- Reaction score
- 29
Is that what your partner tells you.
Putting Avodart To The Test. At Least 1 Year.
- Thread starter Rysteve93
- Start date
Is that what your partner tells you.
- Reaction score
- 92
I was a Finasteride user of 10+ years. Noticed increased shedding a year ago so switched to Dutasteride (0.5mg a day) earlier this year, fearing that finasteride had lost its efficacy. I'm literally just approaching the 6 month mark on Dutasteride now. However, all I've noticed to date is very heavy shedding and further gradual thinning on top.
Doctor and other users have said I need to give the Dutasteride at least a year so have renewed my prescription.
I'm not sure if the heavy shedding is a sign that the drug is or isn't working, and whether I need to add anything else to my regime? At present, only other thing I use is Nizoral shampoo. Have never bothered with minodixil because topical solutions would interfere too much with all the hairspray and concealers I use. Must admit, I've been wondering if there's a risk that Finasteride could work for some people, but not Dutasteride, so by switching drugs you actually lose any progress you made with Finasteride? However, the universal consensus seems to be that Dutasteride has Finasteride covered.
So what other things should I be looking to add to my regime? What are antiandrogens? And Dermaroller is the first time I've read as a possible use vs hairloss.
Thanks guys
S
Doctor and other users have said I need to give the Dutasteride at least a year so have renewed my prescription.
I'm not sure if the heavy shedding is a sign that the drug is or isn't working, and whether I need to add anything else to my regime? At present, only other thing I use is Nizoral shampoo. Have never bothered with minodixil because topical solutions would interfere too much with all the hairspray and concealers I use. Must admit, I've been wondering if there's a risk that Finasteride could work for some people, but not Dutasteride, so by switching drugs you actually lose any progress you made with Finasteride? However, the universal consensus seems to be that Dutasteride has Finasteride covered.
So what other things should I be looking to add to my regime? What are antiandrogens? And Dermaroller is the first time I've read as a possible use vs hairloss.
Thanks guys
S
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- Reaction score
- 92
Kagaho - I'm just approaching the 6 month mark on Avodart and all I've noticed to date is massive shedding in the shower. Have almost been freaking out over it. So that could actually be perfectly normal and a sign that the drug is working?
- Reaction score
- 121
Any before pictures? 6 months ago to now?
- Reaction score
- 92
No, I didn't take any pictures when I started because I didn't really expect to see any difference with my hair. It's been very gradual in the past. However, because of the crazy amount of shedding that's going on, I took my first photos this last week - especially as I am really beginning to notice thinning now. So I can certainly update in terms of going forwards.
To be honest, my hair has always been notoriously difficult to photograph in terms of monitoring hairloss - my hair is super-fine (like baby hair), straight, and also quite long. It's been speculated that I seem to have a lot more hair than normal to compensate for how fine it is. Even for post-hair transplant pics, it's hard to tell how much improvement has been made through photos. The most surefire way I can personally tell by how much hair I've lost (or grown) is by how easy or difficult it is to style and how full it is. If I've lost hair, my hair typically looks much shorter and flatter because after I've styled forwards to conceal my high hairline, there's little else left to style to provide extra fullness.
But below is a photo of how much hair I'm shedding at the moment from just one shower. Not that I'm counting them, but it must be 200-300 hairs. And then more fall out when I style. I know shedding is generally no measure of male pattern baldness, but that size of shed can't be normal?
My fear is that one of three things might be occuring:
1) Age and genetics have caught up with me (I've just turned 40) and no amount of these meds are going to make a blind bit of difference.
2) Finasteride worked for me (to an extent) but Dutasteride doesn't so I'm now losing all the ground I made on Finasteride. (These has largely been dismissed by others on the grounds that dutasteride does everything finasteride does but more).
3) Something else is going on that is causing the hairloss, which isn't male pattern baldness. And maybe I should be getting it checked out. By whom though? A doctor?
