wallace911's story - 3 year Update (with pics)

[wallace911]

My story so far is a story of ups and downs. I had regrowth after starting finasteride, after starting minoxidil and after upping finasteride. In between my hair always thinned out again as it is doing now ...

I have no clue what to do next - I suppose I would see great regrowth again from switching to dutasteride but I am afraid of sides ... any ideas from your side? What would you add next?

Current Regimen:

Finasteride (1.25 mg) Feb 2009 - Jun 2011
minoxidil (5%) Nov 2010 - today
Finasteride (2.50 mg) Jul 2011 - today


Dropped:

Nizoral (3-4 days a week) - after 29 months
Tricomin (bottle/ month) - after 17 months

I believe Nizoral and Tricomin are absolutely useless - never saw a positive effect being on it or a negative effect after dropping it ...

Hope you got some ideas.
Cheers

 

[WillNotLetItHappen]

Well I honestly think that your hair has most definitely maintained and even improved. This looks like it can be hidden pretty well and you seem to have very decent coverage. So I consider this a success to be honest. I don't see how you have thinned out from the pics.

You're more of an experienced user than I am being on treatment only for 7 months now. However, I think there are things you can add to your regimen if you think you're not making progress. I'm using a Dermaroller now to work in the minoxidil. I will also begin to use Emu oil. All of this is more experimental, you're already using the proven treatments.

People on here also use RU. Maybe that is an option. I don't know about using 2,5mg of finasteride. That's a lot, I don't even tolerate 1mg. I wouldn't be too worried about sides on dutasteride if you don't have them on 2.5mg of finasteride. I'm not sure it's a good idea to change something that's working though...just my two cents.

Good luck

 

[ctulhu]

Kinda controversial and not really scientifically backed up, but I've had some good sucess with folligen (for blondes) with emu oil every other day, and aloe vera gel some nights and added to shampoo. I tried tricomin for some time as well and it made no difference for me either.

They're really messy though.

 

[wallace911]

Thanks for your replies.

I see why you consider my story a success. But when your wife files for divorce you won't say "I am so lucky 'cose I had 10 years with her". You always live in the present and when you shed in the present you don't care about that you have maintained for 3 years. Hairloss is an ongoing battle until you accept it and shave your head.

I think 2,5 mg finasteride is a high dose too. I read over and over again that it won't make a difference upping from 1,25 to 2,5 - I actually had regrowth after upping, I had sexual sides too for a week or. However 0,5 mg dutasteride are stronger than 5 mg finasteride ... so I think that's even another league.

I tried Emu Oil and tons of creams, vitamin pills, changed my diet, started doing sport, quit smoking, quit coffee ... all useless if you ask me. :jackit:

 

[WillNotLetItHappen]

What I'm not getting is, are you losing ground? Or are you just shedding?

You write that you got regrowth. Is that gone now? Or is there just no new regrowth? From what I see you seem to be maintaining. I understand that you want a full head of hair but maybe this just isn't possible?

I can't say anything about dutasteride, haven't tried it yet. My derm wanted me to try it because I can't handle 1mg of finasteride. I was too scared and go with 0.5mg of finasteride for now.
I consider it my last shot when all else fails.

As for sides, I think you seem to tolerate finasteride so well even in high doses, that maybe the risk of you getting sides on dutasteride is low? But nobody knows for sure...

 

[wallace911]

Well it looks like I am maintaining - you are just seeing baseline and current status. But as I said it there have been ups and downs the past three years.

Each time a added something to my treatments I got regrowth but after a couple of months slowly lost most of it again. Right now it's 6 months I have been on 2.5 mg finasteride, probably peaked around end of November and since then it's slowly getting thinner again.

It's weird your derm suggested dutasteride!? I mean its a much more potent drug, why would you get less sides from it? However I read before that people tried it after they had sides from finasteride and apparently didn't get sides from dutasteride.

I thought about RU and CB but my girlfriend would most likely think I am nuts if she figured what I store in our freezer ...

 

[WillNotLetItHappen]

Yes my derm suggested dutasteride. He is very open minded I guess...
He however had no personal experience with it. And I was too scared to try it. Now I would be up for it, if I had to.

I know regarding sides it doesn't make sense. If it blocks more DHT, you would assume that you had more sides. It just isn't that simple apparently. There must be something else to it. There are lots of anecdotes out there with people having less sides, no sides and more sides than on finasteride. So it comes down to you finding out for yourself. It just isn't possible to speak in absolutes. What dose you need is also totally different from person to person. I honestly think it is a bit of trial and error.

Some people use dutasteride together with finasteride. Not that any derm would recommend that and in fact it doesn't make sense if dutasteride alone blocks 90% of DHT. But people try a lot in desperation...

Regarding the RU...just tell your girlfriend to not eat that stuff in the fridge.