8.5 Months of finasteride RANT

[Sensie]

Ok so I just got a haircut yesterday, and my hair was SOOOO thin on top, the thinnest its ever been. finasteride has accelerated my hairloss 10 fold.

Don't really wanna get on minoxidil again as I feel like it thins it out bad too. I tried it like 3 different times for months on end and it just made my hair look disgusting, greasy and thin as hell!!

Im 25 and have been diffusing since 17. I remember thinking when i was 18 that I would be completely bald by now.

My leftside hairline is starting to cut back too which is just great.

ANY ways this is just a rant, I'm done now.

 

[TravisB]

Do you use brand Propecia, or some other generic? If it's the latter, then maybe it's fake?

 

[Sensie]

Proscar cut into 1/4tths as prescribed by my doctor....my hair thinned out pretty bbad since i've been on it

 

[Wuffer]

I can't imagine how finasteride could actually accelerate your hair loss, especially after 8 months. It's possible your hair loss is not male pattern baldness, and not affected by DHT.

You may also just have extremely aggressive hair loss. I think finasteride is going to 'help' everyone who has male pattern baldness, but for many guys this will only mean slowing down hair loss. If you had not taken finasteride, you may be in an even worse position than you are in right now, but it's hard to say.

Also, finasteride can take up to a year (or more) to work. Make sure you are taking legit finasteride, taking it consistently, and re-assess in a year. It would help to take good photos now also so that you have an infallible way of tracking your progress.

Best of luck.

 

[Rawtashk]

Stick with it, stick with it, stick with it. For all you know, you could be a non-responder and your hairloss is progressing at a normal rate. Merk says that you need to be on it at least 12 months to completely assess how well it will (or will not) work.

 

[Sensie]

Well before I got on it I was doing okay.

I used Rogaine foam during these 8 months for about 10 days, and quit it because it was making my hair fall out like mad.

My vertex is thinning out badly, especially behind the hairline.. The only way I can style it now is to fluff it with a towel and hairspray it. I can't even comb it or leave it naturally messy because my scalp shows through.

 

[gh05]

do you have pics before and after finasteride?

 

[hairhoper]

Use both. Give it a year, then come back.

 

[Kirby]

My hair's thin as buggery after 5 months and one week on finasteride.... Had my g.f. check photos of before I started Propecia, didn't have perfect hair by then but was far better than now.

 

[Rawtashk]

You can't tell after 5 months. finasteride will cause your hair to shed out over the course of 2-5 months. Your hair then has to enter its dormant stage, and then regrow after that. You HAVE TO GIVE finasteride A FULL 12 MONTHS before you can decide if it's worth it or not.

 

[kehcorpz]

Rogaine was a huge waste of my time for me. It caused way too many problems. I used foam for a year before realizing it wrinkled and f'd up my face. Had dark circles under my eyes and looked old and ragged. I've been off it for almost 4 months now and i've reversed 98% of the issues. The thing that's taking the longest are the 3 forehead lines but they have improved greatly where you can only tell in certain lighting that they are there.

Now I only now started noticing Propecia starting to kick in and I've been on it for 10 months and 8 days. Give it at least 2 years if you do not get serious side effects. Forget about your hair. Shave it and don't look at it constantly and take your pill. Stress won't help your problem.

Your hair has been in the process of dying over a period of years. Why do people expect to fix this in a period of 6 months? It takes a long time.

 

[Kirby]

Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

Before I got finasteride prescribed, I knew from my hours of online research I'd have to wait a while before it 'kicks in' and I could look worse in terms of hair thinness due to shedding. In practice, it's been far tougher to sit it out than I anticipated: it's easy in theory, difficult in practice. I'm not naturally patient, and it was hard to take in how thin my hair is at the moment, particularly when compared to the photos I took this time last year.

Might just shave my head again, so I don't end up getting too stressed, then a few months before regrowing it. (Timeline: buzzed my hair from long to a grade 8 last October. Noticed my hair loss in early November. Kept growing my hair out. Got Propecia first week of January. Shaved my head in March after the finasteride shed aftermath - my girlfriend said she'd like me just as much without hair one evening, so I surprised her with a grade 0 buzzcut, then just wet-shaved it. Felt good. If I wasn't balding, I'd have kept it as my hairstyle for a while.)

 

[Rawtashk]

kehcorpz, do you have any pictures of the dark circles and stuff? I've contemplated going off Rogaine because I'm not sure if it does anything or not....and I'm curious to see what "minoxidil circles" look like. I don't really have dark circles, persay...but I do have what looks like some minor discoloring under my eyes (almost like a very faint black/blue eye). I also have some forehead wrinkles, but that could be because I started Rogaine when I was 22, and I'm 28 now. I know I'm gonna get wrinkles sooner or later..... :dunno:

 

[Sensie]

Maybe we should just quit it and see what rides out

My hair was doing okay until I started this sh**

 

[Sensie]

http://i.imgur.com/8ci12.jpg

This is the best I could make it

 

[GaryTheIII]

Sensie,


What is your shed like?
Any noticable sides?
How are your sides and back down?

I Have been on finasteride for 6 months now... shed like a banshee nice thick long healthy looking hairs too.

Thinking about quiting and hoping it grows back but I dont know.

Got anything?

 

[Sensie]

Sensie,


What is your shed like?
Any noticable sides?
How are your sides and back down?

I Have been on finasteride for 6 months now... shed like a banshee nice thick long healthy looking hairs too.

Thinking about quiting and hoping it grows back but I dont know.

Got anything?

Shed seems to have slowed down, but it was in overdrive the last 3 months. Losing hairs left and right, tons in the shower.

Not too bad sides, no morning wood and thin semen.

 

[GaryTheIII]

Sensie,


What is your shed like?
Any noticable sides?
How are your sides and back down?

I Have been on finasteride for 6 months now... shed like a banshee nice thick long healthy looking hairs too.

Thinking about quiting and hoping it grows back but I dont know.

Got anything?

Shed seems to have slowed down, but it was in overdrive the last 3 months. Losing hairs left and right, tons in the shower.

Not too bad sides, no morning wood and thin semen.

I got the same sides, it seems to me though that if you got sides any what so ever it should be working? Im thinking about cutting down to .5mg I heard from a Doctor (not a bullshit dermatologist) that if the dose is to high it can cause a negative effect.

My thought:

It effects the hormones to much (for some) it can cause hairloss. Just the right amount of the drug it will reduce sides and have positive effect on hair?

NO IDEA THOUGH!

 

[Rawtashk]

I was on it at .5mg for 3 years with excellent results.

 

[oldmpber]

kehcorpz, do you have any pictures of the dark circles and stuff? I've contemplated going off Rogaine because I'm not sure if it does anything or not....and I'm curious to see what "minoxidil circles" look like. I don't really have dark circles, persay...but I do have what looks like some minor discoloring under my eyes (almost like a very faint black/blue eye). I also have some forehead wrinkles, but that could be because I started Rogaine when I was 22, and I'm 28 now. I know I'm gonna get wrinkles sooner or later..... :dunno:

Compare older and recent pictures of Vince Vaughn. People on other boards say that is what happened to him and call it Minoxidil face.
If it keeps getting worse switch to 2%. Of course it's not as good as 5% but my symptoms greatly improved on 2%. I still use 5% but only a couple of times a week .