Need advise, need some guidance, need some thoughts!

[nineliwes24]

I am a 35YO, quite athletic type guy, with a well below average BMI. I started balding exactly when I reached the age of 30, and it has been a down-slope ever since. Currently I am somewhere between a Norwood-3 & Norwood-4. About 6-8 months ago, I was definitely a Norwood-2! So, in the last 8 months, hair loss has been extremely rapid due to a variety of issues: job-loss, and 2 months after job-loss I was scheduled to get married, and the job itself, during the last 5 months of it, was intense, with severe job-insecurity. I suffer from the diffuse type hair loss too!

I have tried various things in the last 5 years:

1. 4 years ago, I went on dutasteride for a period of 2 months: I had severe side effects – discomfort falling asleep, my male member started to slowly turn into a vagina (exaggeration), started growing some serious titties, also I had severe depressive symptoms. I don’t really know how I managed to stay on it for so long: I stopped and things went back to normal.
2. 6 months after I stopped Duta, I decided to consult a dermatologist, and he recommended that I go on propecia: has very similar side effects, including a bout of depression, and stopped it within a couple of months!
3. Tried Minoxidil, had heart palpitations over an extended period of time. Consulted with my doctor, and he strongly advised me to not use Minoxidil since my family has a history of heart problems, and I have high BP!
4. Tried revivogen for 5 months: hair fall decresed a little bit, but the smell was awful: my GF decided to sleep on the sofa everytime I decided to use it!

Current regimen:

I went on Nizoral 2% exactly a month and 2 weeks ago, and I have been experiencing SEVERE shedding: like 60 – 80 hairs fall out in the shower. I use this every other day by mixing a bit of Retin-A cream in it.

I also started applying a mixture of Ketaconazole (2%) cream & Retin-A (.05%) cream on my head on every alternative day.

Around the same time, I started on saw palmetto extract (500 mg in 2 doses) and beta-sitosterol (400 mg)

I take about 2000 mg MSM everyday

Other stuff:
Omega 3
L-Arginine 4000mg
Zinc 50mg
Pycnogenol 100 mg
Astaxanthin 4mg
Resveratrol
Green tea extract (200mg)
Grape seed extract (200mg)

I have seen excessive shedding ever since I started on this regimen (especially with Nizoral shampoo and Ketaconazole + retin-A cream. Like really bad shedding: 30% of them are long and healthy looking hair, and 70% are smaller and somewhat healthy looking hair. I don’t know if this is an indication for future growth or complete baldness, but I thought I should add this info.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions:

1. What are my options: given that I am sensitive to and cannot use two of the so called effective medications: Propecia & Minoxidil
2. I am really thinking of investing in the A&G Hair Serum: what do you guys, especially the ones who are in between Norwood-3 & Norwood-4 think of this serum? Has it been effective for you guys?
3. Has anyone tried a mixture of ketaconazole & retin-a cream? Has this been effective?

Please give me some of your (constructive) thoughts, and guidance. Thank you guys!

 

[Boondock]

1. I think the most potent treatment you haven't tried will be the Zix formulas. I haven't tried these myself, but people are reputed to have been getting results. It's also cheap to do, and normally well tolerated. As an alternative, laser therapy could work - perhaps invest in a laser helmet if money isn't an issue.

2. Reports so far are few and far between, but some claim to be getting success. If you've got the money to burn, it certainly won't hurt to give it a try.

3. Haven't tried it myself.

 

[Xandros]

Retin A cream is quite irritating to the scalp. Are you using too much in addition to the Nizoral? Dr. Lee indicated his comments on Retin A:

I don't routinely recommend using retinoic acid (Retin-A) anymore. It works as a chemical peel and can cause mild irritation and flaking for the first 10 days or so. The reaction seems to be more severe on fair complexions. The addition of retinoic acid is primarily to allow for better absorption of the minoxidil. This was very important when 2% minoxidil solutions were the only concentrations available. Now that 5% and higher concentrations are available, the addition of retinoic acid is not as important. In fact, the undesirable side effects of retinoic acid use (dryness, redness, flaking, increased sensitivity to sun damage, etc.) may not counterbalance its 'benefits'. If you have a sensitive scalp, you may not want to use it.

How’s your diet? Have you elimination all processed foods, no sugars with emphasis on a plant-based – vegetable diet with enough protein?

Stress can take its toll as you describe. Is Meditation in your daily routine? Even a subliminal CD played at night can be beneficial.


Just a few suggestions, good luck in your success.