Hey, This is my first post here and really the first time in my life I openly discuss my hairloss with anyone besides my doctor. I'll tell you a few important things about myself to get this story started.
I'm about to turn 29 years old and I detected my hairloss at a week or two before my 27th birthday. I've always been known for having ridiculously thick hair, my scalp was elusive to the observer and it's been that way since I was a kid. My father didn't start losing his hair until he was in his 40s and it never went beyond a Norwood 3-4 and he died at the age of 77. His brothers though, had a variety of male pattern baldness, their kids (my cousins) all started losing their hair in their early 20s. The fact that I managed to have such thick hair by 27 made me feel infallible, like it was the one good thing I was blessed with and that I was spared those genes (there is no mob on my mom's side of the family).
2 weeks before my 27 birthday I started to lose a lot of hair (I would say 30-40% of hair from all over the top part of the scalp was lost in this period) and notice that I could see parts of my scalp through the hairline that I never saw before. I had a blood work done and turned out I was severely vitamin D deficient which was causing me a a variety of other symptoms. My conclusion at the time was Telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) and it took me another 3 months to realize the reality that this was also the start male pattern baldness. I was panicking to be honest and my ego took a major hit, I started to see things in my hair that I never saw. I began to compare old photos with recent ones like a detective, trying to piece together when it all really began. Psychologically it was the beginning of a lot of break downs but I didn't know that at the time.
I did my research, and started propecia on October 3rd 2012. I know that date because it was a weekend and a few days later on the 7th, my father died. Without going into detail, I will say that I never had a good relationship with my father, it was always a source of trauma for me and I spend the majority of my adult life running away from it and him. When he died, there was some sense of relief that I might not have to run away anymore but also the tragedy that it was unresolved, and worse that it had to be resolved if I were to move on with my life.
In the background propecia and the vitamin D supplements did their work, the hair loss completely stopped, I gained more than half of the hair I lost from the top part of the scalp within 6-9 months. My hair line which at this point was a Norwood 1-ish never really recovered to its pre-27 days.
As far as I knew at the time, I had no side effects from propecia. Granted my desire for sex was slightly reduced but I could maintain an erection and I could still ejaculate 2-4 times a day if I wanted. I occasionally experienced some brain fog in the first few months but either they resolved themselves within the first 3 months or I stopping noticing them.
A few months after my dad passed away, the company I was working in went under and we all lost our job then. I had enough money saved up so I knew I could weather the coming months looking for a job. What I didn't realize was something far more sinister was happening to me.
I won't say that I developed depression on propecia because that is unfair considering the hits my life has taken in the last 2 years, but over the course of the last 18-20 months I began to become moderately depressed which evolved into a severe depression over the last 3 months. I withdrew socially completely, my libido does not exist anymore (not to be confused with erectile dysfunction), suicidal thoughts suddenly became an option in my head - it's been a very dark 3 months as I try to make sense of it all. I began seeing a therapist and have been prescribed wellbutrin 300mg for now. I feel better but still unfit to socialize or pursue a job - if you've ever experienced a major depressive episode you will understand this.
Back to hair loss, I'm still on propecia and recently I began to suspect if propecia is pushing me further down the spiral of depression, or this was all a coincidence and I happened to start propecia at a time coinciding with these major life events that happened one after the other. The fact is, especially now after therapy and in hindsight, I was probably already depressed for a year before starting propecia but it was mild enough that I could just self-medicate with alcohol and recreational drugs, and just ignore it. It didn't take a turn to the worst until last summer and reach the lowest point which is this spring. If propecia is indeed an accomplice in this depression, I fear that if I stop taking it it will make me more depressed (it might considering how I reacted when it first started falling out).
I'm still a norwood 1.5ish, propecia has maintained the hairline almost completely, there has been some regrowth but mostly it just kept what I got. The hair on the sides near the temple slightly receded but only enough for me to notice. I'm unsure if I should keep taking propecia considering my depression and I'm unsure if propecia is even behind my depression. Maybe you guys can help me decide.
