Big 3 fail - Need help- next step?

[Bad]

Im 19 been balding since i was 17.

First started minoxidil a little over 2 years ago and used it 1x per day

8 month ago I started finasteride 5mg every 5 days and after a 1month break from it uped minoxidil to 2x per day.

Also about 3 months ago i added retin a to the temples 1x per day


This month due to lack of results I decided to go back to minoxidil 1x per day and do the standart 1.25mg finasteride ED(although 5mg every 5 days is supposed to be the same).

Results:
2 YEARS AGO - While only on minoxidil I lost a lot of hair from thick nw1 with LITTLE thinning on the right temple to diffuse NW2.5

8 MONTHS AGO - In month 3 to 6 my shedding when down by a lot and got a few little hairs on my left temple. Ever since month 7 shedding has picked back up and now im shedding like hell. Right temple continues to get worse. And left temple is getting really thin despite the small hairs.


Questions:

What should I do now? Should I go for dutasteride or RU?

Should i expect a big shed from dropping minoxidil to 1x per day?


Any help will be appreciated

 

[hairwish]

2 things I would suggest is: always use minoxidil 2x per day unless it's a high strength like 15%, use the 5% foam not the 2%. I prefer to take 1mg every day vs the way you were doing it. also you need to give yourself much more time on the meds. Don't switch it up in 3 months. give it a year or two. are you using nizoral 2% 2-3Xweekly? it's part of the big 3. I would add spironolactone next as it's another antiandrogen. lastly sometimes when you start shedding from doing the proper doses of the big 3, it's actually a good sign. don't stop the regimen, the next hair that grows in will be thicker, then it's going to shed again and again and always come in thicker each time. Too many times folks change regimens quickly because they panic when they see shedding and screw up the regimen that was working. Stick to the big 3 in proper doses and forget about it for a year or two.

 

[Vlatch]

5mg of finasteride every 5 days is definitely not the same as 1mg every day, DHT spikes up again after 3 days with finasteride, it's not the same as dutasteride. It's better than nothing though.

Wait several months with the correct dosage before you say it doesn't work.

 

[Bad]

2 things I would suggest is: always use minoxidil 2x per day unless it's a high strength like 15%, use the 5% foam not the 2%. I prefer to take 1mg every day vs the way you were doing it. also you need to give yourself much more time on the meds. Don't switch it up in 3 months. give it a year or two. are you using nizoral 2% 2-3Xweekly? it's part of the big 3. I would add spironolactone next as it's another antiandrogen. lastly sometimes when you start shedding from doing the proper doses of the big 3, it's actually a good sign. don't stop the regimen, the next hair that grows in will be thicker, then it's going to shed again and again and always come in thicker each time. Too many times folks change regimens quickly because they panic when they see shedding and screw up the regimen that was working. Stick to the big 3 in proper doses and forget about it for a year or two.

Thank you.

Havent used nizoral in a few months, too drying for my scalp. Maybe ill try the cream?

Topical spironolactone? Isnt that very weak?

- - - Updated - - -

5mg of finasteride every 5 days is definitely not the same as 1mg every day, DHT spikes up again after 3 days with finasteride, it's not the same as dutasteride. It's better than nothing though.

Wait several months with the correct dosage before you say it doesn't work.

Ill keep the finasteride at 1.25 then thank you.

Should i add dutasteride once or twice a week to make up for the lost time?

 

[hairwish]

If 2% nizoral is too drying either start applying emu oil to your scalp everyday or try the 1% nizoral. I would try emu oil first. Also start taking msm supplement it makes your hair grow faster, about 2000mg a day preferrably in powder form. spironolactone would be once a day right after you apply minoxidil wait a few minutes then apply it. It acts as a dressing and increases the absorbtion of both. Again be vigilant about signs of sides from the spironolactone. But first give the big 3 a chance to work before adding spironolactone you might not even need it. Another product to consider would be folligen http://store.reverseskinaging.com/Folligen_p/40.htm . Take a multi supplement that includes 2mg of copper daily.I would stay away from dutasteride, it's too dangerous in my opinion and you dont need it yet at this point.

 

[Bad]

Thank you. Any other opinions?

 

[hmm]

How is this big 3 fail? Only fail I see is your regimen. 1 mg finasteride daily for minimum of a year....

 

[Bad]

How is this big 3 fail? Only fail I see is your regimen. 1 mg finasteride daily for minimum of a year....

I didnt say the big 3 was a fail... I said my experience with the big 3 was a fail.

- - - Updated - - -

Still, im going on dutasteride.

 

[hmm]

I didnt say the big 3 was a fail... I said my experience with the big 3 was a fail.

- - - Updated - - -

Still, im going on dutasteride.

Lmfao obviously your experience was a fail look at what your regimen was.

Its like baking a cake and instead of following the recipe you decide to skip on the correct amount of ingredients and bake time then blame the recipe cause your cake taste like crap.

Anyway you are quite young to go on dutasteride with out even giving finasteride a proper try. Hopefully you'll at least follow the correct dosing, stay consistent and most importantly give it a full year to work.

 

[Bad]

Lmfao obviously your experience was a fail look at what your regimen was.

Its like baking a cake and instead of following the recipe you decide to skip on the correct amount of ingredients and bake time then blame the recipe cause your cake taste like crap.

Anyway you are quite young to go on dutasteride with out even giving finasteride a proper try. Hopefully you'll at least follow the correct dosing, stay consistent and most importantly give it a full year to work.

It wasnt my decision to go on 5mg every 5 days, my dermatologist told me to. It is kind of the same, the graph where dht spikes up on the 3rd day is of a single dose, regular dosage would result in more stable dht levels.

 

[Bad]

Using the 1x day minoxidil and 1.25mg finasteride ive been shedding like crazy, lost about half and inch in my left temple

Dermatologist didnt want to prescribe me dutasteride so i put that on hold

Should i keep this up or add anything?

 

[Bad]

bump

 

[eenrak]

There is a slight dht reduction going from 1.25 to 5mg pr day. You could also try 2.5mg a day. Use minoxidil twice a day, and use at least double the recommended amount.
If this doesn't stabilize your hair, you should, as you mentioned, look into dutasteride. Either change finasteride with dutasteride or take dutasteride a couple of time a weeks, while continuing on finasteride. RU is tedious but also an option, however dutasteride works on 95+% who take it. If you can't get it prescribed, order it online. Where there is a will, there is a way.

 

[Fuentesx]

Id stick to the big 3 atleast a year before you give up

 

[Dench57]

There's no point whatsoever in going above 1.25mg daily on finasteride. If that's not working after a year then consider adding RU and/or dutasteride. If that's still not working then consider a CRTH2 antagonist like OC/TM/Seti.

 

[Bad]

Its been four months since i posted this and 11 months since i started finasteride, im still shedding a lot and my hair is now bellow baseline. Ive put of dutasteride because my doctor didnt want to prescribe it to me but i guess I just got to insist on it.

Ive noticed dandruff this past month, I guess i must start using Nizoral again.

My current regimen is:

1.25mg finasteride daily
minoxidil once a day @night
retin-a about twice a week on my temples


Any feedback please?

 

[GoldenMane]

Did you have the "DHT itch" before beginning treatment? Do you have the "DHT itch" now?

If finasteride doesn't work your options are dutasteride, RU or if you're extreme, spironolacetone, a transexual drug. dutasteride would be your best bet for now.

 

[Swoop]

dutasteride or RU58841.