My Propecia diary. (Started Propecia on 19-02-17)
Hi, thought I would start a thread on my progress with Propecia, my aim is to post monthly updates I am currently on day 9. This site has helped me a lot so as I have decided to take the plunge and start taking Propecia I thought me posting my progress would be the least I could do. I currently have an unbiased opinion as I have just started taking Propecia, and hope that whatever I am about to go through will be of benefit to anyone considering taking Propecia. Whether that be because I respond very well and keep my hair, regrow hair, or have horrible side effects and have to discontinue....only time will tell.
I've done copious amounts of research before starting my journey on Propecia. I'm a 23 year old male, started balding at 19 but at a snails pace ....however recently it became quite aggressive and as a result became noticeable to some of my friends. Before I even considered Propecia I went down the natural route...which may have slowed my hair loss but didn't stop it. We have all read the horror stories and it was these which led me to tirelessly research the drug and how I was going to go about taking it, obviously the possible sides concern me quite a bit. Anyway... so Propecia stays in your system for 13 days and one tablet can reduces your scalp DHT by 70% for 4 days, this is why some people decide to take it EOD (every other day). Today will mark my 9th day on Propecia 0.25mg daily, I've been documenting my progress and so far here is what I've noticed;
Day 1: Experienced slight chest pains, however this could have been to the massive meal I ate just before or the new supplements i'm taking (will get onto that in a sec)
Day 4: No sides, however noticed a massive reduction in the amount of hair i'm shedding throughout the day and when showering, scalp doesn't itch as much.
Day 9: which is today, no signs of sides.
(I have been taking pictures and plan to upload them in around 3 months in the hope that I'll be able to see some progress, currently a Norwood 2.5)
I use a pill cutter to get the pills down to size.
There's a big debate on these forums whether smaller doses of Propecia actually reduce the chances of sides when a dose of 0.25mg reduces DHT by almost exactly the same amount as 1mg. However there are some study's I managed to find, along with copious amounts of people on forums which suggest that a lower dosage does in fact reduce the chance of side effects. If it doesn't....well at least i'm saving some money. However the argument is that the reason you might not experience side effects is because you're also not receiving the benefit. If I don't start noticing improvements within say 4-6 months I may move up to 0.5mg every day. Again i'm just trying out this theory myself, there really is no way to know for sure what will work and what wont.
I read a few things online about how to prevent possible sides with Propecia, and also read articles about supplements to take to help with post Finasteraid syndrome, this is my regime;
100mg Grape seed extract 2x daily with meals
15mg Zinc + 80mg vitamin C (all in one tablet) 1x daily with food
500mg Maca 1x daily with food
1,000mg Flaxseed oil 2x daily with food
1,000mg Pumpkin seed oil 2x daily with food
High strength Vitamine B complex 1- 2x daily with food
One of the reasons i'm on so many vitamin's is because I was trying to save my hair naturally so figured I may as well use them up. In regards to the supplements which are allegedly supposed to reduce sides, these are; Grape seed extract, Zinc, and Maca. Again I currently have no sides although its really early on in treatment so I would imagine that if i'm going to develop sides its going to be around the 1-3 month mark.
I also use Nizoral 2% once a week, and try and use my derma roller 1.5mm once a week also. I've done quite a bit of research on topical's and have come up with a blend of essential oils which increase circulation to the scalp (hopefully). I use sweet almond oil as the carrier oil which is said to increase circulation, and add drops of lavender oil to the mix. There are quite a few study's which go on to suggest that massaging your scalp with lavender oil increases hair count, as does the act of massaging your scalp. It is very important however to mix the lavender oil with a carrier oil as essential oils can be quite harsh on the skin. I mix 25 drops of lavender oil into 100ml of sweet almond oil and try to apply this at least once a week, the scent of the lavender oil is really relaxing and helps me to sleep, so I do this before I go to bed. I have only just started doing this so currently have no idea how effective it is, worth a go though right?!
There are so many things you can do which allegedly help a balding head, the things I've mentioned are things which I have been able to fit into a routine, and don't take up too much of my time. I mix my oils into a squirter bottle so once I have mixed the oils it should be good for a few months, and takes up 10 mins of my time once a week. The derma roller takes 10 mins once a week, and the supplements take seconds every day.
We read an awful lot of horror stories on these sites and one of the many reasons for this is because people who experience side effects are going to be more prone to reaching out on forums for help. I hope that my story is going to be a positive one, and as mentioned will try and post monthly updates.
One more thing is now that I have actually started taking something for my hair which I have a lot of confidence in (Propecia) I am finding myself a whole lot happier. I find myself looking at my hair and worrying about my hair so much less because I feel like I am finally doing something which is going to (hopefully) stop me balding further.
I don't really want this thread to turn into a massive debate, just thought it would be nice to be able to follow someones progress with Propecia.
Hope this helps.
