37 y/o Male - Should I switch to dutasteride?

[TressFracture]

First post on this forum in many, many years. I was here a long time ago at the outset of this journey, but I was able to step away for a few years as my situation stabilized. Glad/bummed to be back.

I'm 37 and have been taking finasteride for almost 15 years. I started with 2.5 a day and then, after seeing my progress stall, bumped it up to 5 mg daily. I did REALLY well on the 5 mg for about seven years. My hair was thick and the temple recession - which had been a huge problem initially - slowed. I also used over the counter minoxidil this entire time, but I only used it once per day.

In around 2017, I experienced some financial hardships and could no longer afford finasteride consistently. I was off and on for about a year and, by 2018, my hair had taken a significant turn for the worse. The temple recession intensified and I was thinning like crazy. I jumped back on in 2019, but I scaled down to 2.5 and got my medicine from hims rather than the online pharmacy I had been using. I even upped my minoxidil to 2x daily and started to incorporate nizoral once a week. Unfortunately, despite staying consistent on this regiment, my hair has been getting worse and worse over the past two years and - at this point - it's definitely the worst it's ever been. It's really thinning all over and keeps receding. I lose probably 150 hairs a day.

With all that being said, I am fortunately not yet bald. My thinning/recession becomes more noticeable when I grow my hair out further, but if I keep it short and closely cropped, I can still pass for having a fair head of hair. Unfortunately, with the rate of loss I'm currently experiencing, I feel like my days are numbered. I need to do something now or else it'll be irretrievable.

I'm thinking my best option is to move from finasteride to dutasteride. The online pharmacy from which I used to get my finasteride sells dutasteride for a reasonable price, and perhaps finasteride just simply stopped working for me after 15 years of effectiveness.

My question would be: What are my chances of having better results with dutasteride after this long on finasteride? Is the loss of effectiveness of finasteride something that suggests dutasteride will also be unsuccessful, or is there a good chance of stabilization/regrowth with dutasteride?

 

[King Norwood]

First post on this forum in many, many years. I was here a long time ago at the outset of this journey, but I was able to step away for a few years as my situation stabilized. Glad/bummed to be back.

I'm 37 and have been taking finasteride for almost 15 years. I started with 2.5 a day and then, after seeing my progress stall, bumped it up to 5 mg daily. I did REALLY well on the 5 mg for about seven years. My hair was thick and the temple recession - which had been a huge problem initially - slowed. I also used over the counter minoxidil this entire time, but I only used it once per day.

In around 2017, I experienced some financial hardships and could no longer afford finasteride consistently. I was off and on for about a year and, by 2018, my hair had taken a significant turn for the worse. The temple recession intensified and I was thinning like crazy. I jumped back on in 2019, but I scaled down to 2.5 and got my medicine from hims rather than the online pharmacy I had been using. I even upped my minoxidil to 2x daily and started to incorporate nizoral once a week. Unfortunately, despite staying consistent on this regiment, my hair has been getting worse and worse over the past two years and - at this point - it's definitely the worst it's ever been. It's really thinning all over and keeps receding. I lose probably 150 hairs a day.

With all that being said, I am fortunately not yet bald. My thinning/recession becomes more noticeable when I grow my hair out further, but if I keep it short and closely cropped, I can still pass for having a fair head of hair. Unfortunately, with the rate of loss I'm currently experiencing, I feel like my days are numbered. I need to do something now or else it'll be irretrievable.

I'm thinking my best option is to move from finasteride to dutasteride. The online pharmacy from which I used to get my finasteride sells dutasteride for a reasonable price, and perhaps finasteride just simply stopped working for me after 15 years of effectiveness.

My question would be: What are my chances of having better results with dutasteride after this long on finasteride? Is the loss of effectiveness of finasteride something that suggests dutasteride will also be unsuccessful, or is there a good chance of stabilization/regrowth with dutasteride?

Pics?

 

[TressFracture]

These are the most recent pics I have. I have tried not to take too many because I have a tendency to get obsessed and feel that I benefit mentally from not taking pictures every other day. The temple recession is pretty obvious here, but the thickness is a bit deceptive since I'm pulling back my hair. There's been a lot of thinning in the middle front and middle part of my head.

November:

https://imgur.com/HeACcrT

Today:

https://imgur.com/42dhAMS

 

[King Norwood]

These are the most recent pics I have. I have tried not to take too many because I have a tendency to get obsessed and feel that I benefit mentally from not taking pictures every other day. The temple recession is pretty obvious here, but the thickness is a bit deceptive since I'm pulling back my hair. There's been a lot of thinning in the middle front and middle part of my head.

November:

https://imgur.com/HeACcrT

Today:

https://imgur.com/42dhAMS

Looks better than mine. Used dutasteride for like 8 months and shed the entire time. Can't really tell if it maintained.
But you're 37 so age related thinning could be it. Try dutasteride and assess it urself as it's different for everyone

 

[TressFracture]

Cool, thanks for the input.

I'm hoping that this just isn't a consequence of being old, but maybe that's it.

I will say that, over the past two or three years, I've had pretty intense tingling/needle like pain in my scalp in exactly the areas in which I'm thinning most dramatically. This NEVER happened prior and the time frame aligned almost precisely with increased hair loss. I feel like that's the best clue that more DHT is getting through.

 

[King Norwood]

Cool, thanks for the input.

I'm hoping that this just isn't a consequence of being old, but maybe that's it.

I will say that, over the past two or three years, I've had pretty intense tingling/needle like pain in my scalp in exactly the areas in which I'm thinning most dramatically. This NEVER happened prior and the time frame aligned almost precisely with increased hair loss. I feel like that's the best clue that more DHT is getting through.

Maybe scalp inflammation causes the tingling idk.
But don't worry about age related thinning as it happens to everyone (except norwood freaks like Ronald Reagan)
Maybe start minoxidil

 

[TressFracture]

I guess the real question would be: Even if the thinning is age related, can it be halted/reversed?

I'm definitely not ashamed or embarrassed about it, but it doesn't look great. I have a high forehead and long face, so growing my hair out a bit was a good way to balance out my enormous mug. Having to keep it close cropped makes me more self conscious because my face really, really doesn't accommodate it.

I've been on minoxidil for 15 or so years and still am. I feel like it's definitely helped with regrowth and the foam adds a little body, even though it also creates that annoying white powdery effect.

I think I'm going to order some dutasteride and give it a shot. At the very least, it hopefully won't undo whatever I've managed to keep with finasteride.

 

[MrSnow]

hello, i am french, i lost my hair since 1 year (soon), i am 19 years and i take finasteride too such as saw palmetto and pumpkin oil, i would like to know in which website do you buy your finasteride/dutasteride please ? thanks a lot

 

[DoctorHouse]

First post on this forum in many, many years. I was here a long time ago at the outset of this journey, but I was able to step away for a few years as my situation stabilized. Glad/bummed to be back.

I'm 37 and have been taking finasteride for almost 15 years. I started with 2.5 a day and then, after seeing my progress stall, bumped it up to 5 mg daily. I did REALLY well on the 5 mg for about seven years. My hair was thick and the temple recession - which had been a huge problem initially - slowed. I also used over the counter minoxidil this entire time, but I only used it once per day.

In around 2017, I experienced some financial hardships and could no longer afford finasteride consistently. I was off and on for about a year and, by 2018, my hair had taken a significant turn for the worse. The temple recession intensified and I was thinning like crazy. I jumped back on in 2019, but I scaled down to 2.5 and got my medicine from hims rather than the online pharmacy I had been using. I even upped my minoxidil to 2x daily and started to incorporate nizoral once a week. Unfortunately, despite staying consistent on this regiment, my hair has been getting worse and worse over the past two years and - at this point - it's definitely the worst it's ever been. It's really thinning all over and keeps receding. I lose probably 150 hairs a day.

With all that being said, I am fortunately not yet bald. My thinning/recession becomes more noticeable when I grow my hair out further, but if I keep it short and closely cropped, I can still pass for having a fair head of hair. Unfortunately, with the rate of loss I'm currently experiencing, I feel like my days are numbered. I need to do something now or else it'll be irretrievable.

