Hi,
I'm new here
I'm 22 and was just diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia. I'm currently at NW1.5 but my crown is thinning rather rapidly (faster than hairline recession).
Since January I tried Rite-Aid minoxidil 5% lotion and it instantly gives me heart palpitation. I tried lowering the doses but it did not help. I subsequently stopped it.
Since February my doctor prescribed finasteride (generic propecia 1mg). At the same time I started Rogaine foam minoxidil. I'm happy to learn that there's no side effect from Rogaine.
After 1 week I feel that the frequency of morning erection is lowered from 100% to about 50%, and I got a mild testicular tenderness (not exactly pain). I checked with my doctor and I lowered the dose to 0.5mg/day. Testicular tenderness slowly faded. The morning erection problem, however, persists.
After about 20 days since I started finasteride/minoxidil I noticed that my sleep quality has significantly deteriorated. I can only sleep about 6 hours and will wake up feeling tired. This persisted about 3 days when I woke up noticing dark circles around my eyes and my heart is beating faster than usual (very similar to what I experienced on Rite-Aid minoxidil 2 months ago.)
So my question is: what caused these side effects?
Hypothesis 1: Minoxidil, being a vasodilator, caused my dark circles and faster heartbeat. Finasteride, being a 5A-R, caused my fatigue.
Hypothesis 2: Minoxidil lowered my blood pressure, which worsened my quality of sleep. This caused dark circles and fatigue during the day.
I would definitely pause minoxidil and wait for a few weeks. However, I'd like to know if finasteride is involved in my constant day time fatigue. (I don't want to stop finasteride)
P.S. Finasteride is working well. Hair loss is significantly reduced.
I'm new here
I'm 22 and was just diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia. I'm currently at NW1.5 but my crown is thinning rather rapidly (faster than hairline recession).Since January I tried Rite-Aid minoxidil 5% lotion and it instantly gives me heart palpitation. I tried lowering the doses but it did not help. I subsequently stopped it.
Since February my doctor prescribed finasteride (generic propecia 1mg). At the same time I started Rogaine foam minoxidil. I'm happy to learn that there's no side effect from Rogaine.
After 1 week I feel that the frequency of morning erection is lowered from 100% to about 50%, and I got a mild testicular tenderness (not exactly pain). I checked with my doctor and I lowered the dose to 0.5mg/day. Testicular tenderness slowly faded. The morning erection problem, however, persists.
After about 20 days since I started finasteride/minoxidil I noticed that my sleep quality has significantly deteriorated. I can only sleep about 6 hours and will wake up feeling tired. This persisted about 3 days when I woke up noticing dark circles around my eyes and my heart is beating faster than usual (very similar to what I experienced on Rite-Aid minoxidil 2 months ago.)
So my question is: what caused these side effects?
Hypothesis 1: Minoxidil, being a vasodilator, caused my dark circles and faster heartbeat. Finasteride, being a 5A-R, caused my fatigue.
Hypothesis 2: Minoxidil lowered my blood pressure, which worsened my quality of sleep. This caused dark circles and fatigue during the day.
I would definitely pause minoxidil and wait for a few weeks. However, I'd like to know if finasteride is involved in my constant day time fatigue. (I don't want to stop finasteride)
P.S. Finasteride is working well. Hair loss is significantly reduced.
