newbie looking for advice on products

[Goldigga]

Ive been looking around this site for the last few days with some interesting reading. I am a 30 year old guy and first noticed gradual signs of hairloss at the age of 19 with slight reding at the temples

At the time I had of incredibly thick curly hair. It has very slowly receded and thinned over the years. Even at this stage though its not too bad (will include some pics soon) Im probably at a level2.

I did try laser with rogaine at the age of 23, but just didnt stick to it. I am interested in trying other products with the goal of trying to retain what I have so I have a couple of questions

If using finasteride, does it really matter if its propecia or finapecia?
Does the generic brand have any other side effects?
Should I try finasteride on its own first rather than combining it foam so I know whats working and whats not?

Any advice greatly appreciated

 

[cmudave]

there is really no difference between finpecia and propecia. The only difference is that finpecia is way cheaper because its a generic. Side effects should be no different from finpecia compared to propecia. As far as the foam goes, its up to you, definitely wouldn't hurt, and its a mean combo. If you really want to have a strong regimen go with what we call "the big 3" Which is finasteride (finpecia, propecia, fincar etc.) minoxidil (rogaine) and nizoral shampoo.

 

[Goldigga]

Thanks Cmudave
I suppose the most worrying thing is not which product to chose, but possible side effects.
Does shedding occur in most people when they start taking finasteride / Rogaine?

 

[Sean68]

no not most but its a significant number. i never have.

 

[Goldigga]

Right then. Thats it Im going for it. I dont want to have major regrets in a few years when its all gone and I did nothing about it

Im gonna order Finpecia, Rogaine Foam and Nizora. Do you recommend appling the foam all over or just the worst hit areas?l

 

[indie85]

I would apply the foam just to the areas you want regrowth for two reasons:
1) it'll last longer
2) the propecia should take care of your general hair and thicken it up

 

[JDW]

How about going with proscar? It contains 5mg of finasteride and you can split it into
1/4 to get 1.25mg or 1/5 to get 1mg. muchos cheaper

 

[Guest]

Golddigga,

Sounds like a good plan, though instead of getting Nizoral I'd recommend you start off with Revita. It's not much more than Nizoral anyways and you can pretty much use it every day, and it has many more hair regrowth ingredients than Nizoral.

Check my BEST PRICE thread on page 1 or 2 of this forum on where to get it from.

 

[Goldigga]

5 months on

Well.... 5 months have passed since I started this post and I have done absolutely NOTHING!!! since then about my progressive hairloss

I am now about a 3V. My temples have got worse and i have a small balding area on the top of my head. Also my hair overall has thinned more.

I purchases Minoxidal Foam and Nizoral shampoo today and have ordered Finpecia online. Hopefully it will stop any further hairloss

Here are my photos. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.

http://s238.photobucket.com/albums/ff263/Gollly/Aug07/

 

[msapacaman]

I would recommend holding off on the rogaine until you can assess the effectiveness of finasteride on yourself. That whay you will know what products work for you and which ones don't. Use the finpecia for 6 months and determine how well it worked. If your still not satisfied, start using the rogaine you bought.

 

[Goldigga]

Thanks for the advice. I have already started using the rogaine. The finasteride is in the post..... mmmm dont know what to do now!!! what your saying does make sense though. If i see that the finasteride is working, then why start using the Rogaine too...

Would it not be more effective to use both of the products?? or is it usually the case that one product usually works better for most people. I just hear about everyone going on about the big 3 so thought that was the way to go!!!

 

[Goldigga]

Well its been about 3 months since I started my treatments. 3 months on Rogaine foam and 7 weeks on finasteride. Also using 1% Nizoral. I wasnt very disciplined at the start and was missing days here and there. Although I have got a lot better, I still miss the odd day...

Didnt really notice anything until about 3 - 4 weeks ago. I have noticed a few dark hairs appearing around the front of my hairline but not so much around the temples yet, even though this is where I am concentrating my efforts on.... On the negative side, my hair does feel generally more thin all over... I havent noticed a really bad shed, but it just doesnt seem as thick as when I started. I know this is normal and I prepared to ride it out. The fact that I have seen some regrowth ( no matter how little it is) gives me confidence to stick with it

The one thing I need to improve on is the timing of my application. I am a shift worker and this varies from nights to days every month, so although I am applying the foam twice a day most days and popping a finasteride. The actual time I take them varies on a daily basis. Could this have a negative effect on my progression? Are you better taking them at a set each day?

 

[cmudave]

shouldnt matter as long as u are taking the foam apps somewhere between 12 hours apart and the finasteride 24 hours apart (give or take a few hours on both) Keep us updated on the progress, I wish you the best