Propecia

[WiseJoeyD]

Hi there...still asking newbie questions!

1:On, or in a website related to, Natural-hair.co.uk it said that duasteride [sic?] reduced scalp DHT 56% as opposed to 35% for finasteride. Can anyone explain the validiity/correctness of this?

If that really is that low for finasteride, it seems strange it'd work at all! I'v never come across those specific figures before (only figures like DHT 80% reduced), and so am unsure of how accurate they could be...can anyone clarify the actual levels after taking finasteride?

2:just a general usage Q here. I read about how testosteone peaks in the morning, and bearing in mind Propecia's half-life [12 hours was the firgure I read], I was wondeirng if it'd be best to take it the night before since then it'd would prevent this burst of testosterone turning into large quantities of DHt

...if you took it in the morning though, you might miss this peak and not control DHt as effectivly..or am I wrong?

 

[vincent]

finasteride and chest pain

hello there !
i m using finasteride for almost 5 months. Since 5 days I have pain in my chest (left side). i would like to know if some others people have experienced such side effect ? i m taking 1 mg /day ( 5mg / cut in 5). maybe i habe to reduce a litle the dose ( 5 mg cut in 6 for example).
Moreover i m using dr reddys Finast, i just read that some people think this drug is not working .. can i have more details ?
cheers

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

DHT levels

Hi there...still asking newbie questions!

1:On, or in a website related to, Natural-hair.co.uk it said that duasteride [sic?] reduced scalp DHT 56% as opposed to 35% for finasteride. Can anyone explain the validiity/correctness of this?


2:just a general usage Q here. I read about how testosteone peaks in the morning, and bearing in mind Propecia's half-life [12 hours was the firgure I read],

WiseJoey
duasteride can reduce DHT levels by 90% by suppressing enzymes types 1 and 2. Finasteride can reduce enzyme type 1 by 70% in the blood stream. So this means that if Finasteride is 70% lower in your blood stream it's also going to be 70% lower in your scalp.
As you can see duasteride is a far more powerful hormone suppressant than finasteride. As for general usage, I don't think it will make too much differance what time of day you take it, so long as you take it once a day at the same time. It's more important that your body gets used too a sable hormone environment than what time of day you take it. Finasteride doesn't block testosterone, it blocks an enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT.

I hope this is of some use too you Jack

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

Finasteride

I think my hormones are stablizing a bit, because the pain in my nuts is dissappering. I did notice my erections as been softer, but that seems to have picked up a bit aswell. I'm still taking a piss alot easier though.

 

[Guest]

pain in the testicles and the lower part of the stomach

Hi guys, I really need your help...

i'm 22 and new to propecia - started this sunday which means i'm on the
5th day.

since the first day i started taking propecia, i started to feel a little pain in
my testicles but i'm more concerned about my stomach -
since the first day, i began to experience annoying aches and pressures in the lower part of my stomach & its getting stronger when i'm eating.
now, i never had any problems with my stomach & i can assure you
that i havent eaten any beens... so i'm afraid that its a side effect.
i dont have any medical problems and i dont want to give up on the pill.

did anyone here experience those stomach aches ?
should i give it a week or two or should i stop taking the pills immediately.

thanks for your time...

 

[WiseJoeyD]

Hi there!

And thank you to Jack The Lad for the information

Just another wonderment....

have I been reliably informed when I say that Type 2 DHT seems to surround hair follciles in the skin despite Type 1 DHt being most prevalent in the skin (not the follicles)?

Is it a foregone conclusion that it's primarily DHT 2 or does this type 1 have any role to play (hence the use of some of duaseride)?

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

5AR type 1

5AR type 1 seems to play a role in hair loss also, I've heard that it helps the hair regrow faster than Finasteride, hence dustasteride seems to have a be higher hair grow on average.( I read an articale that on average after 2 years Finasteride regrow 78 hairs and dustasteride it was 97 ).

Finasteride in it's 5AR type 2 suppressant, is very effective at stopping or slowing down hair loss. 5AR type 1 seems to also paly a role in the central nervous system and is found in the brain! so I wouldn't recommend dutasteride, but then again I'm not a doctor. But yes definatly suppressing both 5AR types will have a greater effect on your hair. But it seems that type 5AR 2
is more responsible for hair loss. I've included a link to a doctor that talks about this below

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/newsletter/article201.htm.

