Worried

[seth9027]

I have been on Propecia for a little less than 3 months now, and my hair seems to have taken a step back, although not drastically. The shedding started around the one month mark. Is it normal for it to continue this long? Do you suggest keeping up with it? Do a lot of people lose density at first when starting Propecia because of the shed, only to gain it back when the stronger hairs come in?

Also, I have been using nizoral twice a week for inflammation and seb derm, do you recommend keeping that up? I prefer the 1% version.

I want to add a topical to attack the thinning from another angle, but I am weary of minoxidil, since it seems to cause irritation, and I already have that with seb derm. Are there any other topicals you suggest?

 

[lazarus]

It's hard to compare your expectations to others results, simply because I think a lot of people don't really analyze their loss or shedding on a daily basis.

I actually do monitor my hair loss counts on a daily basis simply so I can tell if I feel that it's working, since there are few metrics you can actually use.

I was not losing abnormal amounts of hair when I started on finasteride, however I noticed a definite increase in shedding around my 3rd week, so very similar to your 1 month. That loss gradually decreased to about 1/2 of what it began, at around the 5 month mark. I don't think I noticed it decreasing until around the 4 month mark.

Most people will tell you to give it at least 6 months. I wouldn't be worried about shedding at this point, if anything, it's a positive sign. Keeping up the Nizoral is probably a good idea unless you think it's irritating your scalp.

I wouldn't worry about adding anything else until you've given the finasteride at least 6 months. In the meantime, you can think about stuff you might want to add to your regimen, topicals like copper peptides or topical spironolactone might be options. Just have some patience and check out other sections of the forum, there's tons of good info here.

 

[seth9027]

Thanks for the advice, lazarus, the fact that you had a similar experience and the shedding eventually stopped definitely makes me worry less. I will definitely try to stick it out a year with Propecia, because I am not experiencing sides and it does give me some peace of mind.

I will also take your advice and stick with Nizoral. I think the 1% version is great and helps to take care of some of my inflammation.

 

[sammo]

shed

hey yeah just keep at it and ull overcome the slump im in the same situation as u... 2 months into finasteride... hoping things get better...

 

[RaginDemon]

you really need to give finasteride at least a yr to make your judgement.

 

[seth9027]

thanks for the encouragement, I am definitely prepared to give finasteride a year and see what the results are. good luck to you as well, sammo.

 

[ps1freak]

hey man

at month 2, my hairline and the top went below baseline!

i remembered combin my hair up and seeing scalp past the first 2-3 inches of Telogen Effluvium hairline. i was mad depressed.

i cut my hair short n tried to forget about it. at month 6 i regrew my hair n checked it and voila! the thickness returned (even tho it's far off from pre-mbp).

im approaching month 11 and i dont even worry about hair loss anymore

hang in there man!

 

[seth9027]

That's good to hear, ps1freak. Are you just on finasteride, or are you using anything else in your treatments?

 

[ps1freak]

just finasteride 1 mg a day. i am switching to proscar cut up in 1/4s soon after this prescription runs out.

i will add rogaine one day when finasteride cannot keep up anymore ~