Major Dilema-Time for Major Regieme change?Help please

[Last blade]

Ok im 17(18 in december) so hairloss is simply soul destroying.Its been ongoing for about 2-3 yrs now.I started minoxidil 5% a yr ago and added 2% + 5% spironolactone 6 months ago.Ive made no progress infact its alot worse.My hairline is totally f**ked(it resembles this V ).Soon i wont be able to cover it up,this things eating me up it has destroyed my life,but now i face a major decision.The question is should i go on propecia,or do i choose to accept my fate and look like a monster?Ive thought about Propecia b4 but the sides scared me big time but now i feel more afraid of the future than anything else.Advice would be appreciated.

 

[socks]

Last blade Writes:

The question is should i go on propecia,or do i choose to accept my fate and look like a monster?Ive thought about Propecia b4 but the sides scared me big time but now i feel more afraid of the future than anything else.

I dont know if going bald makes one a monster Last blade :wink:

I'm sorry things didnt work out for you the way you planned but look at it this way: You really didnt do dick for your hairloss up to this point so all hope isnt lost (as opposed to if you actually tried treatments that worked for most men but didnt work for you).

First off, minoxidil doest save hair. DHT binding to the androgen receptors inside the hair follicle is what causes hairloss... Minoxidil doesnt do dick for either of those two factors. All minoxidil does is "offset" male pattern baldness by holding the hair in the anagen phase longer (that is the growing phase of hair), may thicken up existing hair, and may stimulant dormant hair to start growing again.

spironolactone hasnt been shown to be effectively when used externally in men with male pattern baldness as a sole treatment of DHT/androgen receptor inhibition.


Your best bet (now that you're a man) is to use a man's treatment not a sissy little schoolgirl treatment :wink:

Get on Finasteride (Propecia or Proscar), use Nizoral 2%, and decide weather you want to continue to maintain the benefits of minoxidil through its daily use.

Finasteride causes side-effects in LESS THEN 2% of men and the VERY FEW men who did get side-effects usually have such side-effects disappear after continued treatments.

Remember, these forums naturally draw men who are either unstable and/or are the VERY FEW men who treatments didnt work for them. Just because it seems side-effects are common on the Internet doesnt mean they really are common!!!!!!!


Jesus, you can pick any medication, do a search on it, and find some dumbass claiming that it turned them into a ravaging, mutant, devil worshipping, deranged, psychopathic, serial killer! LoL :lol:

 

[supernova]

A no brainer. Get on the propecia. I started thinning when I was 17. After a friend said a comment about a tiny bald spot on the back of my scalp when I was 18, I jumped on the propecia. Now, I'm about to turn 23, and my hair is still in relatively good shape. I don't know why everyone always whines about the sides. There are some sides (I distinctly remember my semen being more liquidy and my eye twitching randomly, and being less horny...but after a few months those went away). I remember seeing the commercials that blatantly stated that they may occur in 2% of men... TWO PERCENT. Good god... The odds are 50 to 1 in your favor...I'll take those odds.

I hate it when people whine about hair loss when they aren't even taking the most proven weapon to combat it...finasteride.

 

[Grandpa]

If you do start taking I'd definitely see a doctor first though. I mean they say you aren't supposed to take it if you're under 18, which could just be an arbitrary number if you've already finished puberty but if you haven't tampering with your hormones could be pretty risky.

 

[bombscience]

I think you can judge if it is the right time to go on finasteride based on the maturity of your body. If you were an early bloomer and went though puberty at like 11 or 12 it would seem to be much safer than someone who hit puberty at 14 or 15.

just an opinion here, no scientific data to back that up.

 

[Last blade]

Thanks for the advice.
If i go on Propecia,i intend to drop the spironolactone as finasteride does the same thing (block dht) but if i was to drop it will that cause any extra shedding?

 

[socks]

Thanks for the advice.
If i go on Propecia,i intend to drop the spironolactone as finasteride does the same thing (block dht) but if i was to drop it will that cause any extra shedding?

Whoa horsey :wink:

Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) inhibits 85%-90% of type 2 5ar in the blood serum.

At least 15%-10% of type 2 5ar is still producing DHT. The BEST way to tackle Androgenetic Alopecia is to come at it from several different angles.

1. Most important is to get on Finasteride. If you can get Proscar instead of Propecia. Both Proscar and Propecia are EXACTLY the same drug (Finasteride). The difference is Propecia is a 1mg tab FDA approved for Androgenetic Alopecia and Proscar is a 5mg tab FDA approved for Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH). What you then do is cut the Proscar into 1/4ths or 1/5ths. This way you get 4months or more out of a bottle rather then just one month.

2. Use Nizoral 2% shampoo. The active ingredient in Nizoral, Ketoconazole, has been shown to have a disrupting effect of DHT in the scalp (likely via blocking the androgen receptors).

3. **IF** regrowth is a concern start minoxidil as well. To reduce the shed go on 2% for the first 1-3months then switch to the 5% for about 98weeks, then use the 2% for maintenance.

These first 3 are called the "Big Three" as they are a solid, proven, 1-2-3 punch to KO Androgenetic Alopecia.


However, it may also be wise to use another topical (in addition to the nizoral 2%) to further decrease the 5ar enzyme and/or block the androgen receptors. spironolactone very well might help if you use Finasteride and Nizoral 2% with it. Other compounds to look into are:

Revivogen, Crinagen, and zix w/ azelaic acid.


Good luck bro!