does it work?
- Thread starter tamercoil
- Start date
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
The problem is that many of those on this site who are taking dutasteride haven't done so for long enough to answer that question categorically. Even after 20 months my hair is still reacting to the drug - thankfully it's in a generally positive way - but whether or not someone says it's working after, say, 8 or 9 months, should not be taken as definitive proof one way or the other.
So who here has taken dutasteride for over a year? There's me, oni/dave, global, powersam (I think - incorrectly it transpires), who else... well, cornholio for one. Any more takers? Yes there are. iamnaked has just thrown his hat into the ring (will you be needing that back for those sunny days?), I didn't realize it had been a year already; and now I remember about wisejoeyd, though I haven't seen him post in a while.
So that's makes seven. And now back to six (bye powersam). But wait, now that Jon_e has clamboured onboard we're once again the Magnificent 7.
So who here has taken dutasteride for over a year? There's me, oni/dave, global, powersam (I think - incorrectly it transpires), who else... well, cornholio for one. Any more takers? Yes there are. iamnaked has just thrown his hat into the ring (will you be needing that back for those sunny days?), I didn't realize it had been a year already; and now I remember about wisejoeyd, though I haven't seen him post in a while.
So that's makes seven. And now back to six (bye powersam). But wait, now that Jon_e has clamboured onboard we're once again the Magnificent 7.
Cornholio
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 1
I've taken Dutas for about a year.... but also made a lot of other changes (new minoxidil, short military style cut, Garnier "surf hair" wax). In general the vertex is improved, and all seems thicker. How much "improvement" is due to the shorter style or minoxidil I can't say, but overall I am content. http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... hp?t=17324Slartibartfast said:
PS- I am guessing that there are others like me who come to this site, learn about available treatments, and then go on to other parts of the internet (personally I obsessed over peak-oil, then left-wing political news sites : ) As others have said, people who aren't happy with treatments tend to stay and post, skewing the reports toward the negative (I suspect, anyway).
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Consider yourself added to the list of long(ish)-term users, one day there'll be enough of us here to field our very own footy team. Hopefully we'll also all be happy with our progress, even if it's only through an increasingly elaborate regimen - I've kept it to just dutasteride and minoxidil thus far, and am fairly satisfied with the results, but I'm feeling the need to add something in my pursuit of that oh-so-illusive thickness.
ps. I'm sure that many on this site spend a fair chunk of time looking at "other" parts of the internet.
Slarti
ps. I'm sure that many on this site spend a fair chunk of time looking at "other" parts of the internet.
Slarti
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Over the past year, has your hair just continually worsened (and if so, how does the rate of loss compare to before you started dutasteride), have you had a year of relative stability, or perhaps a shed (if so, when) from which your hair has not yet recovered?UnReal27 said:
Sorry about answering a question with a question, I just want to try and get a better idea of your situation before offering advice.
Slarti
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
Oh yes, I've definitely given it some thought, particularly during those agonizing post-shed months when you just have to (metaphorically) cross your fingers and hope it'll grow back. I should've said that only the front needs cajoling into life, as behind the first 1.5 - 2 inches the density is really quite high. Not that all of the first 2 inches in is terrible, I'd reserve that distinction for a half-inch-deep strip, after which it gradually thickens.
I won't be adding anything until late August/early September at the earliest anyhow. Not only don't I want to initiate a summertime-shed, but I decided some time back to give dutasteride a full two years - which I'll reach in mid-August - before making any change. There's also that, even after 20.5 months of a daily dose, the front is showing signs of life - something which I'll expound on (no doubt at great length) when I update my story thread in a fortnight.
But if I do add a product, what will it be? spironolactone, Fluridil, one of those Proxiphen things? I imagine I'll canvass members for their opinions closer to the date, but whatever it is, it will have to be effective with a single daily application, with that coming some time before my nightly minoxidil anointing.
areyounaked? Shazam! Another for my list, still not enough for a footy team but what about netball? A nice close shave, some dodgy wigs, an hour (or whatever) of chucking a ball around and then both teams into the women's shower!!
Slarti
I won't be adding anything until late August/early September at the earliest anyhow. Not only don't I want to initiate a summertime-shed, but I decided some time back to give dutasteride a full two years - which I'll reach in mid-August - before making any change. There's also that, even after 20.5 months of a daily dose, the front is showing signs of life - something which I'll expound on (no doubt at great length) when I update my story thread in a fortnight.
But if I do add a product, what will it be? spironolactone, Fluridil, one of those Proxiphen things? I imagine I'll canvass members for their opinions closer to the date, but whatever it is, it will have to be effective with a single daily application, with that coming some time before my nightly minoxidil anointing.
areyounaked? Shazam! Another for my list, still not enough for a footy team but what about netball? A nice close shave, some dodgy wigs, an hour (or whatever) of chucking a ball around and then both teams into the women's shower!!
Slarti
I would add minoxidil with Retin-a. Alternate that with regular minoxidil and you might just get a little more regrowth.
After visiting this board and others for the past 6 years I would say minoxidil w/ retin-a has gotten the best feedback for regrowth around the hairline area. It's not too pricey either.
After visiting this board and others for the past 6 years I would say minoxidil w/ retin-a has gotten the best feedback for regrowth around the hairline area. It's not too pricey either.
