No more chest discomfort; today is my day! What's next?

[daredevil14]

25 years old NW2 here with naturally thin long curly hair, no crown thinning, only receded temples. Figured that it's better to start treatment now in order to halt back any further hairline loss or even crown loss.

I started to take 1 mg of Proscar, only lasted 4 days due to the constant 24/24 chest/breasts/abdomen/heart/whatever discomfort, I couldn't stand the anxiety that it could be gyno developing; it started immediately within 24 hours though... so I stopped!

I decided to start again last Monday but with a 0.5 mg of dose, guess what? Yes, the same chest issues, thought that finasteride isn't really for me! I, however, insisted on keeping taking it and addressing the chest issue with some kind of a medication later on if it will persist. Today, however, I woke up with a 80% improvement, I am barely feeling any discomfort, am I really free of this annoying side? Today I take my 6th 0.5 mg dose and I am really happy!

My questions:

1) What's next for me? When should I raise my dose to the regular 1 mg of dosage? Should I wake a few more days to make sure that I am 100% done from any chest isssues? Or jump to 1 mg immediately?

2) I noticed that a very few hairs from my receded temple areas have shedded, is this a good sign? Should I, hopefully, expect a thicker regrowth in the next 6 months?

 

[Vlatch]

I wouldn't recommend raising your dosage to 1mg if you have chest pain, you could on the contrary try 0.5mg eod or even every three days if the discomfort comes back.

Finasteride remains effective even at 0.2mg a day, and DHT levels don't rise for three days after a 1mg intake, so you can "play" with the dosage to find what suits you best.

Wait at least 3 months to notice any result, but it could take more than a year, and keep in mind that maintaining even without regrowth is a success.

Good luck !

 

[hmm]

*facepalm*

 

[daredevil14]

Vlatch, thanks for the tips.

hmm? hmmmm?

Fred, what's the rational that I was really developing gyno? Again, the discomfort (which I'd rather call it) originally started immediately after 18 hours from my first pill... then I stopped after a few days and then after restarting now, after 6 days, the discomfort is 80% gone... How can I know that I am prone to gyno? How could you judge my case as being prone to gyno (for example)? I am very skinny (~60 kg) if that helps, other than this, I do not know...

 

[zdm632]

Good advice, but as i know there is a simple surgery for gyno, so it can't be worse than hairloss maybe...
Anyway, at only 4 doses/ 6 doses of finasteride, sides are only psychological.
Maybe i am wrong but i think this gyno-fear is unreasonable. Like, omg, i will grow tits like in a woman.
Can a man grow real tits? Real, not some tiny bumps, unnoticeable through clothes.

 

[daredevil14]

One more note to add, I wouldn't know now that I could have been in the same situation as I am now should I have originally remained on 1 mg.

I mean I tried the 1 mg dose for 4 days and I stopped... Now on my 6th day of 0.5 mg, the discomfort is 80% gone, so if I had waited a few more on days on my 1st trial, I could have been in the same situation.

Bottom line: I've read elsewhere about some people who had a slight chest discomfort when starting finasteride which resolved itself with a few more days. I think I am on the same boat. In my original post, I was pretty asking for the next step.

 

[daredevil14]

I am not acting like I know what I am doing. I am just generally following the general guidelines. I have said that it's more of a discomfort and it's in the chest/abdomen/... not one specific place. Plus, I am just playing on the rationals that developing gyno has a rare percentage of actually happening, so I cannot simply quit finasteride from the 5th-6th dose just because I felt some discomfort in my *all the areas I mentioned* and specifically considering that today has been a great day when compared to the previous 5 doses, who knows? Maybe I'd actually develop it, maybe not, gotta try, keep vigilante of any chest swelling, etc... or even pain.

 

[g.i joey]

Some people will never learn. Don't use finasteride if you're prone to gynecomastia.

If you don't care for this simple advice, you'll learn that there are worse things than hair loss in life.

Really? Weren't u preaching how u rather have cancer and how thay the only thing thay sucks about cancer is hairloss. . Just the other day you wrote there was nothing worst than hairloss...

TO THE OP...

Personally I think finding a reduced dosage that doesn't cause chest discomfort is ur best option... maybe after a year on thay dose ur body won't take much of a hit when u up the dosage

I got gyno from finasteride but managed to rid myself of it and am.now on .25 ed with no discomfort whay so ever

 

[zdm632]

Well, let's post my case again: http://www.fredk.be/images/gyno.jpg

A friend of mine told me that some of the Asian girls he dated would have loved to have boobs like these.

Don't play with this. I know it's fixable, but you really don't want to go through gyno. It started with chest pain for me too.

OP, like other members in the past, always want to play the little chemist and act like they know what they're doing.

Until it's too late.

Yes, you're right. But how did they feel to the touch? Was there hard tissue? Because people who are more or less overweight don't have a perfectly flat chest, it can look like that, but it's mostly fat tissue.

 

[Secretlybatman]

I've had some chest discomfort when wearing tight clothing but i was poking around a lot paranoid about having gyno. Now i've noticed that one nipple (Not the areola around the nipple but the pointy bit itself is a little bigger on one side than the other and is also stiffer on that side. I don't really feel any pain or anything and ive tried the squeeze tests and felt nothing. Been on finasteride for about 7 months now.