Need some serious help and advice (crazy situation)

[ughhairloss]

I've been on the Big 3 for about a year and a half and have managed to sustain. I am approaching or am already at NW4 territory. Just recently because of being able to sustain I booked an FUT with Dr. Rahal. However, to my unfortunate luck the propecia seems to have lost effectiveness. I am itching on the scalp and am also itching on my body as well which is strange. I quit Rogaine two weeks ago after booking the transplant but the itch started on the last day that I was using Rogaine. This is what makes me think that it isn't the cessation of Rogaine that is causing the itching.

Another possibility is that I experimented with RU58841 twice and it cased some heart side effects so I stopped. I don't know if RU58841 could possibly make the androgen receptors more sensitive after only two times of usage so that it makes finasteride ineffective (has anyone ever heard of this) but that's another theory I have. That seems crazy though only after using it two times.

Most likely finasteride has just run its course and lost its effectiveness. Which really sucks and is awful timing considering that my transplant is coming up and I already made the deposit and such. For the record I was on 0.5 mg of finasteride EOD for a year and a half. I tried the full dosage and it didn't make a difference. In panic, I got a script for dutasteride and tried some last night. It definitely decreased the itching somewhat, but I still woke up with morning wood and I am still occasionally itching on the scalp.

This is scaring me beyond belief. None of this makes any sense and going into a transplant without knowing if your hair is stabilized or not is the worst feeling. I don't know what to do. I am really confused at this point.

 

[smyth01]

Just because you are itching does not mean you are experiencing problems again, especially as you say you are itching on the body too. Give dutasteride some time to kick in, you will probably get some regrowth with that, its
often underestimated how much stronger it is compared to finasteride.

p.s please for your sake upgrade to FUE.

 

[ughhairloss]

Just because you are itching does not mean you are experiencing problems again, especially as you say you are itching on the body too. Give dutasteride some time to kick in, you will probably get some regrowth with that, its
often underestimated how much stronger it is compared to finasteride.

p.s please for your sake upgrade to FUE.

Thanks for the response. Yeah it did seem irregular since the back of my hair is itching as well (my donor hair.) And that just seems impossible at this age. My hair has definitely gotten worse but that's probably due to stopping minoxidil as well. What is the reason for my hair/scalp/everything itching? Any ideas?

I'll talk to them and ask if I could upgrade to a FUE. It's a lot more expensive. I have thick coarse hair so it seemed logical to save some money and go with FUT. Of course the scarring part sucks but in reality I just want to enjoy the last few years of my youth that I have left before I am 30.

Also if this is just some kind of weird phase should I go back to finasteride and just up the dosage to 2.5 mg or something? I hate using up the biggest gun that I have left in my arsenal (dutasteride) as it seems like when you use stronger hair loss drugs it makes weaker drugs and dosages that would have worked less effective if you go back to them. In theory if this is true and I am not experiencing problems, then I should be able to go back on finasteride since I've only been on it for a year and a half.

 

[ughhairloss]

Just because you are itching does not mean you are experiencing problems again, especially as you say you are itching on the body too. Give dutasteride some time to kick in, you will probably get some regrowth with that, its
often underestimated how much stronger it is compared to finasteride.

p.s please for your sake upgrade to FUE.

Thanks for the response. Yeah it did seem irregular since the back of my hair is itching as well (my donor hair.) And that just seems impossible at this age. My hair has definitely gotten worse but that's probably due to stopping minoxidil as well. What is the reason for my hair/scalp/everything itching? Any ideas?

I'll talk to them and ask if I could upgrade to a FUE. It's a lot more expensive. I have thick coarse hair so it seemed logical to save some money and go with FUT. Of course the scarring part sucks but in reality I just want to enjoy the last few years of my youth that I have left before I am 30.

