when should one worry about his sides?

[waldo]

hi again,

as some might remember i started taking finasteride about 1 month ago.

i got sides really soon (after 3-4 days of starting treatment), while taking 1mg daily, these were ball ache, weak erections, reduced libido, some breast pain. i reduced the dose to 0.5mg and since then things have been great side-wise. everything back to normal. except for this massive shed. maybe the tons of hairspray and gel and nanogen are to blame, maybe its the minoxidil, but fact is im losing huge amounts of hair after every shower. getting thinner day by day basically.

so heres whats worrying me

someone told me the fact that i showed very early sides is a sign that i risk permanent damage to my body. is that so? does anyone have experience with this? most people seem to develop sides somewhere after several years rather than a couple of days into starting finasteride.

is the dose of 0.5mg enough for a 22 year old guy thats nw3.5 and started receding at 17 ? can i hope for regrowth and maintenance, or just a slowing of the loss? every male in my family history has been nw5 by the age of 25 (yikes). so kinda figure... finasteride is not going to amaze me at all, and is probably not worth the money, and health risk anyway (wich is why im researching hair systems atm).

hoping for some input! thanks alot guys, cheers from waldo

 

[Wuffer]

I don't personally think it's possible to get permanent sides from finasteride (of course I could be wrong), but of the guys that say that has happened to them, there is no consensus on what exactly causes them. People claim that even after a single pill, they have permanent sides. Some people had also been on for over 10 years.

If you have sides on finasteride, you can wait a couple months to see if they go away, or quit. The FDA trials show that sides eventually go away in almost all people that continue treatment, but it's up to you if you want to wait it out or not.

There would be no reason to suspect someone who has had early sides is at more danger for persistent problems, should there be a chance for you to get them. According to the descriptions, people experience a hormonal 'crash' shortly after stopping finasteride, which leads to persistent side effects. This mechanism would not be related to people experiencing side effects while on the drug.

finasteride doesn't commonly cause shedding, but people have reported it. It seems in most cases, your 'shed' hairs will grow back.

 

[1750]

.

finasteride doesn't commonly cause shedding, but people have reported it. It seems in most cases, your 'shed' hairs will grow back.

wha? where'd you get this info from.

A common side effect from finasteride is shedding.. as with all hairloss products.

shedding from fiansertide is often caused as the bodies hormonal balance shifts due to the increase in estrogen ... putting more hairs into anagen phase.
when they come out of this anagen phase they grow back thicker and stronger.

Waldo... you know your own body best.
if you are not suffering side effects from the lower doseage of finasteride "MY OPINION" is stick with it.
Many including myself have suffered side effects from finasteride. Many have not.

I sound like a record.. but responses to internal and topical drug regimes are all dependent on the individual. It all depends where you sit on the bell curve as to how you will respond to each drug. Despite your family history finasteride could work exceptionally for you. Then again.. it may do fark all.

 

[Wuffer]

1750, none of what you said is accurate. Finasteride doesn't shift the phase of your hair; you are confusing it with Minoxidil. Estrogen has absolutely nothing to do with any of this; finasteride simply lowers your DHT which reverses the damage done to hair follicles.

None of what finasteride does actually causes shedding.. People still report it does though, but I have honestly no idea how it could.

 

[1750]

1750, none of what you said is accurate. Finasteride doesn't shift the phase of your hair; you are confusing it with Minoxidil. Estrogen has absolutely nothing to do with any of this; finasteride simply lowers your DHT which reverses the damage done to hair follicles.

None of what finasteride does actually causes shedding.. People still report it does though, but I have honestly no idea how it could.

LOL
I didn't say it shifted one of the phases in your hair..
I said it shifted the hormonal balance in your body.
The inhibition of DHT has a knock on effect to other hormones in the body and generally increases estrogen levels of the user.

The effect of estrogen in the body can in turn have effects on hair.
... one of which is a longer anagen/resting phase

want me to post numerous blood tests of multiple users in regards to the type of hormonal changes finasteride has on the body? go to propeciahelp to see before and afters...

why do you think people report side effects? gyno for example? hmmm maybe estrogen related!

