20 years old and nervous to start Propecia

[chichi3001]

Hey Guys,

I've been a regular at hairlosstalk.com and this is my first post. I wanna share my current situation with all of you to see if any of you are in the same boat and can offer some input.

I noticed that my hair was thinning when I turned 19. I decided to do something about it since I was in the early stages. I went to my dermatologist and he wrote me a prescription for Propecia. After I got the prescription, I went home and did a lot more research on Propecia and its associated side effects. The result scared me and left me in limbo as to what I should do. After hearing of numerous guys who have lost their libido or ability to achieve an erection, I wasn't sure that Propecia would be the right drug for me.

I decided to try Rogaine instead since the side effects were less severe. After about 4 months and no growth, I decided to stop. I was really bothered by the fact that my hair would always look greasy and not soft, and I would end up wearing a cap every day.

Many months have passed by and an extreme amount of shedding has taken place this summer. Now I am really starting to worry and I think I might end up trying Propecia. After my showers, hairs are usually stuck to my face and chest, as well as all over the towel I dry my hair with. Its become a real nuissance and I feel this is the perfect time to do something about it. I have no hair loss on the crown, back, or sides of my head. The majority of hair loss is in the front. I've been wearing a hat every day now because the imbalance in texture and fullness of my hair is really noticeable. Luckily, the temporal region of my head has not lost a major amount of hair. Propecia is not successful at regrowing hair in that area of the head but will help maintain the hair if you still have it when you start taking the drug.

Are any of you in the same position as me where you are in your early 20s or teens and are debating whether or not to take Propecia? Do the sexual side effects (minimal as described by Merck) scare you? Have any of you successfully maintained all of your hair with Propecia without having the sexual side effects? Have the sexual side effects that some of you had disappeared after continued use or after discontinuing Propecia? Lastly, and most importantly, how soon after starting Propecia did you notice that your shedding was slowly coming to a halt?

I look forward to any stories you guys want to share about your similar experiences as a young adult.

 

[Guest]

A quick comment: DON'T LET THE NEGATIVE STORIES AFFECT YOU. Remember, two MILLION people take propecia daily. Although many people have reported side effects, its nothing compared to the vast number who take finasteride.

 

[TheBaldingMenace]

random has got a very valid point. Those who have have had bad sexual side effects post at this and other forums BUT this does NOT represent everyone that is taking it. It would be interesting to see what kind of real percentage of guys that are on Propecia actually experience bad side effects when it comes to keeping it up.

 

[briancl]

Hey, I am 20 years old and started proscar, same ingredient as propecia. The first day, things felt a bit weird, but after that I have not experienced any erection problems whatsoever. The only thing I noticed is my semen getting watery as most users have stated. You never know if you will get the sides unless you try it. It's worth a shot if not, then just stop the medication. Good luck!

 

[briancl]

Also, let me add. I am probably on my 3rd week and I notice the thinning hairs in the temple thickening up ever so slightly. It's not a tremendous jump, but slight progression is all you need.

 

[YoungAndThin]

Hey I'm 21 and like you I got a prescription for Propecia from my Dermatologist. I left it sitting on my desk for months debating on whether or not I would give it a try.

Then I finally got the balls and got up and filled my prescription. I'm losing alot of hair, mainly on my crown and I really don't feel like being bald by the time I'm 25. The side effects did worry me a bit but after talking to my derm and reading some posts I decided that it was worth the risk. The sides only affect 2% of users and even if you do get them they will go away eventually and are not permenant.

I'm into my 2nd week of propecia and haven't noticed much differnce yet. My dick still works, I have no watery semen and I'm not growing tits. I am however shedding a bit more than before I started Propecia. But as they say it was to get worse before it gets better.

Go on propecia man. If you don't you will end up being 25 and looking at your Norwood 3 or 4 in the mirror wishing you had gone on propecia at 20 when you still had hair to save.

If you got any questions or anything just PM me.

 

[anayak76]

I started finasteride when I was 23. Am 29 now and have maintained what I started with. I had a lot of the same apprehension that you have now, but in retrospect I wish I started even just a few months sooner--cause I would have even more hair. I havent had any sides, although possibly less semen volume--not really sure about that though.

If I were you, I would start taking it. If it doesnt work out, you can drop it and the sides are reversible. As far as the sides go, know that a lot more people with negative sides post on this website. People with no sides you often dont hear about.

 

[chichi3001]

Thanks for all of your replies. It is really helpful

 

[YoungAndThin]

so are you going to get on Propecia?

:lol:

 

[rustyt63]

Chichi,

I started propecia in April (I just turned 21) and for me it took about 2 months before I started to notice a significant decrease in shedding. I guess I'm a good responder. I still have tons of hair, so I'm hoping like everyone else that I'll be able to hang onto it for quite some time. Start taking it man, the longer you wait, the less hair you can save. I've been on it for about 4 months now and I seldom shed hairs in the shower or during the day. Before taking the treatment, I was losing tons of hair a day. I can't even estimate how many. I have had no side effects. So get on it quick. Good look bro.

 

[ACT10Npack]

Your increase of sheding may have been to short use of Rogaine. People who start using Rogaine most likely will shed hair after the 3 month. If I was you, I would start using propecia or procair if money is an issue. The longer you wait the less likely the drug will be as effect. Less then 2% of people will have side effect like sex. But over time, the sex problem will drop and will be gone.

 

[chichi3001]

Yup, I think I'm ready to start taking Propecia. And once I do, I will update this thread and give you my results as they occur. Thanks again to everyone who has replied to my post.

 

[saas]

ok i just also purchased some proscar i had also before minoxdil so wich way is better to use both or to start ony first proscar than after 6Xmonths
to add minoxidil ? is that right couse iam loosing only the front scalp.

 

[chichi3001]

saas, from what I know, taking Propecia/Proscar and Rogaine simultaneously will increase your potential results.

If you have used Rogaine for some time and have seen regrowth, then stick to the Rogaine and add Propecia into your regimen so you can keep the hair. If Rogaine has done nothing for you, then avoid it and start taking Propecia alone. If you have not started Rogaine yet, it is up to you whether you want to start using Rogaine and Propecia at the same time, or if you want to use Propecia alone for the first little while. My recommendation would be to start Propecia first because it will help retain the hair you have (which is important to younger people who still have most of their hair) On the other hand, if you have lost most of your hair, then I would start Propecia and Rogaine at the same time to achieve maximum results.

Good luck!

 

[saas]

ok thank u very much i have lost some but not more and i think i will start first proscar after some mouths i add minoxidil ok

 

[splint]

hey,

I too have just turned 21, this is my 5th month on finasteride (proscar 1/5th daily). I didnt shed much hair before starting and havent really shed much after either, however I never paid much attention before. I started thinning when I was 18-19 years old, I wish I had started straight away as my crown area has thinned quite a bit. I would say give finasteride a go, the only side effect I experienced was a decline in libidio, however even this seems to have come back after 3-4 months not sure if it fully back but it close enough. Long term wise I dont know about the effects, there are people on these forums who have been taking this stuff for quite some time now and seem to be fine. Oh and theres deffinatley no penis shrinkage...

edit: I would say use finasteride for at least a year and see what it can do for you before deciding about the minoxidil, as once you start minoxidil it something you have to stick with. I am finding after 5 months some nice improvements, I am taking pictures every month and will post some after month 6. I would be quite happy if finasteride simply maintains my current hair, remember if your hair dosent get worse after 6 months then finasteride is working for you, in 2 years my hair has thinned a lot, if in another 2 years my hair stays like this I will be very happy indeed. Keep your expectations realistic and you wont be dissapointed. Kind of a long edit...

 

[saas]

thank u for u are advice i will follow that way .....

 

[Jacob]

You may want to keep this in mind: http://www.mesomorphosis.com/articles/arnold/dht.htm

 

[dek]

I'm 22 and first noticed hairloss when I was 20, not noticable on my head, but i saw that I was losing tons of hairs in the shower and in the sink. My hair is pretty thick so I figured I would wait to do anything about it until I could notice it on my head and I wish that I hadnt, I have considerable crown thinning and my hairline has receded about a half an inch with more receding on the temples. I started proscar about 4 weeks ago and I wish I had way more/better hair to save. Go on it RIGHT AWAY and you will be glad man. I also havent had any sides yet, I guess its still too early to be pumped about that.

 

[chichi3001]

As long as the side effects (if any) will go away after continued treatment or after stopping treatment completely, then I have no problem. After all, my sex life is more important to me than thinning hair.