close to it.

My father has NW2, with generally thin hair, including donor. When he was my age he had NW1/2 and from that time baldness was going very slowly.

My grandfather had a lot of hair before he died, I do not remember what Norwood, but generally thick hair, so max NW3

My mother's brother, at the age of 30, already had + - NW6, and his dad (My grandfather) died at the age of 38 with + - NW3 / 4

Finasteride
16.08.2018 – still taking
1mg ed

When I started taking finasteride my hair was in really bad condition. I'm never sure about Norwood's scale, but it seems to me that NW3 with thinning in the NW5 area. My hairline also moved up.

After about 3 months, the thinning area began to thicken. After 6 it was quite decent, no one could say that Im thinning in the NW5 area, but there were still big temples.

Overall, finasteride stopped or slowed down very much hair loss. It was 100% worth giving a chance to finasteride. I will take it as long as I can, if it stops working I will probably start taking duta.
Sides

I do not think I have any serious side effects. I rarely have morning wood, my libido is maybe not great, but good. All in all, I like that I do not go horny all the time. I still have random erections, e.g. on the bus.

For a short time I was nervous all the time, possibly because of hormones, but it quickly passed.
I do not have gynecomastia or other serious symptoms.

Topical Minoxidil
+- 16.09.2018 – 21.04.2019
Once a day every evening

I started using Minoxidil a month after starting Finasteride. Probably helped a bit, but it's hard to say how much becouse, some results could been from Finasteride.

Probably helped to reach NW2 / 2,5 no more. In the area of NW0, fuzzy hairs appeared, but nothing more

I stopped using it after some time from the beginning of the treatment with the oral minoxidil, because I was annoyed by applying it every evening and I had the impression that the effects from it were below average

Sides

I did not have any side effects, except shedding, which you can see in photos, if i do not forget to add them.

Nizoral Shampoo
+- 16.09.2018 – Still taking
Once a week

At the beginning I was consistent and used it twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. At the moment I use it rather once a week and I am not very systematic in it, sometimes I skip some weeks.

I did not notice the direct effect on my hair, but I did not have any side effects either. If the researchs say that it helps hair, I will use it from time to time.

Dermapen
20.02.2019 - Still using
Once a week 1,5mm

I use the cheapest dermapen I found on the Internet "My M". I really do not know how big it affects my hair, but when I look at some threads, (I'll probably leave the link at the bottom) I can not believe that such wonders can be done with needle therapy.

I dermapen only the places where baldness is, I do not touch places I'm happy with because:
1. I'm still afraid that I can somehow damage my hair.
2. My dermapen likes to stutter on my hair, and then I have to reset it, which is a bit annoying
3. I do not feel the need to do this

I always see blood, at the beginning it was hard to bear the pain, but after a few sessions it is no longer a problem

Scalp is red for the next + - 36 hours. So when I dermapen on a Friday night, practically nothing is visible on Sunday morning. I hang out with friends on Saturday few times (with redness) and nobody noticed it, so it's probably not bad. My flatmates also never noticed redness.

Oral Liquid Minoxidil
20.02.2019 - 24.02.2019 20mg dose, stopped due to side effects
1.03.2019 Started 10mg
8.03.2019 Started 15mg
13.04.2019 Started 20mg dose
3.05.2019 Started 25mg dose

OK, probably the most controversial drug I've taken.

When I was already aware that BIG3 was not enough to recover all my hair, I decided it was time for something stronger. I was considering estrogen treatment, but I was not brave enough. I wanted to order Loniten, but in Poland, a drug post can be stopped at the border and destroyed. So I could have lost a lot of money.

I found a thread where someone was drinking liquid Minoxidil (Link below to thread).

Is it safe? Relatively so, because a small amount of MInoxidil (+ -5mg) should not significantly affect your blood pressure. Somewhere I read that MInoxidil affects the pressure from 20mg and above. All ingredients that are in liquid minoxidil, are approved to consume, a small exception is ethylene glycol, which is a poisonous substance in large quantities, but you can consume it in small amounts.

