adding spironolactone? wise men pls answer

[thinstinks]

its been about 3.5 months on minoxidil and i havent noticed a big shed
maybe its happened but im not looking too hard in the shower and
on the pillow, but my hair is sooo flat now and feels thinner

ive only been using it once a day (minoxidil)
i have a real important wedding to go to on labor day and its out in the
friggin sun!!!!

anyways im on propecia and nizoral but should i go with the spironolactone
just to try and help with results????
i know its kinda the kitchen sink but is this a good idea
anyone w/experience in this??

thanks alot

 

[flux]

Its important to note how long youve been on finasteride. Nobody ever does this, I dont understand. If you want good advice, we gotta know how long these treatments have been in effect.

Still, unless youve been on finasteride for over a year and its not working, I wouldnt add spironolactone. As far as the DHT angle goes, the finasteride is probably enough. So if you see success later, you wont know if you can attribute it to finasteride/min and drop the spironolactone, or if you need to keep on using it, shelling out the extra $ and dealing with daily applications. Keep it as simple as you can. Treatments are long term commitments.

I would just get a cropped haircut, very short on the sides, to adjust for now. That way people see scalp, but it looks normal.

btw, if you hit a real shed, you'd know. Just look at your hands when you shampoo. Instead of a few hairs you'd find a bunch.

 

[The Gardener]

Hell, why not? Add it in.

Personally, I would think the finasteride and spironolactone would complement each other rather nicely. One primarily combats the type 1, the other the type 2.

Additionally, Dr Lee (if you are one of those who find him credible, as I do on most issues) mentions in his writeup on spironolactone that he has noted a synergistic effect between the spironolactone and the minoxidil. That is, the benefits from both outweigh the benefits of using either separately. He also has stated that he believes that spironolactone is "hands down" a better topical androgen inhibitor than his beloved Azelaic Acid.

I'd use the 2%, it's costs me about $20 a month and I use it fairly liberally. As you can tell, I have really grown to like it.

 

[ColtsFan]

spironolactone Rocks....

 

[David77]

btw, if you hit a real shed, you'd know. Just look at your hands when you shampoo. Instead of a few hairs you'd find a bunch.

Well, that's what I'm going through right now. And have been for a week or two. I've been on finasteride and nizoral for 2 months...

I'm just wondering... Is there any way of knowing when this might come to an end? Is there a standard amount of time? And does it just stop? Or is it a gradual thing?

 

[flux]

I hate to say it, David, but really theres no way to know when it will end. For some people, it doesnt, they just shed and shed, and just lose the battle. But that is not too common. I would say a "good" shed can last a few days, a few weeks, even a month. And a good shed is nothing to worry about. Just make sure your scalp isn't irritated, and if it is, do what you can to reverse that. As long as your scalp is healthy, any sheds should just be a sign that things are working for you.

Oh and in my experience, they do end somewhat abruptly (bad loss one day, medium the next, and minor loss after that). But that does depend on the mechanics of the shed, the treatments youre on, and your personal body chemestry.

 

[ShedMaster]

define healthy scalp. does that mean dandruff too?

 

[Guest]

Flux: The thing you said about the shower I have to disagree. While showering you lose most of the 50 - 100 hairs a day. So if you wash your hair every 3rd day like I do then it´s normal to find 150 or so hairs in the shower - that´s not a shed.

However if you shower everyday and find 150 hairs - that´s a shed.

Man good luck at the wedding and remeber that you are probably the only one thinking about your hair.

Take care!

 

[thinstinks]

well, ive been on finasteride for 1.5 years

and i dont notice more than 10 hairs in the shower

however my hair seems extrememly thin now, so my question to you
now is........is the minoxidil thinning me out?????

it feels a whole lot thinner and when i look into the mirror under the bright light, i wanna reach for the gun b/c you can see right through it...

also i cant get a really short hair cut b/c i have a friggin scar on the back
and sides from a useless hair transplant

suggestions?????
thanks alot again

 

[Kramer3]

Flux: The thing you said about the shower I have to disagree. While showering you lose most of the 50 - 100 hairs a day. So if you wash your hair every 3rd day like I do then it´s normal to find 150 or so hairs in the shower - that´s not a shed.

I'm really curious how it became such common knowledge that shedding 50-100 hairs a day is normal. I can gurantee you before I had male pattern baldness I did not shed near that many. The only reason I knew I had male pattern baldness was a sudden surge of shedded hairs.

 

[flux]

Losing a lot of hairs does not nessisarily mean you're losing your hair. People with thick full heads of hair can lose a ton of hair a day and it will mean nothing. Hell, if you've seen a cat shed you'd think they'd be bald in no time, but it just keeps coming back.

Whats key here is determining a "spike" in hair loss. This is what we consider a shed. So sure, you can see a bunch of hair come out and it means nothing. However if you generally only see 10-20 hairs come out in the shower and then one day you find 50 or 100, then its definitly an indication that something is going on.