Kthxbi's Story 16 MONTH UPDATE - (heavy nw2? finasteride/nizoral)
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kthxbi
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Re: Kthxbi's Story UPDATED. - (heavy nw2? finasteride/nizoral)
hi all, sorry bout the long time since an update. think things are going pretty well, think i've had a lil more regrowth since last update and definitely sustained everything. shedding like a mother for the last few weeks but nothing visible, and my pecker's still working better than ever so i'm pretty happy. wanted to upload some pics from recently but my charger is at work so i can't do that for the next day or two. i'll stick some new pics up asap and hopefully be able to say for definite that things have improved instead of just thinking they have.
keep on keeping on all
f
hi all, sorry bout the long time since an update. think things are going pretty well, think i've had a lil more regrowth since last update and definitely sustained everything. shedding like a mother for the last few weeks but nothing visible, and my pecker's still working better than ever so i'm pretty happy. wanted to upload some pics from recently but my charger is at work so i can't do that for the next day or two. i'll stick some new pics up asap and hopefully be able to say for definite that things have improved instead of just thinking they have.
keep on keeping on all
f
kthxbi
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Re: Kthxbi's Story UPDATED. - (heavy nw2? finasteride/nizoral)
i had an initial shed which was, well, a lotta hair but nothing actually noticeable on my head. one more i'd say about 2 months ago which was real minor, again not noticeable. this one, think i'm on the tail end of it or just finished shedding, lasted a few weeks, tons of hair coming out when i'd wash it but again, completely unnoticeable on my actual head.
zero sides... well, zero lasting sides. had a few weeks of nausea and brain fog in the mornings when i first started, and have had ball ache 3 or 4 times in the 10 months i've been taking it... and yeah, ball ache is horrible. an hour or so of agony and sometimes nausea. but, the last occurence of it was before i started this job, so... i spose 4 and a half months ago. and they've always been one off things, never more than one day in a row.
maybe slightly less semen when i c*m sometimes but then others a lot more, so i think that's just how my body's feeling that day like every guy gets it. penis still works just fine and no tenderness in nipples or anything.
i had an initial shed which was, well, a lotta hair but nothing actually noticeable on my head. one more i'd say about 2 months ago which was real minor, again not noticeable. this one, think i'm on the tail end of it or just finished shedding, lasted a few weeks, tons of hair coming out when i'd wash it but again, completely unnoticeable on my actual head.
zero sides... well, zero lasting sides. had a few weeks of nausea and brain fog in the mornings when i first started, and have had ball ache 3 or 4 times in the 10 months i've been taking it... and yeah, ball ache is horrible. an hour or so of agony and sometimes nausea. but, the last occurence of it was before i started this job, so... i spose 4 and a half months ago. and they've always been one off things, never more than one day in a row.
maybe slightly less semen when i c*m sometimes but then others a lot more, so i think that's just how my body's feeling that day like every guy gets it. penis still works just fine and no tenderness in nipples or anything.
kthxbi
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Re: Kthxbi's Story UPDATED. - (heavy nw2? finasteride/nizoral)
hi all, sorry about how long it took - finally posted some up to date photos. i didn't realise the lighting was so different so i know they're really not that helpful photos compared to how similar the conditions of the other ones were, i'll get some decent ones up next time. but it shows you roughly how things are doing.
still seem to be losing a lot of hairs when i wash my hair - maybe that's just because i never brush it, i don't know. but definitely looks better than it did to me, and people say my hair's a lot darker than it was.
side effects 0.
hi all, sorry about how long it took - finally posted some up to date photos. i didn't realise the lighting was so different so i know they're really not that helpful photos compared to how similar the conditions of the other ones were, i'll get some decent ones up next time. but it shows you roughly how things are doing.
still seem to be losing a lot of hairs when i wash my hair - maybe that's just because i never brush it, i don't know. but definitely looks better than it did to me, and people say my hair's a lot darker than it was.
side effects 0.
kthxbi
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Re: Kthxbi's Story UPDATED. - (heavy nw2? finasteride/nizoral)
hi all, nother update for you. i'm about 16 months into treatment now. i don't know how i feel about it really. i've been shedding for a month or two - i hope this is just a seasonal or year shed which will hopefully grow back stronger, and not treatment failing but i am very very worried about it. i think i look better than baseline but i am feeling really uncomfortable about my hair at the moment.
