4 months in and still down hill

[Nick4441]

So a few of us are at this time in or more and continue to do downhill.

At what point do you give up?

Slowdown is all I have been looking for and finasteride seems to press on the hair loss accelerator and dutasteride pushed the accelerator through the floor.

I know this could be shedding but as i've seen nothing but hairloss with nothing coming back now for 10 months I don't really see it as a shed..there should be some short hairs somewhere and there are none.

I do seem to be a non responder to DHT inhibitors and maybe not reacting well..my hairloss was very slow prior to starting all these drugs but too late now to wind the clock back..messing with nature doesn't work for all and often wish I hadn't gone down this route.

I continue to dream and hope some small hairs will surface one day ... have to keep going for a few more months.

Could it be that Dutas is not as good as some other clones or the real thing, gotta be an answer somewhere..

 

[vipergts]

Hey Nick,

Bro I am in the same boat except i have not started dutasteride yet. Month 11 on finasteride and hair is worse than ever. Like you I have lost tons of density while on finasteride and it has beyond any doubt accelerated my hairloss. We are the tiny minority of people who don't respond to finasteride and may even somehow suffer from it. I was reading HLH and someone remembered Dr. Lee saying that in a tiny monority of his patients he found that finasteride caused Telogen Effluvium to happen. Perhaps you and I are going through this. I have gone from 1 mg of finasteride to 0.25 and saw a DRAMATIC decrease in shedding and scalp soreness. My scalp is less sore and red and eventhough I still shed it's not as bad as before. I suggest you STOP the dutasteride for now and discontinue all internals. For the next 3 months simply use topical minoxidil once or twice a day along with topical spironolactone. Also add CP's and PTO shampoo in your regimen. Some people here are WAY too overcommited and except miracles to happen - trust your gut mate and try the topical only route for a few months....what have you got to lose?

 

[blueshard]

Hey Nick4441,

I know what you are going through..,.. but you are only on month 4!!!!

I have read reports of people not seeing a return to baseline until after the 12th month mark....even the 18th month mark.

I am at month 11 almost and have a very similar experience to yours as my hair has still not fully recovered from the initial dutasteride shed that took place for a while.

From month 4 to 11 my hair has stayed the same pretty much... this whole thing is so goddam hard to deal with... know that you are not alone.

 

[hairwegoagain]

Give it a year. 4 months ain't enough time to make an assessment.

 

[Timi]

15Month on it

Hair destroyed around the Head
uke:

finasteride is the best
dutasteride was a "for me" a Failed Experiment

or can minoxidil make the Hair soo bad over the full Head??
I put minoxidil in the corners
I think No or???

@Nick
take You minoxidil?

Timi

 

[JDW]

1 year on finasteride. 3 months on dutasteride and nothing but downhill mate... I'm in exactly the same boat as yourself. thinning all over and miniaturising. There seems to be no end to the 'shedding'

Out of options pretty much I guess

 

[Timi]

JDW

take You minoxidil ?

Timi

minoxidil can DHT in the scalp makes higher

Here read this

Minoxidil increases 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 5?-reductase activity of cultured human dermal papilla cells from balding scalp

Toshihiro Satoa, *, Taketsugu Tadokorob, Tadashige Sonodaa, Yuji Asadaa, Satoshi Itamib and Susumu Takayasua

a Department of Dermatology, Oita Medical University, Hasama-machi, Oita 879-5593, Japan
b Department of Dermatology, Osaka University Medical School, Osaka, Japan

16 February 1999.


Abstract

Minoxidil is known to induce hair growthnext term in male pattern baldness, for which development androgen plays a central role. We studied the effect of minoxidil on testosterone metabolism by cultured dermal papilla cells from balding or nonbalding scalp and dermal fibroblasts. In all three groups, 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity was much higher than 5?-reductase activity. Minoxidil increased 17?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity by nearly 40% (P<0.001) in dermal papilla cells of balding scalp, whereas the effect was less marked in dermal papilla cells from nonbalding scalp and dermal fibroblasts. 5?-Reductase activity was also slightly increased by minoxidil in dermal papilla cells from balding scalp. Again, the effect on 5?-reductase activity was insignificant in the other two groups of cells. Whether such modification of testosterone metabolism in dermal papilla cells of balding scalp by minoxidil is related to its therapeutic effect remains unknown.

