I know you hate propecia, but if you did take it, how would you do it? EOD? mon-wed-fri?
I don't hate the drug itself as it has its uses -- for androgen deprivation for prostate cancer and BPH in old men.
Rather, I hate Merck -- the lying scumbag company that lied about the true risks and mechanisms of action of their medication, and the rare possibility of permanent changes to one's body, sexuality, overall health and hormonal profile, despite discontinuation.
That said, I would never touch it again knowing what I and others know now. HOWEVER -- since you specifically asked me, and based on the graph mentioned in my previous post, if someone is hellbent on taking this medication despite all else, I would:
- take as little as possible (0.125mg, an 8th of a 1mg pill)
- take it once a week, or at most every 5 days to try and reduce flatlining of DHT surpression
The problem for those with side effects seems to arise from the DHT surpression first and foremost, so it goes without saying that the more you surpress DHT and the longer it remains surpressed, the more likely you are to experience side effects with increasing severity. Conversely, it also therefore goes without saying that the less you surpress DHT and thus the possibility of side effects, the less likely you will have success in halting your hairloss.
It's a very delicate balance and because Finasteride is so powerful even at microscopic doses, it's very difficult for many to find the "sweet spot" in terms of these tradeoffs. As an example, before I knew any better I was taking 1.25mg of Proscar (5mg quartered) daily because it didn't "sound like much" to me and I figured I'd never get side effects anyway... little did I know back then about how potent the drug truly is, irregardless of dosage.
I'm looking to get of it in the future, did you do anything to prevent the hairloss after you used finasteride, or were you to preoccupied with the side effects you encountered?
Why are you looking to get off Finasteride?
The only thing I have used post-finasteride for "hairloss" is Nizoral 2% and Head & Shoulders Zinc Pyrithione shampoos.
That said, after my whole Finasteride ordeal and the ongoing permanent problems I have been left with, I could really care less about losing my hair anymore. Hairloss pales in comparison to the devastating health problems people have been left with since taking finasteride, which really puts things in perspective about what's important in life -- being a healthy, virile, powerful, strong, energetic, witty, sharp, horny and funny man (prior to finasteride); or being the emotionally flat, physically weak, sexually inept, fatigued, brain fogged, chemically castrated, libidoless shell of a person these people have since become (after taking finasteride) -- all for the sake of trying to keep a few hairs on one's head for just a little while longer.
Given the choices, in my opinion the risks of androgen deprivation therapy for cosmetic purposes are simply not worth it. I had to learn my lesson the hard way that vanity has a price (in this case, my health and physical, sexual and mental wellbeing as a fully functional male organism) and that there is more to life than just hair. Hairloss is a part of life, trying to treat a cosmetic problem with systemic, hormone altering drugs is just asking for trouble as I and many others have, and continue, to find out.
Bottom line: in my opinion, if you're looking for a solution to a cosmetic problem, get a hair transplant and stick with topicals.