Thank you for your time.
I'm about to turn 29 years old and I detected my hairloss at a week or two before my 27th birthday. I've always been known for having ridiculously thick hair, my scalp was elusive to the observer and it's been that way since I was a kid. My father didn't start losing his hair until he was in his 40s and it never went beyond a Norwood 3-4 and he died at the age of 77. His brothers though, had a variety of male pattern baldness, their kids (my cousins) all started losing their hair in their early 20s. The fact that I managed to have such thick hair by 27 made me feel infallible, like it was the one good thing I was blessed with and that I was spared those genes (there is no mob on my mom's side of the family).
2 weeks before my 27 birthday I started to lose a lot of hair (I would say 30-40% of hair from all over the top part of the scalp was lost in this period) and notice that I could see parts of my scalp through the hairline that I never saw before. I had a blood work done and turned out I was severely vitamin D deficient which was causing me a a variety of other symptoms. My conclusion at the time was Telogen effluvium (Telogen Effluvium) and it took me another 3 months to realize the reality that this was also the start male pattern baldness. I was panicking to be honest and my ego took a major hit, I started to see things in my hair that I never saw. I began to compare old photos with recent ones like a detective, trying to piece together when it all really began. Psychologically it was the beginning of a lot of break downs but I didn't know that at the time.
I did my research, and started propecia on October 3rd 2012. I know that date because it was a weekend and a few days later on the 7th, my father died. Without going into detail, I will say that I never had a good relationship with my father, it was always a source of trauma for me and I spend the majority of my adult life running away from it and him. When he died, there was some sense of relief that I might not have to run away anymore but also the tragedy that it was unresolved, and worse that it had to be resolved if I were to move on with my life.
In the background propecia and the vitamin D supplements did their work, the hair loss completely stopped, I gained more than half of the hair I lost from the top part of the scalp within 6-9 months. My hair line which at this point was a Norwood 1-ish never really recovered to its pre-27 days.
As far as I knew at the time, I had no side effects from propecia. Granted my desire for sex was slightly reduced but I could maintain an erection and I could still ejaculate 2-4 times a day if I wanted. I occasionally experienced some brain fog in the first few months but either they resolved themselves within the first 3 months or I stopping noticing them.
A few months after my dad passed away, the company I was working in went under and we all lost our job then. I had enough money saved up so I knew I could weather the coming months looking for a job. What I didn't realize was something far more sinister was happening to me.
I won't say that I developed depression on propecia because that is unfair considering the hits my life has taken in the last 2 years, but over the course of the last 18-20 months I began to become moderately depressed which evolved into a severe depression over the last 3 months. I withdrew socially completely, my libido does not exist anymore (not to be confused with erectile dysfunction), suicidal thoughts suddenly became an option in my head - it's been a very dark 3 months as I try to make sense of it all. I began seeing a therapist and have been prescribed wellbutrin 300mg for now. I feel better but still unfit to socialize or pursue a job - if you've ever experienced a major depressive episode you will understand this.
Back to hair loss, I'm still on propecia and recently I began to suspect if propecia is pushing me further down the spiral of depression, or this was all a coincidence and I happened to start propecia at a time coinciding with these major life events that happened one after the other. The fact is, especially now after therapy and in hindsight, I was probably already depressed for a year before starting propecia but it was mild enough that I could just self-medicate with alcohol and recreational drugs, and just ignore it. It didn't take a turn to the worst until last summer and reach the lowest point which is this spring. If propecia is indeed an accomplice in this depression, I fear that if I stop taking it it will make me more depressed (it might considering how I reacted when it first started falling out).
I'm still a norwood 1.5ish, propecia has maintained the hairline almost completely, there has been some regrowth but mostly it just kept what I got. The hair on the sides near the temple slightly receded but only enough for me to notice. I'm unsure if I should keep taking propecia considering my depression and I'm unsure if propecia is even behind my depression. Maybe you guys can help me decide.
Thank you for your time.