9 months proscar...stick with it or make the avodart switch?

[head2toe]

Hi all, I have been on Proscar for 9 months (1.25 finasteride a day). I have been on rogaine 1x at night for 5 months, and Nizoral 1% for 4 months. I am 23 years old, started losing hair at 20, and only this past January has it become noticable.

I am a diffuse thinner. I looked at photos from 3 months, 5 months, and 8 months in. Compared to base line, it seems that the top of my head is slowly becoming see-through from a birds-eye view and on the sides of the top. I would say it is slightly worse (hair is thinner) than it was before I started proscar.

I know they say to wait at least 12 months, and that some really start noticing the benefits of finasteride during the 2nd year. But if I feel that I'm still losing ground, and I am jumping the gun by switching to avodart?

What gives me hope is there are a couple stories on here saying that their hair was the worst during the 2nd half of the first year, but at the 2 year point it was much improved...yet that seems to be the exception and not the norm.

I experience a slightly lowered libido but it's very tolerable.

Any advice would be appreciated. This place helps me get through this struggle.

 

[BodyDysmorphic]

why not try minoxidil 2x a day
and wait till the 1 year mark on finasteride

you still can see improvements within the first 15 months on finasteride

dutasteride is some serious stuff
it can do a number on your hormones

just an opinion

 

[Hiker]

You're very young, so I would be very reluctant to experiment with Avodart. Avodart is for old men. Give the Propecia a full shot and get an opinion from a doctor. Consider taking the HairDX test.

 

[head2toe]

Thank you for your replies so far guys.

I'd prefer not to try minoxidil 2x a day, as it makes my hair look like crap during the day. I also don't think minoxidil is doing too much for me, as I am 5 months in on it and my hair is still thinning at a slow pace. I do plan on continuing for now.

I've gone to 2 doctors and they aren't much of a help to those with bad hair loss. They were both female and didn't know much about finasteride. Nothing against female doctors, but it seems that the best doctors to speak to for my situation are the ones who are battling with hair loss themselves and are well-aware of finasteride's effects and timeline (used propecia/proscar). I think further trips to a doctor would just be a waste of time.

I'm at a point where I think the finasteride may not be working. I've read into the risks of avodart and I'm ready to use it if need be. I'd figure better sooner than later, but I don't know if proscar is working or not...I'm not sure what the odds are that my hair will improve in between now and the 2 year mark....I assume the odds are not good :sobbing:

If anyone can share stories of propecia/proscar working for them 9 months after they popped their first pill, or later, that would help make the decision to stay off avodart easier, and put my mind at ease in general.

If I am already on proscar, would the HairDX test be necessary? It's not that accurate and I'm already committing to taking either finasteride or dutasteride for the next 2 years.

 

[Hiker]

The HairDX test measures whether Propecia will work for you.