I use a syringe with a measuring tape to measure the amount.
1 ml of 5% minoxidil = 50mg
0,5 ml of 5% minoxidil = 25mg

At the beggining i was greedy, and started with straight 20mg dose. And shiet it was bad idea xD After 3 days i had a headache, but i hoped that it will go away. It didnt and at day 5 i guess, I woke up at 5am with chest pain and i was like "f***, i will not stand this sides". So
I took a weekly break, every sides went away and started it again with 10mg dose. And then I gradually increased my doses.

I have the impression that Minoxidil gave me the best results in hairline recovery. Still the hairline is not perfect, but much better than at the beginning of my adventure.

Sides
Hypertrichosis - Some little hairs appeard above the eyebrows and they are visable for everyone, but i dont think that anyone pay attention to it, couse they are still thin and not dense. But still you can spot them.

I got also some really really thin hairs between the eyes and beard, but only i can spot them - Something like fuzzy hairs after balding.

Hairy hands, but overall I never have had too much body hairs so i dont care.

Dark circles - I am 90% sure that I own them from Minoxidil, but I also have a hard time at the university, so I will put a picture of them after all exams, when I'm sure they are not caused by fatigue.

Gained 2kg, but i have shitty diet

I have had from time to time heavier heartbeat, but its gone


Not eating dairy products

I probably have an allergy to dairy products. Since I stopped eating them, I cured acne. I have no idea if somehow it worked on my hair, but I saw research that it could, so I decided it was worth to put it here.

Other stuff
Still taking:
Omega 3
Kelp
Zinc
Selenium + Vitamin E

I stopped:
Pumpkin seeds capsules
Vitamin Complex

Photos
Before anythng - 29.08.2018 - https://i.imgur.com/GL5aHpW.jpg

Before Oral minoxidil - 22.02.2019 - https://i.imgur.com/0b8YAKf.jpg

Now - 26.05.2019 - https://i.imgur.com/VFGgUGn.jpg

+Extra - Filling temples, but also hipertrihosis - https://i.imgur.com/dnNjUIZ.jpg

Special thanks + threads

Thanks to people whose threads somehow influenced me taking the drugs I take, so they affected my hair. Thank you guys!

@bridgeburn - He just showed that you can recover your hair, his thread gives you a lot of hope that everything is possible.

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/exploring-the-hormonal-route-hair-life.109288/

@AnxiousAndy - This guy who drank liquid Minoxidil, a genius we do not deserve, who showed the power of this drug

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/i-prevail-the-end-of-a-long-agonizing-road.119786/

@MyThinningConfidence - A man who showed what can be achieved with needles. I have no idea if I can achieve such effects as him, but his thread definitely motivates to use needles.

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...or-finasteride-mechanical-stimulation.116396/

@N003 - I have never written anything in his thread, and probably I should. Because it was the thread that I had in my mind the words "Finasteride is a salvation for my hair and I want to use it, even if I have side effects"

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/intera...-with-finasteride-after-6-months-pics.107836/

Last thing

The thread was longer than I thought, but I wanted to include everything that might interest you. I hope someone will find it valuable.
I will be happy if you leave your comment here because I will know that i did not write a thread for nothing.

Feel free to ask!

Have a good day guys!

 

[Derelict]

Glad to hear results from another oral minoxidil user, the weight you gained is probably water retention, another thing to be aware of is that i went through a second shed with oral minoxidil about 7 or so months which i still haven't recovered from. Im hoping this doesn't happen to you but just be aware it can happen. How rough was your initial shed?

 

[CrownBalding]

Do you have any more before/after photos?

 

[DuckThisSheet]

Glad to hear results from another oral minoxidil user, the weight you gained is probably water retention, another thing to be aware of is that i went through a second shed with oral minoxidil about 7 or so months which i still haven't recovered from. Im hoping this doesn't happen to you but just be aware it can happen. How rough was your initial shed?

