finasteride And dutasteride Have Made My Hair Worse By Increasing Test

[MKP05]

It looks like you were a non-responder to finasteride, which is unfortunate. A lot of guys for whom finasteride did not stop their hair loss have managed to have success with using dutasteride. There are several success stories on these forums of this happening. There's no way to know how well dutasteride will work for you until you use it. Hopefully it will put a halt to your hair loss, but this is not a guarantee. If you find that dutasteride is not strong enough to stop your hair loss, you could try adding a low dose of oral minoxidil. Your T levels will rise slightly when switching from finasteride to dutasteride. But this should not be of any concern, as it is DHT and not T that is the main culprit in hair loss.

Sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old were you when you went on duta? How long were you previously on finasteride? Did you get a big shed when you switched?

 

[jh94]

the link you posted is just some roid monkeys anecdotal theory..

people who lack type 2 AR simply don't experience hair loss. I would give dutasteride more time

 

[Michael1986]

Sorry if you’ve already answered this but how old were you when you went on duta? How long were you previously on finasteride? Did you get a big shed when you switched?

I was 27 when I started on dutasteride, which was in 2014. I was previously on finasteride for only a few weeks. I wasn't on finasteride long enough to know whether it would have worked or not, but it appeared to have stopped my shedding. In hindsight, maybe I should have given the finasteride a bit more of a chance instead of switching so soon, but dutasteride has worked very well for me so I have no complaints. I didn't notice any shed when I switched.

 

[Derelict]

I was 27 when I started on dutasteride, which was in 2014. I was previously on finasteride for only a few weeks. I wasn't on finasteride long enough to know whether it would have worked or not, but it appeared to have stopped my shedding. In hindsight, maybe I should have given the finasteride a bit more of a chance instead of switching so soon, but dutasteride has worked very well for me so I have no complaints. I didn't notice any shed when I switched.

Wish i had done that, instead i gave finasteride nearly a year and lost quite a bit of hair in the process, hair that i might not ever get back. Even on dutasteride i still have a very slight itch on my crown area, im thinking of using RU for a little bit to see if it helps until i restart spironolactone or maybe even bica.

 

[MKP05]

Wish i had done that, instead i gave finasteride nearly a year and lost quite a bit of hair in the process, hair that i might not ever get back. Even on dutasteride i still have a very slight itch on my crown area, im thinking of using RU for a little bit to see if it helps until i restart spironolactone or maybe even bica.

I feel like I stayed on finasteride too long as well. It’s been 17 months and I’ve lost a ton of hair in that time. Did you shed when you switched? I’m not even looking for regrowth. I just want this to slow down.

 

[MKP05]

I was 27 when I started on dutasteride, which was in 2014. I was previously on finasteride for only a few weeks. I wasn't on finasteride long enough to know whether it would have worked or not, but it appeared to have stopped my shedding. In hindsight, maybe I should have given the finasteride a bit more of a chance instead of switching so soon, but dutasteride has worked very well for me so I have no complaints. I didn't notice any shed when I switched.

So it’s been 5 years for you. I’m guessing you still have some hair loss or else you wouldn’t be here. What has your experience been like? I know there’s no no to know how I will respond and I’m only a few days in but I really can’t afford a large shed if that doesn’t get replaced with regrowth.

 

[Michael1986]

Wish i had done that, instead i gave finasteride nearly a year and lost quite a bit of hair in the process, hair that i might not ever get back. Even on dutasteride i still have a very slight itch on my crown area, im thinking of using RU for a little bit to see if it helps until i restart spironolactone or maybe even bica.

Do you feel that you are losing ground on dutasteride, or is it managing to at least maintain? You could also maybe add CB-03-01, or add a low dose of oral minoxidil. I would never touch any tranny drugs myself.

So it’s been 5 years for you. I’m guessing you still have some hair loss or else you wouldn’t be here. What has your experience been like? I know there’s no no to know how I will respond and I’m only a few days in but I really can’t afford a large shed if that doesn’t get replaced with regrowth.

I've had no hair loss at all since using dutasteride. I go on this forum mainly just to help others and also as a hobby I guess. I had a lot of regrowth within the first year of using dutasteride, and it has managed to maintain this regrowth ever since. I still have some temple recession from before I started treatment, which the dutasteride has managed to fill in a little but has not been able to fully restore. The recession is worse on the left temple than the right. I'm about a Nw2.75 on the left, and about one Norwood less than this on the right. I've recently added minoxidil foam twice a day which I use just on my temples. I don't think you need to worry about dutasteride causing a shed. Even if it does cause a shed, the lost hairs will soon be replaced by new healthy hairs that are being protected by the dutasteride from DHT. What Norwood are you at the moment?

 

[MKP05]

Do you feel that you are losing ground on dutasteride, or is it managing to at least maintain? You could also maybe add CB-03-01, or add a low dose of oral minoxidil. I would never touch any tranny drugs myself.


I've had no hair loss at all since using dutasteride. I go on this forum mainly just to help others and also as a hobby I guess. I had a lot of regrowth within the first year of using dutasteride, and it has managed to maintain this regrowth ever since. I still have some temple recession from before I started treatment, which the dutasteride has managed to fill in a little but has not been able to fully restore. The recession is worse on the left temple than the right. I'm about a Nw2.75 on the left, and about one Norwood less than this on the right. I've recently added minoxidil foam twice a day which I use just on my temples. I don't think you need to worry about dutasteride causing a shed. Even if it does cause a shed, the lost hairs will soon be replaced by new healthy hairs that are being protected by the dutasteride from DHT. What Norwood are you at the moment?

thanks for the response. That’s cool that you jump on here to give advice. Not everyone on here is so rational or helpful.

I’m at currently a NW3. I was no worse than a 1.5 20 months ago. Whatever triggered my hair loss came on aggressively.

My left temple is also worse than my right. I lost 1.5 inches at my left temple in the last year and a half (about 1 inch on my right). The hair at my forelock has also thinned out considerably.

Im lucky that this hit me later in life. I do have 2 uncles who are completely bald but my father is 80 and still has a decent amount of hair for his age. I also have an identical twin brother who is still at a 1.5 - roughly where I was when my hair loss went turbo.

 

[Michael1986]

thanks for the response. That’s cool that you jump on here to give advice. Not everyone on here is so rational or helpful.

I’m at currently a NW3. I was no worse than a 1.5 20 months ago. Whatever triggered my hair loss came on aggressively.

My left temple is also worse than my right. I lost 1.5 inches at my left temple in the last year and a half (about 1 inch on my right). The hair at my forelock has also thinned out considerably.

Im lucky that this hit me later in life. I do have 2 uncles who are completely bald but my father is 80 and still has a decent amount of hair for his age. I also have an identical twin brother who is still at a 1.5 - roughly where I was when my hair loss went turbo.

It seems that most guys will recede more on one side than the other. I can't think of any explanation. My left side was in significantly worse shape than the right before treatment, and still is. I'm also left-handed, but I highly doubt that has any connection with it.

Hopefully the dutasteride will give you some temple regrowth. Are you using minoxidil too? If not, I strongly recommend it, and make sure you apply it especially generously to your temple area.

Its strange that you're an identical twin but your twin brother does not yet have hair loss to the extent that you do. Considering you share more than 99.9% of your DNA (but not quite 100%, because of postzygotic mutations), I would expect your natural hair loss pattern and age of onset to be virtually the same. Is your twin brother using any treatments himself?

 

[MKP05]

It seems that most guys will recede more on one side than the other. I can't think of any explanation. My left side was in significantly worse shape than the right before treatment, and still is. I'm also left-handed, but I highly doubt that has any connection with it.

Hopefully the dutasteride will give you some temple regrowth. Are you using minoxidil too? If not, I strongly recommend it, and make sure you apply it especially generously to your temple area.

Its strange that you're an identical twin but your twin brother does not yet have hair loss to the extent that you do. Considering you share more than 99.9% of your DNA (but not quite 100%, because of postzygotic mutations), I would expect your natural hair loss pattern and age of onset to be virtually the same. Is your twin brother using any treatments himself?

Yes I’ve been using minoxidil at the hairline for the last 18 months. Only once a day for the past 12 bc it’s not manageable to apply before work without getting it all over my scalp and making my hair look like crap.

My brother is not using anything. I also have had alopecia areata for over 20 years and he has never gotten that either. Our overall hair condition (natural aging) was identical until about 20 months ago when I started to rapidly recede. At the rate that I’m receding I’d estimate that I’ll have roughly the same hair loss at 50 that my father has at 80 (if the duta doesn’t help that is). I also think being an identical twin is what is making this situation so difficult for me. Probably very few people on this forum could possibly relate to what that feels like psychologically. It doesn’t help that I’ve yet to hear a logical explanation from any of the healthcare professionals who’ve looked at me as to why I’m losing hair so fast all of a sudden at this age while there is a genetic clone of me who is not. It’s very frustrating.

 

[Michael1986]

Yes I’ve been using minoxidil at the hairline for the last 18 months. Only once a day for the past 12 bc it’s not manageable to apply before work without getting it all over my scalp and making my hair look like crap.

My brother is not using anything. I also have had alopecia areata for over 20 years and he has never gotten that either. Our overall hair condition (natural aging) was identical until about 20 months ago when I started to rapidly recede. At the rate that I’m receding I’d estimate that I’ll have roughly the same hair loss at 50 that my father has at 80 (if the duta doesn’t help that is). I also think being an identical twin is what is making this situation so difficult for me. Probably very few people on this forum could possibly relate to what that feels like psychologically. It doesn’t help that I’ve yet to hear a logical explanation from any of the healthcare professionals who’ve looked at me as to why I’m losing hair so fast all of a sudden at this age while there is a genetic clone of me who is not. It’s very frustrating.

You could try switching to minoxidil foam. The foam would not make your hair look bad in the way the liquid does. Or you could apply foam in the morning and liquid in the evening.

One thing that could account for why you have hair loss and your brother doesn't is epigenetics. Identical twins have very different epigenetic profiles, even though their underlying DNA code is virtually identical. I think your brother is more than likely going to start receding very soon though. Unfortunately, as you are identical twins, male pattern baldness is in his genes too, and nobody can escape their genetic destiny (unless they use powerful drugs). Do you think your brother could be secretly taking finasteride without anyone knowing?

 

[MKP05]

You could try switching to minoxidil foam. The foam would not make your hair look bad in the way the liquid does. Or you could apply foam in the morning and liquid in the evening.

One thing that could account for why you have hair loss and your brother doesn't is epigenetics. Identical twins have very different epigenetic profiles, even though their underlying DNA code is virtually identical. I think your brother is more than likely going to start receding very soon though. Unfortunately, as you are identical twins, male pattern baldness is in his genes too, and nobody can escape their genetic destiny (unless they use powerful drugs). Do you think your brother could be secretly taking finasteride without anyone knowing?

It’s possible but only very remotely.

 

[MKP05]

You could try switching to minoxidil foam. The foam would not make your hair look bad in the way the liquid does. Or you could apply foam in the morning and liquid in the evening.

One thing that could account for why you have hair loss and your brother doesn't is epigenetics. Identical twins have very different epigenetic profiles, even though their underlying DNA code is virtually identical. I think your brother is more than likely going to start receding very soon though. Unfortunately, as you are identical twins, male pattern baldness is in his genes too, and nobody can escape their genetic destiny (unless they use powerful drugs). Do you think your brother could be secretly taking finasteride without anyone knowing?

Just looked up epigenetics in identical twins. Interesting stuff. I think it’s possible that my gene expression may have been triggered by some sort of environmental factor.