if i take propecia...

[gh05]

Will i just go bald eventually anyway?

I'm a bit of an 'all or nothing' person. I care just as much about what my hair looks like first thing in the morning as I do in the day. Right now I'm really unhappy with my thinning hairline in the day and struggle to imagine waking up next to a girlfriend feeling remotely attractive like this. So I'm tempted by propecia (despite hating the idea of the negative effects), but unless it is going to thicken up my hairline and the thinning behind it and keep it there then I'm going to be just as unhappy I think. I have two options, shave it and say goodbye to having hair for good, or take this drug - but by the sounds of it I will still go bald and even if it does work initially then I will still just have gto relive this pain in a few years when i start losing ground again.

Also...i'm worried about it damaging my hairline quicker.

 

[andersonlynch]

Propecia I heard a lot of this drug, why don't you try minoxidil? But if you already choose propecia and only asking if you will use it or not then I say go for it. You need to give it a try. Let say you have a 50/50 chance but mostly you have 95 percent of success to regain your hair. But lets just say it is a 50/50 percent chances you should still try it. DO it or live forever without your hair.

 

[rtc84]

It hasn't been out long enough to determine that. There was a recent 10 yr study on finasteride but I can't recall what it said. I have read from people on here that have been on finasteride for around 7 yrs and they often say they're still going strong. If you're 20 and you want to know if the drug will still be working when you're 65 or 70, that's difficult to determine.

 

[IrishFella]

Before I started finasteride I was miserable looking in the mirror at what was once my one great redeeming feature, I couldn't style it because my left temple was thinning drastically, I remember when I first noticed and I let out this huge gasp and I almost started to cry, no BS, when people say stuff like, "I don't wanna start finasteride because I heard about this, or that", well I can say before I stated finasteride, because hairloss killed my confidence I had zero libido, zero enthusiasm, I stopped going the gym, not once did I ever think about women, sex, jerking off, because I was so damn upset at seeing such visible thinning, something I didn't expect to have a problem with at 23.

Anyway, I said f*** it, the benefits outweigh the risks ten fold in my case, I'm starting finasteride, I've been on it since the start of February, at 0.5mg dose and I use Nizoral 2% every 3-4 days, and I'm starting to see regrowth at my thinning temple already, touch wood I don't jinx myself, and loads more hairs across my hairline were I didn't even need them.

Right now I couldn't be happier, I'm back in the gym, back socializing, my confidence is back, almost, so I have no problem approaching women when I'm out and I don't feel like people are looking at my hairline anymore.

If I can feel like this for a few years, well, it's damn worth, who knows, I may be one of the 80% that lasts 5 years (maybe even 10?) with better than baseline results, and by then, I'm sure there will be a better treatment, not cure, on the market.

Me before finasteride = zero libido, miserable, no confidence, social hermit

Me whilst taking finasteride = I feel like my old self, circa hairloss.

The question you have to ask yourself is, how much do I need my hair? Because you said you could just shave, well, that would never be an option for me, unfortunately.

 

[gh05]

The question you have to ask yourself is, how much do I need my hair? Because you said you could just shave, well, that would never be an option for me, unfortunately.

How come shaving would never be an option for you?

Tbh I wouldn't hold out too much hope of a better solution being available in 5 or even ten years time...finasteride has been around quite some time now and still there is nothing better despite people saying there would be a cure by now many years ago.

Thanks for your response though.

I have been through so many horrible emotions with this and yes i know what you mean about the loss of libido. For me, when i shaved my head to about a grade 3 then i felt most comfortable and therefore most confident...the reason being that i didn't have to see the mess that it was in every morning.

I'm not sure about finasteride...i will ponder it some more. If i take it then i will have blood tests done first (expensive unfortunately) but I want to be as safe as i possibly can. I may even do the hairdx test first too to check as far as possible if there would be benefit of taking finasteride.

Are you really as happy as you say in yourself now? I've followed some of your posts and if i remember you were trying/considering trying all sorts of things...topical stuff, unproven things RU, CB etc...are you genuinely doing well with your hair now with no side effects?

 

[IrishFella]

You sure you have the right person? I was never considering anything BUT finasteride, my hairloss is no where near advanced for the likes of minoxidil, RU, CB etc, it's just thinning along my left temple, or should I say was thinning? :dunno:

finasteride, at half the dose, along with Nizoral, is helping me, (I only started finasteride at the start of February so who knows how much more is to come) and to me it was a foregone conclusion as to whether to start finasteride or not, I know people, like yourself, are apprehensive, but I wasn't one bit, but that's just me.

