New guy with a few questions

[mikey21]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this board, or any for that matter so i'll give a little background of myself. I am 21 years old and obviously experiencing hairloss. It is most noticeable at the front of my hairline and above the temples, but it is thinning all over the top. I first really noticed my hairloss about 7 months ago, and I have now been taking propecia religiously for 6 months. So far I don't feel like its given me significant results, but i'll be patient. I am hoping you all may be able to help me with a few questions:

1. I've read that propecia is not effective at the front of the head (hairline) and area above the temples, has anyone been able to maintain or grow hair in these areas with propecia?

2. I've been looking for a connection between alcohol consumption and the efficiency of propecia, as i am 21 and in college i end up drinking a fair amount, and occasionally drag my hungover self out of bed in the morning to take my pill. I assume that propecia is in some way metabolized in the liver, am I reducing the effectiveness of propecia by taking it with alcohol still in my system from the night before (or sometimes only a few hours before as the case may be)?

3. Has anyone else read the five year results for propecia, they seem disheartening, the trend appears to be that the regrown hair begins to slowly fall out, I am hoping that further hairloss below the baseline does not occur assuming any regrown hair eventually falls out. I am hoping for any general thoughts or reactions to this study

Thanks in advance, and I'd like to add that reading over these posts has made me feel quite a bit better just knowing that others are going through the same things I am. -Mike

p.s. I noticed a post about Telogen Effluvium, which I read a brief summary of; the poster seemed to believe that propecia gave him Telogen Effluvium? forgive me if i read it wrong, but how in the world do you know if propecia gives you Telogen Effluvium?

 

[socks]

Welcome mikey21,

Coming here is the next best thing to taking Finasteride


Ok, I'll try to answer your questions as best I can:

1. I've read that propecia is not effective at the front of the head (hairline) and area above the temples, has anyone been able to maintain or grow hair in these areas with propecia?

Finasteride is a 5a-reductase inhibitor. What that means is it prevents the 5a-reductase enzyme from converting testosterone into DHT. Finasteride inhibits 85%-90% of type 2 DHT.

Finasteride does not block any type 1 DHT. However it should be noted that there have been separate trials in both humans and stumptailed macaques which showed that specific type 1 inhibitors like MK386 had no noticeable effect on male pattern baldness.

Anyhow, that isnt to say that type 1 DHT might not factor in somehow. While DHT is the main known cause of hairloss it isnt the sole responsible agent. The autoimmune response also seems to play a role in hairloss as it seems the altered DHT hair follicles are then attacked by your own body. Furthermore there may be a series of events (biologically speaking) that is set into motion as the DHT is damaging your hair follicles.


What I'm getting at is Finasteride is effective EVERYWHERE on your scalp. However, there are other factors that may play into the equation. Furthermore, it seems the front hair is the most sensitive to the effects of DHT. Since some type 2 DHT is still getting through (along with 100% of the type 1) the front may not respond as well.

It seems though that a lot of men at least maintain or slow down the rate of recession in the front

2. I've been looking for a connection between alcohol consumption and the efficiency of propecia, as i am 21 and in college i end up drinking a fair amount, and occasionally drag my hungover self out of bed in the morning to take my pill. I assume that propecia is in some way metabolized in the liver, am I reducing the effectiveness of propecia by taking it with alcohol still in my system from the night before (or sometimes only a few hours before as the case may be)?

I cannot answer that question. It is usually never good to mix alcohol with meds.

3. Has anyone else read the five year results for propecia, they seem disheartening, the trend appears to be that the regrown hair begins to slowly fall out, I am hoping that further hairloss below the baseline does not occur assuming any regrown hair eventually falls out. I am hoping for any general thoughts or reactions to this study

I think it is important to note that the men in the study all had a good amount of hairloss and all looked much better off then they did before they started.

As I already stated, earlier in this post, Finasteride doesnt 100% "fix" the problem. There is not only DHT that is still getting through there are also other factors.

