Hi All
I thought I would share my experiences on finasteride for a long period of time at a lower dose.
I first noticed recession at the temples when I was 21. My best friend just looked at me one day and said straight up that I was going bald (lol). A few days later I was scouring forums for magic solutions. I would classify myself as a N1.5 to N2, I had very thick hair and no thinning in the crown, just noticeably receding temples.
Scouring forums had me convinced that I had a choice between finasteride side effects ruining my life, or the eventual semi-baldness which runs in my family. I decided I would take a cautious approach to finasteride and take 0.25mg daily and see what happens.
As it turns out, very little happened. The dreaded side effects were either very mild or just in my head. For the first few months I occasionally had a feeling like I needed to pee after sex, but I didn't actually need to pee. This was quite uncomfortable but only happened a handful of times. After around six months I never had any negative sides. I would occasionally miss my dose for a day/few days. If this happened I would just keep going at 0.25mg.
Results were that the receding stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately I didn't take before pictures or after pictures at this time. I had a girlfriend at this time and was studying and was honestly too busy to care that much, if it stopped the receding then I was happy. I continued this for around 2 years total until I decided I don't really care anymore and stopped the course.
That was until around a year later. The relationship with my girlfriend ended at the same time I was preparing for my exams. Since we lived together, I had to move out while preparing for exams and stress levels went through the roof. I started to notice that this accelerated my receding in the weeks after, which was progressing very slowly up until then. I decided to get back on the finasteride.
This time I went for a dose of 0.33mg per day, and did some stints at 0.5mg to see if I got any sides. At 0.33 there are no sides. At 0.5mg some very subtle sides appeared, so I backed it to 0.33mg.
A year after starting 0.33mg per day, I was surprised after my last haircut that my hairline looks thicker and more natural. It's by no means a perfect hairline but it is definitely very workable now and I'm ok with that. I would say that this dose of finasteride has stopped the "cutting in" at the temples which is common in male pattern baldness, and has also added some thickness. With very little sides, I'm very happy with the results and will likely continue indefinitely.
I'm almost 25, and am looking at maybe getting a small transplant one day in the next few years if I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket. I think I would have fantastic results with around 1000 - 1300 grafts. I definitely don't need or want a "perfect" hairline.
All in all, I'm very happy with the results and would recommend people who are sensitive to high doses of finasteride try smaller and more tolerable doses. I don't think I could handle 1mg per day without sides. (Note I'm not a doctor).
ALSO my measurement is very approximate, I just bite approx. 1/3 of the tablet off each night before bed and put the rest in a zip lock bag. I have 1 tablet every 3 days.
I may put some pictures of my current hairline up in the next few days for some reference.
THANKS for reading! Much love and stay positive.
I thought I would share my experiences on finasteride for a long period of time at a lower dose.
I first noticed recession at the temples when I was 21. My best friend just looked at me one day and said straight up that I was going bald (lol). A few days later I was scouring forums for magic solutions. I would classify myself as a N1.5 to N2, I had very thick hair and no thinning in the crown, just noticeably receding temples.
Scouring forums had me convinced that I had a choice between finasteride side effects ruining my life, or the eventual semi-baldness which runs in my family. I decided I would take a cautious approach to finasteride and take 0.25mg daily and see what happens.
As it turns out, very little happened. The dreaded side effects were either very mild or just in my head. For the first few months I occasionally had a feeling like I needed to pee after sex, but I didn't actually need to pee. This was quite uncomfortable but only happened a handful of times. After around six months I never had any negative sides. I would occasionally miss my dose for a day/few days. If this happened I would just keep going at 0.25mg.
Results were that the receding stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately I didn't take before pictures or after pictures at this time. I had a girlfriend at this time and was studying and was honestly too busy to care that much, if it stopped the receding then I was happy. I continued this for around 2 years total until I decided I don't really care anymore and stopped the course.
That was until around a year later. The relationship with my girlfriend ended at the same time I was preparing for my exams. Since we lived together, I had to move out while preparing for exams and stress levels went through the roof. I started to notice that this accelerated my receding in the weeks after, which was progressing very slowly up until then. I decided to get back on the finasteride.
This time I went for a dose of 0.33mg per day, and did some stints at 0.5mg to see if I got any sides. At 0.33 there are no sides. At 0.5mg some very subtle sides appeared, so I backed it to 0.33mg.
A year after starting 0.33mg per day, I was surprised after my last haircut that my hairline looks thicker and more natural. It's by no means a perfect hairline but it is definitely very workable now and I'm ok with that. I would say that this dose of finasteride has stopped the "cutting in" at the temples which is common in male pattern baldness, and has also added some thickness. With very little sides, I'm very happy with the results and will likely continue indefinitely.
I'm almost 25, and am looking at maybe getting a small transplant one day in the next few years if I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket. I think I would have fantastic results with around 1000 - 1300 grafts. I definitely don't need or want a "perfect" hairline.
All in all, I'm very happy with the results and would recommend people who are sensitive to high doses of finasteride try smaller and more tolerable doses. I don't think I could handle 1mg per day without sides. (Note I'm not a doctor).
ALSO my measurement is very approximate, I just bite approx. 1/3 of the tablet off each night before bed and put the rest in a zip lock bag. I have 1 tablet every 3 days.
I may put some pictures of my current hairline up in the next few days for some reference.
THANKS for reading! Much love and stay positive.