Nothing in almost a year. Am I screwed?!

[Chadman]

Fellas,

I've been on Propecia for about 10 months now, and just started 5% Rogaine Foam about 2 weeks ago. I wanted to hold off on the Rogaine for a while so that I could isolate results, or lack thereof, to Propecia as much as possible.

When I started I was about a NW3, and while that still sucked I could deal with it. It's now a far worse NW4, and I feel like I'm losing. I didn't really notice any shedding, but maybe I didn't have enough to actually notice in the first place. All I've noticed is a gradual reduction in density. No new hairs from what I can tell, although I do have a ton of vellus hairs all over the scalp, but they're not going anywhere, and to be honest they may have been there all along.

I'm not asking for a full head of hair here. Just get to an NW3 and hold for a little while. I'm getting married in about 6 months and my hair is the worst it's ever been. Damn.

Am I screwed, or is there some hope around the corner? Thanks everyone.

 

[klink]

I took Propecia only from 2002 til 2006, results were not super great, kept some hairline but vertex and crown kept taking a big hit.

I went big3 + msm as of 1.1.07, and look at my pics, my vertex is a ton better and the crown has done better too. I'm even getting temple regrowth. Do the big 3 for 6 months at least. I'm at month 4 and hope by the end of the year to completely cover my crown.

 

[Chadman]

Thanks much. I'll give it 6 months with all 3 and see what happens. I was hoping to see *some* results with the finasteride though, or at the very least not be worse off than when I started

 

[abcdefg]

You should be happy your getting married. You will have the girl of your dreams. Just imagine how crappy it is being a Norwood 4 and being 24 years old and single. I cant say I am but I know people that are and it must be rough.

 

[Guest]

Chadman,

Propecia alone won't do it for most. That's why the King of treatment regiments is known as the "Big 3" while more and more people are even using a Big 4 or a Big 5, etc.

I believe it can take up to a year to start seeing results from finasteride anyways. Also keep in mind that some non-responders to finasteride DO respond to dutasteride much more favorably. There's a whole dutasteride/avodart forum here you can read up about it in.

Since you've started Rogaine foam you should be in pretty good shape by the time of your wedding. Too bad you didn't have the full year to get the results from the foam with but in 6 months you should be much better than where you're at now. Since time's a tickin you might want to considering alternating your topical with foam/spectral DNC since it has a slight edge to foam with the other regrowth ingredients. You could do foam in the morning and DNC in the evening. Or simply stay with the foam and buy some tricomin or folligen copper peptides and apply those as well at night.

Get yourself some Revita shampoo and you're on the Big 3 finally. Congrats on the wedding and hang in there because you will probably thicken up by wedding day hopefully! I know I have and I haven't been on the foam/dnc for 1-week shy of 5 months, and have only been on finasteride for 2 months. I WISH I could just get a glimpse of what my hair will look like in 2008 but it's just sticking with the routine and letting time do its job.

 

[Chadman]

Thanks FairTaxNow, I appreciate it. I didn't even know about Spectral DNC. It's been a while since I've been on the forums as I've been silently hoping my current regimen would work

I'll give it a look along with Revita.

Wish me luck! Good luck to you as well...

 

[Guest]

No problemo, if you're gonna get'm both check out http://www.orbitus-superstore.com

Don't forget about the dutasteride tip too!! 8)

 

[klink]

Okay so you have 6 months, here is what I would do:

Propecia 1x day
Foam 2x day okay to skip once in a while
MSM 2x a day
Revita 5x a week

Also get L'Oreal Vive Shampoo and wash with that before the Revita once in a while, hair shol d look tons better.

I'm sure your hair will look better in 6 months. I like MSM because I think it speeds up hair growth and you definitely need that.

 

[Johnny24601]

re:

My first year on finasteride was a roller coaster as things seemed to be improving one month and then take a down turn the next. It really took about 1.5 years to stabilize. Now after about two years, I think my hair looks good and I am happy. Of course, my goal was to keep what I had and I have done that (I have pictures to prove it). Regrowth was minimal.
With finasteride, minoxidil and nizoral, you should see some decent results, IMO. Of course nothing is guaranteed with these treatments. For the most part these drugs are not miracle workers.
Are you so sure that you have regressed after a year? Do you have photos that compare your hair just before treatments and now after a year? I say this only because most people tend to look at themselves too critically.

 

[Chadman]

Re: re:

My first year on finasteride was a roller coaster as things seemed to be improving one month and then take a down turn the next. It really took about 1.5 years to stabilize. Now after about two years, I think my hair looks good and I am happy. Of course, my goal was to keep what I had and I have done that (I have pictures to prove it). Regrowth was minimal.
With finasteride, minoxidil and nizoral, you should see some decent results, IMO. Of course nothing is guaranteed with these treatments. For the most part these drugs are not miracle workers.
Are you so sure that you have regressed after a year? Do you have photos that compare your hair just before treatments and now after a year? I say this only because most people tend to look at themselves too critically.

No, no real pictures that could show any progression. I can tell by the way it looks though. When I started, I was actually thinking I'd be ok if I could just thicken up a little bit and then maintain. My hair was thin, receded, etc. but I could live with it. Now it's progressed beyond that point.

I know that's all anecdotal, and I'm perfectly willing to accept that it's my mind playing tricks. If I could just thicken up what I have I'd be a happy camper. I'd just shave it all off in a few years if it starts to thin again, but at this point in my life I'm not ready for it.

We'll see folks. Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I'm going to stick with it and hope for the best.

Also, my minoxidil regimen is working out ok. It dries quickly enough that my hair doesn't look greasy, and I can do it quickly. Should be easy to stick with it. I have an almost sinus-like pressure the first few times I used it, but that's gone now.

Thanks!

 

[klink]

Well I made my suggestions. My hair grows so fast that I need to get it cut monthly. Last time I had them use a #4 on the sides, and it's grown out substantially since then.

I personally think finasteride only maintains, nothing else.

 

[SkylineGTR]

yeah finasteride is supposed to maintain... if you wanna step it up a notch then flip to dutasteride.

 

[hair today gone tomorrow]

yeah finasteride is supposed to maintain... if you wanna step it up a notch then flip to dutasteride.

that is supposed to maintain pretty much too....I mean if cutting your balls off will only halt hair loss what do you expect these drugs to do?

 

[SkylineGTR]

my balls are fine

 

[Guest]

yeah finasteride is supposed to maintain... if you wanna step it up a notch then flip to dutasteride.

5ar inhibitors grew hair during clinical trials.

 

[hair today gone tomorrow]

my balls are fine

ok...i did say that...what im saying is if CASTRATION only HALTS hair loss why are you expecting finasteride or dutasteride to regrow a SUBSTANTIAL amount of hair?