I think though as more research is done there will be more options open to men who suffer from Androgenetic Alopecia in the future. Keeping as much hair as you can now may put you ahead of the game 5yrs-10yrs down the road.

In addition, it seems that men who catch their hairloss early have a much higher degree of success in maintaining the hair they have. You seem like you're still a fairly young guy (I am as well at 26yrs). I think you have a good chance on keeping the hair you do have on a Finasteride routine... At the very least it will put you ahead of the game latter on.

Here are a few quick tips:


With the Finasteride, you want to see if you can get a doctor to write you a prescription for Proscar instead of Propecia. Both Proscar and Propecia are EXACTLY the same drug (Finasteride). The difference is Propecia is a 1mg tab FDA approved for Androgenetic Alopecia and Proscar is a 5mg tab FDA approved for an Enlarged Prostate.

What you then do is cut the Proscar into 1/4ths or 1/5ths. This way you get 4months or more out of a bottle rather then just one month. This saves many $$$$


Look into Nizoral 2% (click on the blue text and make sure you read both pages!). Nizoral 2% is prescription in the USA. You will either need to get a doctor to write you a prescription for the nizoral, buy the 1% OTC version, or buy the 2% on the Internet from Canada where the 2% in non-prescription.

Finally, if regrowth is what you're interested in as well you need to add minoxidil to your routine. I suggest starting with the 2% for the first 3month supply and then switching to the 5% (this will help reduce your shed). You can also look into some of Dr. Lee minoxidil solutions if you find the 5% generic to be too greasy (his web site is http://www.minoxidil.com).


Make sure you give your routine 6months to 1yrs before passing any judgment. Also, take before and after pics so you can gauge the level of success.

Good luck!

 

[mikey21]

Thanks socks I really appreciate your response. One quick questions I forgot to throw out there in my first post was regarding shedding. As I have said before, I have been taking propecia for six months thus far and I feel like my hairloss hasn't slowed down much at all, in fact it seems that it may have sped up. Everything I have heard about this "shedding" phase hints that it doesn't generally last longer than 3 months, is it possible or likely that I am experiencing this shedding phase 6 months into my treatment?

I am also using nizoral shampoo a few times a week, the 1% OTC type. Not sure if its done much for my hair, but its definitely stopped the itchy flake scalp I had for a few months when my hair began falling out so I'm sure it couldn't hurt

 

[socks]

As I have said before, I have been taking propecia for six months thus far and I feel like my hairloss hasn't slowed down much at all, in fact it seems that it may have sped up. Everything I have heard about this "shedding" phase hints that it doesn't generally last longer than 3 months, is it possible or likely that I am experiencing this shedding phase 6 months into my treatment?

Well two things.

1. The most important aspect is not the shed but rather how the hair is coming back.

2. My shed didnt stop till the 6th or 7th month... I added Nizoral 2% and Zix w/ azelaic acid.


I would recommend upgrading your 1% nizoral for the 2%. Use it every other day for the first month then you can drop it to every third. Wash with a mild cheap shampoo first and rinse. Then apply the nizoral and leave it on for 5-10 mins.

If you still have shed problems after two weeks I recommend you add zix to your routine. It is very cheap to make ($25 bucks gets you a 2-3yrs supply of the stuff you need to make it). You can find more info on it here: Click me for the Zix instructions


Just stick with it bro and you'll be alright

 

[mikey21]

Thanks socks I'll look into that.....

So far the hair I've been shedding doesn't seem to be growing back, but i'm crossing my fingers extra hard and hoping for the best...

Do you really think upgrading to 2% nizoral can stop my shedding in as little as two weeks?? Thats great if it can but it just seems a little overly optimistic I thought, let me know what you think.... Also I'd love to hear what other people have to say about Zix, I looked at the link you posted and I'm just a little skeptical because its a homemade treatment.

I appreciate all the help so far, -Mike