these latest photos are in very harsh light of course but i would really appreciate anyone's comments.
thanks
f
hi all, nother update for you. i'm about 16 months into treatment now. i don't know how i feel about it really. i've been shedding for a month or two - i hope this is just a seasonal or year shed which will hopefully grow back stronger, and not treatment failing but i am very very worried about it. i think i look better than baseline but i am feeling really uncomfortable about my hair at the moment.
these latest photos are in very harsh light of course but i would really appreciate anyone's comments.
thanks
f
mpower90069
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You have phenomenal results. Not sure what you are concerned about. You have more hair than chewbacca. I think you are being OCD at this point. You probably have 60 years of life left ... Enjoy your days and don't stress about something that only you probably perceive.
kthxbi
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thanks for your kind words guys. Still shedding, itch is still here, dandruff too. can anyone tell me if those symptoms sound like a normal shed? I'm above baseline for sure but I've thinned out a bit compared to the peak of my results so far i think, which is scaring the crap out of me and im hoping desperately its just a temporary shed and will grow back even better. I'm now pretty much exactly 17months into my finasteride regimen.
Any replies greatly appreciated.
f
Any replies greatly appreciated.
f
kthxbi said:
Hi Kthxbi ,
your story is a great success. so stick to your regimen
about the shedding, itching, and dandruff I also had the same triad
I'll not talk about shedding, I'll talk about itching and dandruff, continue usage of of nizoral it's great antidandruff shampoo.
but with long hair it's hard for nizoral with small amount to reach all areas of scalp and all hair shafts, maybe you'll need to use the whole bottle .
so I recommend adding another shampoo which you can apply with large amounts to reach all hair shafts and scalp like "clear" " head and shoulder extra strength".
again make sure to rub it throughout your head and reaches all head areas.
you also need to change your pillow case every two days till the dandruff wards off.
you also need to soak all your brushes and combs in water mixed with any antidandruff shampoo. and clean them with an old toothbrush
your scalp must be exposed to sun,, it's very good for dandruff and itching
you can cut your hair to make it easier to treat dandruuf
once the dandruff has gone , your scalp itching will also go away , and maybe you'll stop shedding , In my case I always had a relation between itching , shedding and dandruff.
you can also add minoxidil for shedding but be careful because the alcoholic solution will aggravate the dandruff
remember that dandruff is genetic and seasonal so don't stop treating it if it has disappeared because it'll come back once you stop
mpower90069
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Anecdotally, sheds on finasteride, usually result in thickening over time. You will likely see even more thickening over the next few months as the shedded hairs cycle out and the follicles grow less inhibited by dht. I see no reason why your success can't continue. If you don't see results in 6 months... You can consider increasing finasteride dose, or dutasteride. Good luck.
kthxbi
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hi all, update for you all. still losing ground - started to notice thinning up top. i've started just now on rogaine foam, am going to be using it twice daily. updated first post with pictures from just after a hair wash + my first application. different lighting + wet hair so of course it's not a great way to know what's what but that will probably be the format of the majority of pictures for the near future.
i hope this goes well. not happy.
i hope this goes well. not happy.
kthxbi
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first update in.... christ, over a year. didn't realise it'd been so long...
first up, no pics right now sorry... i don't have a working cam or a PC (on my phone now so this'll be a brief post)
in terms of hair, i now take generic dutasteride 3x a week, finasteride 4x and still on min. I'm definitely above baseline still, I'm generally very happy with how treatment's gone. I think that my hair up top is in harsh light quite obviously a bit thinner and if the wind changes suddenly anyone can see I've receded a bit, but all in all im better off than i was 3 years ago and hope to continue having success. I do feel lots of hairs coming out in the shower and I have dandruff and sometimes an itchy scalp, which neither nizoral nor sls free shampoo seems to help. but all in all, I'm happy. If I could maintain what I have now id be over the moon. I'll get some new pics up asap but til then, thanks for reading, educating and supporting me through this, and good luck all.
