Rogaine advice

[tomatoe]

I've been experiencing some pretty bad hair loss in the last few months (was a Norwood 2 now quickly becoming Norwood 3). It's scary to have so much hair loss at only 21 and I've become extremely self conscious about it. I want to start Rogaine as soon as possible but I'm scared of how bad the shedding will be. I am currently studying abroad until August and I don't want to ruin my last months with shedding but I feel like my hair is getting worse every week. You can see in the pictures that it's bad but I can still hide it. What should I do?

TLDR Can I afford to hold out two more months or should I start rogaine right now?

 

[warner8]

start minoxidil n finasteride asap. dont delay. what do u care more about, a couple months of thin hair or being bald for life

 

[tomatoe]

Okay, I quit being a wimp and got started on Rogaine. I will just have to deal with whatever I shed. I don't have access to finasteride right now but I'm not sure if I want to use it anyway. For the moment I'll see how it goes.

 

[Iopu]

You may not shed at all. I didn't on 5% twice a day and nor did I increasing my evening dose to 15%.

 

[warner8]

got on finasteride man, trust me. you want to keep your hair. its only going to get worst as you get in your mid 20's, I'm talking massive sheds within months.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

Okay, I quit being a wimp and got started on Rogaine. I will just have to deal with whatever I shed. I don't have access to finasteride right now but I'm not sure if I want to use it anyway. For the moment I'll see how it goes.

Your pictures show that you clearly have Male Pattern Baldness. Taking Finasteride is going to be an absolute must if you want to conveniently save your hair in the long term. Go make an appointment with your doctor or a hair transplant surgeon and get a prescription for Finasteride, you need to get on the medication ASAP.

 

[tomatoe]

I think finasteride is a bit too much, there are just too many potential side effects. I intend to start using nizoral shampoo though. If I keep balding even with minoxidil and nizoral then I will just accept my fate.

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I think I'm getting side effects from the Rogaine - upset stomach, tingling sensation in feet, flushing and diarrhea. This isn't normal right? I read that this could be due to applying too much. Should I use less?

 

[Agustin Araujo]

I think finasteride is a bit too much, there are just too many potential side effects. I intend to start using nizoral shampoo though. If I keep balding even with minoxidil and nizoral then I will just accept my fate.

- - - Updated - - -

I think I'm getting side effects from the Rogaine - upset stomach, tingling sensation in feet, flushing and diarrhea. This isn't normal right? I read that this could be due to applying too much. Should I use less?

Come on, please don't be a victim of never trying Finasteride. What about the thousands and thousands of men that take Finasteride with over 90% of them never getting side effects, does that not matter? Minoxidil and Nizoral aren't going to stop your balding, whether it's mild or aggressive since they don't address the cause of Androgenetic Alopecia which is DHT. I take Dutasteride without any problems, and I can honestly tell you from my experience that the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are safe medications. Only a small percentage will actually get side effects. My point is, it's not going to hurt to try.

I'm not so sure about those side effects you're getting from using Rogaine. I believe tingling sensations in feet and flushing are a couple of possible side effects, I don't think having an upset stomach and diarrhea are correlated to topical Minoxidil use. I use Minoxidil foam by applying the medication on my scalp in a Norwood 6 pattern, so that's a large area to cover. I use quite a bit per application and I haven't had any problems. It varies from person to person on how sensitive they are to Minoxidil.