I Don't Know What to Think Anymore.....

[Benjamin36]

So I saw my doctor today to get a refill of Finasteride. If you are not familiar with my story, I have been on Finasteride for 9 months now, and around the end of March noticed a lot of thinning at the hairline all the way back to the mid-scalp area (while on Finasteride). I assumed/hoped after coming here that it was just a shedding phase. I am now 37, and started receding at 20, but it stopped and was easy to hide. The receding seemed to have stopped, or at least been unnoticeable ever since then, and I only went on Finasteride because I noticed my crown was thinning.

Anyways, I told my doctor about the shedding phase, and he said it's not common at all, I told him about reading about others who shed hair and have it regrow back thicker, and he told me it's not something that happens. So he's booking an appointment with a dermatologist for me, but I have to say, I'm feeling pretty ****ty right now. I was hoping for him to say that it's just the Finasteride working. When he told me that I was like 8O

Now, I know that everyone's situation is different, and just because he is a doctor that doesn't mean that he knows everything about every drug out there, but I would assume he knows a great deal about Finasteride, seeing as he is thinning himself.

Anyways, I said I would post an update, and there it is.

Any thoughts?

 

[IrishFella]

Maybe your GP isn't well versed when it comes to hairloss? I mean, about 90% of the stories I read on here, people mention some sort of shedding .... I really don't know.

 

[Beingbaldsucksass]

Still in the same situation at 9 months and 3 weeks. Shed enormously earlier on, which didn't bother me to start with as I was buoyed by the reassurance from hairloss forums that that is to be expected, the hair grows back stronger, etc... Now I don't honestly know what to think any more either.

How about adding dutasteride?

 

[rafa24]

Shedding profusely on finasteride is not normal...nor is there any mention of it in finasteride/Propecia studies or documentation. I'd listen to your Doctor.

 

[FiniMin]

AFAIK I can't get that legally prescribed for hairloss in the UK. Certainly not from a regular NHS GP. I'll consider my options.

I know people in the UK who get dutasteride from inhousepharmacy. Thats where I get mine. It only took 6 days to recieve my 6 months supply and it only totaled $123.00 (which only comes out to about $20 a month!!) as opposed to paying, at the very least, quadruple by having to go to the Doctor, get a script, and purchasing them at a local pharmacy for $80 a month and $480 for 6 months!! I save at least $800 a year! I currently am taking 1 mg of finasteride on one day and .5 mgs of dutasteride the next. Also, many people don't start seeing positive results for a year or MORE. Some peoples success stories say that they didn't get positive results until 15 months into treatment on finasteride. Its all about your hairs 3 month cycles, so its not uncommon for you to have to go through 3, 4, or 5 three month cycles until you start getting positive results.

Also, you will get a lot of reassurance by reading the articles posted at the top of the shedding forum. They go into great explaining how, why, how long and often we shed and that most of the time, any and all shedded hairs not only grow back but come back thicker and fuller. In fact, a few months back, I reassured another member of this forum who was considering quiting finasteride because he was frustrated and confused by his shedding. I assured him the shedding would stop and just recently he posted with great elation that after 11 months of taking finasteride his hair finally stopped shedding and he was have amazing results.

So don't give up. With modern treatments like finasteride, minoxidil, and dutasteride, NOBODY has to go bald anymore. They work and its just a matter of finding the specific regimen and dosage that is effective in getting posite results. You live in the UK, so you CAN get dutasteride from inhouse. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[abcdefg]

For all the talk about sheds I dont think there is much if any literature saying that its common I would listen to your doctor but a dermatologist who deals with hair loss will probably know more and tell you if its normal or not from all the people he sees.

 

[Kirby]

I asked in a hair clinic last week if sheds from finasteride were normal, was told "nearly everyone gets those".

 

[RapidRetreat]

so has anyones shed gotten better? I was in the exact same boat and made the decision to get off it for a month to see how I was going but I am still diffuse after more than 14 months on the drug and all I wanted to do was slow down slight recession and what I got was excessive shedding all over my head. don't know if that is normal and not sure whether to get back on it or stay off it for good no one has a clue when it comes to propecia sheds

 

[IrishFella]

so has anyones shed gotten better? I was in the exact same boat and made the decision to get off it for a month to see how I was going but I am still diffuse after more than 14 months on the drug and all I wanted to do was slow down slight recession and what I got was excessive shedding all over my head. don't know if that is normal and not sure whether to get back on it or stay off it for good no one has a clue when it comes to propecia sheds

Yes. A lot better! I don't know whether it coincided with switching to branded Proscar from Finpecia, or it was just a long, long shed. The first 4-5 months on Finpecia my hair was fantastic, then after I got my next batch, **** started to go down hill, then get better, then downhill, better, downhill etc etc. Then it was in a constant state of ****tiness, until I switched to Proscar (see sig). The past month or so, my hair has never been better.

Not sure whether I got some fake pills in my batch which caused my hair to cycle from "crap" to "meh" or switching (see sig again) made a difference. The jump from .50mg to 1.25mg may have helped.

 

[giannis]

Yes. A lot better! I don't know whether it coincided with switching to branded Proscar from Finpecia, or it was just a long, long shed. The first 4-5 months on Finpecia my hair was fantastic, then after I got my next batch, **** started to go down hill, then get better, then downhill, better, downhill etc etc. Then it was in a constant state of ****tiness, until I switched to Proscar (see sig). The past month or so, my hair has never been better.

Not sure whether I got some fake pills in my batch which caused my hair to cycle from "crap" to "meh" or switching (see sig again) made a difference. The jump from .50mg to 1.25mg may have helped.

Some days i shed a little and some a lot.It never crossed my mind that i may got some fake or bad strips of finpecia but after reading your post maybe thats the case. I dont want to risky it. The problem is how to i get proscar from my local pharmacy?