PLEASE HELP ME!!!

[nottingham_uk]

Hey! plz help guys! I have been loosing my hair for the past 2 years at the front and I've started also to loose it at the vertex so its depressing me as I dnt want hourse shoe hair!! (If i were recideing at the temples only, I would shave it off but I dnt just want hair around the side of my head!!) So, I was considering taking Proscar/propecia but I am really worried about the side effects, is there anyone who is having no side effects?? I've bought Regaine yesterday and started it 2day! Is it effective on its own?? I can not afford to use both!

So, are the side effects of propecia/proscar really that bad??? How long would my body take to revert back if side effects were t happen?

 

[joeylloyd]

I don't think the sides are too bad mate. Not as bad as the side of being bald at least. In any case it is only about £25 a box for proscar so why not give it a go for a month and if you don't like the sides simply stop.

 

[Back In Time]

I have no side effects, and I am on 1/4 of Fincar (generic Proscar) per day, so that would be 1.25mg of finasteride daily versus the 1mg of finasteride that is in Propecia. I have stopped losing hair and I am regrowing.

Bear in mind, while there are possible side effects, in my opinion most people who don't have side effects don't post that fact (and why would they), while many people that have some sides do post about their sides.

At any rate, you can read more about how it is going for me in the "my story" section.

 

[Milks]

On the one hand this forum is a great place to get support and answers to your questions, but equally on the other hand, its a great place to make yourself paranoid. As back in time said someone is much more likely to post if they're having problems than if everything is going well.

At the end of the day the only way you can know what finasteride will do to you is to try it. I had only very mild and bearable side effects which soon wore off.

Just try to stay focused and oncentrate on why you are doing this, remember, you've got to be in it to win it 8)

 

[antwstldn]

HI, you know, the more I read these forums the more disillusioned I am as most of the replies to genuinly concerned users seem to be answered by people who encourage one to proceed with ddrugs without really addressing the issue. I am beginning to wonder if most of the users here are not employed by the drug companies! I have been taking Proscar for 5 months and yes there are side effects - achy testicles ocassionally, a definate change in scrotum skin texture, some achyness around the trunk area, drop in sex drive and thickening of sperm. I have also noticed weight gain but this may be linked to the fact I stopped smoking 6 months ago - however what I have noticed is a bloated feeling since taking the drug. I have also done some resaerch on the net and II am finding unpleasant reaearch that indicates that finasteride (whilst we were told it can prevent prostate cancers) may cause some other very aggressive cancers. Food for thought methinks and I am thinking of stopping. I mean what is so bad about being bald anyway!

 

[Lessofarockstar]

I mean what is so bad about being bald anyway!

If you feel that way, then you are right...
The thing about finasteride is that it is the most efficient treatment. But as you say there are sides so it will always be about pros and cons. Are you willing to take the risks /live with the sides to keep your hair.
Many in here are willing to give finasteride a shot. I did too, but some sides are not worth it, while I would probably have stayed on finasteride if it was just achy nuts and watery semen for example.
Sorry, dont mean to hijack the thread.

To get back to the original posters problem:
There are sides, and they are mostly reversible shortly after discontinuation.
minoxidil on it's own probably wont help you a whole lot. But for some it does. As a single treatment finasteride is probably your best bet.

 

[Back In Time]

HI, you know, the more I read these forums the more disillusioned I am as most of the replies to genuinly concerned users seem to be answered by people who encourage one to proceed with ddrugs without really addressing the issue. I am beginning to wonder if most of the users here are not employed by the drug companies!

I can assure you I am not. Obviously I can't prove this in any real way, but I felt like I should at least mention that I'm not!

I have been taking Proscar for 5 months and yes there are side effects -

For you there have been, not for everyone. I know there are possible side effects, it's just that they occur in a small percentage of people according to years of clinical trials. I know, I know, the folks that have had side effects will say that the clincal trials are wrong and side effects occur in greater numbers than claimed, and people with no side effects will claim that the numbers are accurate. One of the big problems I see all the time is different people posting opposite side effects (I gained muscle mass, I lost muscle mass, etc) or even side effects that are really outlandish, and I'm not claiming at all that you are. There are side effects for some people, and I in no way deny that fact.

