20 Year old Finasteride story - finally biting the bullet. [Progress Thread]

[1knox1]

Definite improvement - you can see less skin on both the right and left part of the hair line; which is filling in nicely.

 

[michel sapin]

you're lucky man, im 22 yo french guy at uni too, ive been taking propecia for 15 month now for my receding hairline ; i was Norwood 1,5 , but now im Norwood 3 at the temple , so that is hard . But i stick with it , maybe its a shed .

 

[Bad]

Maybe give minoxidil a shot? who knows you might be a good responder...

 

[Anon587]

2 Year update

Hair seems to be maintaining

 

[Anon587]

Updated month 45 pic on first post. Started taking minoxidil today to maximise gains, will update in due course

 

[michel sapin]

im here 3 year after my first post on this topic...
hairline even worse despite fina and duta and got gyno...
So di you eventually got a gyno with fina too? you are lucy because you seem to have maintained well!

 

[Anon587]

Update. Been on finasteride/dutasteride for 6 years now. I switched from finasteride to dutasteride maybe 2-3 years ago. It's achieved its purpose of allowing me to maintain a hairstyle. My hairloss doesn't really look any worse than when I started at age 20. I'd 100% be fully bald by now had I not taken it. As a note I've shaved my head in the past and I am diffuse thinning rather severely on top. I may have been when I started finasteride though.

I've developed a more nuanced take to finasteride and dutasteride in recent years. I have fell into a deep depression in the last couple years and it's hard to pinpoint what caused it. I ended up drinking too much alcohol, eating bad, isolating myself etc which is no doubt the primary cause but there's a niggle in the back of my mind; Did dutasteride/finasteride set me off on that path? I've always been a schemer and in recent years I have nothing going on in my mind when it comes to work. I was extremely enterprising in my teens. I am financially ruined as a result. It's hard to say because my lifestyle is so bad. Im working on fixing my lifestyle currently.

I have read that dutasteride can block conversion of a steroid that appears to have wide-ranging benefits. I'm unsure if finasteride does the same. This is what has led me to develop a nuanced take on finasteride/dutasteride and I would advise people to do their due diligence and be on the lookout for side effects. Anecdotally I began having extremely severe anxiety a few years ago where I struggle to even sit in a room of strangers if Im not drunk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allopregnanolone

I'll write a follow up in approx. 1 years time to let you all know how my self-improvement journey went and whether my old-scheming enterprising self returned. I've quit alcohol and started exercising / eating better. I'm hoping my life decline is a matter of my lifestyle. We'll see. Cheers

In summary, if you happen to drop onto this thread pursuing the internet for hairloss advice. I would say assume these negative effects arent directly caused by dutasteride. My lifestyle has been beyond terrible in recent years that would make anyone depressed. I just thought I'd mention it for full disclosure. Im expecting my life struggles to resolve after a period of good living. Cya in a year.

 

[King Norwood]

Update. Been on finasteride/dutasteride for 6 years now. I switched from finasteride to dutasteride maybe 2-3 years ago. It's achieved its purpose of allowing me to maintain a hairstyle. My hairloss doesn't really look any worse than when I started at age 20. I'd 100% be fully bald by now had I not taken it. As a note I've shaved my head in the past and I am diffuse thinning rather severely on top. I may have been when I started finasteride though.

I've developed a more nuanced take to finasteride and dutasteride in recent years. I have fell into a deep depression in the last couple years and it's hard to pinpoint what caused it. I ended up drinking too much alcohol, eating bad, isolating myself etc which is no doubt the primary cause but there's a niggle in the back of my mind; Did dutasteride/finasteride set me off on that path? I've always been a schemer and in recent years I have nothing going on in my mind when it comes to work. I was extremely enterprising in my teens. I am financially ruined as a result. It's hard to say because my lifestyle is so bad. Im working on fixing my lifestyle currently.

I have read that dutasteride can block conversion of a steroid that appears to have wide-ranging benefits. I'm unsure if finasteride does the same. This is what has led me to develop a nuanced take on finasteride/dutasteride and I would advise people to do their due diligence and be on the lookout for side effects. Anecdotally I began having extremely severe anxiety a few years ago where I struggle to even sit in a room of strangers if Im not drunk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allopregnanolone

I'll write a follow up in approx. 1 years time to let you all know how my self-improvement journey went and whether my old-scheming enterprising self returned. I've quit alcohol and started exercising / eating better. I'm hoping my life decline is a matter of my lifestyle. We'll see. Cheers

In summary, if you happen to drop onto this thread pursuing the internet for hairloss advice. I would say assume these negative effects arent directly caused by dutasteride. My lifestyle has been beyond terrible in recent years that would make anyone depressed. I just thought I'd mention it for full disclosure. Im expecting my life struggles to resolve after a period of good living. Cya in a year.

How much do u shed everyday?
Looks like u maintained congratulations.

 

[Anon587]

Into year 7. I think im around the level I was when I started finasteride. Think im slowly losing ground currently. Been off dutasteride since the new year so around 2 and a half months so far.

My mental health has improved but so have a lot of my life circumstances so its hard to pin it on the dutasteride.

 

[abovedagame]

Into year 7. I think im around the level I was when I started finasteride. Think im slowly losing ground currently. Been off dutasteride since the new year so around 2 and a half months so far.

My mental health has improved but so have a lot of my life circumstances so its hard to pin it on the dutasteride.

