captaineyes' story - (26 and hair loss on the crown)

[captaineyes]

Hi,

Thought I'd start my own thread just to document how I'm doing, and maybe even get pointers! So here goes...

I'm 26 yo. I've been on minoxidil for longer than I realize but only recently (6 mos ago) jumped on the 5% (was using 2% for five years before that- though I'm not sure how much it helped because I started using it proactively once I noticed, through my older brother, the future that was staring me in the face).

Anyway, I thought I'd be the perfect candidate for minoxidil 5% considering virtually all of my hair loss was on the crown. I do have a receding hair line but it hasn't receded yet (if you know what I mean). I'm also young and have fairly dark, thick hair. At the same time, I don't know whose genes I have since not a single man in my family- besides my brother, if you can believe it- has my hair, so it's sort of interesting.

Well, after 6 mos of 5% I realized that even if new hairs were growing, I was losing even more. I could no longer go out anywhere without a healthy dose of Toppik (which is a miracle if you ask me...) and thought, might as well get on the finasteride bandwagon, see if it helps. Now or never. No use in waiting any longer. If it doesn't work, at least I will have exhausted all my options and, you know, not have to worry about it anymore- just shave it off and live the rest of my life not wondering, "What if?"

Anyway, I got instructions on how to get propecia from this website (thanks!) and started it this morning. Started a thread in the propecia forum so if you have any experience with the drug, please post it there! I've heard all kinds of reports re: side effects, and while I can deal with all of them should they happen to me, I wouldn't mind getting some idea of what to expect. Right now all I have to go on is random information from people/sources that haven't used the drug for themselves and, in my opinion, probably don't have enough of a sample size to give me very meaningful info at all.

Here's my regimen (as of this morning):

- 5% minoxidil daily *2
- 1 mg finasteride daily
- 1 nizoral shampoo per week
- 2 T-Gel shampoos per week
- Helluva lot of Toppik for a twentysomething guy only losing his hair on the crown!

Wish me luck- I'll try to keep this hair for as long as I can!

ce

 

[Captain_Charisma]

godspeed, fellow captain!!

 

[captaineyes]

Thought I'd post a quick update. I started my Propecia regimen last week and I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect, but now I'm 9 days in and can say, with a major sigh of relief, that I've yet to experience any sides! I was worried about libido for the first few days- and was thinking about it so obsessively that I could've convinced myself I was feeling some kind of an effect!- but that's fine! Hooray. Your mind can really play tricks on you when you do this stuff, it's unreal.

Anyway, aside from no sides, I have nothing to report yet. Everything seems 'normal'- with the one exception of taking this new pill every morning. I'm sure something's bound to happen at some point down the road- either it works, doesn't work, sides, no sides- so I'll continue to post updates periodically.

Wish me luck!

 

[captaineyes]

Quick update. So I'm in my 4th week now of taking propecia and still no sides. Feel exactly the same as before! I'm just quietly watching the time pass before I can start seeing results (hopefully).

One thing it did do was point out how easily one could let paranoia disguise itself as a side. I was so worried and paranoid about having less libido that I could've easily convinced myself that I was less interested in sex! Crazy! Now those first few days have passed and I'm back to normal- but man, it just confirms how much of this sides business is purely psychological.

I went into this thinking, "There's a chance that everything is going to happen to me- libido, massive sheds, gyno, etc etc." Now I realize it's just a drug. The fact that it could happen to some people doesn't necessarily mean that it'll happen to you.

Anyway, as I've heard, wks 11-16 are commonly the "toughest" for sheds, etc., so those are just up ahead of me now. But I'm far more confident than I was before, so I'm sure everything will work out fine. I'll continue posting updates- good, bad or otherwise.

Wish me luck!

 

[RaginDemon]

sides do happen to some people but not everyone. I am glad you are not experiencing no sides at all. Psycological affect does play a major role in this however.

You won't notice too much difference in your hair til at least 3-4 months later. Be patient and gl!

 

[captaineyes]

Update!

Well, I'm at the 6-week mark on Propecia and still no changes (in terms of sides). My libido's good, my body's the same, I feel no different, so that's a plus. Now another 6 weeks and I should start seeing some results in my hair (whether good or bad), but for the moment, I still feel as 'normal' as I felt before I started the regimen.

