Is spironolactone worth a shot in my case?

[TheEscapist]

I'm 16.

Too young for Propecia.

I'm Norwood 2.5/3 I think. My hairline on my right is higher up than my left. My left could probably still be considered a Norwood 2, but my right is heading back..

I've been on Rogaine for around a month now (the only results I've seen is shedding. I hope thats not indicative of anything.) And I recently went on this shampoo that was custom made by my dermatology office which is supposed to have DHT Inhibitors (doubtful they're anything potent: Green tea, saw palmetto, and some other stuff). It makes my hair "look" darker/thicker, but I have a feeling that its only supposed to look better, not actually make your hair better. It hasn't stopped the shedding really.

So, my next best bet I suppose is an Antiandrogen. This site recommends spironolactone the most. I'm 16, and incapable of setting up the meth lab required to concoct RU, so, spironolactone seems best.

My question is, is Spironolactone cream worth a shot to keep what I've got/get anything back? How have you guys faired with it?

This is my hair right now, dried. If I pull my hair back a bit, you can see its even more receded then in this image.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn9/Leviathaon/Snapshot_20110903_1.jpg

Also, if I use spironolactone in conjunction with rogaine, will I like, explode, or smell like a skunk or something? People say different things on here, so I'm not sure.

I just want to either keep what I have now, or regain some hairline if possible. I'm trying to hold on until I'm old enough for Finasteride. 2 years.

 

[hairhoper]

Re: Can spironolactone regain any ground?

On its own I don't think spironolactone will gain you ground, but together with Rogaine it could, if you're lucky....

It's hard to say as there really aren't any(?) success stories of regrowth where the main antiandrogen/androgen-inhibitor used is a topical (maybe IrishPride, though he's using RU and seems to be an abnormally good minoxidil responder), but if you believe topical spironolactone does anything at all then together with minoxidil you could have a chance.

The combination of an antiandrogen/androgen-inhibitor plus minoxidil certainly seems to triumph over using one of the two alone. Whether topical spironolactone will be strong enough in your case is really impossible to predict, all you can do is try.

 

[TheEscapist]

Re: Can spironolactone regain any ground?

Well, its worth a shot right? I'm 16 here.. genetics say I'm going to end up full-on Norwood 7 or 6. But, none of the bald members of my family (that I know of) had access to all the annoyingly varied amounts of treatment options we have today. Except my brother, who decided to just accept it, rather than take any preventative measures (he's 18 and a Norwood 3.5).

Maybe its worth a shot?

 

[WillNotLetItHappen]

Sorry to hear that, damn it you're really young! It's not fair that you have to deal with this at that age.

I don't know much about spironolactone but think you should definitely stay away from finasteride. I don't know about Revivogen, maybe someone can comment on that as an alternative for you? It blocks DHT. Maybe this can get you through until you can use finasteride. It's not exactly cheap. Nor is spironolactone.

Good luck to you. btw the way you wear your hair looks very good for you!

 

[afro]

You definately should include Nizoral shampoo in your treatments.

Nizoral is a growth stimulant / androgen recepter blocker / anti inflammtory and pretty much everyone uses it.
As far as i'm aware, it's more effective than Spironolactone, i've been using both for a while but can't say the results i've had with spironolactone have been noticable much, but the results i had after using Nizoral for a few months were great.

- 20 Years old, started minoxidil at 18 and Nizoral at 19, then Avodart 6months before turning 20 and have gained alot of ground.

 

[TheEscapist]

Thanks you two for bringing this back into discussion, I was really hoping to get some other opinions on what I should try.

I was interested in trying Revivogen, but, it seems like it'll be very expensive. I'd get just the DHT blocking shampoo, but, it seems you have to get the whole set up. Unless I went on Amazon and risked being scammed for just the shampoo, I'd figured I'd go for spironolactone since that seems a tad more simplistic/cheap

I have a job, but, I'm not rich.

In regards to Nizoral, I wasn't sure if it was worth it or not. You're the first person on here I've read about getting noticeable results from it. Is it expensive? And, I heard that they shut down production temporarily or something? Is it possible to get it any way other than online? I'd be up for using it, but, up until your recommendation, I didn't think it was nearly as beneficial or crucial as you said..

 

[Defiance]

You may be able to keep what youve got for a couple years without finasteride.

Are you losing thickness in the vertex, i cant quite tell from that pic. You should go with:
minoxidil in mornin, spironolactone at night. Maybe chuck in revivogen and apply before the spironolactone if youve got the cash. Don't buy S5 spironolactone either, get it from minoxidil solutions.

Alot of debates about supplements aswell, i feel curcumin works a bit for me so you could add a mild internal herbal regime if you want aswell. Dont know what the skinny is with herbal dht blockers when your a bit younger, saw palmetto etc. but worth a look as you cant take finasteride at your age.

 

[Nene]

Hey man. If I was you, I woud stick with just rogaine for now. Give it some more time, I bet you'll see great results in a couple of months. If not, then you should try spironolactone. I say this because, if you add spironolactone now and you get results, you won't know which medication is working. Then when you hit 18 or older, you can consider adding finasteride.

 

[Bryan]

Hey man. If I was you, I woud stick with just rogaine for now. Give it some more time, I bet you'll see great results in a couple of months. If not, then you should try spironolactone.

To the Original Poster: I don't agree with what Nene said above, for the simple reason that topical minoxidil doesn't appear to interfere with the fundamental balding process. After the maximum regrowth occurs with Rogaine, balding will very likely continue to progress, and at about the same general rate as it did before the Rogaine.

If you can't use Propecia yet because of your age, I do suggest using a topical that has a general antiandrogenic effect; possibilities would be topical spironolactone, Revivogen, or possibly Nizoral shampoo (that last one is theoretical and hypothetical, but it may work).

 

[TheEscapist]

Okay. I have the shampoo from the dermatologist, which is probably maybe a TINY little bit of a DHT inhibitor. I'm thinking spironolactone would be the best bet for a topical AA. Because of its ease of application, and its more reasonable price.

Which brand of it should I buy? Someone above said something about not getting the S5 kind off this site, but instead off minoxidil solutions? Why is that? What's the differences?

 

[Nene]

Hey man. If I was you, I woud stick with just rogaine for now. Give it some more time, I bet you'll see great results in a couple of months. If not, then you should try spironolactone.

To the Original Poster: I don't agree with what Nene said above, for the simple reason that topical minoxidil doesn't appear to interfere with the fundamental balding process. After the maximum regrowth occurs with Rogaine, balding will very likely continue to progress, and at about the same general rate as it did before the Rogaine.

If you can't use Propecia yet because of your age, I do suggest using a topical that has a general antiandrogenic effect; possibilities would be topical spironolactone, Revivogen, or possibly Nizoral shampoo (that last one is theoretical and hypothetical, but it may work).

I realize that rogaine doesn't interfere with the fundamental balding process. However, it can improve the appearance of his hair until he is old enough for finasteride. I"m not convinced that any topical actually interefers with the fundamental balding process, so IMO Sprio would probably be a waste of time and money. However, if money isn't an issue, then it wouldn't hurt to try spironolactone.

 

[Bryan]

I realize that rogaine doesn't interfere with the fundamental balding process. However, it can improve the appearance of his hair until he is old enough for finasteride. I"m not convinced that any topical actually interefers with the fundamental balding process, so IMO Sprio would probably be a waste of time and money.

You really don't believe that any topical actually interferes with the fundamental balding process? Not spironolactone? Not RU58841? Not Proxiphen? Not anything at all? :dunno:

That's one of the weirdest opinions I've ever seen here. I'm glad I don't have to take it seriously.