Also if this is just some kind of weird phase should I go back to finasteride and just up the dosage to 2.5 mg or something? I hate using up the biggest gun that I have left in my arsenal (dutasteride) as it seems like when you use stronger hair loss drugs it makes weaker drugs and dosages that would have worked less effective if you go back to them. In theory if this is true and I am not experiencing problems, then I should be able to go back on finasteride since I've only been on it for a year and a half.

 

[ughhairloss]

Just because you are itching does not mean you are experiencing problems again, especially as you say you are itching on the body too. Give dutasteride some time to kick in, you will probably get some regrowth with that, its
often underestimated how much stronger it is compared to finasteride.

p.s please for your sake upgrade to FUE.

Thanks for the response. If this is true, would it be advised that I get back on a higher finasteride dosage like 2.5 mg?

It's just that none of this makes sense. I have always been sensitive as hell to anti-androgen's. It practically made me a brain fogged eunuch for a while but it was bearable (at least for me because I wanted my hair.) Now it's like the side effects are gone. The fact that I took dutasteride (which is way more powerful) for the first time and it doing hardly anything to me is blowing my mind right now. It's completely crazy. Plus the back of my hair itching (the donor area) and everything else is making no sense at all.

What could be the reason for the itchy scalp? Or being itchy everywhere? I was expecting to be knocked out after taking the dutasteride but I still feel normal. I don't feel anything like how I felt when I first started taking finasteride. My hair is definitely getting worse but that could also be due to stopping minoxidil as well.

 

[smyth01]

Thanks for the response. If this is true, would it be advised that I get back on a higher finasteride dosage like 2.5 mg?

It's just that none of this makes sense. I have always been sensitive as hell to anti-androgen's. It practically made me a brain fogged eunuch for a while but it was bearable (at least for me because I wanted my hair.) Now it's like the side effects are gone. The fact that I took dutasteride (which is way more powerful) for the first time and it doing hardly anything to me is blowing my mind right now. It's completely crazy. Plus the back of my hair itching (the donor area) and everything else is making no sense at all.

What could be the reason for the itchy scalp? Or being itchy everywhere? I was expecting to be knocked out after taking the dutasteride but I still feel normal. I don't feel anything like how I felt when I first started taking finasteride. My hair is definitely getting worse but that could also be due to stopping minoxidil as well.

Its believed to be the sudden hormonal change which creates the brain fog from finasteride, so because your hormones have levelled out as such, and your body is used to reduced DHT, you are a lot less
likely to experience sides from dutasteride. The itching could be anything, but from what you have described, anything but hair loss related. Mabye a slight allergic reaction from something you have ingested. Mabye
try an anti histamine and see if that helps.

Remember a lot of people can take finasteride/dutasteride and just forget they even taking anything because its not the sort of drug you 'feel' you have taken.

As for dosage, Id always reccomend someone to add dutasteride rather than increase their finasteride dosage as there is not much benefit from a larger finasteride dose for hairloss.

 

[ughhairloss]

Its believed to be the sudden hormonal change which creates the brain fog from finasteride, so because your hormones have levelled out as such, and your body is used to reduced DHT, you are a lot less
likely to experience sides from dutasteride. The itching could be anything, but from what you have described, anything but hair loss related. Mabye a slight allergic reaction from something you have ingested. Mabye
try an anti histamine and see if that helps.

Remember a lot of people can take finasteride/dutasteride and just forget they even taking anything because its not the sort of drug you 'feel' you have taken.

As for dosage, Id always reccomend someone to add dutasteride rather than increase their finasteride dosage as there is not much benefit from a larger finasteride dose for hairloss.

Fair enough. But what about my dick feeling completely normal again (in terms of erection quality and sexual drive)? Do the hormonal levels include that too? The sides of my hair have been thinning slightly too and I never applied minoxidil there which concerns me. But this could be part of a shed perhaps.

 

[ughhairloss]

Just to update the scenario. I am on day 4 of avodart (taking 0.5 mg everyday) and still no sides. I hope it is working but I am not sure. My hair is shedding. I am finding little hairs on my pillow and the table and the itch still hasn't gone away.