Hey guys, I just came across this forum and thought I would share my story and see if you guys have any advice. I'm currently 22 years old and my hair has been gradually thinning for the past 4 years or so. But in the last year, it has definitely accelerated. The hair comes in much thicker on the sides and the back and my hairline has receded in the upper corners by about an inch (more than that on the right side actually). I started to notice that every time I run my hands through my hair or gently pull on my hairline that multiple hairs would come out. Also, my scalp was itchy a lot of the time.
About 5 months ago, I saw a dermatologist who prescribed me Propecia. I started on 1mg per day and was optimistic that things would change. About 2 months in, I started to notice a lot more hair coming out when I would wash and towel off my hair. I'm assuming this was the shedding phase, but it freaked me out enough to buzz my hair to 1/4 inch. After a while I quit noticing hairfall, but that may just be because it was so short. One thing that I noticed was that the itchiness that had plagued me before had gone away. I will still hopeful that this would work out.
But after about 3.5 months into taking the drug, I started to notice some breast pain. It wasn't constant, but would pop up every once in a while. Over the next couple weeks, it seemed to get worse. I had been paranoid about the gynecomastia side effect going in, because I have had gynecomastia/puffy nipples since puberty and I didn't want them to get any worse. So I started feeling for lumps and I'm not certain, but I think there is something there. I think I feel a lump on the outer edge of both my nipples. I got freaked out so I stopped taking Propecia for a week. My dermatologist suggested I try going back on it but only take 1/2 a pill a day. I tried that for a week, and the pain/tenderness came back, so I stopped it again.
That was about a week ago, and since then I feel like I'm seeing more hair fall out at my hairline. Also, my scalp has been extremely itchy over the past 3 days. I got a little sunburn on my scalp about 5 days ago, but it's not peeling or anything so I'm confused as to whether or not the itching is related to stopping Propecia or the sunburn.
Did the fact that I had pre-existing gynecomastia make me more likely to experience the breast tenderness/enlargement side effect of Propecia? Do you guys think I should go back on Propecia, but only take 1/4 a pill a day and see if that works? I'm planning on having surgery to correct my gynecomastia within the next few weeks, so I don't want to have it done, and then have it come back because of taking Propecia. Where do you guys think I should go from here? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!
About 5 months ago, I saw a dermatologist who prescribed me Propecia. I started on 1mg per day and was optimistic that things would change. About 2 months in, I started to notice a lot more hair coming out when I would wash and towel off my hair. I'm assuming this was the shedding phase, but it freaked me out enough to buzz my hair to 1/4 inch. After a while I quit noticing hairfall, but that may just be because it was so short. One thing that I noticed was that the itchiness that had plagued me before had gone away. I will still hopeful that this would work out.
But after about 3.5 months into taking the drug, I started to notice some breast pain. It wasn't constant, but would pop up every once in a while. Over the next couple weeks, it seemed to get worse. I had been paranoid about the gynecomastia side effect going in, because I have had gynecomastia/puffy nipples since puberty and I didn't want them to get any worse. So I started feeling for lumps and I'm not certain, but I think there is something there. I think I feel a lump on the outer edge of both my nipples. I got freaked out so I stopped taking Propecia for a week. My dermatologist suggested I try going back on it but only take 1/2 a pill a day. I tried that for a week, and the pain/tenderness came back, so I stopped it again.
That was about a week ago, and since then I feel like I'm seeing more hair fall out at my hairline. Also, my scalp has been extremely itchy over the past 3 days. I got a little sunburn on my scalp about 5 days ago, but it's not peeling or anything so I'm confused as to whether or not the itching is related to stopping Propecia or the sunburn.
Did the fact that I had pre-existing gynecomastia make me more likely to experience the breast tenderness/enlargement side effect of Propecia? Do you guys think I should go back on Propecia, but only take 1/4 a pill a day and see if that works? I'm planning on having surgery to correct my gynecomastia within the next few weeks, so I don't want to have it done, and then have it come back because of taking Propecia. Where do you guys think I should go from here? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot!