Scared Out Of My Wits. Anyone With Knowledge Of finasteride, Please Help!

[RickyH]

I've been ghosting these forums for over five years now, coming back every once in a while to see if any new treatments have emerged on the market (100% disappointment rate so far). I have run into a scenario that no longer allows me to be silent! I can't find anyone else with a similar case. I REALLY hope someone knowledgeable can shed (no pun) some light.

Anyway, here's my predicament:

In early June, I started taking Finasteride. Started with a VERY small dose (.25 mg) now taking .5 mg for about 2 months. At the very beginning, I mean like day 3, the profuse shedding I have always had came to a halt. I was, and still am shedding <50 hairs, or something around that area. Really hard to tell exact numbers obviously, but I know for an absolute fact that I am shedding WAY less than before I started the drug.
I was ecstatic. I was sure I had found a way to maintain, and even possibly regrow. Well, in the face of that good news, my hair now looks objectively far worse than it ever has before by a wide margin. I read in many places, that shedding is necessary for the regrowth and thickening process and that it is a sign that the medication is working. However, I'm still not shedding! I am hard pressed to find a hair that yanks out a lot of the time! But my head looks absolutely horrible! And it got that way in a matter of the last month! Much more diffuse in front and all over the top, and speedily receding hairline are my current reality. For years, my left side was more receded than the right. In this short time, the right side has caught up and even surpassed the left...

I'm not sure what to make of this. Is this a very bad sign, or is it good (fingers, and every other appendage crossed.) I am horrified, and quickly losing hope regardless. Any information you may have on this phenomenon would, as always, be vastly appreciated!

Thank you so much for reading,
Ricky

 

[Roberto_72]

You should evaluate the result of using Propecia only after six months. Or better, 12.
Possibly, take pictures with the same lighting and angle. The mirror is not the best way to evaluate.

 

[abcdefg]

So in the course of 2 months your hair got way worse by a large margin and you did not shed any hair at all but less? There is no rule you have to shed just wait 12 months. Lets put it this way if you stop propecia its a sure thing which direction your hair loss will start going.

 

[RickyH]

Thank you for your comments.

The main point of this though was to find out if this was anything resembling normal. I am certain I am shedding a normal amount at this point if not less. But I don't need pictures to see a very substantial difference like this one. I am at the point where I suppose I am supposed to be shedding, but again, I'm not. The hair just kind of poof'd.

Has anyone experienced or heard of anything like this?

 

[Grasshüpfer]

Well the hair obviously went somewhere...

Do you experience signs of high androgen activity? High libido, erections all through the night, oily skin?

Generally, one the environment improves drastically, the body will shed the old hair in order to grow an new one. The phase between shed and regrowth can be up to three month.

So if you shed very slowly, probably a significant amount of hair is in rest phase and it should slowly thicken up from now on.

If you don't have very very obvious signs of androgen upregulation, stick with it.

It will regrow.

 

[Funkymonk1]

I had a similar experience. After about a month or so on finasteride and nizoral my hair was significantly thinner. But by month 3 the shedding had stopped and by month 6 ther's no doubt my hair looked thicker then it's been for years. Now at month 9 it seems I'm going through another shed.
Basically just to back up what others have said; shedding can be scary and depressing but it's also a normal part of the process. There are no rules either - I've heard of people going through a big shed at month 12, others don't get a major shed at all but the main point with propecia is that you need to give it time to see the best results.

 

[horunger]

but the main point with propecia is that you need to give it time to see the best results.

I know this isnt popular but i have to say that whenever you have to give it time to work you are a bad responder, its not too early to tell him to expect results between "poor" and and "crappy". Lets not be like the hair transplant clinics who always tell people with bad result to give it time to improve and "keep following the instructions, dont give up". We know what direction this is going, telling him to keep grasping at straws isnt really in his own best interest.

 

[RickyH]

Guys, I'm literally shaking all day every day. I've never been so horrified of anything in my life. I've been noticing VERY substantial and objective differences in density on a twice a week basis! I don't know what to do. I have lost more hair in the past 3 months than I have in FOUR YEARS! I can't remain calm at all, and for the first time in my life I'm actually considering suicide... if anyone can tell me with experience that horunger is wrong and I have REAL hope, I would be eternally grateful

Grasshupfer: I had a massively increased libido for the first month, but it slowly leveled off and eventually became lower, coupled with watery/strangely gooey semen. I don't know if this is anything to worry about or not, but at this point I'd rather lose my libido than my hair, the way it's going. Again, I'm not shedding, my hair is just disappearing with blurring speed. I don't know what to do...I might go to a hospital.

I'm almost on month 5 now...and it just keeps worsening at an unbelieveabel rate. I now know the feeling of true and utter despair better than I ever have

 

[horunger]

Lets hope i am wrong then, but i believe that a realistic view is better, after all whats created your problem could be that you listened to the crowd who told you to continue and dont give up. "oh it takes at least that long, oh its normal to shed, give it 6 months more, oh wait the best results come after 18 months". You want me to tell you all that crap? Really? Sounds like youre getting enough of it already. You will have poor results from Fina, period. But that doesnt rule out lots of lost hair growing back later and surely what you are shedding now wil grow back almost in full, and it doesnt rule out the possibility that Duta will work should you ever decide to switch. It doesnt even mean you will go bald, it only mean that Fina will never give you back the hair you had when you were 13, theres no disaster here, only a medicine that isnt working well for you, temporary setback.