F
first up, no pics right now sorry... i don't have a working cam or a PC (on my phone now so this'll be a brief post)
in terms of hair, i now take generic dutasteride 3x a week, finasteride 4x and still on min. I'm definitely above baseline still, I'm generally very happy with how treatment's gone. I think that my hair up top is in harsh light quite obviously a bit thinner and if the wind changes suddenly anyone can see I've receded a bit, but all in all im better off than i was 3 years ago and hope to continue having success. I do feel lots of hairs coming out in the shower and I have dandruff and sometimes an itchy scalp, which neither nizoral nor sls free shampoo seems to help. but all in all, I'm happy. If I could maintain what I have now id be over the moon. I'll get some new pics up asap but til then, thanks for reading, educating and supporting me through this, and good luck all.
F
kthxbi
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Hey all! I've not been on here in a long time and only today managed to get back into the email address I'm registered here with. By coincidence I'd very recently had a PM from abovedagame asking for an update & so that was on the first page of my like 10,000 unread emails!
This is going to be a wordy one, but if anyone's interested at all I'm going to copy what I said to abovedagame down here. I've gone into tons of detail - probably more than anyone wants or needs - but I know that it's rare (or it used to be at least, I assume it's still the same but haven't looked!) that you get updates from people several years into treatment, also info on Dutasteride was fairly minimal back in 2010. With that in mind, here is my 7.5 year update!!!
I hope that it's of some use to someone out there, either as a source of information or a source of hope. Things aren't perfect by any means but all things considered I've had an extremely positive experience with meds.
Other than that, all I'll say is good luck to each and every one of you. Ride out the sheds. Keep yourself busy - ideally doing things that you care about. Outside of work I do a lot of volunteering these days and for the most part try to keep myself busy with things which make me feel like a worthwhile human being. I know it seems unrelated to hair, but being able to look at yourself with kindness, being able to see yourself as basically a decent human being ... it's at least as important as finasteride, dutasteride, or minoxidil ever will be in yr treatment.
I've blabbed now, I'll stop this bit and get to the hair. Update in 3... 2... 1...
- - - - -
My regimen is dutasteride twice a week (I tried 3 times a week briefly in something like 2014 but went back to 2 quickly), a quarter of a fincar (ie ~1.25mg finasteride) five days a week, and regaine foam twice a day. I've swapped from foam to liquid and back a few times, I'd say I probably prefer the foam but I do find it a bit more of a hassle.
With regards to my hair, I'd say my story has been a very successful one, but not perfect. I saw a picture of myself aged about 15 quite recently and looking at it now, the hairline had *slightly* started to creep back already by then ... nothing noticeable at all really, but knowing how things went it was interesting to see that my forehead had definitely started growing!
So what I'm saying is my hairloss was super aggressive and super early. With that in mind, my story has been extremely, extremely positive. I had not only maintenance but a great deal of regrowth right up to around about 2015, 2016. From then I've noticed some problems - the hairline is probably around about a 2.5 and has stayed that way, but density has definitely, definitely suffered. I used to have really, REALLY thick hair and whilst there's still some volume to it, the difference between my hair density right now & my hair in 2015 is shocking - to me. In mid 2016 I remember I was extremely worried about the same thing though, but I think it was just that I'd had a shed or two at some point as things definitely got much better late 2016/ thru 2017. So right now I'm hoping - desperately - that my hair thickens up again as the year goes on.
That said, whilst it takes a little bit more effort to style than it did a year or two ago, I've still got enough that I basically pass as having a great head of hair. I'm very worried about further thinning, and desperately hoping that I've simply had a shed of some kind and am due to regrow, as my haircuts *have* gotten progressively slightly shorter each time as to have it longer like I used to looks bad due to hair growing at diff rates / the top being less dense than I'd like. Density on top is, when I inspect it in some lights, really really bad, but my hair is very 'lively' naturally so it kind of 'covers for me' in that respect.
I've been finding myself doing a LOT more obsessing over mirrors over the past few months - I also had the breakup of a relationship at the beginning of the year, work has been very, very difficult for a year or so, and I'm looking for a new place to live ... I wonder if I might have lost a little more than I would otherwise due to general stress.
All in all though, given how brutal my hairloss genetics were, I'd say I've had an absolutely excellent experience. I really hope things get better again, and would be really, really devastated if they didn't, but to take my emotions out of the picture for a minute and look at the numbers, I've had eight years of hair so far that I definitely, definitely wouldn't have had otherwise. For that, and for the help that I got from this forum back when I was here all the time, both in terms of knowledge sharing and emotional support, I am extremely grateful.