In terms of my hair itself, though, I have to say, my bald spot is... well, a little hairier (I think)! I mean, I"m still dependent on Toppik to make my day great )) but there's a good chance (a really good chance?) that the finasteride's already started to work. Like I pointed out earlier, I started min 5% in November but decided to jump on Propecia in mid-May because I didn't feel I was seeing results. The fact that I didn't see results might've just been because the new hair that had been growing from to the min 5% had just been offset by the continued LOSS of hair, with the ultimate result being that I didn't really notice any change at all. Could be. But I'll be in a better decision to say for sure come 1 or 2 months from now. I'll keep you updated.

Wish me luck!

 

[RaginDemon]

Update!

Well, I'm at the 6-week mark on Propecia and still no changes (in terms of sides). My libido's good, my body's the same, I feel no different, so that's a plus. Now another 6 weeks and I should start seeing some results in my hair (whether good or bad), but for the moment, I still feel as 'normal' as I felt before I started the regimen.

In terms of my hair itself, though, I have to say, my bald spot is... well, a little hairier (I think)! I mean, I"m still dependent on Toppik to make my day great )) but there's a good chance (a really good chance?) that the finasteride's already started to work. Like I pointed out earlier, I started min 5% in November but decided to jump on Propecia in mid-May because I didn't feel I was seeing results. The fact that I didn't see results might've just been because the new hair that had been growing from to the min 5% had just been offset by the continued LOSS of hair, with the ultimate result being that I didn't really notice any change at all. Could be. But I'll be in a better decision to say for sure come 1 or 2 months from now. I'll keep you updated.

Wish me luck!

Good to know your responding...give it another 2 months, and you should be able to detect some visible differences. GL bro.

 

[captaineyes]

8 weeks done. How do I feel? The same, which is good. The side effects issue hasn't changed (I've had none) and my body's in generally the same shape. Feels the same, which is to say feels great.

If there has been a side effect, though, it's been in the amount of ejaculate. Everything FEELS the same- if anything, my libido might've gone up a notch- but the amount is less. Not so much less that I can say for sure, but it does seem like a little less. But honestly, if that's my only side, I'll take it, because like I said, my libido itself is strong and I'm not exactly trying to impregnate my g/f right now, so that's good. Hopefully it'll just come back eventually but it isn't my foremost concern right now. Just thought I'd share.

In terms of my hair, it's kind of strange. #1: I know it's early for me, but I can definitely notice a difference. It feels like I have some more hair- or rather, the hair is 'working'- it feels like the finasteride has finally allowed me to retain the new hairs being created by the minox5. I mean, I still have a bald spot and am still heavily reliant on Toppik, but it's slowly... working. And considering I'm only 8 weeks into this treatment, I don't know if that's a good thing (better results to come!) or a bad thing (the sooner the positive, the sooner the negative!). I guess we'll see!

One thing I thought I'd mention about my bald spot, it's kind of interesting. It's almost like it's split in two halves. Some mornings, it seems like the "left side" is hairy, and the "right side" is bald. The next morning (or a couple of mornings later), it's the opposite. Like, I totally understand the idea of shedding, but my shedding seems to ROTATE. On some days I'm shedding on the right side (seemingly), on others the left. It's very odd. I'll keep my eyes open to see if it continues in the same pattern.

Week 9 begins tomorrow! Wish me luck!

 

[RaginDemon]

8 weeks done. How do I feel? The same, which is good. The side effects issue hasn't changed (I've had none) and my body's in generally the same shape. Feels the same, which is to say feels great.

If there has been a side effect, though, it's been in the amount of ejaculate. Everything FEELS the same- if anything, my libido might've gone up a notch- but the amount is less. Not so much less that I can say for sure, but it does seem like a little less. But honestly, if that's my only side, I'll take it, because like I said, my libido itself is strong and I'm not exactly trying to impregnate my g/f right now, so that's good. Hopefully it'll just come back eventually but it isn't my foremost concern right now. Just thought I'd share.

In terms of my hair, it's kind of strange. #1: I know it's early for me, but I can definitely notice a difference. It feels like I have some more hair- or rather, the hair is 'working'- it feels like the finasteride has finally allowed me to retain the new hairs being created by the minox5. I mean, I still have a bald spot and am still heavily reliant on Toppik, but it's slowly... working. And considering I'm only 8 weeks into this treatment, I don't know if that's a good thing (better results to come!) or a bad thing (the sooner the positive, the sooner the negative!). I guess we'll see!

One thing I thought I'd mention about my bald spot, it's kind of interesting. It's almost like it's split in two halves. Some mornings, it seems like the "left side" is hairy, and the "right side" is bald. The next morning (or a couple of mornings later), it's the opposite. Like, I totally understand the idea of shedding, but my shedding seems to ROTATE. On some days I'm shedding on the right side (seemingly), on others the left. It's very odd. I'll keep my eyes open to see if it continues in the same pattern.

