Need help with regimen

[hethen]

Hello,

I've been a long, long time lurker here, but this is my first post. As of more recent, I've been becoming more and more obsessed with reading through these forums and trying to find a suitable regimen for me. I'm currently 25, been slowly receding since 20/21, but it hit me hard 1 year ago. I'd say I'm at about a NW2 right now. I think one of the things that contributed to the rapid hair loss was me working out. Once I noticed the hairline getting worse I stopped. Then 7 months ago I started back up, again, watched me lose ground, and stopped. Now for college, I have to start working out again (part of a fitness program in one of my classes) but I'm scared sh!tless because I'm tired of watching my hairline worsen more and more. I don't want to take finasteride or any other oral drugs. I've been on 2% nizoral for the last 2 months, and just started 5% minoxidil a couple of weeks ago, but feel like that won't be enough. I keep reading mixed reviews on S5, but I've really had my eye on RU58841. What I'd like to know is what my best bet would be for maintaining my hair without oral finasteride. Anything against RU58841 combined with fluradil?

Also, I'm planning on getting a hair transplant when I'm at the recommended age in a few years (trust me, I'd love to do it now), but everyone on here says that you need to stay on the drugs if you want to maintain the hair. I thought the point of the transplant was to take hairs that weren't genetically susceptible to DHT and relocate them to the front of the hairline so you didn't have to worry about them falling out any more.


As I said, I would appreciate any advice I can get. I've been obsessing over reading through archives of info to the point that I'm not getting some of my college assignments submitted in time. Like today, I woke up at 10:00am and have been reading on this sh!t for roughly 8 hours straight. I don't even eat or anything, lol, all I want to do is read this crap to figure out a regimen that would work best for me.

 

[Todd]

Frontal recession is a b*tch. But if you still have some vellus- hairs, minoxidil could maybe waken them up. The Big 2 that you´ve started (nizoral and rogaine) is a pretty good regimen for catching early hairloss. But give it time; minoxidil has it´s peak effect after a year or two. After that it´s thought to wane off. New research on minoxidil, however, shows that a lot of people maintains (and some even regrows) after 5 years, and the effect waning off progresses much slower than placebo; which makes it a decent competitor to finasteride for long time usage. So I guess the trick is to just stay on it.

Topical anti- androgens are thought to be only so-so in regrowing, much better for maintaining. Many people swear by spironolactone. IMO fluridil is the way to go: tested in clinical trials, decent preventive results and people maintaining after 3 years.

However; finasteride still is the best hair loss prevention drug out there. And you have guys that´s been on it since it 1998 without side effects. Just saying.

 

[hethen]

Todd, sorry I'm a bit late with this, but thanks for the reply. I'm not really too concerned about growing more hairs right now. I'd much rather maintain what I have. I figure if I can maintain this until 30, then it's time for an FUE. I've watched my best friend hop on propecia at 21, only to drop after 8 months (I think) due to sides that were still persistant with him even long after he got off the meds. I know everyone has a different reaction, but I'd prefer to leave it as a last resort drug for me (it just hits closer to home when it happens to your best friend, ya know).

I've been wanting to try fluridil since I started reading about it, but the more I read the more it seems like people don't see much success with it. I don't mind the expense of it if it works, but don't want to waste my money on crap products when it could be spent on better things.

spironolactone - I'm still debating on trying this, although most people around here insist that it's too weak of a topical to do anything for you. I know there was a giant thread on S5 somewhere in these boards, but I haven't been able to find it.

Again, I'm really wanting to start working out again, but don't want any more recession, so if I could find a topical to wear before I head to the gym (or after, whatever works best) to combat the spike in testosterone, then that would be perfect. Like I mentioned earlier, I can worry about regrowth later - for now, I just want to maintain what I have. If you have any other information or links to spironolactone, fluridil, or other topicals that people have had success with, please post them. Thanks

 

[The Gardener]

I don't want to take finasteride or any other oral drugs. I've been on 2% nizoral for the last 2 months, and just started 5% minoxidil a couple of weeks ago, but feel like that won't be enough.

Given your no pills criteria, what you are on is perfect. Give it time, minoxidil does not work immediately so you're going to need to be patient, but the stuff is legit. minoxidil is a very powerful substance, don't discount it's potential for you. I've been on a minoxidil and ketoconazole (Nizoral) regimen for 9 years for my frontal recession, and I've been very pleased with my results, which were initial gains in hair coverage, a rounding off of my "widow's peak" area, and after that years of relatively good maintenance. In about three months you'll start noticing some favorable changes. In a year, you should be a very happy man, unless you are in the statistical minority who don't respond to it, which I believe is a negligible minority.

The thing with minoxidil is you have to be disciplined about it. Every day. Twice a day. For a year. Then, depending on how you're looking, you can start looking at some Plan B actions if you're not pleased. You could, at that point, decide to begin using a higher strength minoxidil, or perhaps dabbling in finasteride.

Just my personal opinion... I also used spironolactone for years. Dropped it because the stuff is just plain impractacal and, to be candid, I haven't missed it... nor has my hair. After dropping it, I had absolutely zero unfaforable impact on my hair. The minute I got a girlfriend, I just couldn't fit spironolactone into my routine anymore. The girlfriend can tolerate a little minoxidil in my head at night, but a head dabbed in spironolactone? I decided it was a bridge too far for me to ask her to tolerate.

One other suggestion... add in a second anti-fungal shampoo. Nizoral is great, but some scalp yeast can become Keto-resistant, which would be a disaster. I suggest adding in either a coal tar based shampoo, or a Pyrithione zinc based shampoo (Head and Shoulders). My preference is the Head and Shoulders because I happen to like how it feels on my hair, and it rinses out nicely. I use my Keto shampoo about 3-4 times a week, use H&S about once or twice a week, and a basic non medicated shampoo the other times. Sounds like a lot but keep in mind that I shower twice a day, so most of my shampooing is done with the non-medicated. I still do keep a bit of T-Gel anti-itch around, which I use on very rare occasion where my scalp seems especially irritated or itchy, as the T-Gel anti-itch really kicks *** on that.

As a guy who has been fighting the good fight for yeeeeaaars now, I have come to become a BIG believer in scalp health. Generally, when my scalp feels good, the hair is staying in. When my hair seems to be thinning or shedding, its almost always accompanied by scalp itch. I'm not saying that there is a direct cause and effect nor do I know what is causing and what is effecting, but I've definitely noticed the correlation. I do whatever I can to keep my scalp yeast free, and its paid off for me.