Initial shed on oral minoxidil or overall?
Here are photos from 30.03.2019 so month after i started. You can see that i shed, but I do not think it was tragic

 

[DuckThisSheet]

Do you have any more before/after photos?

Before oral minoxidil or before anything? Photos after, I can do with a specific haircut if you want, because I have the impression that all the photos on my phone are similar to each other

Before anything - Pay attention that i had really high hair line, now its much lower

Now

Pay attention that i had really high hair line, now its much lower

 

[DuckThisSheet]

Glad to hear results from another oral minoxidil user, the weight you gained is probably water retention, another thing to be aware of is that i went through a second shed with oral minoxidil about 7 or so months which i still haven't recovered from. Im hoping this doesn't happen to you but just be aware it can happen. How rough was your initial shed?

Do you remember in which month you reached a peak of regrowth?

 

[SteveTabernack]

Very nice man, congratulations.

I also started oral minoxidil around the same time as you, would be amazing to get those kind of results. Staying at a much lower dosage than you for now though.

Are you sure it was necessary to go up to 25 mg so quickly? You might very well have similar results with half the dosage.

 

[DuckThisSheet]

Very nice man, congratulations.

I also started oral minoxidil around the same time as you, would be amazing to get those kind of results. Staying at a much lower dosage than you for now though.

Are you sure it was necessary to go up to 25 mg so quickly? You might very well have similar results with half the dosage.

I would say that it is not at all necessary to start a dose of 25mg as soon as possible. And if I would advise someone of you, I would say that you should start with a 5mg dose and see what happens after 3 months. I was just desperate and wanted to maximize my chances.


It was very hard for me to be balding at such a young age. All people of your age have luxuriant hairstyles, and you think how to hide the signs of baldness. It seems to me that I was very close or had a depression due to baldness.

There were moments where I was already thinking, "Hey, it's not that bad at all" and suddenly someone asked me, "You're balding, right?" and then I spent all my days looking for something that could help.

 

[DuckThisSheet]

And now the situation is quite the opposite. I spend less and less time on baldness forums, although I do know that there is still a long way to reach NW0.

Recently I met a friend after six months and the dialogue looked something like this:
She: What did you do with your hair?!
Me: <I do not like talking about baldness with friends, and certainly about taking drugs for it>
I have not been at the hairdresser for a long time and it is probably the reason that my hair looks so bad
She: No no no no ... Your hair looks great, leave them as they are

And such situations help me a lot. I also appreciate your kind words <3

 

[I'mme]

Gosh! If my current regimen doesn't work out, the first thing I would try is oral minoxidil. Thanks for the thread dude.

 

[Squall]

@DuckThisSheet I've tried to drink liquid minoxidil and it has a terrible taste (it reminds me antibiotics when I was a child). Do you put the medicine in something or do you drink it without anything? Because I think that I'll never do that anymore (sorry for my bad English)

 

[Yakitori]

Very nice man, congratulations.

I also started oral minoxidil around the same time as you, would be amazing to get those kind of results. Staying at a much lower dosage than you for now though.

Are you sure it was necessary to go up to 25 mg so quickly? You might very well have similar results with half the dosage.

What's your dosage?

 

[DuckThisSheet]

@DuckThisSheet I've tried to drink liquid minoxidil and it has a terrible taste (it reminds me antibiotics when I was a child). Do you put the medicine in something or do you drink it without anything? Because I think that I'll never do that anymore (sorry for my bad English)

Ye, it tastes terrible. For a week maybe I drank clean Minoxidil. Then I changed the way. I fill my mouth with a drink (Mostly water with syrup) and add Minoxidil to it and then drink it together.

I do not add Minoxidil to a glass with a drink, because I'm afraid that some part of minoxidil will stay on the sides of the glass

 

[S14a]

Thread scares me, that's a lot you are putting into your body. Unfortunately after a while the body gets used to minoxidil and the effects won't continue as great.
Thought about a transplant?

 

[DuckThisSheet]

Thread scares me, that's a lot you are putting into your body. Unfortunately after a while the body gets used to minoxidil and the effects won't continue as great.
Thought about a transplant?