Hi, thought I would start a thread on my progress with Propecia, my aim is to post monthly updates I am currently on day 9. This site has helped me a lot so as I have decided to take the plunge and start taking Propecia I thought me posting my progress would be the least I could do. I currently have an unbiased opinion as I have just started taking Propecia, and hope that whatever I am about to go through will be of benefit to anyone considering taking Propecia. Whether that be because I respond very well and keep my hair, regrow hair, or have horrible side effects and have to discontinue....only time will tell.
I've done copious amounts of research before starting my journey on Propecia. I'm a 23 year old male, started balding at 19 but at a snails pace ....however recently it became quite aggressive and as a result became noticeable to some of my friends. Before I even considered Propecia I went down the natural route...which may have slowed my hair loss but didn't stop it. We have all read the horror stories and it was these which led me to tirelessly research the drug and how I was going to go about taking it, obviously the possible sides concern me quite a bit. Anyway... so Propecia stays in your system for 13 days and one tablet can reduces your scalp DHT by 70% for 4 days, this is why some people decide to take it EOD (every other day). Today will mark my 9th day on Propecia 0.25mg daily, I've been documenting my progress and so far here is what I've noticed;
Day 1: Experienced slight chest pains, however this could have been to the massive meal I ate just before or the new supplements i'm taking (will get onto that in a sec)
Day 4: No sides, however noticed a massive reduction in the amount of hair i'm shedding throughout the day and when showering, scalp doesn't itch as much.
Day 9: which is today, no signs of sides.
(I have been taking pictures and plan to upload them in around 3 months in the hope that I'll be able to see some progress, currently a Norwood 2.5)
I use a pill cutter to get the pills down to size.
There's a big debate on these forums whether smaller doses of Propecia actually reduce the chances of sides when a dose of 0.25mg reduces DHT by almost exactly the same amount as 1mg. However there are some study's I managed to find, along with copious amounts of people on forums which suggest that a lower dosage does in fact reduce the chance of side effects. If it doesn't....well at least i'm saving some money. However the argument is that the reason you might not experience side effects is because you're also not receiving the benefit. If I don't start noticing improvements within say 4-6 months I may move up to 0.5mg every day. Again i'm just trying out this theory myself, there really is no way to know for sure what will work and what wont.
I read a few things online about how to prevent possible sides with Propecia, and also read articles about supplements to take to help with post Finasteraid syndrome, this is my regime;
100mg Grape seed extract 2x daily with meals
15mg Zinc + 80mg vitamin C (all in one tablet) 1x daily with food
500mg Maca 1x daily with food
1,000mg Flaxseed oil 2x daily with food
1,000mg Pumpkin seed oil 2x daily with food
High strength Vitamine B complex 1- 2x daily with food
One of the reasons i'm on so many vitamin's is because I was trying to save my hair naturally so figured I may as well use them up. In regards to the supplements which are allegedly supposed to reduce sides, these are; Grape seed extract, Zinc, and Maca. Again I currently have no sides although its really early on in treatment so I would imagine that if i'm going to develop sides its going to be around the 1-3 month mark.
I also use Nizoral 2% once a week, and try and use my derma roller 1.5mm once a week also. I've done quite a bit of research on topical's and have come up with a blend of essential oils which increase circulation to the scalp (hopefully). I use sweet almond oil as the carrier oil which is said to increase circulation, and add drops of lavender oil to the mix. There are quite a few study's which go on to suggest that massaging your scalp with lavender oil increases hair count, as does the act of massaging your scalp. It is very important however to mix the lavender oil with a carrier oil as essential oils can be quite harsh on the skin. I mix 25 drops of lavender oil into 100ml of sweet almond oil and try to apply this at least once a week, the scent of the lavender oil is really relaxing and helps me to sleep, so I do this before I go to bed. I have only just started doing this so currently have no idea how effective it is, worth a go though right?!
There are so many things you can do which allegedly help a balding head, the things I've mentioned are things which I have been able to fit into a routine, and don't take up too much of my time. I mix my oils into a squirter bottle so once I have mixed the oils it should be good for a few months, and takes up 10 mins of my time once a week. The derma roller takes 10 mins once a week, and the supplements take seconds every day.
We read an awful lot of horror stories on these sites and one of the many reasons for this is because people who experience side effects are going to be more prone to reaching out on forums for help. I hope that my story is going to be a positive one, and as mentioned will try and post monthly updates.
One more thing is now that I have actually started taking something for my hair which I have a lot of confidence in (Propecia) I am finding myself a whole lot happier. I find myself looking at my hair and worrying about my hair so much less because I feel like I am finally doing something which is going to (hopefully) stop me balding further.
I don't really want this thread to turn into a massive debate, just thought it would be nice to be able to follow someones progress with Propecia.
Hope this helps.
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if you dont get sides after a month i would up it to 0.5mg but i honestly dont think there is much of a difference in 0.25mg vs 1mg so you should be good. Im 3 months in on 1mg myself along with topical spironolactone 2 x a day, nizoral and derma rolling 0.5 every few days. After a month i started itching like crazy so i added nizoral and it has mostly stopped.. i think topical spironolactone helps too since it inhibits T aswell as DHT. Not sure if its working yet but only been a few weeks. I too also have a propecia diary you can check it out if you want!