Are you off everything or did u switch to finasteride?

 

[Anon587]

Been on just finasteride for a year since downgrading from dutasteride. I've now been on finasteride for a total of 7+ years. As you can see the results are almost the same. My hair density is about the same as 7 years ago which is fantastic really. I should be fully bald by now. As such if people are browsing the internet obsessively trying to quell their anxiety about balding like I am. I would say just go on finasteride. I still think that DHT is an important element of the male condition and completely blocking it is very bad. I dont really seem to have had much difference swapping back to finasteride. My recommendations to anyone coming here is to take finasteride and then thats it. And also be wary. I think taking finasteride could nuke motivation. Be careful. I have nothing to compare my story with but I used to be a self starter entrepreneur and now I cant be bothered doing anything. I dont know if this is a natural development of an anxious depressive mind (that made me seek finasteride in the first place), or if finasteride has caused this. My life has gone downhill greatly in the last 5+ years.

Nevertheless, my hair has remained intact. But I sometimes wonder if I would have been better off just letting myself go bald and moving on. You simply cannot tell. If only I could see how my life panned out if a clone of me didnt take finasteride. Maybe the same result would have happened anyway. I was an anxious depressive person anyway before starting finasteride but I still had that spark. The spark is gone now. Alas, that happens to many people growing up.

BOTTOM LINE. If you simply cannot fathom living life bald, if its making you suicidal or very depressed. I would recommend finasteride but please keep a journal and monitor your progress. If you suddenly lose the zest for life, stop. It's very subtle if something is happening. I still feel happy. I can do stuff, I can have a laugh with friends, go to work. But that animalistic drive to succeed is no longer. And im not quite sure if it was finasteride or just a natural progression of my anxious disposition. If that makes sense. Do your due dilligence if you get on finasteride. but ultimately, Dutasteride is overkill from my experience. If finasteride doesnt do it, I'd just call it quits. And please be mindful if something bad is happening to you. finasteride/dutasteride blocks neurosteroids in the brain which are very important. Refer to this wikipedia article for info. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allopregnanolone (the wide ranging benefits underneath the 'bioglogical function' section.)
Good luck fellas.

 

[abovedagame]

View attachment 184315
Been on just finasteride for a year since downgrading from dutasteride. I've now been on finasteride for a total of 7+ years. As you can see the results are almost the same. My hair density is about the same as 7 years ago which is fantastic really. I should be fully bald by now. As such if people are browsing the internet obsessively trying to quell their anxiety about balding like I am. I would say just go on finasteride. I still think that DHT is an important element of the male condition and completely blocking it is very bad. I dont really seem to have had much difference swapping back to finasteride. My recommendations to anyone coming here is to take finasteride and then thats it. And also be wary. I think taking finasteride could nuke motivation. Be careful. I have nothing to compare my story with but I used to be a self starter entrepreneur and now I cant be bothered doing anything. I dont know if this is a natural development of an anxious depressive mind (that made me seek finasteride in the first place), or if finasteride has caused this. My life has gone downhill greatly in the last 5+ years.

Nevertheless, my hair has remained intact. But I sometimes wonder if I would have been better off just letting myself go bald and moving on. You simply cannot tell. If only I could see how my life panned out if a clone of me didnt take finasteride. Maybe the same result would have happened anyway. I was an anxious depressive person anyway before starting finasteride but I still had that spark. The spark is gone now. Alas, that happens to many people growing up.

BOTTOM LINE. If you simply cannot fathom living life bald, if its making you suicidal or very depressed. I would recommend finasteride but please keep a journal and monitor your progress. If you suddenly lose the zest for life, stop. It's very subtle if something is happening. I still feel happy. I can do stuff, I can have a laugh with friends, go to work. But that animalistic drive to succeed is no longer. And im not quite sure if it was finasteride or just a natural progression of my anxious disposition. If that makes sense. Do your due dilligence if you get on finasteride. but ultimately, Dutasteride is overkill from my experience. If finasteride doesnt do it, I'd just call it quits. And please be mindful if something bad is happening to you. finasteride/dutasteride blocks neurosteroids in the brain which are very important. Refer to this wikipedia article for info. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allopregnanolone (the wide ranging benefits underneath the 'bioglogical function' section.)
Good luck fellas.

Awesome, looks like you held some of your regrowth as well. Do you suffer from any scalp issues? Which shampoos do you use besides Nizoral?

 

[Dashing_uk]

Good luck my man! I am 20 and fighting aggressive male pattern baldness as well. My hair is better than yours at temple, but worse crown/vertex. Started finasteride 3 weeks ago. Let's hope for the best, i feel your pain.

Why dont you try the Hims treatment has the finasteride in the minoxidil solution so you dont get the side effects they do a mild version better for the scalp looks very promising .You have hair shed at the start but then regrowth .Ive tried both but my scalp cant take it as ive been on Minoxidil for 30 years and the finasteride for 30 years and still have a good head of hair but had excess of shedding recently gone back to my other solution.Got 2 lots of 6months treatment available mild and stronger .
If your UK based you need a trip to Eva Proudman about £30 for a consultation travels the country and can sort out blood tests very cheaply,regards David

 

[Dashing_uk]

Just on another note your hair is made of Protein so i take a protein powder shake every day as recommended by Eva Proudman

 

[abovedagame]

Just on another note your hair is made of Protein so i take a protein powder shake every day as recommended by Eva Proudman

Link to the product?