I'm thinking my best option is to move from finasteride to dutasteride. The online pharmacy from which I used to get my finasteride sells dutasteride for a reasonable price, and perhaps finasteride just simply stopped working for me after 15 years of effectiveness.

My question would be: What are my chances of having better results with dutasteride after this long on finasteride? Is the loss of effectiveness of finasteride something that suggests dutasteride will also be unsuccessful, or is there a good chance of stabilization/regrowth with dutasteride?

I honestly think you are doing better than you think you are. Your density is still excellent for your age. Switching to dutasteride might give you a slight benefit but may cause more sides. I tried it and it did for me so I went back to finasteride. Honestly, as you approach your 40's, you will find it very common with guys of your age going thru the same thing. There are a few genetically gifted men that just never change their Norwood pattern thru out their life but I honestly think they just don't have the balding gene. You managed to slow your situation down all these years but unfortunately age becomes a factor too. I think our follicles become more sensitive to DHT as we age and that's why even NW1 in their 30's can become NW2 in their late 40's even with treatments. When you were on this forum years ago what screen name did you have?

 

[jazz1]

You still have great hair, why not try the same method you used and also the same medication brand? As brands can cause shedding and make a huge difference…..

 

[TressFracture]

I honestly think you are doing better than you think you are. Your density is still excellent for your age. Switching to dutasteride might give you a slight benefit but may cause more sides. I tried it and it did for me so I went back to finasteride. Honestly, as you approach your 40's, you will find it very common with guys of your age going thru the same thing. There are a few genetically gifted men that just never change their Norwood pattern thru out their life but I honestly think they just don't have the balding gene. You managed to slow your situation down all these years but unfortunately age becomes a factor too. I think our follicles become more sensitive to DHT as we age and that's why even NW1 in their 30's can become NW2 in their late 40's even with treatments. When you were on this forum years ago what screen name did you have?

Thanks. I want to be clear that I am conscious of my relative success in maintaining all these years. I'm conscious of the fact that many people on this site have significantly more dramatic hair loss at a significantly younger age and certainly don't want to seem melodramatic about my own situation.

I certainly know that hair loss is more common with age and can certainly see that in those around me. Many of my more lustrously tressed friends have started thinning or receding in recent years, though there are a few holdouts whose hair is as flowing as ever. While I'm sure that, for me, some of this is just a fundamental struggling with the aging process, there are also reasons that keeping my hair is really important to me. Without getting into the specifics, I have a lot of other body image issues and generally don't feel comfortable at all about my appearance. Having been able to somewhat stabilize my outward look over these last ten years has given me something of a sense of security, if not confidence, and it's hard to just let that go. Other than my gray, I also look significantly younger than my 37 years, so the initial reactions to my hair are always more dramatic (and therefore jarring) than they otherwise might be. I'm also a teacher at a school for students with emotional/discipline problems, and they will say ANYTHING. So being on display in front of them for eight hours a day requires being comfortable in your own skin; it'd be a lie to say that seeing tons of recession doesn't make me feel less so.

I guess I'm just looking to fight this thing as long as I can. I certainly understand that age is going to be a factor - as was genetics - but want to keep up the fight as long as possible. If I can get even a bit more coverage at the hairline and even 10% increased thickness in the lower front, it'd help me style my hair more successfully and improve my confidence. If I can get that from dutasteride, I'm willing to give it a try.

To answer someone's question from above: my previous finasteride pills were fincar 5 mg. My concern there is that by going back on them and waiting to see results, I may miss a window to make a significant dent with dutasteride.

Finally, I'm honestly not sure what my last username was. I tried to log in to my old account when I accessed the site, but none of the e-mails I currently use worked. I assume that perhaps I used an old e-mail to which I no longer have access.

 

[TressFracture]

Follow up:

The place from which I'm planning to order has two generic dutasteride options:

Duprost and Dutis.

Both are around 48 bucks. Is one of these any better than the other? Are there differences? Are they largely the same?

 

[MrSnow]

Follow up:

The place from which I'm planning to order has two generic dutasteride options:

Duprost and Dutis.

Both are around 48 bucks. Is one of these any better than the other? Are there differences? Are they largely the same?

can i rent these drugs since europe-france ?

 

[DoctorHouse]

Thanks. I want to be clear that I am conscious of my relative success in maintaining all these years. I'm conscious of the fact that many people on this site have significantly more dramatic hair loss at a significantly younger age and certainly don't want to seem melodramatic about my own situation.

I certainly know that hair loss is more common with age and can certainly see that in those around me. Many of my more lustrously tressed friends have started thinning or receding in recent years, though there are a few holdouts whose hair is as flowing as ever. While I'm sure that, for me, some of this is just a fundamental struggling with the aging process, there are also reasons that keeping my hair is really important to me. Without getting into the specifics, I have a lot of other body image issues and generally don't feel comfortable at all about my appearance. Having been able to somewhat stabilize my outward look over these last ten years has given me something of a sense of security, if not confidence, and it's hard to just let that go. Other than my gray, I also look significantly younger than my 37 years, so the initial reactions to my hair are always more dramatic (and therefore jarring) than they otherwise might be. I'm also a teacher at a school for students with emotional/discipline problems, and they will say ANYTHING. So being on display in front of them for eight hours a day requires being comfortable in your own skin; it'd be a lie to say that seeing tons of recession doesn't make me feel less so.

I guess I'm just looking to fight this thing as long as I can. I certainly understand that age is going to be a factor - as was genetics - but want to keep up the fight as long as possible. If I can get even a bit more coverage at the hairline and even 10% increased thickness in the lower front, it'd help me style my hair more successfully and improve my confidence. If I can get that from dutasteride, I'm willing to give it a try.

To answer someone's question from above: my previous finasteride pills were fincar 5 mg. My concern there is that by going back on them and waiting to see results, I may miss a window to make a significant dent with dutasteride.

Finally, I'm honestly not sure what my last username was. I tried to log in to my old account when I accessed the site, but none of the e-mails I currently use worked. I assume that perhaps I used an old e-mail to which I no longer have access.

I can relate to alot of what you are saying. Your case is very similar to mine. I know what it's like to have body image issues and how hair plays a big role in your image. There are many people on this forum who share the same issues.

 

[JohnSmith21]

Just stick with finasteride, your hair looks the same and is very thick. If the recession bothers you, get a transplant your the perfect age for it. Send some pics of your hair not pulled back, how it is when it’s normal

 

[20YearsOnFin]

by 2018, my hair had taken a significant turn for the worse.

Surely the most obvious solution is just to go back to the same routine you have previous success with? the fincar 5mg you were using is dirt cheap if you get a script for it?

 

[TressFracture]

Surely the most obvious solution is just to go back to the same routine you have previous success with? the fincar 5mg you were using is dirt cheap if you get a script for it?

It would seem so, but I did go back on the 5mg fincar for a while (probably 8-ish months) prior to switching to the lower dosage and my hair quality didn't improve. If anything, it continued to get worse.

I was obviously a bit torn but, based on the feedback here and further research of my own, I decided to try dutasteride. I'm really hoping for at least a bit of thickening/regrowth at the temples, but it would need to happen soon because the recession there has been intensifying. The urgency of that situation gave me the nudge to try dutasteride, since it might be too late a year from now. As you can see, I do have hairs there, but they're thin and dying. Hopefully some of those can be transformed into thicker, healthier hair and improve my hairline a bit. If not, I'll get off dutasteride after a year. I'm also still taking the finasteride that I have left so that I have something in my system until the dutasteride fully kicks in.

I'm very worried about the dutasteride shed, but I'm trying to brace myself to look like sh*t for a couple months when it kicks in. Hopefully I still have enough hair to make it slightly less conspicuous than it might otherwise be.

Crossing my fingers here.

 

[User707]

@TressFracture Very new here. I’m a long time finasteride user of 20 years here. It has pretty kept all my hair for that long. Recently I’ve noticed a bit of thinning. I’m just wondering how the switch or even incorporated DUA with finasteride went for you and if you could give me an update all this time later. Would really appreciate you input

 

[mald]

nope

 

[User707]

nope

Wondering what you mean?