You've already buzzed your hair before, to a grade 3, but I never would do that, (skull shape at the back is odd) when I get my hair cut I ask for a 3 on the back and sides and just a trim on top, infact, I style my hair just like my avatar but a couple of months ago that was nigh on impossible because of the thinning on one side.

It seems to me that you'll never take a chance on finasteride, which I can understand to a point, but, if like me you feel you "need" your hair, well you'd be on it by now.

Good luck with whatever you do, gho.

 

[gh05]

You sure you have the right person? I was never considering anything BUT finasteride, my hairloss is no where near advanced for the likes of minoxidil, RU, CB etc, it's just thinning along my left temple, or should I say was thinning? :dunno:

finasteride, at half the dose, along with Nizoral, is helping me, (I only started finasteride at the start of February so who knows how much more is to come) and to me it was a foregone conclusion as to whether to start finasteride or not, I know people, like yourself, are apprehensive, but I wasn't one bit, but that's just me.

You've already buzzed your hair before, to a grade 3, but I never would do that, (skull shape at the back is odd) when I get my hair cut I ask for a 3 on the back and sides and just a trim on top, infact, I style my hair just like my avatar but a couple of months ago that was nigh on impossible because of the thinning on one side.

It seems to me that you'll never take a chance on finasteride, which I can understand to a point, but, if like me you feel you "need" your hair, well you'd be on it by now.

Good luck with whatever you do, gho.

Ok, thanks - yeah i think i was thinking of another guy called irish pride.

Can I ask if you have had any negative effects at all or noticeable physical changes other than hair? What will you do when finasteride loses effectiveness?

 

[IrishFella]

If I feel it's losing it's effectiveness I'll bump it up to 1mg as opposed to 0.5m, Rawtashk, a poster on here, was doing great for 3 years at half the dose and recently upped his dose to 1.25mg and he feels it's helping again.

I'm banking on it working, touch wood, for at least 5 years seeing as that was a long term study that had an 80% success rate over that period of time. And who knows if RU, CB and those other experimental topicals won't be on the market in 5 years or so?

I know Cosmo Pharma are looking to get CB on the market for acne and male pattern baldness.

Now, as for any other side effects, when I started I had a really HIGH libido and my semen was a bit more watery than before but after about 7-10 days everything went back to normal.

I feel no different besides much happier, and that's the truth, pal.

 

[abcdefg]

CB probably within 5 years in theory. I have high hopes for CB if its not too expensive it sounds like it actually blocks all androgens not just DHT and if it turns out powerful enough should theoretically stop male pattern baldness completely.
We need a better way to prevent then propecia I think that much is clear. Propecia was a huge discovery though and opened all these other doors. I think the poor sales are part of why its been 20 years with nothing better.

 

[gh05]

If I feel it's losing it's effectiveness I'll bump it up to 1mg as opposed to 0.5m, Rawtashk, a poster on here, was doing great for 3 years at half the dose and recently upped his dose to 1.25mg and he feels it's helping again.

I'm banking on it working, touch wood, for at least 5 years seeing as that was a long term study that had an 80% success rate over that period of time. And who knows if RU, CB and those other experimental topicals won't be on the market in 5 years or so?

I know Cosmo Pharma are looking to get CB on the market for acne and male pattern baldness.

Now, as for any other side effects, when I started I had a really HIGH libido and my semen was a bit more watery than before but after about 7-10 days everything went back to normal.

I feel no different besides much happier, and that's the truth, pal.

Thanks, that's useful to know and actually makes me feel a bit more willing to try it.

I'm at a point where i obsess about my hair mainly because I'm scared of what it might be like in future. I don't like how receded it looks in the mornings sometimes but i can keep it short and be happy enough...but I don't think it's aggressive as it's been receding for at least 3 years now...that's part of what stops me from risking finasteride...i always think, if it stays like this for another 5 years and only gets much worse when i'm 40 or so then maybe i'll be happy with that. It's not knowing that makes me obsess over it.

 

[gh05]

CB probably within 5 years in theory. I have high hopes for CB if its not too expensive it sounds like it actually blocks all androgens not just DHT and if it turns out powerful enough should theoretically stop male pattern baldness completely.
We need a better way to prevent then propecia I think that much is clear. Propecia was a huge discovery though and opened all these other doors. I think the poor sales are part of why its been 20 years with nothing better.

Surely there are systemic side effects with CB though if it's so powerful? Isn't stopping male pattern baldness about limiting DHT in the blood anyway?