Week 9 begins tomorrow! Wish me luck!

GL!

 

[captaineyes]

UPDATE!

Ok, halfway through Week 12 on finasteride. I was told that it's likely that from here till the end of month 4 it could get a little ugly but if it does, to stick through it.

Well, it's not ugly yet. I've been awaiting a massive shed, fully prepared for it, and maybe there's just nothing for me to really shed. Like I said above, I just have a bald spot, the rest of my hair has always been really thick, so if a shed were to occur it'd have to do so on my balding area... which is already bald, so maybe I wouldn't notice! I don't know... that's how I make sense of it anyway. Haven't noticed much of a shed. It does vary in appearance from day to day, maybe that's the shed/regrowth cycle, but not too much.

In terms of sides, still none whatsoever (whoopee!). I feel perfectly normal and as healthy as ever. There may have been the libido slide earlier but I'm not even sure of that. Regardless, now I feel like I'm not even on the drug. It's great.

Is it working? I just know it is. I don't know if the propecia will allow the min 5 to grow back all my hair, but it feels a lot different "up there." I expect to see some good results just around the corner- even if I have to first survive this fourth month, which has such a bad reputation. But the other day I came out of the shower, for one example, dried my hair and checked out my results. And I have to say, there was a lot of "small hair" growing on my spot- hair that I had given up on! From a distance, you couldn't notice, I would've just looked like some bald guy, but up close the results were beginning to show. And I think I mentioned it earlier: I'm not really a guy to exaggerate my highs and lows. I can tolerate anything and not blow it out of proportion. But it's true, I CAN feel the finasteride working on my scalp and really do expect to see some more positive evidence in the weeks to come.

I'm excited! And even if nothing good happens, my confidence is already on the upswing again and some would say that's good enough.

Current regimen:
finasteride 1 mg, daily
Min 5%, applications twice daily
nizoral shampoo, twice weekly
T-Gel shampoo, weekly

Wish me luck!

 

[TA45]

Foam?

Hey, whats up?

Wondering if your going to post any pics? Where are you applying the foam? All over? What type of loss do you have?

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Foam?

Hey, whats up?

Wondering if your going to post any pics? Where are you applying the foam? All over? What type of loss do you have?

read his first post.

 

[captaineyes]

Week 14 begins

Hi,

Ok, I'll try to get my hands on a camera soon. I know it would help. Until then you'll have to bear with me!

Ok, just started Week 14 on propecia. This is the grind-it-out period they tell me. But seriously, so far so good! I don't know what's going on but I know: 1) my hair loss has been worse before. If that doesn't tell you the regimen's working, nothing does! 2) Still no side effects!

And to be honest, I just know I'm on my way to even more hair in the future. It feels like it's working. I mean, I was never one to count hairs in the shower because I thought everyone lost hair the way I did, but my goodness, even when I comb my hair these days I don't notice much shed! I used to have the messiest bathroom, I thought that was the same for everyone (balding or not). But now it's like I've got a completely different rag on my head! These hairs just aren't coming off my head like they did for the first 25 yrs of my life! I simply wasn't expecting that at all, so that also tells me it's working.

I'm just excited, I won't lie. The bald spot is still there, but I swear there are hairs growing up there, more every week (it seems), the minoxidil 5 is finally getting a chance to show me how well it's doing, and I know I'm using less Toppik than I was. I don't want to be too much of an optimist but if this is as 'bad' as it gets, I can't wait to see what good looks like! Time can't move fast enough!

---

One thing I thought I'd mention, though: I was never one to really notice sheds but I think I'm starting to get a feel for them. On some mornings, pre-Toppik, it seems like my spot is really small. On others, it's noticeably worse. This could be my head playing tricks on me but I doubt it. It's pretty obvious. I guess that's just the shed cycle, a cycle I'd never really noticed before, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Propecia had something to do with it.

Wish me luck! (And I promise, if I see better results, the pics are coming here no matter how tough it is for me to post them! )

 

[RaginDemon]

i dont even have the balls to take pics of my hair no more.

 

[captaineyes]

Re: captaineyes' story

-double post-

 

[captaineyes]

Re: captaineyes' story

Ok, it's been a while!

Recap:
- Been on minoxidil 5 since Nov 5 2006, so coming up on a year.
- Been on propecia since May 22 (?) 2007, so not quite five months.
- Started propecia because I felt I was losing more hair from natural hair loss than I was regaining from the minoxidil.
- At the time I started propecia, my hair was the worst it had ever been. The bald spot on my crown was growing, almost past the point where Toppik could work anymore. So I had to give finasteride a try. It was a "now or never" decision.

Results:

Well, I was right. I wasn't seeing the results of the minoxidil because I wasn't using propecia in tandem with it. My suggestion for anyone in a similar position: Use them both! Propecia keeps hair, minoxidil grows NEW hair. If you have a bald spot (like me), all propecia will do (in most cases) is stabilize the bald spot, all minoxidil will do is stimulate growth. Using one without the other would be half productive, if at all.

Now, I still have a clear spot on my crown, I won't deny that, but I have more hair growing on it every month! What's more, there are some "friendly" mirrors in the house now- i.e. mirrors that don't reveal the spot at all! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about! I get excited to check my progress in those mirrors... but I know they're just an illusion. Still, feels good.

Like I said, it's coming in thicker and thicker every month. It's slow, man, it is slow, but the results are there. I'm giving myself another month to see even better results and I don't think I'm being unreasonable! I feel like I'm not losing long hairs anymore; rather, the ones that come off my head look thin and colourless (new hairs?), and that's a crazy change from how it used to be! Before I got on this regimen I thought everyone, balding or not, was losing as much hair in the shower and at the sink as me- wow, was I proven wrong! I'll comb my hair and lose a few now, don't get me wrong, but it's a far cry from how it used to be. And that's a good thing!

I'm expecting the new hairs to get thicker soon, too. They've been getting progressively thicker already but it's been slow, and if it carries on further, sweet!

Few notes:

1) I used to use so much more Toppik than I do now. That's enough evidence for me. I'm in and out of the bathroom within a minute these days, whereas it used to take up to 10 to get it all in there properly. So even if I can't see the new hairs very well yet, this tells me that they ARE there, since they're giving the Toppik something to grip onto. It's made my morning life a lot easier, let me tell you.

The Toppik also stays on my head more securely than before. I don't have to worry about "touching it up" halfway through the day. The only thing that messes it up is the minoxidil application, and even that not so much.

(+ I might not be on Toppik at all soon enough! *crossed fingers*)

2) Another proof of my progress is that I totally forgot about this website! It's true! If you're not suffering from the problem head-on, you wouldn't come here! So don't be discouraged from the lack of "success" stories on these boards- they do exist, those people are simply not interested in coming here anymore! So don't be discouraged... at all. The less people on here the better... sort of.

3) Side effects from propecia: haven't really felt any, but I'm definitely noticing less ejaculate. It feels the same and all, but you can tell the volume is not what it used to be. I'm told that my body may eventually recover from this so I'm not all that worried at the moment, just thought I'd share. As for the other sides, haven't felt/seen any of them. That's also good!

= End result: I'm a success story in progress, I think. And I think I mentioned it elsewhere- I don't really exaggerate, I'm a pretty levelheaded guy, I don't get too low, don't get too high, but this is just fact: I'm seeing a good start and I'm hoping to see further progress in the future. It seems like a realistic goal, hope, expectation (?) too.

I'll be back at some point to post another update.

Best of luck, y'all! (I will eventually post pics but my hopes need to be answered first!)

-captaineyes-

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: captaineyes' story

Thanks for the update captaineye, I hope things get better for you!

 

[captaineyes]

Wow- I don't even know what to say!

My bald spot is almost gone now! At the time of my last update, I had had hair pretty much all over the area, but thin enough that you could still tell I was balding. Well, it's clearly moving in the other direction. My "new" hair is filling up and getting thicker and I'm guessing that within another 4-6 wks I won't have to use any Toppik anymore!

I don't know. I don't want to jinx myself of course, but things are really looking up. I thought I was bald for life as recently as four months ago... and now... now it seems like I may yet have some days left of a full head of hair!

Ok. I need to relax. Thought I'd post an update though. If I get a digital cam, I'll post pictures. But just imagine a bald crown t - six months, and now that bald crown is not really bald anymore. That's as crazy as it looks. I can hardly believe it myself.

Regimen still the same:
finasteride * once a day
Minox5 * twice a day
nizoral * two shampoos / wk
T-Gel * two shampoos / wk

Wish me luck!
-captaineyes-

 

[RaginDemon]

good news indeed, GL!

 

[FlashDance]

Have you experienced any shedding?