 

[JDW]

yes Timi, I use minoxidil foam but ony on the temples...Have been losing ground since before I started it though, when I was just on proscar cut into 1/5ths. I guess it's not the treatments doing this to me but just aggressive male pattern baldness. Dissapointeing though to palce faith in the best medicine around to treat this condition but see no progreee.

 

[vipergts]

Hey JDW - I am in the same boat as your bro. Tried EVERYTHING and now jumping on the dutasteride Bandwagon. For almost a year I have been using finasteride, spironolactone, Tricomin, Xandrox, Foam, Spectral (6 months) , nizoral 2 percent, PTO, T-gel and emu oil BUT my hair has actually gotten much worse than before the treatment. I cannot believe how worthless these treatments are even when used in combination. I hate to admit it but when I am spending 1000s of dollars on this sh*t and read posts like "Been taking finasteride only for 2 weeks and no more shedding...nothing comes out when I pull my hair" I can't help but feel disheartened. I can literally walk out of the shower and pull 50-100 hairs out by simply making contact with my scalp. Im a fukin shed machine and its been going on forever. During all this time my excessive shedding has NOT ONCE gone down. And please spare me the "new hair is coming out" horse crap. Too much false hope and letdowns for me. I already know that dutasteride is yet another worthless drug which won't do sh*t for me. Where do all us non-responders go ....FUK hairloss...I am so pissed. Sorry for the rant, just venting

yes Timi, I use minoxidil foam but ony on the temples...Have been losing ground since before I started it though, when I was just on proscar cut into 1/5ths. I guess it's not the treatments doing this to me but just aggressive male pattern baldness. Dissapointeing though to palce faith in the best medicine around to treat this condition but see no progreee.

 

[Nick4441]

Got it cut today real short (was 2-3 inches now only just over an inch) then had to look in the mirror :freaked2: My hair has been decimated in last few weeks even. Hairline was vanishing when starting dutasteride but now I have the U shaped bald patches at the front and scarily thin all over the top. I watch it go down hill on a weekly basis..nightmare.

Its embarassing too having to face people with a changing image so quickly. People I told about drugs and treatments like I know what im doin and then results are just worse than not doin the treatments...

Next band gig I play in is in a couple of weeks...I get more self concious every time I go on stage..its gettin to the point of quittin the band cos I don't like how I look

 

[JDW]

Hang in there nick mate, have you considered using the foam on the front to see if it thickens it up at all?
best of luck,I know how despondent things seem at times but we're doing the best we can.

 

[Nick4441]

May try a break from dutasteride and see what happens..I see lots of loss every time I take a tab for 2 days after then it slows. Been pretty aggressive loss and temples have gone almost completely bald with no regrowth. 6 months now and looks awful.

Maybe finasteride was better, my loss was still heavy but not as heavy as dutasteride.

Will give foam a go next year.

Not a Happy Christmas

 

[blueshard]

Nick4441- Have you taken before and after pics?

 

[antonio666]

May try a break from dutasteride and see what happens..I see lots of loss every time I take a tab for 2 days after then it slows. Been pretty aggressive loss and temples have gone almost completely bald with no regrowth. 6 months now and looks awful.

Maybe finasteride was better, my loss was still heavy but not as heavy as dutasteride.

Will give foam a go next year.

Not a Happy Christmas

i am going through the same thing with dutasteride,very dissapointing

 

[Nick4441]

No specific pictures but its very obvious the change and had to change hairstyle several times now to very short. Had a long shaggy style last year, impossible now. Partner helps monitor and confirms how much I have lost.

Its all hairline damage first 2 inches..Rest is thinner but still covers well including crown.

I've gone from NW2 to NW3 diffuse to mid scalp as an estimate over the last year.

I must try and get some pics on here as I know many say we exaggerate, I understand.

 

[Nick4441]

Have you dropped dutasteride Antonio?

Everyone says it takes ages but if its heavy negative in 1st 6 months then have to say that its not promising.

 

[oni]

Nick4441 you say you tried DNC for a few months at the start of 2007, why not try the foam!!!

 

[Timi]

Nick

Quit all Topic
stay 1-2Month on dutasteride allone



Timi

 

[Nick4441]

Timi, I only used a topical for 2 months at beginning of year and not since, so the 6 Months i've been on dutasteride I have not used a topical and its all loss

Internals are not working, not for front of hair anyway so foam is definitely on the cards to try next year. I got some Dr Reddys 5% minoxidil so my even give that a go first.

 

[Bryan]

May try a break from dutasteride and see what happens..I see lots of loss every time I take a tab for 2 days after then it slows.

How often do you take a tab of dutasteride?