 

[abcdefg]

CB probably within 5 years in theory. I have high hopes for CB if its not too expensive it sounds like it actually blocks all androgens not just DHT and if it turns out powerful enough should theoretically stop male pattern baldness completely.
We need a better way to prevent then propecia I think that much is clear. Propecia was a huge discovery though and opened all these other doors. I think the poor sales are part of why its been 20 years with nothing better.

Surely there are systemic side effects with CB though if it's so powerful? Isn't stopping male pattern baldness about limiting DHT in the blood anyway?

I will just reiterate this is just theoretical since we dont know much and its not finished so anything could happen. It could turn out to have sides, but its topical and its a different approach of trying to stop androgens from binging to the hair without affecting the systemic androgens so theoretically should be safer. Also unlike a lot of topicals claiming to do this, they are going to go through trials for FDA to prove it works that is the key difference.

 

[gh05]

CB probably within 5 years in theory. I have high hopes for CB if its not too expensive it sounds like it actually blocks all androgens not just DHT and if it turns out powerful enough should theoretically stop male pattern baldness completely.
We need a better way to prevent then propecia I think that much is clear. Propecia was a huge discovery though and opened all these other doors. I think the poor sales are part of why its been 20 years with nothing better.

Surely there are systemic side effects with CB though if it's so powerful? Isn't stopping male pattern baldness about limiting DHT in the blood anyway?

I will just reiterate this is just theoretical since we dont know much and its not finished so anything could happen. It could turn out to have sides, but its topical and its a different approach of trying to stop androgens from binging to the hair without affecting the systemic androgens so theoretically should be safer. Also unlike a lot of topicals claiming to do this, they are going to go through trials for FDA to prove it works that is the key difference.

Yeah I wouldn't hold out much hope for that stuff tbh...

Think about it....when men take hormone recplacement then often the testosterone is delivered in a gel...they rub it on their shoudlers. Rubbing powerful female hormones on the head is going to have systemic side effects - it's going to be absorbed. Concerns me even more that it is close to the brain etc...how would anyone know what damage that could be doing until many years later?

 

[abcdefg]

Not really worth debating a completely hypothetical thing since not enough is known on it yet, but the preliminary results they had mentioned that when it hits the blood stream the compound is changed so it becomes harmless. If they going through FDA then they will prove it works so we will find out in enough time if they decide to finish trials with it.

 

[gh05]

Not really worth debating a completely hypothetical thing since not enough is known on it yet, but the preliminary results they had mentioned that when it hits the blood stream the compound is changed so it becomes harmless. If they going through FDA then they will prove it works so we will find out in enough time if they decide to finish trials with it.

Can you tell me where i can find more info on this? When was it announced to be tested by the fda? surtely the process would take years anyway?

The whole 'changes to a harmless compound' thing sounds too good to be true, but frankly i would love to have a topical that got to the root of the problem without the detrimental effects of finasteride. Suppose we all would.

 

[abcdefg]

I think its in phase 2 trials probably 5 years away at earliest. We all want a safer alternative to propecia then we could all just try it without worrying about our health.
For now you have to use propecia if you want to try keeping your hair no other good choices yet.

 

[Rawtashk]

Even if you do go bald eventually....can you really put a price on keeping your hair for several more years? I don't know how old you are, but I'm 28. Every.Single.Male in my family (on both sides) was no better than a NW3 by the time they were 26. My older brother was NW6 by the time he was 26. My younger brother was NW3 by the time he was 23. I'm about NW2, and I guarantee you that I'd be about NW4 by now, and my confidence would be much lower than it is now.

I fully expect to be bald at some point in time. However, I personally think I will be able to handle it better when I'm closer to 40 than in my early-mid 20s.


Don't know if you've read my story, but here it is
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65594

 

[soma_72]

Not really worth debating a completely hypothetical thing since not enough is known on it yet, but the preliminary results they had mentioned that when it hits the blood stream the compound is changed so it becomes harmless. If they going through FDA then they will prove it works so we will find out in enough time if they decide to finish trials with it.

Can you tell me where i can find more info on this? When was it announced to be tested by the fda? surtely the process would take years anyway?

The whole 'changes to a harmless compound' thing sounds too good to be true, but frankly i would love to have a topical that got to the root of the problem without the detrimental effects of finasteride. Suppose we all would.

Just check it out at their page. Cosmo pharmaceuticals> News and media> 19/01/2012 > select the first link you will see (yellow leters) >19 Jan 2012 and that's it, it's a pdf, the cb-03-01 thing starts from around the page 45 to 50, I'm not sure. It says It won't interfere with the DHT synthesis, it will interfere with the DHT receptor, which is a lot more safe and probably effective. It is well tolerated by the body and it has no sides. Just read it, it sounds amazing.