 

[1750]

what I have confused (due to being away from these forums for so long) is anagen (growth) and telogen (resting) phase.

see effect birth control can have on womens hair as you fuk with their hormones -
http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical ... aceptives/

 

[Nex]

I have never read of a correlation between early sides and permanent sides. I also got sides at the beginning but they subsided. I think you should start to worry if after being on finasteride for awhile the sides come back much worse to the point you are not able to get an erection. If this happened to me I would quit

 

[Wuffer]

1750, i'm sorry but i'm going to have to call bs.

Excess estrogen in the body does not shift a man's hair into the telogen (or anagen) phase.

Finasteride does not change the 'phase' of your hair.

You think estrogen is the cause of the side effects people experience (yes it may be) but now you say it's the cause of everything negative that could happen on finasteride? Including shedding?

You use an example of WOMEN on BIRTH CONTROL to prove your theory? Send me a link to a study that shows MEN experiencing shedding from FINASTERIDE as a result of increased estrogen.

I admit there may be extremely rare cases when an extreme hormonal shift would cause excessive shedding, but how exactly is estrogen the cause?

Also, your blood tests don't prove anything. Show me some proof, please.

 

[Wuffer]

Double post for the 3rd time. GOD I SUCK AT COMPUTERS. It must be the brain fog.

 

[cuebald]

When I first started finasteride my only side was ball ache (it felt like "blue balls") - this lasted about 4 days. My libido actually increased too (or it might have just been the ball ache making me think it had) - and my semen was slightly watery. This all went in a week and I was back to normal afterwards. I take ~1.25mg a day (5mg proscar split into 4ths).

I also "shedded" on finasteride - at least, I lost more hairs on finasteride than I did before I took it. I'd say I shedded 2 - 3 times more hair. My hair never actually got thinner though; even though more appears to be falling out, overall my hair has gotten thicker. I don't know why this is.

0.5mg might not be enough, but it is better than nothing. I'd say it is worth a punt - you never know, it might stabilise your loss. NW5 at 25 is aggressive loss and I'd personally be on 1mg but it is up to you - is your hair worth the money and the possible sides risk?
If 0.5mg lowers your DHT levels by 75%, that could be ~75% less damage your hair is taking.

 

[1750]

1750, i'm sorry but i'm going to have to call bs.

Excess estrogen in the body does not shift a man's hair into the telogen (or anagen) phase.

Finasteride does not change the 'phase' of your hair.

You think estrogen is the cause of the side effects people experience (yes it may be) but now you say it's the cause of everything negative that could happen on finasteride? Including shedding?

You use an example of WOMEN on BIRTH CONTROL to prove your theory? Send me a link to a study that shows MEN experiencing shedding from FINASTERIDE as a result of increased estrogen.

I admit there may be extremely rare cases when an extreme hormonal shift would cause excessive shedding, but how exactly is estrogen the cause?

Also, your blood tests don't prove anything. Show me some proof, please.

yep...
I used an example of female birth control to demonstrate that a change in hormone levels can effect your hair... given females do not have near the DHT or testosterone levels that males do... I think the link demonstrates that hormonal shifts and even estrogen play a role in this hair game.
I am not saying finasteride directly changes the phase/cycle of your hair.... so please stop saying that.

I AM saying that finasteride changes your hormonal profile.
And changes to your hormonal profile CAN have an effect on your hair.

have a little search on the boards for real world evidence of Finasteride induced shedding... should be able to gather enough data from that to decide whether you think finasteride causes shedding or not

all the best

 

[Ende]

I AM saying that finasteride changes your hormonal profile.
And changes to your hormonal profile CAN have an effect on your hair.

That's true, and it should be some scientific evidence available for Wuffer as well. Take a look at women; pregnancy and menopause are linked to hair loss. Thyroid problems causes hair loss as well, and finasteride causes symptoms of hyperthyroidism in some cases. In my case, the problem was identified and monitored with blood tests, by a doctor.