All the best Jack

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

Re: pain in the testicles and the lower part of the stomach

Hi guys, I really need your help...



since the first day i started taking propecia, i started to feel a little pain in
my testicles but i'm more concerned about my stomach -
since the first day, i began to experience annoying aches and pressures in the lower part of my stomach & its getting stronger when i'm eating.
now, i never had any problems with my stomach & i can assure you
that i havent eaten any beens... so i'm afraid that its a side effect.
i dont have any medical problems and i dont want to give up on the pill.

did anyone here experience those stomach aches ?
should i give it a week or two or should i stop taking the pills immediately.

thanks for your time...

Hi there 5daynewbie,
I'm just like yourself in that I'm getting a slight pain in my nuts. I've also noticxed that my ejaculations aren't as hard. I'm on my 17th day of the pill and if it doesn't subside soon I'm going to stop using the pill. A pain in the nuts is a documented side effect, I haven't heard of a pain in the stomach though. The buttom line is that DHT is a powerful hormone.

I hope this helps Jack

 

[some dude]

Me again

Hey guys, I posted last week that i would be giving updates on my own personal trial with Propecia. Glad to report that 2 weeks into it everything is fine. I haven't even noticed the shedding yet, but that may be just around the corner. So far so good.

 

[Guest]

side effects

Thanks for replying me Jack_the_Lad ...

I just hope that these side effects will disapear as they came...

I've read lots of posts from people that experienced side effects such as
nuts aches, etc, when they first started taking propecia, for part of them, the side effects disapeared after a while... i hope thats our case, anyway, i just dont understand these annoying crumbling i have in my stomach, as if i have gas or something...

well, fingers crossed everybody!

 

[WiseJoeyD]

Thank you very much for the info!

Does anyone know/understand this whole"painful testes" thing that a few people describe?

In studies, any reports of the extent/duration of intial shedding (or were they absent in the studies)?

Weak hair along my fringe..would this be 'shed' at once or would it gradually grow stronger/thicker?

 

[Guest]

pains and stuff...

Guys, check out this link:

http://psychcentral.com/meds/propecia.htm

its talking about all those side effects of propecia which you cant find
on propecia's site and other related sites: nuts pain, abdominal pains, etc.

they're saying that those pains may occur to a small percent of the users
and that there's a good chance those symptoms will fade away as the body adjusts to the pill.

so, after a week using propecia and a week of pains, i guess i'll give the
pill some more "adjustment" time...

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

side effects

OK, I've kept with Finestaride the program and am on day 22, once again the nut aches are gone again, and my peter feels pretty normal again. So I guess the hormones where jumping around a bit. I think I'm satisfied that I'm going to stay with this pill for a few months and give it a shot, along with nizoral shampoo.
I've also reopened my old kirklands minoxidil again, as I said in an ealier post I used this last year but got fed up of it, the combination might be good though. I'm also thinking of using saw palletto aswell, I've read that this also attaches itself to the hair follical receptors(this is a herbal remedy I'm a little sceptical, but I'll give it a shot. must do some research on it) 8O

 

[WiseJoeyD]

My last big concern about finasteride and this whole hormone treatment thing is whether or not it'll be of use.

I'm pretty okay with the health side effects, but want to know whether it'll be waste if it can't at least thicken what is to me the most cosmeticaly important area (fringe/frontal area)

I have got replies but they tend to be "well try it and see"...not too helpful! Please could someone pint me in the direction of a proper study on this....I know ther's one on this site but I was wondering if there was any others out there I could compare for a 'second opinion'?!

 

[Jack_the_Lad]

Fringe

wiseguyJoey
Finestaride will definatly help on the frontal area, it's will probally work better in that area in conjuction with Minoxidil and the nizoral shampoo, the big three is what most of the posters here call this. I get my Minoxidil from kirklands and thats alot cheaper than the Regaine you can buy in the pharmacy in Ireland, I know because I've tryed them both.
There's one guy here whos posted his pictures in the middle of a topic, with username(Axon) in topic hmmmm under Men's General Hair Loss Discussions on page 10. This photo shot loks like a very good frontal hair loss recovery, and his regime is

Regimen:

1.25 mg Finasteride Daily (Start date: 9/1/02)

1x daily Dr. Lee's minoxidil 5% applications (Start date: 9/1/02)

Nizoral 2% M,W,F/ Nutrogena T/SAL for off-days (9/1/02).

have a look for yourself, actually that whole topic is quite funny to read.

Jack

 

[WiseJoeyD]

Thanks Jack!

I'm sorry to keep coming up with questions (hmm....how about the age of the universe? or better yet, vanilla ice crfeam or strawberry?!)