This is going to be a wordy one, but if anyone's interested at all I'm going to copy what I said to abovedagame down here. I've gone into tons of detail - probably more than anyone wants or needs - but I know that it's rare (or it used to be at least, I assume it's still the same but haven't looked!) that you get updates from people several years into treatment, also info on Dutasteride was fairly minimal back in 2010. With that in mind, here is my 7.5 year update!!!
I hope that it's of some use to someone out there, either as a source of information or a source of hope. Things aren't perfect by any means but all things considered I've had an extremely positive experience with meds.
Other than that, all I'll say is good luck to each and every one of you. Ride out the sheds. Keep yourself busy - ideally doing things that you care about. Outside of work I do a lot of volunteering these days and for the most part try to keep myself busy with things which make me feel like a worthwhile human being. I know it seems unrelated to hair, but being able to look at yourself with kindness, being able to see yourself as basically a decent human being ... it's at least as important as finasteride, dutasteride, or minoxidil ever will be in yr treatment.
I've blabbed now, I'll stop this bit and get to the hair. Update in 3... 2... 1...
- - - - -
My regimen is dutasteride twice a week (I tried 3 times a week briefly in something like 2014 but went back to 2 quickly), a quarter of a fincar (ie ~1.25mg finasteride) five days a week, and regaine foam twice a day. I've swapped from foam to liquid and back a few times, I'd say I probably prefer the foam but I do find it a bit more of a hassle.
With regards to my hair, I'd say my story has been a very successful one, but not perfect. I saw a picture of myself aged about 15 quite recently and looking at it now, the hairline had *slightly* started to creep back already by then ... nothing noticeable at all really, but knowing how things went it was interesting to see that my forehead had definitely started growing!
So what I'm saying is my hairloss was super aggressive and super early. With that in mind, my story has been extremely, extremely positive. I had not only maintenance but a great deal of regrowth right up to around about 2015, 2016. From then I've noticed some problems - the hairline is probably around about a 2.5 and has stayed that way, but density has definitely, definitely suffered. I used to have really, REALLY thick hair and whilst there's still some volume to it, the difference between my hair density right now & my hair in 2015 is shocking - to me. In mid 2016 I remember I was extremely worried about the same thing though, but I think it was just that I'd had a shed or two at some point as things definitely got much better late 2016/ thru 2017. So right now I'm hoping - desperately - that my hair thickens up again as the year goes on.
That said, whilst it takes a little bit more effort to style than it did a year or two ago, I've still got enough that I basically pass as having a great head of hair. I'm very worried about further thinning, and desperately hoping that I've simply had a shed of some kind and am due to regrow, as my haircuts *have* gotten progressively slightly shorter each time as to have it longer like I used to looks bad due to hair growing at diff rates / the top being less dense than I'd like. Density on top is, when I inspect it in some lights, really really bad, but my hair is very 'lively' naturally so it kind of 'covers for me' in that respect.
I've been finding myself doing a LOT more obsessing over mirrors over the past few months - I also had the breakup of a relationship at the beginning of the year, work has been very, very difficult for a year or so, and I'm looking for a new place to live ... I wonder if I might have lost a little more than I would otherwise due to general stress.
All in all though, given how brutal my hairloss genetics were, I'd say I've had an absolutely excellent experience. I really hope things get better again, and would be really, really devastated if they didn't, but to take my emotions out of the picture for a minute and look at the numbers, I've had eight years of hair so far that I definitely, definitely wouldn't have had otherwise. For that, and for the help that I got from this forum back when I was here all the time, both in terms of knowledge sharing and emotional support, I am extremely grateful.
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- 134
Any chance we can have a pic of you at your worst and one at your prime ? The old ones aren't working
- Reaction score
- 78
Very thankful for the update. It's really helpful. Is the thinning you've got diffuse or just at the crown? Also what made you decrease the dutasteride dosage? I'm in a similar boat where getting some more decent years seems a realistic best case. Still hoping you get that regrowth though. Ever thought about other treatments?
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Thank you for sharing your experience. Like others have said, is it possible for you to share some before and after pictures of your hair?