My experience on The Big 3 - bfassassin

[bfassassin]

Hey what's up guys. I'm a 25 year old guy and thought I'd share my story. It all started when I was about to turn 21. I noticed that I had some minitiaurized hairs at my hairline and I thought to myself that can't be right because everyone in my family line except for my grandfather on my dad's side has or had a full head of hair. Even my cousins my age still have all their hair! I took pictures of my crown later that day and discovered I had a really small bald spot forming on the top of my head. I went into panic mode and immediately started researching for any types of remedies online.

Eventually I learned about finasteride and minoxidil but after reading all the horror stories about ED and loss of libido, I swore to myself that I would never get on finasteride. I didn't immediately go on minoxidil either because my hair was still pretty thick and the balding was next to unnoticeable.

Here's what it looked like at that time (2010) I deleted the crown pics but I had a small bald spot forming in that area.


Fast forward to 2012. My hair was still in pretty good shape but I felt the top was starting to get a little bit more thin. My hairline was still intact as well leading me to believe I had DUPA.

Here's what it looked like:




So anyways I went to my GP and he prescribed my 5% minoxidil(you need a prescription for 5% in canada). For the next year or so I used minoxidil and I feel like it had regrown a little bit and stalled any further balding.

This is what it looked like a year in minoxidil 5%(2013):


After that, for some reason I just completely stopped the minoxidil because I felt as though my hair was in great shape. Boy what a bad mistake that was lol. After a couple of months or so my hair went through a massive shed and my hair started to look alot thinner at the top(even my ex commented and said it was getting a little thinner). I didn't take any pictures of the crown and the vertex because I was afraid of what I would see.

During this time I thought that it was inevitable, that I was going to go bald so I tried a #1 shave on my head just to see what I would look like. I did not like what I saw. I went through some depression and anxiety at this point.. even refusing to leave the house for a couple of days and ended up breaking up with my ex. I again went back on the internet just as I did 3 years prior and did some more research on the side effects of finasteride. Again I put off going on finasteride because of all the stories and didn't want to **** myself up. The next few months I just tried to live with the fact knowing that I was going to go bald. Oh yeah I went back on minoxidil in December 2013.

Fast forward to June 2014. The minoxidil grew a little bit of what I had lost during that shed but it was still kind of thin at the top. Hairline still the same as it was when I first started balding. During this time I got a new and really attractive gf and although she didn't really comment on my hair(I'm not sure if it was even noticeable) I felt as though something had to be done. I just did not want her to see me go bald + I liked the way she would grab my hair in bed lol. So for the final time I went back on the internet and researched about finasteride. After reading about the low percentage of side effects and the fact I looked like **** bald I finally decided to jump on the pill. I went to my GP and he told me everything all the potential side effects that I had already read a hundred times over and prescribed me 1mg finasteride per day.

So now I've been on finasteride for 3.5 months and am happy to report no side effects. Except maybe watery semen once or twice. No trouble in the bedroom + horny as ever(probably even more now I feel).

Here are some pics:

This is when I started finasteride so late June/early July 2014(I didn't take any crown or vertex pictures):


And here's now mid-October 2014 same shave length:



So yeah officially I've been on the big 3 for a month(Minoxidil 5% foam twice a day - 11.5 months Finasteride 1mg - 3.5 months Nizoral 2% every 3 days - 1 month) and I feel like the vertex/crown filled in a little bit so I'm happy about that. Hoping to see some more regrowth but not holding my breath for it. Honestly, as long as I can maintain I'll be happy because my hair is still pretty thick I'd say and even more now after being on the big 3 for a bit.

Anyways, yeah that was my story feel free to ask any questions if you have any!

 

[Notcoolanymore]

Good to hear you are having side free success.

 

[mr.patches]

you could have been just fine with finasteride alone tbh

still, you're doing good and without any sides! congrats man

 

[Notcoolanymore]

you could have been just fine with finasteride alone tbh

still, you're doing good and without any sides! congrats man

Yes. If possible that the way to go, so you don't have to mess with using minoxidil 2x/day. Just pop a pill every day and your done.

 

[bfassassin]

Thanks guys, I don't mind applying minoxidil though. It only adds 10 mins to my day plus people said along with finasteride and nizoral it gives you the best chance for regrowth so I thought may as well.

 

[bfassassin]

Update: So I've been on finasteride for officially 4 months now, minoxidil 5% 1 year, nizoral 2 months. Hair definitely looks and feels alot thicker. I can actually spike my hair up now and it's alot harder to see scalp. Coworkers have been commenting how thick my hair is too, which is great! I also bought one of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FPVFXK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 so I could keep track of how much hair I was losing in the shower. From the past week I've seen 70-150ish every time I've hit the tub. I either must still be shedding and it's not noticeable or I must have been dropping 500-700 per shower pre-finasteride. I estimate I'm at 80% of what I was at from high school. I probably won't be able to get 100% because I lost a third of an inch off my hairline that I doubt I'll be able to regrow back.

Some new sides from finasteride: my semen has been alot more watery lately still horny as ever though I think even hornier than I was before taking finasteride. No ED so far(knocks on wood). I switched from 1mg finasteride to generic proscar 5mg cut in fourths. I was paying about 100$ for 3 months worth of finasteride and now it's dropped down to 25$. I also switched from Rogaine to Kirkland minoxidil and went from 80$ for a 3 month supply to 40$ for a 6 month supply. All in all I did the math, including nizoral, everything comes down to 220$ for a years supply of the big 3. So far feeling happy I wish I could post some pics but there seems to be a glitch with Iphones atm all my pictures aren't showing up on my comp so I can't upload any pics.

 

[soccerplr19]

While you were losing hair, did you notice any changes on your scalp for ex: greasy, crusty or anything? did you shed at all with finasteride?

 

[bfassassin]

Didn't really notice any changes; hair remained pretty much the same. Actually it was hard to notice because at the time I cut my hair down to a #3 shave so it was hard to tell if anything changed but right now with my hair the same length to pre-finasteride everything from what I've noticed has stayed the same, no grease, extra dryness or anything like that. As for the shed I noticed even when my head was shaved all the way down, up to 70 hairs in the tub even without the drain protector. If I had the drain protector I swear I would have been counting near 1000 in the tub. Hair still looked pretty thick during the shed though or maybe I wasn't really paying attention because it was so busy in the summer lol.

 

[bfassassin]

I've now been on Fin for officially 5 months now, minoxidil 5% 1 year 1 month, nizoral 3 months. I think I'm going through a moderate shed, the average amount of hairs in the tub has increased a bit. Hair still looking thick as hell though, really hoping I can maintain this because it just feels good spiking my hair now and not worrying how many hair follicles I'm killing. Before the big 3 I would routinely get a #3 shave all around every month just because I thought this was something I would have to inevitably do for the rest of my life anyway. Now on the big 3 it's like the anxiety is gone and I can just grow my hair out and style it whatever I feel like. Just feels good

As for side effects my semen is still watery but my libido + erections are unbelievable. Nothing like my high school days but it's pretty close.. really not sure what's causing it.

Hoping to maintain and keep my hair like this for many years but still keeping myself prepared to go bald if it happens. I'll try and post pictures later.. not sure if the iphone-computer photo transfer is still messed up.