somewhat of a propecia noob

[bobisback11]

I have temple thinning tried minoxidil, hate it, had a bad reaction. After taking minoxidil for around 2 to 3 months its seems like my temples have thinned out even more and have not recovered. i wish i never tried that crap my temples have been slowly receding. Do you guys think that taking propecia will help my problem, i am 22 by the way. Also to get a propecia prescription can i just go to my family doctor and ask him for a prescription?

Couple of other questions:
Can taking one finasteride pill once a week be the same as taking one propecia a day?

Will taking propecia lower sperm count and stop my boys from swimming?

Besides the loss of labido side effect, is there any thing else i can develop like a tumor or liver/ kidney failure? Maybe i'm just paranoid?

I lose about 20 hairs in the shower now, its pissing me off and when i tell my girlfriend about problem she says nothing is wrong but thats only because i do a pretty good job of concealing the temples, except when its really windy outside...

i use to be a confident guy and have become selfconscious/depressed, spend like 2hrs each day reading all the hairloss forums.

thanks for reading

 

[rockandroll]

Propecia might help your problem, but your problem in this case seems to be lack of patience. I know there are some comments about minoxidil being bad and all, but 2-3 months is hardly enough time to know long-term results. Chances are that Propecia will be the same and you will NOT see results in 2 months. hair loss treatments take a while to start working, you HAVE to stick with them for longer.

Anyway, back to your questions:

1) Get Propecia AND Nizoral 2%.

2) I don't see why your family doctor can't give you a prescription for Propecia.

3) Taking a finasteride pill once a week is DEFINITELY NOT the same as taking one a day. The DHT-blocking effects of a single pill don't last that long - not even remotely. Best advice - Follow the instructions.

4) Apparently it does lower sperm count somewhat; but stopping your boys from swimming? Rather unlikely.

5) Yes, you're probably just paranoid. Although, truth be told, the REALLY long-term effects of it have not been determined because the drug hasn't been around long enough. But a tumor or liver/kidney failure really sound way out of line.

 

[SE-freak]

Propecia might help your problem, but your problem in this case seems to be lack of patience.

 

[jeffsss]

I have temple thinning tried minoxidil, hate it, had a bad reaction. After taking minoxidil for around 2 to 3 months its seems like my temples have thinned out even more and have not recovered. Do you guys think that taking propecia will help my problem

nothing short of a hair transplant is likely to help your temples..

in the propecia trials they took a small area on the tip top of their heads to count..and with minoxidil it's only been proven to grow hair on the vertex..

 

[SE-freak]

I have temple thinning tried minoxidil, hate it, had a bad reaction. After taking minoxidil for around 2 to 3 months its seems like my temples have thinned out even more and have not recovered. Do you guys think that taking propecia will help my problem

nothing short of a hair transplant is likely to help your temples..

in the propecia trials they took a small area on the tip top of their heads to count..and with minoxidil it's only been proven to grow hair on the vertex..

COME ON JEFF!!!! This is not true. Both FDA approved treatments work for the front too. How many times do we have to repeat that?

The further back the better they work but they both grow hair at the front too. Merck and Pfizer knew that the haircount difference would be greater at the vertex area so they chose this area for sampling. They cannot claim results for the front and will have to spend millions to repeat the trials. That does not mean they are not effective for the temple area.

 

[jeffsss]

I have temple thinning tried minoxidil, hate it, had a bad reaction. After taking minoxidil for around 2 to 3 months its seems like my temples have thinned out even more and have not recovered. Do you guys think that taking propecia will help my problem

nothing short of a hair transplant is likely to help your temples..

in the propecia trials they took a small area on the tip top of their heads to count..and with minoxidil it's only been proven to grow hair on the vertex..

COME ON JEFF!!!! This is not true. Both FDA approved treatments work for the front too. How many times do we have to repeat that?

The further back the better they work but they both grow hair at the front too. Merck and Pfizer knew that the haircount difference would be greater at the vertex area so they chose this area for sampling. They cannot claim results for the front and will have to spend millions to repeat the trials. That does not mean they are not effective for the temple area.

cant really comment on the propecia trials, you may be right.. i mean it does supposidly lower DHT all over the scalp..

but give me a break.. even on the rogaine box it shows exactly where it's good for and ONLY good for. after reading the instructions on the package i never used it mentioned several times that it's ONLY for the vertex...

it's nice that you are being positive.. Im just being realistic.

 

[Britannia]

If youve had problems with Minoxidil why dont you try the other clinically proven treatment Propecia? It will certainely prevent you losing any hair on the top of your head (which will eventually happen if your receeding on the temples). Whether or not it will regrow hair on your temples is impossible to answer. It may do, it may not do, but either way its definatley worth trying it. Remember that you need to use it for 6 months before you probably see results, and maybe even 12 months. Dont worry to much about sides, they occur in less than 2% of people using it and they are reversible once treatment stops. Many people on here develop sides when they first take the drug, but they quickly go away once your body adjusts.
Hope this helps.