Does oestrogen or other female hormones levels in fact rise drastically when Propecia is taken?

This is my last concern, and probbly most important health-wise.

People complaining of sore testes suggests it's this high level of that hormone. This would, I'd've thought, be detrimental to long-term sexual health?

 

[Guest]

Propecia :freaked2:

 

[Guest]

urination... and i just kept writing more. hello everyone.

this message was initially for I.P. Freely but hello to everyone,
IP Freely,
i just read on a site what confirms your case and i believe what i've been having lately:

"This medicine helps to reduce urinary problems in men with BPH. In general, it is best to avoid drinking fluids, especially coffee or alcohol, in the evening. Then your sleep will not be disturbed by your need to urinate during the night. "

thanks alot to the guy who posted the link to http://psychcentral.com/meds/propecia.htm
that was an excerpt from this site and it is very informative

I am 21 years old.
1.25 mg finasteride since 7/15/03
-damn its been 4 months already, i just wish i could be CERTAIN that it is working. it seems like for everybody it's just "hmm.. i think it might be working"
-thank goodness i have not yet experienced chest pains. my doctor said that i shouldn't worry about that because i have a very lot body fat percentage and most people who experience gyno on this drug have a high body fat.
-as for testes pain, even before i was on finasteride every once in a while i would have a bit of pain on a teste but nothing major. so no change there. hehe.
QUESTION: So is there ANYONE here who can say "I Definitely feel finasteride is saving my ***!" That would sure make me feel good. Also, how long have you been taking it, if that is the case?
Thanks alot guys.

 

[elguapo]

Propecia seems to be working, and no long-term side effects

Hey. This is my first posting, but I have been reading messages sent by everybody- your input is very much appreciated.

My biggest contention with this site is the idea that when something works for somebody, they stop responding without leaving their success story. So here's my story, success or not.

I'm 28 years old. Had a thick, thick head of brown hair. Went to Europe in Jan 2003 and partied a lot- drank, little sleep, diet change. Girfrliend broke up with me, and I lost 20 lbs in 2 months. Came back in June, still depressed and thin, and noticed my hair was thin, too.=) I must have been losing a lot of hair, but thought it wasn't hereditary through dad's side. Dad is balding quite a bit- he's 51. So, when I learned the myth and that I could be expereriencing the onset of male pattern baldness (and may have helped it with my trip, depression, and weight loss), I started using Propecia (2.5 months ago).

Gotta tell ya, don't think it was telogen effluv, just because my loss is following my dad's pattern, starting in front a from behind a little, but less. Lost so much hair in just 4 months- I have pictures of me in April, with the same thick head, so I know, just didn't notice on my pillow somehow. When you think you are in the clear cause your mom's dad isn't balding, and you hear the myth, you don't check, you know?

Anywho, gotta say that in 2 months I am not losing any more hair. Well, tried Folligen, and I respond horribly, like some (hate to say) girls who cures it, and can't tolerate it. I literally scratch the hairs out onto my pillow all night, rather than sleep, even with 50% diluted. Back to propecia, I could run my hand over my head a few times, and watch 30 hairs fall in the sink, and who knows how many more I could provoke to fall out. But now, I shake it vigorously, even tug a bit on the frontal hairs, and they don't come out.

I'm young, just noticed onset, and this is prob in my favor. But I think it works.

Using minoxidil 2% on right side of head- started this week, and revivogen on left temple, just to see what happens; Nano for 2 weeks, too. But the propecia alone ceased my hair loss, so far.

Side effects- I'm a sex-driven bastard! Usually it's me a and a magazine 2-3 times a day, when I'm not dating anybody. Went to 1 time a day, for a week, but then returned to normal. I also "thought" I was experiencing gyno- swear I felt pain in my nipples for 1 minute or so, but saw an endochrinologist and got a thorough check-up. Nothing wrong there. I'm a hypochondriac, and the mind can play tricks on your body. But I go to the gym at least 4 days/wk. Might help.

Hope this sheds some hope. I think I'll be one of those 35-40 year olds pissed from losing hair again, but I'm good for now, with thinning that I defitely notice, but nobody else does yet. Now to find me a wife before it gets worse or returns.

Good luck to all in this annoying and depressing battle. Have hope, with whatever you are doing.

 

[20something]

elguapo - glad to hear finasteride. is working for you. Hopefully you can maintain until better treatments come out. If you're looking to regrow on the temples or frontal hairline, don't waste your time with 2% minoxidil. Get 5%, because the temples are usually the hardest to regrow.