Newbie with questions.

[crisis]

Hi I'm new here. I'm 21. I've been losing hair now for about 2 years or more. Quite rapidly really. I thought it might subside so i've just got on with things. But it hasn't. Also the prospect of taking medication everyday (that they know relatively little about) seemed quite daunting. Oh and the fact that its dam expensive, especially for a student.

Lately it's got quite bad and I'm going to have do something about it. I'm sure if there are any negative consequences they won't be as bad as losing all my hair.

My hair loss isn't 'normal'. Infact if it was 'normal' i doubt i'd be here. Well thats easy to say without actually knowing. Anyway, I have lost most hair around my ears. My side burns are gone. As is about 2cm of hair around my ears. I have quite receeded areas either side of my forehead but they have always been fairly receeded. I don't have a bald patch on my crown and I have alot of long wavy hair at present which is cool because it provides quite good scalp cover. I'm sure my hair loss would be very visable if I got it cut. Definately around my ears. Theres no way i could get it shaved around the sides.

Needless to say its stressing me out like mad and i'm very depressed about what the future will hold if I sit here twiddling my thumbs any longer. I need to do something about it.

I have a few questions. I have done research on the net but I want to hear from people actually using these products. If anyone could answer some of them I would greatly appreciate it.

1. Who should I speak to? A doctor? A derm? Will the Doctor put me in touch with the derm?

2. Is it best to start with a low dosage of finasteride? .5? .625? And increase if needed?

3. What % approx. suffer side effects from finasteride? What side effects have you guys had?

4. Would you recomend using minoxidil and finasteride together? I guess the answer is yes but I only plan to use minoxidil for a limited length of time e.g. 1 year max to try and regrow hair around my ears. I wont be able to afford to keep it up permenantly (I haven't quite worked out how i'm going to afford any of this yet!). If I stop using minoxidil and carry on with just finasteride, will I lose everything I regrew?

5. Do you need a prescription to order the generic finasteride off this site? Is that what you guys use?

6. Finally and most importantly, how many people go through a shedding period? This has got me very worried. I think if i went into a shedding period I would be quite visably bald. How long did it last for you guys and how severe was it?

Apologies for the long post. Many thanks in advance if you can answer a question.

C

 

[juststarting]

Please, read this sites FAQ. All your questions are answered. The dosage one is directly linked in my sig.

 

[crisis]

ok apologies i am very busy stressing out over my finals so not got much spare time to read the net. i have had a quick read over the faq and you are right thanks, some of them are answered there however some are not. also i'm interested to know what results people from this site have had i'll rephrase some of original questions aswell:

1. Is it best to start with a low dosage of finasteride? .5? .625? And increase if needed?

2. did anyone on this site start using finasteride and minoxidil together then stop the minoxidil? what was the result of this?

3. Do you need a prescription to order the generic finasteride off this site? Is that what you guys use?

thanks.

C

 

[drinkrum]

Start with just finasteride at the normal dosage (1 mg/day) and stick with this for a year. Don't use minoxidil yet. You can buy genuine Merck Proscar (5 mg) at http://www.111drugstore.com. Remember to split the pill into 5ths or 4ths (it's OK to take 1.25 mg/day).

D.

 

[crisis]

wow that site is so cheap! thank you. one of the main reasons putting me off was the cost.

why is proscar so much cheaper than propecia?

also how big are these 5mg tablets? is breaking them into fifths hard?

 

[drinkrum]

wow that site is so cheap! thank you. one of the main reasons putting me off was the cost.

why is proscar so much cheaper than propecia?

also how big are these 5mg tablets? is breaking them into fifths hard?

Because drug companies charge more for vanity -- Proscar is used for BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia). But at the 1 mg/day level, it's used for balding.

The tablets are not huge. Buy a pill splitter and split it into 4ths (1.25 mg) -- this is the one I recommend: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod. ... LST-0-SRCH

The little extra 0.25 mg will make up for any particles you lose while cutting, anyway.

D.

 

[crisis]

thanks for the reply, much appreciated.

why do you suggest not using minoxdil yet? i am petrified of what the shedding phase will do to my receeded areas (i.e. make them visable because they currently are not due to the fact i have v long hair). surely if i try and regrow them it will counter act any shedding? also i am moving to a very hot climate later this year so i will probably need to get it cut which is currently not an option due to my receeded areas.

thanks

 

[juststarting]

Minoxidil won't stop the damage. Propecia/finasteride does. Something I am going to post now, does minoxidil stop working eventually as the follicles die...I think it does. Also, people report shedding more often with minoxidil then finasteride on this forum, not that that means anything though...just my personal observation.

As for shedding, no one knows if you will have it or not. I am at month 2 on finasteride, and I can't tell if I am shedding or I am losing my *normal* amount per day (I always have lost like 20-50 hairs a day since i was 20).

 

[juststarting]

also, from this site's discussion:

SHEDDING: Our hair naturally goes through growth and resting cycles. Each hair has its own cycle, and at any given time, a large % of follicles are "resting" while the remainder are "growing" as hair on the scalp. When Propecia enters the system, the sudden removal of DHT from the follicles can sometimes shock a large number of follicles to enter into the resting phase at the same time. Its known as a synchronization of the hair cycle. To the layman, it's frequently known as the "shedding sh*ts". Panic can set in as the person who sought to stop their hair loss, suddenly see's it get worse right before their eyes. The change is typically not noticeable to anyone but the one on the treatment, but its enough to cause many to freak out and lose their stability. We are here to inform you to NOT worry about shedding. If you are shedding, this means you are responding to the treatment. A larger number of hairs have entered into dormancy so that they can rest, and rejuvenate in 2 or 3 months free of any DHT affliction. It's as simple as that. Shedding rarely lasts more than 4 months, and typically results in a sudden "awakening" of large numbers of hairs.

PATIENCE: Propecia takes time. Do not expect results in 3 months. If you are a good responder, your hair loss will stop at about month 4. You typically will not see any regrowth until month 6 to 8, and your optimum results on the treatment won't be seen until after one full year. Be patient, know that you've got an 83% chance to keep what you have today, and let it do its job.

NIZORAL: As mentioned above, it is a little known fact that the FDA required trial participants to use an anti-inflammatory shampoo like Nizoral for the duration of the trials. This means you should too. You must keep your scalp in a non-itchy, non-inflamed, non-flaky state in order for Propecia (or any other treatment for that matter) to work well.