 

[rockandroll]

Jeff,

Actually- SE-Freak is right regarding the Rogaine as well. The thing stimulates hair gowth anywhere, but is much more effective in the vertex area. This has been known for quite a while now. Just as SE-Freak says, though, the makers of Rogaine aren't allowed to make that claim without going into new studies.

 

[Britannia]

Jeff,

Actually- SE-Freak is right regarding the Rogaine as well. The thing stimulates hair gowth anywhere, but is much more effective in the vertex area. This has been known for quite a while now. Just as SE-Freak says, though, the makers of Rogaine aren't allowed to make that claim without going into new studies.

The same can be said for Propecia working on the temple areas. There are stories of it working and logically it should help to some degree on the temples, but because the FDA trials were focused on the vertex, Merck cannot claim success on the temple areas. This does not mean it definately will not work.

 

[SE-freak]

it's nice that you are being positive.. Im just being realistic.

I guess I must have a very unrealistic vision lately cause I am seeing terminal hair down to my eyebrows.

 

[jeffsss]

it's nice that you are being positive.. Im just being realistic.

I guess I must have a very unrealistic vision lately cause I am seeing terminal hair down to my eyebrows.

got pics?

i've thought of starting rogaine.. but i'm scared of the nasty 2-3week shed.

 

[bobisback11]

thanks guys for support, i have to read about it some more before i pull the trigger to go on propecia, i jumped into minoxidil to quickly and paid for it. i hope my family doctor can prescribe it to me without going to see some specialitst. Should i just go into his office and when he says whats the problem, can i just say can you give me propecia. The thing is my hair does not look horrible, so should i like not wash it for a couple of days and comb a horrible way so i could get a better chance of getting the prescription, does that sound crazy? And how much is the cost usually covered by the insurance companies?

 

[SE-freak]

it's nice that you are being positive.. Im just being realistic.

I guess I must have a very unrealistic vision lately cause I am seeing terminal hair down to my eyebrows.

got pics?

i've thought of starting rogaine.. but i'm scared of the nasty 2-3week shed.

No I do not have pics of my forehead and temples. My cam is too crappy for that.

I think you are scared too much in general.

 

[rockandroll]

Yes, that is too crazy. Propecia is a serious drug (I don't mean it as a life-threatening thing, but rather as a strong thing, as opposed to Tums or the like). It should only be used if you really need it, and if you have a serious doctor, he should know that and help you out.

Although I'm currently living in America, I'm not American and I get my 6-month share of Propecia every time I visit home (it's considerably cheaper over there), but to my understanding, insurance does not cover any part of Propecia costs.

like I said, you didn't pay for anything with Rogaine; you'll get your hair back. you just got paranoid too quickly. if you had read the manual fully you would have expected a shed or something akin to it. Apparently some people do have the bad luck "I had a shed because of the medicine and never got my hair back," but it's a minute percentage and I don't think any of the cases have been medically proven.

 

[SE-freak]

X.

 

[jeffsss]

Ok jeff...

I tried to get a shot. It isn't clear, but I am sure you are seeing terminal growth merging my eyebrows and my main hair's body(where two pimples are). The light is hiding similar hairs in the pink and white area (color quality is a charm, ain't it?). These hairs are below and out of my default hairline.



Minoxidil grows hair ANYWHERE an active follicle lies.

Trust me on that.

my friend.. you dont have any hair loss.. what are you norwood 1???????

why are you even on this forum.. no seriously?

 

[rockandroll]

Well, you never know, he might just have been a great responder to treatments. There is such a thing. A few years ago, you would have said the same about me, but now people actually notice my thinning without me mentioning anything. however, I saw it way before they did because of the simple fact that my hair used to be super-thick before and it kept getting thinner and thinner.

 

[SE-freak]

Ok jeff...

I tried to get a shot. It isn't clear, but I am sure you are seeing terminal growth merging my eyebrows and my main hair's body(where two pimples are). The light is hiding similar hairs in the pink and white area (color quality is a charm, ain't it?). These hairs are below and out of my default hairline.



Minoxidil grows hair ANYWHERE an active follicle lies.

Trust me on that.

my friend.. you dont have any hair loss.. what are you norwood 1???????

why are you even on this forum.. no seriously?

I hate this specific group of people spending time here and taking drugs with no reason. If you check my story out you will understand that I do have hairloss and it is quite severe too.

I am a vertex sufferer.

 

[bobisback11]

here are some pics

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/websites/galleryview.cfm?id=bobisback11|gallery1.cfm