Hi all,
I'm a newby and would really appreciate some input on my situation. I have what seems to be some hair thinning and possible receding at the temples. I write possibly because though it may seem strange perception of this can get skewed by quite a distance. Going from memory I'm not sure when I noticed hair loss or if indeed I noticed it or if the idea was planted by people eg hairdressers commenting for one and my perception is out of whack on it. I've also seen pictures of me 10 years previously to being 'hair conscious' when I didn't have hair concerns and my hair line looked like a slightly receded one back then. Plus there are some people who have hair lines which look like a Norwood 2 or 3 and then there’s the denial aspects so all in all it’s difficult to know what state of affairs our hair is in !
This out of the way, I have been taking Finasteride for a few years now and like most people I suspect, contrary to manufacturer reports (2% my ***), have experienced a number of side effects for which I decided to reduce my dose to Mon,Weds, Fri and perhaps 1 at the weekend. Side effects have been erectile dysfunction which caused problems with my ex-lover, no morning erections, I seem to carry slightly more weight around the middle, physical tiredness in the mornings which stopped when I reduced the dose, ball pain and joint pain both that has been quite severe a times, consistent pins and needle sensations in my left forearms and hand, reduced libido and I'm sure my balls have shrunk a bit also, so all in all not great.
My plan of managing it:
- Shave head to see how I look bald as some guys look good hairless
- Consider saw palmetto to either replace or mix with Finasteride dose
- If hair thins further use fibres occasionally
- consider a piece if it gets that advanced as some look good
- accept it ( easy to write harder to do but may be easiest option )
Personally I would consider a transplant if my hair loss pattern warranted it. What I mean by this is if I was nearly bald I would shave it but if I had gaps of hair loss I would consider FUE transplant if I was sure hair loss had stabilised and could afford it, like Duncan Bannatyne (UK). I thought this made sense as he had the hair island going on and plugged in the side gaps although there is the risk of further hair loss and having permanent hair plugged alongside diminishing hair so needs careful consideration.
Anyway, thanks for bearing with me and my questions are around Finasteride as I'm seriously considering stopping it having read about some serious long term effects.
If I have got away with not having long term consequences the changes I anticipate from not taking Finasteride are no joint pain, no pins and needles nerve sensations, libido increasing, morning erections, more sexual feeling on dick, no related morning tiredness, slightly less around the middle, balls back to normal size, stronger erections, possibly more energy and drive which may have ebbed away unconsciously since taking it (seems to have taken spark away a little)
Questions:
1. Is Saw Palmetto worth taking to either mix or replace Finasteride?
2. Seems to me that manufacturers play on our fears about once Finasteride is stopped any gains are lost. I reckon this is tosh as I have read people who have stopped and their remaining hair was still in place. It seems to me Finasteride inhibits the process of hair reducing but it doesn’t keep hairs lodged in our skin which fall out if the drug isn’t in our system. I wonder if Finasteride can be used sporadically a bit like steroids to slow recession at times. Any thoughts on this?
I'm a newby and would really appreciate some input on my situation. I have what seems to be some hair thinning and possible receding at the temples. I write possibly because though it may seem strange perception of this can get skewed by quite a distance. Going from memory I'm not sure when I noticed hair loss or if indeed I noticed it or if the idea was planted by people eg hairdressers commenting for one and my perception is out of whack on it. I've also seen pictures of me 10 years previously to being 'hair conscious' when I didn't have hair concerns and my hair line looked like a slightly receded one back then. Plus there are some people who have hair lines which look like a Norwood 2 or 3 and then there’s the denial aspects so all in all it’s difficult to know what state of affairs our hair is in !
This out of the way, I have been taking Finasteride for a few years now and like most people I suspect, contrary to manufacturer reports (2% my ***), have experienced a number of side effects for which I decided to reduce my dose to Mon,Weds, Fri and perhaps 1 at the weekend. Side effects have been erectile dysfunction which caused problems with my ex-lover, no morning erections, I seem to carry slightly more weight around the middle, physical tiredness in the mornings which stopped when I reduced the dose, ball pain and joint pain both that has been quite severe a times, consistent pins and needle sensations in my left forearms and hand, reduced libido and I'm sure my balls have shrunk a bit also, so all in all not great.
My plan of managing it:
- Shave head to see how I look bald as some guys look good hairless
- Consider saw palmetto to either replace or mix with Finasteride dose
- If hair thins further use fibres occasionally
- consider a piece if it gets that advanced as some look good
- accept it ( easy to write harder to do but may be easiest option )
Personally I would consider a transplant if my hair loss pattern warranted it. What I mean by this is if I was nearly bald I would shave it but if I had gaps of hair loss I would consider FUE transplant if I was sure hair loss had stabilised and could afford it, like Duncan Bannatyne (UK). I thought this made sense as he had the hair island going on and plugged in the side gaps although there is the risk of further hair loss and having permanent hair plugged alongside diminishing hair so needs careful consideration.
Anyway, thanks for bearing with me and my questions are around Finasteride as I'm seriously considering stopping it having read about some serious long term effects.
If I have got away with not having long term consequences the changes I anticipate from not taking Finasteride are no joint pain, no pins and needles nerve sensations, libido increasing, morning erections, more sexual feeling on dick, no related morning tiredness, slightly less around the middle, balls back to normal size, stronger erections, possibly more energy and drive which may have ebbed away unconsciously since taking it (seems to have taken spark away a little)
Questions:
1. Is Saw Palmetto worth taking to either mix or replace Finasteride?
2. Seems to me that manufacturers play on our fears about once Finasteride is stopped any gains are lost. I reckon this is tosh as I have read people who have stopped and their remaining hair was still in place. It seems to me Finasteride inhibits the process of hair reducing but it doesn’t keep hairs lodged in our skin which fall out if the drug isn’t in our system. I wonder if Finasteride can be used sporadically a bit like steroids to slow recession at times. Any thoughts on this?