UnReal27
Member
- Reaction score
- 0
Slartibartfast said:
Sorry about the late response. I was on finasteride. for about a year and experienced no improvement, and gradual thinning. I would say I did not even go through a shed while on finasteride. The important thing is that I was not on minoxidil. during that year. So i recently started on dutas and minoxidil., after deciding that I had to take a risk or things would just slide downhill faster. It's been about 5 weeks, and now I'm scared Sh*tless because it seems like I've lost like 15-20% of the hair off the top of my head. That is my situation now, basically freaking out 24/7 that I'm trashing what's left of my hair. Not sure if the shed is due to dutas or minoxidil., but it started about a week into the treatment. Oh, I'm also using 2% nizoral. twice a week. It just feels horrible when I'm rubbing the topoical in and I see hairs falling off. I mean, I'm putting this stuff on to save my hair....yet I'm losing it faster than ever! I guess I must sound pretty ignorant, but I do realize the process of shedding and how important it is to be patient. But I didn't think it would be so hard! and it just feels like I'm losing this hair permanently!
Aplunk1
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 9
UnReal27 said:
You're not.
Treatment will not make your hair worse.
Keep using the dutasteride daily... Twice daily applications of minoxidil.
And Nizoral as much as your head and hair can tollerate.
I haven't heard of anyone's hair becoming progressively worse in the course of a year whilst using the Big 3.
powersam
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 9
fraid i'm not on the dutasteride anymore. a very large frontal shed which did not abate for 4 months and the realisation that my hairloss just wasn't bad enough to warrant being on something as powerful as dutasteride has me now on .5mg finasteride a day. no sides, no sheds, no further loss so far. but only been on it like 5 months now maybe. cant remember exactly
Slartibartfast
Senior Member
- Reaction score
- 2
UnReal, I mistakenly took your original post as saying you had been on the dutasteride for a year and seen no improvement. As for your shedding worries...
Well for me, and I suspect most others, shedding is a particularly depressing aspect of hair loss: as if taking hormone-altering drugs and coating your scalp with minoxidil twice a day aren't enough to deal with, now you're telling me that quite probably this will cause my hair to get worse before it gets better - wonderful, where do I sign up?. But as there is no way around it, the only option (aside from a lot of drinking and swearing) is to positively embrace the shed, repeating to yourself some little mantra about how the shed hair will return stronger than before - even though this process can take many, many months to play out.
One thing I will say about the early days of applying topicals is this: don't let yourself become obsessive about all the "extra" loose hairs you're seeing, the rate of loss hasn't suddenly shot-up (except during a shed, which you're already telling yourself is a positive), they're just hairs who were due to come out but which you wouldn't otherwise have noticed. I think the normal rate at which hairs wave goodbye to the scalp is around 50 per day, which easily exceeds what I was aware of losing in my pre-male pattern baldness days.
What's your scalp condition like, coping ok with the minoxidil?
Sam, what a disappointment, you've really let the (now shrunken) side down, and just when I'd lined up the first of our women's netball opponents too. Oh well, consider yourself summarily struck off this most exclusive of lists, and good luck with the finasteride.
JWM, minoxidil with Retin-A, will add it to the list of possibles, thanks.
Slarti
Well for me, and I suspect most others, shedding is a particularly depressing aspect of hair loss: as if taking hormone-altering drugs and coating your scalp with minoxidil twice a day aren't enough to deal with, now you're telling me that quite probably this will cause my hair to get worse before it gets better - wonderful, where do I sign up?. But as there is no way around it, the only option (aside from a lot of drinking and swearing) is to positively embrace the shed, repeating to yourself some little mantra about how the shed hair will return stronger than before - even though this process can take many, many months to play out.
One thing I will say about the early days of applying topicals is this: don't let yourself become obsessive about all the "extra" loose hairs you're seeing, the rate of loss hasn't suddenly shot-up (except during a shed, which you're already telling yourself is a positive), they're just hairs who were due to come out but which you wouldn't otherwise have noticed. I think the normal rate at which hairs wave goodbye to the scalp is around 50 per day, which easily exceeds what I was aware of losing in my pre-male pattern baldness days.
What's your scalp condition like, coping ok with the minoxidil?
Sam, what a disappointment, you've really let the (now shrunken) side down, and just when I'd lined up the first of our women's netball opponents too. Oh well, consider yourself summarily struck off this most exclusive of lists, and good luck with the finasteride.
JWM, minoxidil with Retin-A, will add it to the list of possibles, thanks.
Slarti
Dave is really good in the GA position!Update: 17 months on dutasteride
I've been on Dutasteride (real stuff) for the last 17 months and using Rogaine 5% for the last 12 months and I can honestly say my hairloss has stopped, with some modest regrowth. The treatments work if you start soon enough... I started when I noticed diffuse thining in the front... I had a thinning area on the back of my head for 4+ years, but didn't really care until the front starting showing thinning. I only wish I'd started sooner, but this stuff works.
My advice:
Avodart or Propecia
Minoxidil
Nizoral Shampooo about 2 to 3 times a week.
Good luck
Jon
I've been on Dutasteride (real stuff) for the last 17 months and using Rogaine 5% for the last 12 months and I can honestly say my hairloss has stopped, with some modest regrowth. The treatments work if you start soon enough... I started when I noticed diffuse thining in the front... I had a thinning area on the back of my head for 4+ years, but didn't really care until the front starting showing thinning. I only wish I'd started sooner, but this stuff works.
My advice:
Avodart or Propecia
Minoxidil
Nizoral Shampooo about 2 to 3 times a week.
Good luck
Jon
UnReal27
Member
- Reaction score
- 0
Slartibartfast said:
That's exactly what I'm doing lol, worrying about hairs I see floating lazily away. But I don't obsess over it as much as during the inital weeks. My scalp is not too bad I guess, there's alot of flaking but almost no itching that alot of other people complain of. Almost feels like minoxidil is peeling thin layers of skin off. Would you say around 4 months most responders should start seeing results?
That's pretty much identical to my situation. Spent about 3-4 years before realizing that my front was receding and thinning and am now on the exact same treatments as you. Good to hear that you're seeing positive results.Jon_e said: