In my opinion, you should only take propecia if you have tried everything else without success. I am not saying propecia is evil, but I think men should not take it unless they really feel they have to. Many people who don't get side effects get them later in life, though I know most people don't get them at all, but you can never know. I don't believe blocking an androgen is a good thing. I have been on minoxidil and nizoral for 3 months now and I have seen alot of regrowth, even though it's only been 3 months. I use 3ml not just 1ml because I have a diffuse thinning and 1ml isn't enough to cover all the scalp. I have had no scalp irritalion or rash. I started to shed a bit after only one week on minoxidil but the shedding lasted 2 months (not 2 weeks).
The reason we can look worsh when we've been on minoxidil for awhile is because we shed alot of healthy/long hairs too. They will take some time to grow back to pre-shed length. My over-all appearance now isn't much different from when I started minoxidil, even though I have thousands of new hairs growing where there was no hair before. I am confident that in 4-6 more months I will see an over-all difference for the better. It's actually fun to look in the mirror and seeing all those new hairs, and I am not just talking about small white hairs here. I believe diffuse thinners respond well to minoxidil. If you are having success with minoxidil, stick with it before you decide whether to start propercia or not. I would use the Nizoral shampoo too though. Not every one responds to minoxidil but many respond really well to it. Be patient and stick with what you are doing. If you are not satisfied with the results in 6-8 months, than I would look into propecia. But this is of course only my opinion. I can tell you one thing, If one day I realize that minoxidil isn't enough anymore, I will jump on propecia, regardless of the sides. But I am only doing that when it's my only option. This is my advice to you.
