JohnDoe1989's Story - (21)

[JohnDoe1989]

It's strange for me to be here.I'm 21 and a half and I'm a little scared about my hair. I started losing hair in november last year i think. I read all about hair loss right here and i've decided to start with minoxidil(kirkland 5%) in april 2010. I've applied like 1ml per night and i thouth i was doing just good becouse my hair started looking a little better. i was like a Norwood 1 all my life so in front it wasn't a problem. Just in the crown. I've neglected the hairline so in the past months it was receiding without really noticing. So i've started using the minoxidil there 2 with some partial succes.

In september i've started using generic propecia 0.5 mg per day. And the problem is now, after 1 month, i have a hair full of sebum and at the shower i find like 100-200 hairs + some dark points on my face(never had problem with that kind of thing - perfect face-skin - no acneea in my youth). It's scary. I don't really know what to do. And if before my hair was thin on just my crown now it's thin even on my back and in zones with no hair problem even for a nw7.

To mention: i never had problems with hair growth on my body and i look very young 4 my age. I never had dundruff until now. I don't smoke, drink and i usually eat healthy and sleep like 8 hours/day. My father is a nw6 and was a nw2 till his 30's. His father was a nw5 till he died. And my other grandfather was a nw1 all his life.

I would like to know if i should consider dropping the finasteride or raising the dosage ? I even consider trying dutasteride like 0.25/day.

here are some pics taken from my mobile camera. I don't consider my hair bad if it's not wet. If i could mantain it till i'm 30-35 i would be pleased. Please consider responding to my post becouse i really think i can win this fight.

 

[sergiotahini]

Re: Hi there,

It could be reflex hyperandrogenicity (google it for more info), but this is a very rare side effect and is probably not the case here.

Increased sebum seems to be a temporary side effect of finasteride that some people get. I had it from months 3-6 on finasteride, but then it calmed down (in month 8 right now). You also need to remember that it could be that your sebum production is the same as it was when you had no hair loss, but as you lose hair it just seems like your body is producing more. I imagine this could be the issue if you're shedding hundreds of hairs a day.

Use nizoral shampoo to help with the sebum and dandruff. You can use the one or two percent, it doesn't matter. There's basically nothing else you can do. Just keep up with the minoxidil and finasteride for a year and then evaluate where you are.

 

[GeminiX]

Re: Hi there,

Hi, welcome to the forum

Your hair *might* actually be fine, when wet even the thickest and most healthy hair can look like it's thinning as moisture will group hundreds of hairs together and make each strand slicker.

Is there anyway you can get a better quality camera and post some dry and wet shots from different angles with and without strong direct lighting?

 

[JohnDoe1989]

Sry for the late reply. I was kind of busy. I bought today a Nizoral 2% shampoo(12$ - kind of expensive for a 60ml recepient and for my social status - student) and i've tested it 4 the first time. Not so many hairs in the shower but still like 100 i think.Maybe is becouse in autumn my hair goes like crazy. Last year was the same but it came back in june as if u can see in the pics. And the hair that i loss is on ALL my head. Even on my sides and back. lol.

My hair is not okay becouse i had, just 2 years ago, much more hair and a better hairline. I used in the last month minoxidil on my hairline and i think it's growing back - and fast . But in the crown is the same. Should i keep going on finasteride? I am thinking about stopping. I want to buy some dutasteride and use like 0.25mg/AOD. I think it's better than my 0.5mg/day finasteride.

I really like an opinion here.

Here are some pics taken tonight. I don't have my camera at my university so it's just mobile pics.
http://img51.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=image02681noi1.jpg

 

[JohnDoe1989]

Could someone tell me how can i get off this DANDRUFF becouse it's itchy like hell. I've just washed my hair with nizoral last night and now my hair is full of big pieces of dandruff that makes my hair like being fire.

 

[JohnDoe1989]

K. So my hair is better. BUT sides effects from finasteride are not worth it. I think i take a bigger dose than i need.

So after 5 months:

1. Big improvement. Before using propecia i've used MIN and i had good growth with just that. I quit on 1st January using Min in vertex becouse of itching. Now using it just on temples (good regrowth here as well). Before i was using MIN without a good shampoo.

2. 1mg/day finasteride from 1 november and SE are waterly seman(from the first 2weeks, in rest fine - the same libido and hardness) and frequent peeing(from mid february - i never had problems before so it certainly fucked up my prostate - i think i had it small from the start and now i have it too small becouse of the drug.) Sometimes fatigue and depressed.

3. Question: CAN U LOOSE HAIR without ITCHING?

4. Thinking of hoping on 20mg/week Roaccutane.

5. I will start a NEW regimen:
1 or 2 times/day 0.5ml/ Kirkland MIN 5% on each temple.
Nizoral 3-4 times a Week - leave it an hour on top( i usually put some jojoba oil 2) after - clean it with my Natural Shampoo OrganicBlue for dry hair => did WONDERS FOR ME. NO MORE ITCHING!!!!!! ( Keto is certainly good at keeping low the DHT in scalp up to 24 hours so it's a good choice).
On days i don't use nizoral => Jojoba OIL 1 hour, after that clean with my shampoo.
50mg ZINC + FISH OIL 2000ui + Vit D3 1500ui + Normal Doses of other vitamins/DAY(using them from 2 weeks ago)
-----------------
AND finasteride 0.5mg-0.75mg every 5 days.( i cut Propecia in 5 and after that i bite like a half of it). Later edit: - ok. i've changed my mind. i'm going on 0.2mg/finasteride EOD.