 

[RickyH]

I have never heard someone claim that the medication will definitively yield poor results after <5 months on it though. Where are you getting your information? I would very much like to read it for myself.

Thanks in advance

 

[horunger]

Its more complicated of course, youre a bad responder. I didnt shed a hair (out of the ordinary) while on fina for 6 months. I was a fairly good responder but still not good enough to justify continuation, do you think those with severe shedding stories are good responders? Find one, i very much like to see one, just one.

 

[RickyH]

They're all over...there's one in this thread alone. It's called a "standard Propecia shed" for sh*t's sake. I don't know if mine is normal or not, but your fervent claims of failure for me without a modicum of evidence ("It's more complicated just doesn't cut it) most certainly isn't helping.

Can someone else please weigh in on this? It would mean the world to me right now

 

[Funkymonk1]

I know this isnt popular but i have to say that whenever you have to give it time to work you are a bad responder, its not too early to tell him to expect results between "poor" and and "crappy". Lets not be like the hair transplant clinics who always tell people with bad result to give it time to improve and "keep following the instructions, dont give up". We know what direction this is going, telling him to keep grasping at straws isnt really in his own best interest.

No offence but I don't think you're "realistic" at all. In fact you're wrong on several levels. Firstly, if you read what I was saying you'll see that I'm actually a good responder. Secondly, everything from the studies to my doctor and chemist has said that to see results you need to give it at least 6 months and maximum results are around the 12 month mark. Yes, it's possible he may not be a good responder but given the fact that poor responders to finasteride are in the minority and the vast majority of guys at least maintain the hair they have I believe he'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't give it enough time to work. If he's still losing hair at the 12 month mark then stops at least he's given it every chance to work. What's the harm in that?

 

[RickyH]

I genuinely can't take this anymore. I noticing very apparent differences every other day... I can't sleep anymore I am so distraught. In the last 3 months I have lost more hair now than I have in the last 5 years. This drug is literally going to kill me.

On top, it's too late now. I can't just discontinue and live with the loss it's provided me. It's all or nothing now.

For anybody who didn't know, like I didn't at the beginning of this very short course, this drug can accelerate your hair loss fifty fold.

God help me

 

[horunger]

No offence but I don't think you're "realistic" at all. In fact you're wrong on several levels. Firstly, if you read what I was saying you'll see that I'm actually a good responder. Secondly, everything from the studies to my doctor and chemist has said that to see results you need to give it at least 6 months and maximum results are around the 12 month mark. Yes, it's possible he may not be a good responder but given the fact that poor responders to finasteride are in the minority and the vast majority of guys at least maintain the hair they have I believe he'd be doing himself a disservice if he didn't give it enough time to work. If he's still losing hair at the 12 month mark then stops at least he's given it every chance to work. What's the harm in that?

Your doctor said? What info does he have that is hidden from the public? I thought it was well known that doctors follow manufacturers guidelines. Say what you like but he will end up much thinner than when he started, that may not be "harm" to you but to him it will. He is not doomed but a good result is already out the window, find a real life case where it was great success instead of quoting health personnel reading from the manufacturers manual.

 

[horunger]

I genuinely can't take this anymore. I noticing very apparent differences every other day... I can't sleep anymore I am so distraught. In the last 3 months I have lost more hair now than I have in the last 5 years. This drug is literally going to kill me.

On top, it's too late now. I can't just discontinue and live with the loss it's provided me. It's all or nothing now.

For anybody who didn't know, like I didn't at the beginning of this very short course, this drug can accelerate your hair loss fifty fold.

God help me

If this is only a drug sideeffect the chance of it growing back after discontinuation of the drug is very good, though the natural continued thinning from male pattern baldness will continue and stopping you from ever reaching the level you were at 3 months ago.

 

[Jameston]

@ RickyH are you using minoxidil ? minoxidil will accelerate your results. I would give it at least 6-8 months especially if you are not experiencing sideffects. The shedding is very normal, I had the same first month's when I started ru/ duta.

 

[RickyH]

I am not using minoxidi. I've been told to avoid it by the plague by someone I trust very much.

Also, I'm sill looking for any evidence from horunger whatsoever about his claims that "good results are out the window" other then "it's complicated."

 

[Funkymonk1]

Your doctor said? What info does he have that is hidden from the public? I thought it was well known that doctors follow manufacturers guidelines. Say what you like but he will end up much thinner than when he started, that may not be "harm" to you but to him it will. He is not doomed but a good result is already out the window, find a real life case where it was great success instead of quoting health personnel reading from the manufacturers manual.

Eh??? Ther's no information that's hidden from the public. I don't want to keep repeating myself but read the clinical studies, any article on Finasteride, speak to any doctor or chemist, Google it if you like; All the evidence says the same thing - the vast majority of people at least maintain their hair and you see maximum results at around the 12 month mark. Also, there are plenty of "real life" cases where it was a great success, not least on this very website. I understand you didn't have the results you wanted and nobodies saying it works for everyone but don't judge things solely based on your own experience when your experience is clearly in the minority.

 

[Jameston]

The combination will work as a synergy for allot of users.

I would give it 6-7 and if you hair keeps regressing then you could always jump into duta. Check this study.


https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/dutasteride-for-propecia-non-responder.101852/

I am not using minoxidi. I've been told to avoid it by the plague by someone I trust very much.

Also, I'm sill looking for any evidence from horunger whatsoever about his claims that "good results are out the window" other then "it's complicated."