will try and summarise my story
Currently 29 yrs old - diffuse norwood 3ish. Been balding since 20/21.
minoxidil stage:
After denying my hair loss problem for 2-3 yrs, i finally started on generic liquid minoxidil x 2 day. Was messy as hell (esp the morning dose) but i stuck to it. 3 weeks after starting went through a MASSSSSIVE shed - like i'm talking hundrerds of hairs per day. My sink would fill up. Stuck with it and at the 5 month mark my hair was a **** load thicker + minoxidil regrew new hairs. Everywhere not just the crown. So i was happy as lary and continued with x 2 day minoxidil.
Side effects: peach fuzz on my ears and facial bloating.
Propecia stage:
after about 2-3 yrs of use i noticed i was losing ground - esp on my crown despite the minoxidil. So i decided to ditch minoxidil and start propecia. Bad idea ditching minoxidil. After 6 weeks after stopping minoxidil i went through a MASSSSIVE shed - again hundreds and hundreds of hairs. I panicked at that stage cause i wasn't sure whether it was stopping minoxidil or starting propecia - so in a stage of panic i stopped propecia all together. My shedding settled down a month or so after. At this stage my hair was looking like ****! But one thing i did notice was that my face was a lot more defined and looked better. At that stage i decided to go on once per day minoxidil (foam) pm and started propecia again. I didnt want the facial bloat to come back. I only really noticed it when i stopped minoxidil. So within 4-5 weeks of 1 x minoxidil and 1 x propecia my hair loss completely stopped. Zero visible shedding! I was over the moon! no regrowth - but i knew it was too early in for regrowth. 2 months i started to get the dreaded sides: low libido, weak boner and sore breasts - again i panicked and quit propecia.
So for the last 2-3 yrs i have been on minoxidil 1 x day and have every very slowly been losing ground. So about 5 weeks ago i started to try propecia again (out of desperation). But this time i started 3 x 1mg per week (T, T, S). In the last week or so my hair loss has again slowed right down. Wouldn't say stopped but i hardly see any hairs after i wash / style my hair. In terms of sides - i started to get minor sides again pretty much after the first week - low sex drive, weak boner and sore breasts...but unlike last time this time they weren't as intense. And what i've noticed is that as i've continued 3 x per week propecia the sides have gradually gone down even more. i still get the slight soreness in my breast but its reducing day by day. My boner is 90% normal.
I will continue with propecia in the hope that i will get some thickening and regrowth - hopefully the sides continue to decrease even further.
Summary - rogain DOES work - 2 x day works great! will cause a massive shed but still with it. 1 x day works as well but not as well.
Propecia - if you get sides - reduce the dose - and ride out the sides.
Will follow up and post month by month. So currently at month 1 with x 1 minoxidil and 3 x per week propecia i can day my shedding has stopped / slowed greatly and hair feels a lot better. No regrowth to report yet.
Currently 29 yrs old - diffuse norwood 3ish. Been balding since 20/21.
minoxidil stage:
After denying my hair loss problem for 2-3 yrs, i finally started on generic liquid minoxidil x 2 day. Was messy as hell (esp the morning dose) but i stuck to it. 3 weeks after starting went through a MASSSSSIVE shed - like i'm talking hundrerds of hairs per day. My sink would fill up. Stuck with it and at the 5 month mark my hair was a **** load thicker + minoxidil regrew new hairs. Everywhere not just the crown. So i was happy as lary and continued with x 2 day minoxidil.
Side effects: peach fuzz on my ears and facial bloating.
Propecia stage:
after about 2-3 yrs of use i noticed i was losing ground - esp on my crown despite the minoxidil. So i decided to ditch minoxidil and start propecia. Bad idea ditching minoxidil. After 6 weeks after stopping minoxidil i went through a MASSSSIVE shed - again hundreds and hundreds of hairs. I panicked at that stage cause i wasn't sure whether it was stopping minoxidil or starting propecia - so in a stage of panic i stopped propecia all together. My shedding settled down a month or so after. At this stage my hair was looking like ****! But one thing i did notice was that my face was a lot more defined and looked better. At that stage i decided to go on once per day minoxidil (foam) pm and started propecia again. I didnt want the facial bloat to come back. I only really noticed it when i stopped minoxidil. So within 4-5 weeks of 1 x minoxidil and 1 x propecia my hair loss completely stopped. Zero visible shedding! I was over the moon! no regrowth - but i knew it was too early in for regrowth. 2 months i started to get the dreaded sides: low libido, weak boner and sore breasts - again i panicked and quit propecia.
So for the last 2-3 yrs i have been on minoxidil 1 x day and have every very slowly been losing ground. So about 5 weeks ago i started to try propecia again (out of desperation). But this time i started 3 x 1mg per week (T, T, S). In the last week or so my hair loss has again slowed right down. Wouldn't say stopped but i hardly see any hairs after i wash / style my hair. In terms of sides - i started to get minor sides again pretty much after the first week - low sex drive, weak boner and sore breasts...but unlike last time this time they weren't as intense. And what i've noticed is that as i've continued 3 x per week propecia the sides have gradually gone down even more. i still get the slight soreness in my breast but its reducing day by day. My boner is 90% normal.
I will continue with propecia in the hope that i will get some thickening and regrowth - hopefully the sides continue to decrease even further.
Summary - rogain DOES work - 2 x day works great! will cause a massive shed but still with it. 1 x day works as well but not as well.
Propecia - if you get sides - reduce the dose - and ride out the sides.
Will follow up and post month by month. So currently at month 1 with x 1 minoxidil and 3 x per week propecia i can day my shedding has stopped / slowed greatly and hair feels a lot better. No regrowth to report yet.
