Getting worse before it gets better?

[whatevr]

I've been on finasteride 0.5 mg EOD for 2 months now (due to sides). Eventually I will try to take it 0.5 mg every day again.

In this time my hair in general has not gotten much worse except for some spots on the front between the temples where I have some spots which have definitely thinned out and more scalp is seen. This seems to have happened in the span of 2-3 weeks.

Is this common? Does it get noticeably worse and then hopefully some of it will come back? I do notice some vellus hairs on the temples but in other areas it's getting worse. Kinda panicking now and already thinking about dutasteride but I know I need to stick with this for longer to see results. Yet at same time don't wanna lose ground... Ugh. :shakehead:

 

[endsded]

You have to take the finasteride regularly. Taking it on and off is going to **** with your growth cycles and you'll never give yourself enough time to overcome shedding.

 

[whatevr]

Duh. I DO take it regularly. I just didn't take it every day because of side effects (that went away when I reduced dosing frequency). I am trying to move up to every day dosing again. Did you read that?

 

[endsded]

Duh. I DO take it regularly. I just didn't take it every day because of side effects (that went away when I reduced dosing frequency). I am trying to move up to every day dosing again. Did you read that?

Uh, you just proved my point. You are not taking it regularly -- you literally just said you aren't taking it every day. You need to take it every day to stop the shedding.

You also said this in your original post:

I've been on finasteride 0.5 mg EOD every 2 months now (due to sides).

Take 1mg every day, not in two month cycles. Every time you stop and restart you are destroying any progress you may have been making previously. For as long as you are "working up to every day dosing", you're going to be shedding and never making any progress. Don't switch to another drug, just take finasteride correctly. The sides are probably in your head. Just pop the pill and carry on with your day, stop obsessing over it.

 

[whatevr]

I worded that wrong. I started in May. Took it every day for a week - got sensitivity and irritation in my nipples. Definitely not in my head. Then I only took it every 72 hours. That caused the sides to go away. Then I moved up to every 48 hours. Still good. Now I am trying to do every day, and if the sides don't reappear, I will continue like that.

There were no 2 month cycles. The most I went without taking it was 72 hours which according to the science is still within the effective timeframe of a single pill (it takes that long for DHT to start rising again).

 

[bluejay]

Yeah it gets a lot worse beyond what you could've believe during the first 2 months but apparently that's a sign that you're a good-responder. Hair needs to enter multiple phases of regeneration by shedding in order to make room for stronger and stronger follicles so yeah just stay cool for now and take it for a good omen.