So as the title states, I'm shedding literal handfuls of hair like I've never seen before. I started finasteride over 6 years ago at 3x a week, and it dramatically halted and maintained my hair. I added minoxodil in march 2020 and while I had an initial shed, the results never really came. I'm still on it.
Fast forward to May 2020, mid covid lockdowns in my city, living with someone high risk. I ran out of finasteride and started dropping my dosage to 1x weekly to save. Ran out for a full 1-2 months before getting topical in the mail in late August, and getting tablets again in October. Starting some shedding in October around the same time, freaked out and talked to my hair doctor about 1x weekly dutasteride, he agreed. My hair was decently normal relative to the normal hairloss from years prior, as in my hairline was slowly miniaturizing at a snails pace, minimal shedding.
Since then, the shedding and miniaturization has been mind numbingly brutal. My entire midscalp and crown has thinned out, where as before it was minor, and my hairline has dropped from the NW2/3 to basically the NW4a/vertext pattern thinning-wise (the harline is still technically NW3 though but has major thinning behind). I can run my hand through my hair at any point and get 5-10 hairs. On top of this, the itch has been absolutely devastating and my scalp has become far more oily then before. I'm still on minoxidil as well, which seemingly continues to do nothing but I don't want to drop it now incase). I would have thought this could be catch up loss on it's own or another shed from the start of finasteride/dutasteride again but it's been 3-4 months now, with no end in sight.
It sounds like I have this reflex-HA that is referenced on here, but I'm not sure what's causing it or what to do. I've already been on finasteride and never experienced anything like this, but because I've been on it so long and maintained I can't exactly just quit without experiencing the catch up loss right? Should I drop dutasteride? Add more dutasteride? Could the increase in T be causing this from the addition of dutasteride? Could this be a dread shed from dutasteride that I need to ride out? The itch/oil/scalp redness tells me otherwise...
Alternatively I was thinking about adding a very small dose of RU to counteract the T or increased androgen sensitivity , but bad hearts run in my family (mine is currently fine) and I'd be very hesitant to go over a very small dosage.
I feel like I'm in a no win scenario here. I'd love some advise because this has been a soul crushing experience to be honest. I was okay with losing my hair progressively but to lose this much hair since September, and to know the next time I'll be around co-workers and friends again (were in another covid lockdown) I'll be noticeably bald is eating away at me.
Fast forward to May 2020, mid covid lockdowns in my city, living with someone high risk. I ran out of finasteride and started dropping my dosage to 1x weekly to save. Ran out for a full 1-2 months before getting topical in the mail in late August, and getting tablets again in October. Starting some shedding in October around the same time, freaked out and talked to my hair doctor about 1x weekly dutasteride, he agreed. My hair was decently normal relative to the normal hairloss from years prior, as in my hairline was slowly miniaturizing at a snails pace, minimal shedding.
Since then, the shedding and miniaturization has been mind numbingly brutal. My entire midscalp and crown has thinned out, where as before it was minor, and my hairline has dropped from the NW2/3 to basically the NW4a/vertext pattern thinning-wise (the harline is still technically NW3 though but has major thinning behind). I can run my hand through my hair at any point and get 5-10 hairs. On top of this, the itch has been absolutely devastating and my scalp has become far more oily then before. I'm still on minoxidil as well, which seemingly continues to do nothing but I don't want to drop it now incase). I would have thought this could be catch up loss on it's own or another shed from the start of finasteride/dutasteride again but it's been 3-4 months now, with no end in sight.
It sounds like I have this reflex-HA that is referenced on here, but I'm not sure what's causing it or what to do. I've already been on finasteride and never experienced anything like this, but because I've been on it so long and maintained I can't exactly just quit without experiencing the catch up loss right? Should I drop dutasteride? Add more dutasteride? Could the increase in T be causing this from the addition of dutasteride? Could this be a dread shed from dutasteride that I need to ride out? The itch/oil/scalp redness tells me otherwise...
Alternatively I was thinking about adding a very small dose of RU to counteract the T or increased androgen sensitivity , but bad hearts run in my family (mine is currently fine) and I'd be very hesitant to go over a very small dosage.
I feel like I'm in a no win scenario here. I'd love some advise because this has been a soul crushing experience to be honest. I was okay with losing my hair progressively but to lose this much hair since September, and to know the next time I'll be around co-workers and friends again (were in another covid lockdown) I'll be noticeably bald is eating away at me.
Last edited: