First post here --> propecia/finasteride question

[medmax84]

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=47362&p=451398#p451398

Hey guys, hoping you can comment on your experiences with propecia. I currently use minoxidil 5% in the form of MiN Agent. It also has some "DHT Blockers", although I don't know if there's science behind that. For more on my background, please click on the above posted link and it will offer more details on my situation. This post, however, is moreso with how you have tolerated propecia. For those of you who had trouble with it, did the ADRs go away when you d/ced the drug?

Thanks! Looking forward to sharing experiences with you guys.

 

[Hans Gruber]

nearly 3 years use for me,no sides at all

 

[Nathaniel]

My only side effect after 2 1/2 years has been retaining my hair.

 

[DHTvictim]

HEY EVERYBODY,

I just have a few questions about propecia that i need help with....I am on it for a week now but for the last two days i am experiencing some serious shed..is this normal?..Will it make my hair look more thin?...I am only using propecia at the moment..is this enough or should i use minoxidil ?(cost is the major concern)...

thnx

P.S I have diffuse thinning..still have just enough hairs to cover it..

 

[medmax84]

HEY EVERYBODY,

I just have a few questions about propecia that i need help with....I am on it for a week now but for the last two days i am experiencing some serious shed..is this normal?..Will it make my hair look more thin?...I am only using propecia at the moment..is this enough or should i use minoxidil ?(cost is the major concern)...

thnx

P.S I have diffuse thinning..still have just enough hairs to cover it..

Take it from one with regrets... try finasteride first. If it is insufficient after 6 months to a year, add minoxidil. I'm stuck on this sticky, annoying sh*t for the rest of my life.

 

[treadstone]

I actually used minoxidil for about a year and a half. I was NW1, but starting to diffuse in my front and sides. minoxidil actually worked well, but after awhile it became a game of chase, because other areas started to begin having diffuse loss and I would have to add that to the area in which I applied minoxidil everyday. I also got the impression the overall efficacy of it was waning towards the tail end of its use.

I finally decided minoxidil was the WRONG way for me to battle my type of hair loss and decided to take the plunge with finasteride. I've been using it for almost a year now... I did wind up shedding most of my minoxidil-dependent hairs, but finasteride helped to maintain everything else and I've also had good regrowth. Still NW1, and thicker now. No sides, aside from a bit of acne in the first month.

 

[medmax84]

Here I go... tomorrow morning @ 10 AM, I'm taking my first propecia dose.

My awesome hair transplant Doctor (no procedure, though... not necessary) gave me 28 days of free propecia, which offset the cost of the appointment. I love being a poor med student, bc docs understand that we're ridiculously poor.

 

[OverMachoGrande]

Good luck!!

 

[Bryan]

Take it from one with regrets... try finasteride first. If it is insufficient after 6 months to a year, add minoxidil. I'm stuck on this sticky, annoying s*** for the rest of my life.

Why are you "stuck" on it for the rest of your life?? If you don't like it, don't use it. Or try another growth stimulant like NANO.

 

[medmax84]

Take it from one with regrets... try finasteride first. If it is insufficient after 6 months to a year, add minoxidil. I'm stuck on this sticky, annoying s*** for the rest of my life.

Why are you "stuck" on it for the rest of your life?? If you don't like it, don't use it. Or try another growth stimulant like NANO.

2 words: minoxidil dependent.

 

[treadstone]

How long have you been using minoxidil?

 

[Bryan]

2 words: minoxidil dependent.

If you hate being "stuck" on it so much, why did you start it in the first place? Surely you never expected it to be a permanent fix for your problem, did you?

 

[DHTvictim]

Hey

thnx for replying guys but no one answered my real question which was

I am having serious shed after a week on finasteride Is this normal? does it mean finasteride is working ? Will my hairs grow thicker after the shed?

actually it was more than one question...

thnx anyways.

 

[kadosh]

finasteride shed is common and known .
how much someone shed , when does the shed starts and for how long ?
usually no one can say for sure because every person experience it differently.
the shed will stop eventually .
just ride it out as the like to say here at HairLossTalk.com.

 

[medmax84]

Hey

thnx for replying guys but no one answered my real question which was

I am having serious shed after a week on finasteride Is this normal? does it mean finasteride is working ? Will my hairs grow thicker after the shed?

actually it was more than one question...

thnx anyways.

Ha I'll let you know if it happens to me. A minor shed should be useful... It is said that the DHT-affected hairs will eject if they are at a certain point in their growth cycle... "sheds", if they exist as theorized, don't actually mean you lose the follicle... you're just ejecting the hair shaft.

If you lose thousands of hairs in a few days, you might want to consider setting up an appt with your physician.

 

[medmax84]

2 words: minoxidil dependent.

If you hate being "stuck" on it so much, why did you start it in the first place? Surely you never expected it to be a permanent fix for your problem, did you?

I was 19/20 years old. I panicked after my girlfriend told me I was getting a bald spot at the crown.

I'm not mad that minoxidil didn't work (it did) or that it stopped working (it's slowed down a lot)... I'm mad that I took it not knowing I wouldn't be able to wean myself off of it at the time. A mistake I wouldn't make now. I also had no clue as to how much of a chore it is to apply it every morning and to make it not look like a slobbering dog just licked my head.

 

[medmax84]

How long have you been using minoxidil?

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure... I think it was Jan 2006.

 

[medmax84]

2 words: minoxidil dependent.

If you hate being "stuck" on it so much, why did you start it in the first place? Surely you never expected it to be a permanent fix for your problem, did you?

PS I know we got off to a bad start, but I don't know why you continue to use that tone with me.

 

[Bryan]

I'm not mad that minoxidil didn't work (it did) or that it stopped working (it's slowed down a lot)... I'm mad that I took it not knowing I wouldn't be able to wean myself off of it at the time. A mistake I wouldn't make now.

That's what I'm getting at! What on earth makes you think that you're not able to wean yourself off it?? If you've decided it's too much trouble to use, just stop using it. You'll lose any extra hair that it was growing, of course, but that's to be expected. Topical minoxidil isn't a permanent fix.

 

[medmax84]

I'm not mad that minoxidil didn't work (it did) or that it stopped working (it's slowed down a lot)... I'm mad that I took it not knowing I wouldn't be able to wean myself off of it at the time. A mistake I wouldn't make now.

That's what I'm getting at! What on earth makes you think that you're not able to wean yourself off it?? If you've decided it's too much trouble to use, just stop using it. You'll lose any extra hair that it was growing, of course, but that's to be expected. Topical minoxidil isn't a permanent fix.

But I've been using it for 2-3 years. I'll bet that the minoxidil-dependent hairs are extensive throughout my scalp. To the best of my knowledge, minoxidil diffuses into and across the scalp. I'll bet even follicles unaffected by androgenetic alopecia are partially or fully minoxidil-dependent.

That said, I have been reducing my dose for the entirety of the summer (less per application). I was shedding a lot at the beginning of the summer, but it has died down. I think it is why my thinning at the crown is now more noticeable..hence why I am forced to start finasteride. Over the next few months, I am going to TRY to continue the decrease and switch to every-other day. Everything I've read has stated emphatically that this won't go well. :dunno:

This is all opinion, I can't really substantiate this. I wouldn't be surprised if my current dosage is sub-therapeutic or approaching it quickly.