A couple of questions from someone new to it all.

[Martin83]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum, and I have a few questions I would like to have answered.

First of all, this is the scenario: I just turned 18, and have been noticing some receding of the hairline, and a general diffusing on the top of my head (but not in the "horseshoe" area) that has come along with an increased loss of hair in the shower. I have a genetic history of male pattern baldness on my maternal side, and they all started losing their hair in their 20's, while everyone on my father's side still has hair. The thing is, my father also has a receded hairline, it's a tad worse than mine, and he also has a bit more diffused hair than me. Now, I don't really feel like playing a game of chance with nature, and I am now at 1/4 proscar a day. (pictures of my current hair are attached to the post)

1: So, this is my fourth day on finasteride, and I wonder if it now is "too late" to do a baseline bloodwork, or does it usually take longer for the drug to change up the original values?

2: Seeing as my hairline is receding, I spot some white thin straws of hair where my hairline used to be. Do you think going on finasteride alone could restore these to a "normal" state, or should I add something else to my daily intake?

3: Per today, I can see myself keep taking finasteride 'for the rest of my life', or at least until something better comes along. Do any of you have some experience of taking the drug for a longer period of time?(10+ yrs) And if you managed to regrow some of your hair, did the finasteride actually balance your loss so that you theoretically could keep it for say, the next 20-30 years?

4: I have read some of your complains about lower libido, problems with lost morningwood etc. But On the note that followed my package of finasteride, it said these are actually pretty normal, and usually withdraws for both that either keep taking the drug, or those that stop. Why haven't any of you mentioned this in your oh so many warnings about these side effects?

5: And the last question; say I started on rogaine or minoxidil to regrow my thinning hair along the temples, could I actually stop doing this later, and still keep the gained hair (as the finasteride has this effect) ? I realize these are two different ways of approaching the problem of DHT sensitiveness, but shouldn't it actually work?

Thanks to those who are willing to answer my questions. I guess I also could apologize for my shady English, as it's not my native language.


Here are a couple of pictures of my hair, and two close-ups of my temples. Would also be lovely if you could help me decide my Norwood level, I'm guessing a 2? I've never really had a 1 though.

[attachment=5:11w4qa8d]IMG_2788-1.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d][attachment=4:11w4qa8d]IMG_2791-5.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d][attachment=3:11w4qa8d]IMG_2798-6.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d][attachment=2:11w4qa8d]IMG_2802-4.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d][attachment=0:11w4qa8d]IMG_2819-2.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d][attachment=1:11w4qa8d]IMG_2818-3.jpg[/attachment:11w4qa8d]

 

[anxious1]

1: So, this is my fourth day on finasteride, and I wonder if it now is "too late" to do a baseline bloodwork, or does it usually take longer for the drug to change up the original values?

probably too late, any effect at all on the levels, means it will be an untrustworthy benchmark for later. But u could always stop and postpone taking it for a few weeks, and get blood test in a week, after its left ur system.

2: Seeing as my hairline is receding, I spot some white thin straws of hair where my hairline used to be. Do you think going on finasteride alone could restore these to a "normal" state, or should I add something else to my daily intake?

Hard to say, some people get regrowth along hairline from finasteride, ive seen it b4, and in that case, it would be those white hairs that fallout, then grow back thicker, (a reversal of miniturization), but also theyre might be no regrowth from finasteride alone, ive also seen these miniturized hairs dissapear, and not grow back thicker. So its really a guessing game.

There is a DNA test u can get to see if finasteride is likly to help, based on good responders dna i guess.

3: Per today, I can see myself keep taking finasteride 'for the rest of my life', or at least until something better comes along. Do any of you have some experience of taking the drug for a longer period of time?(10+ yrs) And if you managed to regrow some of your hair, did the finasteride actually balance your loss so that you theoretically could keep it for say, the next 20-30 years?

Again, we cant say. Some people have been taking it 10yrs+ and it still works well (but who knows how it would of progressed for them had they never taken it), and some people seem to get tolerant to its effects after a few years, and up the dose (which is pointless in my opinion since finasteride has very little difference on DHT levels between .2mg and 5mg) or they move on to dutasteride which blocks type 1 and type 2 5-alpha reductase enzyme.

So no way of knowing, other than that dna test, but that really cant predict how long ur body will react to finasteride. and neither can anyone.

4: I have read some of your complains about lower libido, problems with lost morningwood etc. But On the note that followed my package of finasteride, it said these are actually pretty normal, and usually withdraws for both that either keep taking the drug, or those that stop. Why haven't any of you mentioned this in your oh so many warnings about these side effects?

Well because ur getting 2 different opinions both with bias. On the one hand a drug company that underexaggerates side effects, and on the other side, forum users that only flocked to this forum because of side effects, so they overexagerate prevalence of side effects. The reliable info comes from a medical scientists interpretation of a study. not a forum user, OR drug company that skew information to suit their own needs.

however ur question should be addressed to the specific persons who misled u, i certainly didnt say these things, and most people here didnt say these things, and youll most likely never hear from the person who did say these things.

i dont think erection problems would have been listed as common side effects. The data from studies showed only approx. 2-4 % prevalence of impotence. That doesnt sound common to me. ( i have my own views that its alot higher, but my opinions didnt get taken into consideration when that leaflet was printed) i dont see why they would call 2-4% common.

5: And the last question; say I started on rogaine or minoxidil to regrow my thinning hair along the temples, could I actually stop doing this later, and still keep the gained hair (as the finasteride has this effect) ? I realize these are two different ways of approaching the problem of DHT sensitiveness, but shouldn't it actually work?

no, doesnt work like that. If u regrow hair while using min, and finasteride, most likely the min is doing the majority of the regrowth. The finasteride is helping, but mins the stimulator.

not too sure about this one but i think minoxidil doesnt affect DHT, minoxidil affects the sodium/potassium pump in cells. while finasteride affects the DHT by blocking a enzyme needed.

therefore if u grow hair with minoxidil, the finasteride doesnt take over the role of the minoxidil, or vice versa. If u dont want to use minoxidil long term (which i understand) then dont start using it. just try finasteride for a year, and see if it regrows any hair on its own.

but and hair regrown with a drug is forever dependant on that drug, or its effects. So to drop minoxidil, u need to find another drug with the same effect, but even if u could find one, then youd just be stuck taking that one.

hope this helps.

 

[Martin83]

Thank you for taking your time! : )

What I meant when I said minoxidil took another aproach to the problem was that the drug would "heal" the follicle by opening potassium channels and widening surrounding blood vessels. Therefore I wondered why all these follicles would suddenly 'die' when you stopped taking minoxidil, seeing as they now has been restored to their original state, and the finasteride is reducing the cause of which they 'died' of in the first place.

And concerning the paper that followed my package of finasteride, I think they adressed 'sexual side effects' as one, thus writing them off as fairly normal (no matter if it were just some temporarily decreased libido or ED)

I guess what I'm also trying to get help with, is if I should start on minoxidil too, or just start easy with finasteride.

 

[ComeOnPropy]

Welcome to the forum mate. I rkn your a Norwood 2 - 2.5 based on what i could see. Similar to myself and similar hairlines aswell i would say. You will find a healthy bank of information here. I take finasteride daily for a few years now and also minoxidil and nizoral. Maintained well and like you hoping something new is on the horizon.

 

[Martin83]

2.5, looks that bad eh? : /
Did you start on the big 3 all at the same time, or did you have to eventually add minoxidil and nizoral because the finasteride didn't cause any regrowth?

 

[anxious1]

mate, ur not a norwood 2-2.5

look at the picture, its barely a mature hairline. some people just have that shape due to a skinny head. go live ur life. start worrying if it recedes a inch on sides.

 

[kthxbi]

1. dunno about that personally, sorry.
2. you can probably get those back with finasteride, yeah. the corners of my hairline are starting to fill in and thicken up (about 5.5months in, 19 years old) so i don't see why not. you caught it nice and early.
3. dunno. there's a few threads of long term users in the success stories forums, if you go back a bit.
4. some people claim to be permanently affected by it. i'm not saying that's not true, i'm just saying that maybe take it with a pinch of salt as there are a lot of other factors to take into play (ie psychological). the theory i hear mostly is that the side effects might kick in for a few weeks early on while your body is adjusting to the new levels of testosterone it's experiencing or something. i had brain fog and nausea for the first few weeks, went away instantly. i had ball ache for a few days a week or two ago, that too has gone. thought i had a loss of libido once or twice but that's been disproven over and over again as soon as i even think about the right thing lol...
5. hair gained on min will go if you stop taking min, whether or not you're on finasteride. i'd also advise you use finasteride on it's own (or with nizoral maybe) for at least a year so you can measure results on that before you throw min in and then have no idea what's helping you and what isn't.

take care bro.

EDIT: oh, and while it could just be a mature hairline, there seems to be some miniaturization there which would lead me to think otherwise. i'd say get on finasteride and nizoral, ignore minoxidil completely for a while and if things get worse then jump on that in a year. very mild NW2, definitely not NW2.5. pretty much an ideal hairline if you do keep that for the rest of your life.