My big problem has always been this, getting hair but keeping as close to "ordinary" as possible.
I started my journey on this forum a long time ago but I only created this account in August 2019.
I've always been intrigued by how much this disease affects our quality of life and how we have so little information about it, and even fewer treatments available.
So I did it like a good scientist and started to research and take notes by observation and analysis, and then apply it in a clinical way.
And after so many hours of research into this, between scalp massages, and laser for photostimulation, you start to realize that you'll only get results by trying extreme things, and even then limited.
I had great results through the hormonal route, absurd, but some with limited side effects, for me it's no use being hairy but losing libido and fertility, and not only that, playing with hormones is dangerous.
The truth is, you can try bicalutamide and E2 and it might not work anyway, or it might.
See which treatment will be sustainable for you.
I had a lot of results with CPA and E2, with E2 alone I was in maintenance, I certainly had better skin and hair quality, and maybe a limited regroth, I grew a lot in the treatment as a whole, I spent about 2 years alternating bicalutamide, CPA, Spirolactone, E2, I changed my hormonal profile, but over the months you feel your body changing, you can't stay in the regimen, this is the big problem with this route, there may be some that will hold your libido, masculinity and etc, but I don't with you.
Lack of libido, sentimental lability, very watery semen or sometimes nothing at all, the list is endless. Depressed, unexplained feelings, loss of quality of life, just like you described the set almost gave me a nervous breakdown.
I stopped taking finasteride about 2 months ago, and I stopped E2 at some point in December 2021.
I only took oral minoxidil today.
Everything else I tried didn't pay off in risk benefit.
Today my hair is certainly less quality, my skin has returned to its previous quality, but I don't have any problems from any source.
I've been on finasteride for 5 years, without failing a day, today 2 months after the last pill the difference is really stark, I feel better, more alive, I can't explain, maybe the brain fog of finasteride is real, my libido is insane. My seminal fluid is thick and with a lot of volume, in short, finasteride, anti-androgens in general, definitely change our behavior.
Well I've been shedding for a while, but with oral minoxidil it's always like this, my hair goes into cycles.
But still good volume, I'm around nw1-2.
I respect those who can, but it is difficult to maintain these treatments to obtain a systemic female profile that would be an AR Blocker or blocker of T+ Hormones production of estrogenic origin. This can work, there are many MTF that have complete recovery, but it is completely different from an XY that just wants to have hair, there are things you won't want to give up.
So what I have to say to you is that it works, at least most of the time, the question is whether you want to sign the contract or not.
As I always say, seek your treatment and prepare for consequences.
In search of something new.
Metformin is a drug with many details, I've even made a post about it, but that's up to you, it's more of a drug, and the less the better, but yes it can help, why not.
And some studies say it potentiates the effect of AR blockers.
But everything is very experimental.
In short
I did a lot, I took a lot, Flutamide, E2, CPA, bicalutamide, Spirolactone, finasteride, dutasteride. I always wrote and took notes of all the drugs, the post is going to be huge I won't go on.
I had results with some, not others, but in all of them I had side effects that I couldn't stand, that's my opinion, but it can work.
It's a leap of faith.
