Another Man At The End Of His Tether Wondering What To Do.

[arsenal247]

Hi all,

Serial lurker on this forum and others, first time poster.

I've been battling hair loss since i was 19 years old. I'm now 27. I started using minoxidil when i was 23 and this really helped, initially. I experienced an initial increase in shedding which lasted about 2 months and then had almost complete stabilisation for 2 years. Since then it's been going down hill. Im fairly certain no one has noticed until the last few months when i just no people have started to notice my recession and diffuse thinning. I still use minoxidil but have developed minor dark circles under my eyes.

I still have decent coverage and the hairline can be well hidden but i know if this goes any further i'm going to be genuinely depressed.

I have weighed up propecia carefully. I believe, as i think most people do, that the majority of users feel no sides effects or negligible side effects. I also believe the side effects in the studies are under reported drastically. I estimate it as:

60% - no side effects

20% - negligible side effects (worth continuing)

18% - nasty side effects that stop upon cessation

2% - lasting / permanent side effects

That's just based on years of reading up on the topic heavily. I don't want this to turn into a debate on these percentages I just thought I would let everyone know my opinion.

The reason I have not taken propecia so far is that although permanent side effects are rare, they definitely exist and definitely, totally destroy lives.

I think it has got to the stage, like it knew it would, where i'm scared what I will look like in the future. I now plan to wait for the brotzu update on the 14th. If that's no good, as it probably will be i imagine, i'm going to take the propecia plunge i think. I plan to start with a good attitude and outlook at 0.25mg per day, i'll pop it with my morning vitamin and forget about it. I'll do this for a month and then up to 0.5mg should all be well.

Any advise appreciated and welcome.

Cheers

 

[Alphalete]

you're 27 mate. just pop the pill. keep your hair. if u get side just quit. simple as that. I'm eagerly waiting for me to pop mine, I'm just not old enough yet.

If you read about men that get permanent ssides, you discover that there are several factors that can cause this. depression, other pills, LOW TEST, etc. If you fall in this category you probaably shouldn't take it. otherwise I don't see any reason why not to.

 

[reyl]

If you do end up taking finasteride, start at a lower dose like you said at 0.25mg or lower if possible(check out microdose threads if you're interested, just google "microdose finasteride", and try "microdose finasteride hairlosstalk" as well). Pre-cut everything well in advance so you don't have to do it every morning, or you can dissolve it in liquids as well (sounds complicated but it isn't, it's all in the aforementioned threads).

0.20mg was proven to inhibit just as much scalp DHT levels as 1mg did. Unless you are a BIG (heavyweight) guy and have aggressive balding, for the majority of people 1mg daily is too much.

Most common side effects are ball ache and watery semen, because it is going to reduce the size of your prostate to a degree so it's unrealistic to expect only positive effects. But many people are on the drug and happy for it.