im a newbie, started PROPECIA today(11/14/06).....any advice

[sharaabi]

Im 6'00, 26, 200lb and have been experiencing thinning hair since the past 3 years. I used to weigh 280lb....with hardcore dieting and bodybuilding i slimmed down to 200lb.

Along the way, stress, drama(WOMEN!) and school took its toll.

Coming from an Indian culture, people experiencing hair loss in India use the most wierdest stuff, AMLA and almond oil, cocunut oil with lemon, some special 'herbs' with water and the list can go on. Long story short none of it worked for me and i never wanted to commit to something longterm as propecia or rogaine because i felt there HAD to be another alternative.

I tried this stupid sh** from this one company http://www.hairbacknow.com and believe me, this guy is a LOSER making mad money when his product is useless!

before it was just the crown area, and now i feel my hair thinning on the top too.

I have read a lot of your threads and am glad there are many in the same boat as I am.

Im going to do propecia for 3 months then insurance will cover proscar for me......... questions:


can a lot of people vouch for PROPECIA working OTHER than the website before after pics?

I PREFER not supplement anything for my thinning hair but is there anything NATURAL AND THAT HAS NO LONG TERM COMMITMENT I CAN USE TO MAYBE MAKE IT "APPEAR" thicker while it regrows?????



anyone hear of this test they are doing now where they inject some chemical/gene in your head that will regrow your hair?? expected to come out in 5-8 years.



I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND RESPONSES!!

 

[allgone]

I wish I could say there is a magical cure out there, but unfortunately there isn’t – the person who finds it will be a very rich man or women. I personally use Dutasteride and I have good results with, although I haven’t used Propecia yet – simply because it works for me. It the end of the day some things work better than others, one guy I know used herbal shampoo it worked for him but nearly sent this other guy bold – and to the nut house as a consequence.

I have been stung in the past with bad sites, but I can defiantly vouch for evopharmacy.com they only have a limited selection, but they have always been very good with me and friends I know. They are worth a look.

 

[bluechips]

sharaabi, check out the hair cloning message board on this website for more info on the procedure that will hopefully come out BEFORE 5-8 years and save our lives. As for anything that appears to make thicker, try Toppik or Dermmatch or Couvre. Again, check out the 'cosmetic options for concealing hair loss' message board on this website.
And maybe cut down on the sharaab; I'm sure that wouldn't hurt.

 

[bubka]

i can attest to it, read the "my story" in the signature, also there are tons in the success stories section too

 

[sharaabi]

sharaabi, check out the hair cloning message board on this website for more info on the procedure that will hopefully come out BEFORE 5-8 years and save our lives. As for anything that appears to make thicker, try Toppik or Dermmatch or Couvre. Again, check out the 'cosmetic options for concealing hair loss' message board on this website.
And maybe cut down on the sharaab; I'm sure that wouldn't hurt.

hey bluechips....im assuming you're desi.... 8)
sharaabi is JUST screen name....amitabh fan

anywayz, Im going to read the cloning part today...in the meantime I hope i dont have to pay so much $65.00 a month for propecia~ !jeez its hitting the pocket!

 

[KR78]

Sharaabi if u don't want to spend much then go for generics , finpecia is a good alternative

 

[joseph49853]

There are only three scientifically proven ways to regrow hair: a) Minoxidil b) DHT inhibitors (Propecia) c) skin repair and growth products (such as copper-peptides and Retin-a.) And I've tried them all. Finasteride grew some hair, minoxidil grew a great deal more, and a Retin-a/minoxidil combo filled in the remaining hair. After four years on hairloss medications, I now have all my hair back. So these things definitely work. They just work differently for everyone. And you won't know exactly how well these things will work until you try.

And as KR78 said, generics are definitely the way to go. In fact, if you have any relatives in India, finasteride can literally be purchased for pennies on the streets there.

Good luck.

 

[allgone]

Make sure you keep going with it. It takes time but if u stick to it then it will help. Too many people stop using it before they get the full effect

 

[MPBWarrior]

finasteride is your first step and will be the backbone of your hairloss treatment. if after a year u find it ineffective, look into dutasteride. also look into minoxidil, spironolactone and the other things people have been mentioning on this thread but be aware that most of them are for regrowth. for maintenance u need finasteride or dutasteride.

also use nizoral shampoo (or equivalent) once every 3 days or so and keep it in your hair for a few minutes in the shower.

 

[blandflabbis]

In addition to the above advice I'd say it's a good idea to take a picture of your hair regularly from when you start using Propecia/Finasteride so you can assess whether it's working for you. As is obvious it doesn't work for everyone and there's no point in sticking with a treatment that doesn't work (aside from the money it would cost). Also to make that effective you probably need to do it in the same situation each time as the time between when you last washed your hair can have a significant effect on how much of your scalp appears to be covered so maybe doing it straight after you come out of the shower or something like that would work.

 

[MPBWarrior]

but he shouldn't be put off if he doesn't see any regrowth from finasteride. maintenance is what a lot of people get out of it, incluiding me, which is certainly better than losing hair.

 

[balderbeware]

ConPecia

I am STAUNCHLY against propecia and the sheer potency of the drug. If there were an experimental drug on the market for men that WANTED to be impotent then this would without a doubt be it. All the sides FAR outweigh the pros. For the promise of maybe (maybe!) a little hair growth in the back and not so maybe in the front but DEFINITELY sexual side effects all around. Hmmm??? Let me see.........NOT!!! This drug should only be targeted towards men over 45 that have gotten a good amount of use out of their penis(or is that pen(i)) not young virile boys and men that are still at "batting practice" and have no clue as to what exactly they are doing to their male hormones at the sake of, MAYBE, vellus hairs that will never go terminal and you have to keep pill popping forever, forever ever ever ever, just to keep them stimulated. The drug companies do not give a SH*T and are basically using us as guinea pigs but were even worse off cuz we have to pay to be tested on. This is not fear mongering but FACT PONDERING. Balderbeware and do your research before diving into the propecia pool headfirst. But bear in mind that no matter how much research you do it all boils down to pros and cons, risks and results. I opted for the propecia route this past summer when the "pain" of hairloss just became too unbearable for me and I became desperate and was willing to do ANYTHING to address the problem. Afer a couple of weeks daily dosage at 1.25 mg and running into some serious sides and some that I had never even read about before I just felt that it wasnt worth it. This is a very powerful drug that is relatively new that there is insufficient data about and I just dont feel that its worth it for a few vellus hairs and maintenance and moreso because there are FAR more safer alternatives out there that do the same thing and in some cases even more to help you maintain and regain while we wait for the future and better solutions to this problem of hairloss. I am and will never tell anyone NOT to use this drug because I know the feeling and sheer pain and sense of isolation that hairloss can induce and at times you are willing to do just about anything. All that I am saying is that there are quite a few "anythings" available to us hairloss sufferers now and propecia should NOT be your first line of defense against hair loss but your LAST alternative to addressing hair loss.