almost 7 1/2 months on propecia

[artvandaley]

I'm 22 years old, soon to be 23, and the main area of my hairloss is along the front hairline (mostly on the 2 corners), and there is also some temple recession, the right one being worse than the left. It's funny because when I first started losing my hair I didn't even notice. I saw myself in videos from college and realized that I didn't have as much hair as I used to. My hairloss isn't too bad except for the thinning up front.

I started propecia around the end of April and Nizoral 1% a few months after that. Since then I haven't really noticed too much of a difference in my hair, it has gotten a little worse, but not too much worse. I expecienced a little bit of shedding around the 5 month mark (nothing real noticeable though) and have experienced no side effects whatsover, at least I don't think so. I would prefer not to take rogaine because it seems to be a hassle to me and I don't want my hair to be greasy.

Here's what I'm thinking though. In order for me to pay what i'm paying for propecia and also the fact that it messes with hormones, I want to know that it's working (I don't think that's too much to ask), and right now I'm not sure if it is or not. I was gonna take it for 9 months and see then if I notice a difference. All I'm looking for is at least the hair that is thinning to become thicker, which propecia claims to do, and if not I was thinking of switching to rogaine 5%. Do you think this is a good idea, or do you think I should stay on propecia longer than that? I would think I would see some kind of difference after 9 months. And if I do switch to the rogaine 5%, should I take the propecia and rogaine together before I go with the rogaine by itself?

I also want to say that this site has been very helpful and informative for me, and I appreciate the information you guys give.
Thanks.

 

[bombscience]

you may be able to slow things down even more by applying some spironolactone along the hairline.

 

[Stinger122]

You should stick with Propecia for a year, some people notice a difference at the 1 year mark (I.E Slower shedding, hair growth etc)

Just hang in their buddy, if by the 1 year mark things are still going the same I suggest you start another DHT Inhibitor (As bomb suggested, spironolactone) or if you DECIDE to use Rogaine, go with the 5% (Rogaine is a hair stimulater, it does not do anything about the underyling cause of hair loss) BUT if you are thinking bout getting spironolactone/Rogaine, I suggest you try Xandrax (It contains Alzeic acid and Rogaine 5%) The Acid will inhibit DHT and well you know what Rogaine does! So you'll have a double whammy in one

Hope this helps!

Take care!

 

[artvandaley]

I see there are different solutions for Xandrox.
There's 5% Xandrox and Xandrox 15.
Should I try the 5% first and see how I do with that, or go right to the 15, or I guess I could also use both in combination?
Are they applied twice a day like regular minoxidil?
How will it leave your hair after you apply it?

Also, can I get these products off of this site without a prescription or do I have to order them through Dr. Lee?

 

[20something]

Read Dr. Lee's FAQ on his site. He has some good info. on all this. Generally he recommends to start with Xandrox 5 and go to Xandrox 15 if you're not satisfied with the progress. Xandrox 15 is to be used only nightly in conjunction with the lower concentration during the day.

No prescription is needed, although if you're in the States he charges you a one-time $20 online consultation fee.

 

[Diddy]

Dude, STAY ON THE DAMN PROPECIA FOR 1 YEAR PERIOD
seriously, unless you are financially strapped, give it the full reccomended period. If you cannot stick to taking the dosage for the required time, how are you going to apply minoxidil 5% 1-2 times a day for the rest of your life???Seriously, going off minoxidil, unlike propecia, causes some serious additional loss acocrding to a recent study. At the age of 22, you are in my opinion better off taking a little pill.

 

[artvandaley]

Diddy
It's not that i'm financially strapped, it's just that propecia claims you should see some results after 9 months. If I remember correctly you saw some great results after 8 months. I remember seeing your before photos and I'm just about in the same situation you were in with the hair loss, and I would love to see the same results you got.
I just thought that I would have seen some kind of difference by 9 months, whether it be thickening the hair where it is thin, or even some regrowth (but i would be happy with either one). But if some people won't see anything until a years time then I guess I'll wait the year.
I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.

(Also, people say they save money by getting proscar and splitting it up.
Will I have to go back to the doctor and get a separate prescription for proscar? And how easy is it to split the pill?)

 

[bombscience]

Diddy
It's not that i'm financially strapped, it's just that propecia claims you should see some results after 9 months. If I remember correctly you saw some great results after 8 months. I remember seeing your before photos and I'm just about in the same situation you were in with the hair loss, and I would love to see the same results you got.
I just thought that I would have seen some kind of difference by 9 months, whether it be thickening the hair where it is thin, or even some regrowth (but i would be happy with either one). But if some people won't see anything until a years time then I guess I'll wait the year.
I'll keep everyone updated on my progress.

(Also, people say they save money by getting proscar and splitting it up.
Will I have to go back to the doctor and get a separate prescription for proscar? And how easy is it to split the pill?)

it's between 12-18months that should determine whether it is working for you or not.

here is my simple 1-2-3 approach to all your problems.

1) Stay on Propecia or some sort of ~1mg finasteride dosage
2) If you aren't happy with your results now or in the next couple of months... add a topical to your regimen... my first pick would be spironolactone 2x a day. 2nd would be Revivogen
3) If that doesn't *stop* your recession (notice i didn't say regrow) consider adding some sort of minoxidil solution.


Of course if when you add your topicals your scalp is irritated, folligen is my one word answer to that.

 

[youngguy_uk]

ok

i know propecia is a dht inhibitor. and minoxidil is a growth stimulator. but someone just posted that its been proven going off minoxidil can cause extra shedding? so now im more weary about going on minoxidil. what exactly r rogaine, spironolactone and revivogen? do these contain minoxidil? do they stimulate growth or inhibit dht etc? what r the effects when u come off them?

also, is it really possible that a dht inhibitor, such as propecia, can causee regrowth and thickening without a hair growth stimulator?

 

[artvandaley]

I guess what bothers me is that I'm wasting time and money with a product that isn't even working when something else could give me results, and I'm at an early stage in my hairloss so I thought I have a better chance of seeing results.
Also I've read from alot of people that they're having success with minoxidil on frontal hairloss, so that's why I was considering switching to that in the next month or so rather than waiting until after a year on propecia.
Then again I see people like Diddy who have had great results on propecia in the front, in fact I didn't even think his kind of results were even possible on the front (take a look at his pictures). But after seeing that and hearing from people to give it a year, I don't want to stop early on something that might have a chance of working, so I guess I'll give it a full year and see what happens, then consider something else.

 

[bombscience]

I guess what bothers me is that I'm wasting time and money with a product that isn't even working when something else could give me results, and I'm at an early stage in my hairloss so I thought I have a better chance of seeing results.
Also I've read from alot of people that they're having success with minoxidil on frontal hairloss, so that's why I was considering switching to that in the next month or so rather than waiting until after a year on propecia.
Then again I see people like Diddy who have had great results on propecia in the front, in fact I didn't even think his kind of results were even possible on the front (take a look at his pictures). But after seeing that and hearing from people to give it a year, I don't want to stop early on something that might have a chance of working, so I guess I'll give it a full year and see what happens, then consider something else.

you dont know if propecia is working for you because you haven't given it enough time yet. you're not wasting money. give it until AT LEAST month 12 (more like month 16-18) and if you dont see any slowing or stoppage of hair, then consider to STOP using propecia. If you want to ADD minoxidil to your propecia, that's a VERY intelligent thing to do, but stopping finasteride at month 7 is definetly wasting money. staying with finasteride until month 12 isn't.

 

[artvandaley]

Thanks for the advice, I'll stick with the propecia for a year.
I don't think I want to add minoxidil though because then if I see results I won't know if it's from the propecia or the minoxidil. I'll try the propecia by itself first and see what happens, then consider switching over to/adding the minoxidil.

Also, do I have to get another prescription from the doctor to get proscar if I have one for propecia now, and how much of a hassle is it to split the proscar pills. (I would like to save money if I stick with propecia)