PS: i will post photos when i will have time

 

[JohnDoe1989]

Just come back to update.

Hair is great. Stopped propecia last week becouse of iritation of my prostate.(i couldn't stop peeing) => been on a natural treatment for this and it's better now.

I am at my 4rd week on Accutane. This sh*t is great! 20mg/week. => NO MORE SHEDDING! NO MORE ITCHING. Just 5-10 hairs in the shower! I never had so few from the time i didn't had any problem.

Still using Kirkland MIN 5% on temples once a day, after i use Retin-A. => regrowth is still going on.

Hope it can last! I'll keep u guys updated.

 

[cuebald]

How come you're on Accutane now then?

 

[JohnDoe1989]

How come you're on Accutane now then?

I don't rly get what u are asking. Why i left propecia for accutane? First i read a thread on this forum about this that was mind blowing for me.

When i first started propecia i was thinking i want to keep this regime for long time so I've bought finasteride for like a year and half. I was taking 1mg/day and i've got to say that I've experienced sides from it(now i can rly tell - being off it) : my libido was way down but i still could get it like 80-90% hard, but it wasn't the same thing when it comes to pleasure(sometimes i was bored in the middle of it- lol). I think i got depressed a bit and had some brain fog + some puffy nipples - certainly more than I've got now I think it was a very high dose for me. if i've went for 0.2 mg i wouldn't had those sides. Remember i had good growth from min 5% alone, but the itching was horrible so i decided to not use it on vertex anymore. so i though what the heck - hop on finasteride to don't lose the crown.

But the worst thing that happened to me was the prostate irritation and reduction(i think). If before i was peeing 1-2 times a day, in the last month on finasteride i was doing it once every 3-4 hours. In the last week i was going like once every 15 min. (certainly the irritation) Now i think i'm going up the hill - once every 4-6 hours; none at night.

Even with the sides i didn't want to quit becouse it was rly working 4 me. I think i would return to finasteride after my prostate returns to a normal size with 0.2mg/day or EOD if the accutane treatment will not be available or succesfull.

PS: I've just wash my hair after 3 days. Just 5 hairs in the sink. :woot: If i did that before treatment i could have count like 150 hairs at least. So i am pleased. My libido is up, my itching is gone, my face is cleaner and i hope it will last.

The only CON is from my minoxidil. I've got some dark hairs on my cheek and near my eyebrown. i hope it will go away, since now i'm using min just at night and with 0.3-0.5ml/temple.

Hope it will do you guys some good.

 

[JohnDoe1989]

k guys.. so i want to update you in with my story. to make it simple i will make a timetable:

=================TIMETABLE===========================

__ -> 09.09 never experienced hairloss, i had a high hairline all my life since, never bothered me because i had a thick long hair and styled nicely.
09.09 -> i realized that my hair was falling too fast, i was going through a diet with pills right then. i put the blame on them. it rly caused then a serious Telogen Effluvium.
09.09 -> 02.10 not using anything on hair. hair looking very bad, the worst in my life i think.
02.10 -> 08.10 using kirkland minoxidil 5% on top of head, good regrowth, hair thickens but still not head full of hair and shedding.s
08.10 -> 02.11 using finasteride 1mg/day. in feb this year i had my hair back. it looked the best in ages.i am a very good responder to finasteride and after a initial shed my hair was awesome in the next months.
*11.10 -> using minoxidil on hairline to get back what I've lost there.quit on vertex because of the itching(guess that alcohol wasn't good for me). since I've got back most of it and i am pretty much satisfied with. it was looking very nice on feb this year
02.11 -> I've quit oral finasteride. sides were too much for me. i had a little brain fog, gyno, watery semen,very low libido and what was the worst -pissing all the time and every time i was like i still have gotten some in the urethra. i started taking accutane -> it stopped the itching, but after a few months i've realized it didn't stopped the hairloss => miniaturization on vertex. added retin-a on hairline before minoxidil.
06.11 -> quit accutane. some acne on my face. not good. tried low finasteride/day 0.2 or 0.5/eod but sides were back so i've quit. still using minoxidil on hairline.
08.11 -> got haircut and i was shocked. my hairloss was very visible. got on minoxidil(1-2 times/day) w/o alcohol with 4 propecia pills crushed in it and with a little jojoba oil for a better absorption.
now -> feeling much better overall. i have lost much weight and i have a very very good libido. after almost 1 month i think the minoxidil is doing his job on top.i've shed quite a lot from it(depression and stress also) so i guess it's working. but i am not liking that my hair is thin(even on sides).i will give it time. 5 months before deciding that topical finasteride is a good thing for me. i think it is couse i am a high responder to both of them. if it wasn't for the sides i would already have been in the succes section.

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Here are the pics http://imageshack.us/g/694/wet280611c.jpg/. u can see the date if u watch the filename(19112010.jpg => it will be something like this so it's dd/mm/yyyy - they've deleted the dots between) in the bottom when u enlarge them. the best one is on 02.11 and the worst on 08.11.

PS: I want to try topical spironolactone. i think that sh*t would do wonders for me. but i don't have so much money to spend(100$ - i think?- for 2 months treatment is very much). and it's hard to get from where i am from. can someone rec me where i could buy it cheap.
PS2: i've got 6 minoxidil 38e(6 months) and 80 proscar pills for 40e(1 year supply). Here a hair transplant is like 2500-3000(1500-2000grafs) euro's done by a very very good surgeon.