*Deleted*

[socks]

Further evaluation underway

 

[Radio]

Socks, I find it odd that you would go to the length of using oral spironolactone and finasteride when your photos show you to have no visable hair loss !

I would kill for you hair, why the medications ?

 

[socks]

Hey Radio,

Pictures (even high quality ones) can be deceiving! For instance, if you spend time on hair transplant forums you will realize that sometimes AMAZING looks results can be VERY different in person and many hair transplant veteran posters caution newbies to always make sure you see people in person and never go by what you see in photos (even high quality home photos, undoctored, outdoors in bright sunlight wont always tell the whole story).

My point is, looking at my own pics I would say my hair looks good and if my hair looked that good in the mirror.... Well, I probably wouldnt be here. However, sadly, there is no mistaken my hair all over my top has thinned (not lost density per CM2 as much as the hair shaft is thinner and lighter in pigment with the most noticeable change being loss of volume). The changes though are mostly concentrated on my temples and hairline (especially my left hairline). The decline has been "slow" but steady pretty much since Jan of 02' (though there was a 8 month period on finasteride where things did improve for a bit). It seems I'm following my uncle's pattern of loss (he started at the same age as I)... He is in his mid 40s now and while he is not shinny bald, he has no density on the top of his head.


To answer your question why I would take such potent meds, I dont want to end up with sparse hair in my mid 30s+... I also dont want a huge strip scar on the back of my head from a Hair Transplant... If I can atleast stop any loss on the top and back I can always use FUE to transplant hair to my front with high density... However, I cant afford a 6000+ FUE procedure so if I cant save the top and back I'm stuck with the strip method and a huge *** scar... Not to mention the more hair that is lost and needs to be replaced the less density you can expect from your hair transplant.

 

[Radio]

Maybe you should do an updated photo that shows your hair in some kind of detail, do you have access to a digital camera?

 

[Solo]

Socks, I think you cannot conclude you have fake spironolactone based on those facts.


Medicines have excipients that can camoufflate the original odour of the chemical compose.

Also, reactions can variate becouse of the form of the compounds, their environment, concentration and/or temperature of reaction.

You can have the odour "masked" by some excipient.

Also, odour is a subjetive matter that cannot be used for analisis, if you want it to be half-serious. It´s certain that sulfur compounds have a particular bad odour (rotten eggs) but it can vary easily from certain states of the compound.

I´m not telling you that you are wrong in your guess, but proceed with care.

The only thing that can assure your statement is a proper chemical analisis.

 

[Goingat20]

i use 5% spironolactone cream and its good no odor also... i got it from some site Lizzard referred to. I might just stick with Dr Lee's next time

 

[socks]

Socks, I think you cannot conclude you have fake spironolactone based on those facts.

The smell alone indeed isnt the best way to judge a medication's authenticity. However, what about the blood pressure not going down as well as the lack of increased urine output? Spironolactone is a potassium sparring diuretic (cause water loss) used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) in the dose I've been using. Lowering of the blood pressure should occur within 2 weeks of using spironolactone yet its been over 2 weeks and it hasnt changed one bit!



Update:

I did finally manage to coax out a sulfur-like smell having mixed 2ml of 2% minoxidil & 100mg of spiornolactone. This time I covered the mixture to prevent any evaporation... I wouldnt describe the smell as over-powering however... But certainly a sulfur-like smell....

 

[socks]

Maybe you should do an updated photo that shows your hair in some kind of detail, do you have access to a digital camera?

No digital camera but I am thinking of buying my parents one for x-mas. However, I may be sending in some photos to a well known Hair Transplant doctor for an evaluation. If I do so I may end up purchasing a camera early. If so, I'll post some of those pictures here. I must warn everyone though that I doubt they will settle any arguments over the extent of my hairloss. The biggest casualty in my hairloss war so far hasnt been obvious recession but, as I said before, loss of volume due to the hair shaft diameter decreasing (IE diffused thinning or FPB [Female Pattern Baldness]).

 

[Old Baldy]

Maybe you should do an updated photo that shows your hair in some kind of detail, do you have access to a digital camera?

No digital camera but I am thinking of buying my parents one for x-mas. However, I may be sending in some photos to a well known Hair Transplant doctor for an evaluation. If I do so I may end up purchasing a camera early. If so, I'll post some of those pictures here. I must warn everyone though that I doubt they will settle any arguments over the extent of my hairloss. The biggest casualty in my hairloss war so far hasnt been obvious recession but, as I said before, loss of volume due to the hair shaft diameter decreasing (IE diffused thinning or FPB [Female Pattern Baldness]).

Socks I've seen your new photos and you have good hair coverage. It does look like you have a little thinning in the front, not much though.

Maybe you would have had more thinning if you had never done anything about it? :wink:

You might be the classic example of what a young man can do if he catches male pattern baldness early?

 

[triton2]

I homebrew my own spironolactone solution using PPG, ethanol and spironolactone powders which I'm positive 100% they are legit and never had any issue as far as odor is concerned.
In your case, taking into account the fact that you are brewing your spironolactone out of tablets, which usually carry mint essence, there are even less chances of having issues with odor. Chances are even further reduced if we take into account that spironolactone-cream is less likely to give odor issues than spironolactone-lotion is.

 

[socks]

Socks I've seen your new photos and you have good hair coverage. It does look like you have a little thinning in the front, not much though.

Maybe you would have had more thinning if you had never done anything about it? :wink:

You might be the classic example of what a young man can do if he catches male pattern baldness early?

Hey Old Baldy,

I honestly wont complain over my choices I've made in fighting hairloss. I dont regret Finasteride one bit and I honestly believe I am in much better shape then I would have been if I used nothing.

Spironolactone is important to me though because it represents the only real proven addition to a hairloss routine that we know for a fact helps address the androgen side of the issue. We know for a fact that Spironolactone is effective when used orally in 80% of women with hairloss and we know Spironolactone can help reduce sebum production and control ance via its anti-androgenic effects.

So, I want to make absolute sure that this new addition is 100% legit cause I honestly feel there is real potential for superior maintenance of hair in men with male pattern baldness via oral finasteride & spironolactone. Topical spironolactone may even improve those odds even more in those hard-to-treat frontal areas. I just dont want to wake-up one day and realize the 2nd half of my routine was nothing but a sugar pill! Win or lose my fight with hairloss I want to exhaust all my options within reason.

 

[socks]

I homebrew my own spironolactone solution using PPG, ethanol and spironolactone powders which I'm positive 100% they are legit and never had any issue as far as odor is concerned.

Where do you buy your powder spironolactone from and how much do you pay for a gram? What is the smallest possible quantity sold?

 

[triton2]

I homebrew my own spironolactone solution using PPG, ethanol and spironolactone powders which I'm positive 100% they are legit and never had any issue as far as odor is concerned.

Where do you buy your powder spironolactone from and how much do you pay for a gram? What is the smallest possible quantity sold?

I buy it from a chemist friend. I bought it for about 2$/gram moreless.