I have also done some resaerch on the net and II am finding unpleasant reaearch that indicates that finasteride (whilst we were told it can prevent prostate cancers) may cause some other very aggressive cancers.

I remember reading a study that showed it prevented a type of cancer (prostate I believe) by a large percentage, but if you did eventually get that type of cancer anyway, it was then more aggressive. Someone much wiser than I posted a link to another study that then cleared that up, but honestly I don't recall who posted it. At any rate I would be interested in taking a look at that information if you have a link to it.

Food for thought methinks and I am thinking of stopping. I mean what is so bad about being bald anyway!

Honestly, it's a choice we all have to make and finasteride isn't for everybody. I'm not here to push it on anybody, it's not like I get anything out of it. It's just that it is working for me, without any side effects, and before I started it I was pretty convinced I would be shaving my head for the rest of my life. Actually regrowing hair and not losing it anymore has made me pretty damn happy, so when I see a lot of posts that make it sound like everyone has horrible side effects, I want to let people know that it simply isn't the case. Someday I probably will still have to shave the dome, but that day is not today. There isn't anything horrible about being bald, it's just that in my case this was the right call for me, and it's working.

 

[Lessofarockstar]

Honestly, it's a choice we all have to make and finasteride isn't for everybody. I'm not here to push it on anybody, it's not like I get anything out of it. It's just that it is working for me, without any side effects, and before I started it I was pretty convinced I would be shaving my head for the rest of my life. Actually regrowing hair and not losing it anymore has made me pretty damn happy, so when I see a lot of posts that make it sound like everyone has horrible side effects, I want to let people know that it simply isn't the case. Someday I probably will still have to shave the dome, but that day is not today. There isn't anything horrible about being bald, it's just that in my case this was the right call for me, and it's working.

Great post.
my problem however (not with you specifically) is that people always just tell troubled finasteride users to ride every side out. But the fact is that people are having sides because their bodies don't tolerate the drug very well. And I dont agree that people should just ride it out. Ignoring side effects could potentially screw up your HPTA permanently.
What I mean is of course not that every little side effect should be cause for discontinuation, but the consensus of riding sides out needs to reassessed if you ask me.
And lets just say that only 2 % get sides from finasteride, because studies are studies and the rest is anecdotal I guess. (still personally I dont believe the 2 %)

 

[Back In Time]

my problem however (not with you specifically) is that people always just tell troubled finasteride users to ride every side out. But the fact is that people are having sides because their bodies don't tolerate the drug very well. And I dont agree that people should just ride it out. Ignoring side effects could potentially screw up your HPTA permanently.
What I mean is of course not that every little side effect should be cause for discontinuation, but the consensus of riding sides out needs to reassessed if you ask me.
And lets just say that only 2 % get sides from finasteride, because studies are studies and the rest is anecdotal I guess. (still personally I dont believe the 2 %)

I can agree with that. From what I have read, a lot of folks that have sides do "ride them out", and they go away. In some people of course this isn't the case, and in those cases I absolutely think the best bet is to stop. There is a cost vs reward to be considered here, and in some cases it just isn't worth it. The best bet for anyone with any sides is probably to consult their doctor, get some tests run, and go from there.

Here is an interesting thing with that 2% number (and by the way I'm getting these numbers from this site):

The percentage of people that were on 1mg of finasteride and complained of sides was 3.8%, or roughly 4%.

The percentage of people on placebo that complained of sides was 2.1%, roughly 2%.

So I guess the way I read that is, 4% of folks complain of side effects, and roughly half of those could be suffering from the placebo effect, the other 2% are having sides.

That is all just my opinion anyway, which of course could be wrong. What that does do is explain a higher than 2% report of sides, but you can bet your last penny that no one will say that their sides were all in their head...of course, that is how the placebo effect works in the first place!