Is it finasteride, minoxidil or both?

[zroca]

I was on minoxidil one month before I started finasteride. Been on finasteride for about a month and a half, I have regrown new hairs on my hairline not many though, but my main question is how do I know the finasteride is working? How would I know I'm not part of the 17% that finasteride has no effect on, and its been minoxidil thats been doing all the work? I don't want to keep wasting money on finasteride if I know it aint doing crap for me and I have no way to tell if it is working since i was on minoxidil before finasteride, or is there a way to tell? Is shedding a way of telling its working, becuase if it is I haven't shedded at all ever since starting minoxidil or finasteride. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Zroca

 

[Okayaye]

.......

 

[Yardbird]

Sorry to contradict, but that's not good advice. If you're on Minoxidil, you are on it for life. If you quit, you'll loose a lot of hair, and propecia will not help you maintain it in this case.
If you don't believe me, go here:
http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/finasteride-minoxidil.htm

If you do get off minoxidil, you'll eventually return to normal after a few months, as was pointed out by Bryan. If you want to know more about that, check the minoxidil studies on this website.
I'd say, if you're on minoxidil, stay on.

There are threads that have dealt with this issue thoroughly, so check those out as well.

Good luck.

 

[Kramer3]

I want to clarify that 87% statisitic. I always hear everyone talk about how finasteride is supposed to maintain hair count in 87% of people based on the FDA data. While this is true, it is also somewhat misleading. Those tests were done on the vertex area of the candidates thus making the data only applicable to the vertex area. I'm positive finasteride has a positive affect on frontal hairloss but I doubt it's to the extent it has on the vertex.

 

[Guest]

I want to clarify that 87% statisitic. I always hear everyone talk about how finasteride is supposed to maintain hair count in 87% of people based on the FDA data. While this is true, it is also somewhat misleading. Those tests were done on the vertex area of the candidates thus making the data only applicable to the vertex area. I'm positive finasteride has a positive affect on frontal hairloss but I doubt it's to the extent it has on the vertex.

I think you are misled, Propecia's effects were studied in both the vertex and the anterior midscalp region. THe anterior midscalp is the area right behind the hairline. The areas not tested were temporal and the anterior hairline.

 

[Kramer3]

Badass: Your probably right. The problem is, like most men who are beginning to bald, I don't really have to worry about the anterior midscalp quite yet. The anterior hairline and the temporal areas are the ones that I'm experiencing thinning in. I wonder if there is any data to show the effectiveness of finasteride on those areas.

 

[Bryan]

I was on minoxidil one month before I started finasteride. Been on finasteride for about a month and a half, I have regrown new hairs on my hairline not many though, but my main question is how do I know the finasteride is working? How would I know I'm not part of the 17% that finasteride has no effect on, and its been minoxidil thats been doing all the work? I don't want to keep wasting money on finasteride if I know it aint doing crap for me and I have no way to tell if it is working since i was on minoxidil before finasteride, or is there a way to tell?

I agree with what another poster said, that it's _probably_ the minoxidil. However, I still strongly suggest that you continue the finasteride, because minoxidil probably doesn't interfere with the fundamental balding process itself. If you want to KEEP what you have now, you can't necessarily rely on the minoxidil to do that job for years and years and years! If you don't have any side-effects from the finasteride, then stay on it!

Bryan

 

[David77]

I'm only on finasteride & nizoral, and have been on it for a little over a month... I haven't seen any real improvement so far, but certainly there is what looks like little hairs growing at the front, so maybe this is what you're seeing.