I am aware of this and I may be a fool to go this way. But believe me, I'm slowly regaining my old self-confidence.

In worse moments I did not want to go out with friends that I had not seen for a few years, because I did not want them to see me balding.

I was coming home and the first thing I did was looking for solutions on forums.

In addition, people often do not help when they are talking and joking about your balding

It was not stated, but I think I had depression because of balding
Now it's much better, I stopped being afraid of people, and I think it should be even better over time and I do not regret anything for this moment
I hope that if I enter the stage, where Minoxidil stops regrowth, and only maintain I will still see results thanks to the micrneedling.
Or this stage will come when I will have NW0-0.5

About the hair transplant

I considered it, I even wanted to do it at the age of 20 before I started taking Finasteride.

But let's be realists, I was balding very aggressively with the possibility of finishing with NW6, which you will not cover well with the transplant. And I did not want to make hasty decisions. There are also not many doctors who will do hair transplant to such a young man

Besides, just like those who are afraid of shedding, I'm scared 3 months after the transplant, where your hair looks like matches embedded in sh*t. I would not like someone to see me with such hair, and you can not avoid people for 6 months when you are a student.

 

[DuckThisSheet]

I hope I can do something with these tiny hairs.

In addition, at the weekend I am probably going to the hairdresser, so you can expect some new photos ^^

 

[I'mme]

I

Thread scares me, that's a lot you are putting into your body. Unfortunately after a while the body gets used to minoxidil and the effects won't continue as great.
Thought about a transplant?

I'm yet to see a person for whom oral minoxidil stopped working.

 

[S14a]

I
I'm yet to see a person for whom oral minoxidil stopped working.

I didn't say it will stop working, did I?

I've taken oral minoxidil 10mg in the past for at least two years. The dosage will need to increase to maintain initial gains over the first 1-2 years and with that comes increased risks.

 

[S14a]

I am aware of this and I may be a fool to go this way. But believe me, I'm slowly regaining my old self-confidence.

In worse moments I did not want to go out with friends that I had not seen for a few years, because I did not want them to see me balding.

I was coming home and the first thing I did was looking for solutions on forums.

In addition, people often do not help when they are talking and joking about your balding

It was not stated, but I think I had depression because of balding
Now it's much better, I stopped being afraid of people, and I think it should be even better over time and I do not regret anything for this moment
I hope that if I enter the stage, where Minoxidil stops regrowth, and only maintain I will still see results thanks to the micrneedling.
Or this stage will come when I will have NW0-0.5

About the hair transplant

I considered it, I even wanted to do it at the age of 20 before I started taking Finasteride.

But let's be realists, I was balding very aggressively with the possibility of finishing with NW6, which you will not cover well with the transplant. And I did not want to make hasty decisions. There are also not many doctors who will do hair transplant to such a young man

Besides, just like those who are afraid of shedding, I'm scared 3 months after the transplant, where your hair looks like matches embedded in sh*t. I would not like someone to see me with such hair, and you can not avoid people for 6 months when you are a student.

I've no doubt about how it made you feel, I would just worry long term what effects this has on your body. My outlook on the transplant would be as a student you could avoid people for two months in the summer and be back at your original state pre-transplant, from then the only way is up...fibres could also be used. I'm sure your current regime is costly too?

 

[DuckThisSheet]

I'm sure your current regime is costly too?

Nah, I use the cheapest available drugs in Poland.

For example, Propecia in Poland costs around + - 200 PLN (47 Euro)
I buy finasteride under the name Finahit, which costs 30 PLN (7 Euro)

A 60ml bottle of Minoxidil costs about 30 PLN (7 Euro ) and lasts for 4 months. So it costs about 2 euros per month

I use dermapen cartridges repeatedly disinfecting them, so at this moment they do not generate costs.

Omega3 is not particularly expensive, but I do not remember the price.

So the cost of a monthly treatment is about 9 euros (+- 40PLN)