To be honest, my hair has always been notoriously difficult to photograph in terms of monitoring hairloss - my hair is super-fine (like baby hair), straight, and also quite long. It's been speculated that I seem to have a lot more hair than normal to compensate for how fine it is. Even for post-hair transplant pics, it's hard to tell how much improvement has been made through photos. The most surefire way I can personally tell by how much hair I've lost (or grown) is by how easy or difficult it is to style and how full it is. If I've lost hair, my hair typically looks much shorter and flatter because after I've styled forwards to conceal my high hairline, there's little else left to style to provide extra fullness.
But below is a photo of how much hair I'm shedding at the moment from just one shower. Not that I'm counting them, but it must be 200-300 hairs. And then more fall out when I style. I know shedding is generally no measure of male pattern baldness, but that size of shed can't be normal?
My fear is that one of three things might be occuring:
1) Age and genetics have caught up with me (I've just turned 40) and no amount of these meds are going to make a blind bit of difference.
2) Finasteride worked for me (to an extent) but Dutasteride doesn't so I'm now losing all the ground I made on Finasteride. (These has largely been dismissed by others on the grounds that dutasteride does everything finasteride does but more).
3) Something else is going on that is causing the hairloss, which isn't male pattern baldness. And maybe I should be getting it checked out. By whom though? A doctor?
- Reaction score
- 121
Holy f***. Is that from washing your hair? I very much doubt your losing ground from finasteride due to your avodart.. avodart is slightly superior. Yes a doctor, a dermatologist. Those a thick healthy hairs I'd say ride the shed out brother. Give your avodart 12 months..
- Reaction score
- 92
Yep, that was from a single shower/hair wash, having not previously washed my hair for 3 days.
Thing is, I've been shedding for a whole year, since last September. It was why I eventually switched to Avodart end of March 2018 because I thought the Finasteride had stopped working. However, I would say that, if anything, the shedding has gotten worse on the Avodart. Originally, I thought that was a sign of the drug working. Maybe it still is.
Below are photos I've literally just taken right out of the shower an hour ago. The best way to illustrate my thinning is to draw a partin down the middle with wet hair, which is exactly what I've done below. Obviously I do have some male pattern baldness (I mean I've had hair transplants for it directly at my hairline), but I do wonder with this level of shedding that something else is going on. Or maybe that's wishful thinking. I have always been a heavy shedder, but at the moment, I find it scary.
On the positive, I do still seem to have a reasonable amount of hair, although for sure I am noticing increased thinning through the middle when I part the hair.
Wish I know. I feel like I've sabotaged somebody else's thread here
Thing is, I've been shedding for a whole year, since last September. It was why I eventually switched to Avodart end of March 2018 because I thought the Finasteride had stopped working. However, I would say that, if anything, the shedding has gotten worse on the Avodart. Originally, I thought that was a sign of the drug working. Maybe it still is.
Below are photos I've literally just taken right out of the shower an hour ago. The best way to illustrate my thinning is to draw a partin down the middle with wet hair, which is exactly what I've done below. Obviously I do have some male pattern baldness (I mean I've had hair transplants for it directly at my hairline), but I do wonder with this level of shedding that something else is going on. Or maybe that's wishful thinking. I have always been a heavy shedder, but at the moment, I find it scary.
On the positive, I do still seem to have a reasonable amount of hair, although for sure I am noticing increased thinning through the middle when I part the hair.
Wish I know. I feel like I've sabotaged somebody else's thread here
Yeah that happened to me too.
Stabilization of hairloss can take even an entire year, but we have to look the big picture: more than 90% of users get long term maintainance with this drug.
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holy moly thats alot of hair. Im gutted when i count 10 hairs in the shower. Im hoping for no shed. ( been on avodart for 5 weeks now)
- Reaction score
- 92
Ha, well 10 hairs is definitely nothing to worry about! Average person loses about 100-150 hairs a day I believe? I don't think shedding is necessarily a sign of hairloss anyway; it's less about how many hairs you shed, but whether those shed hairs are replaced. Obviously, with the amount I'm shedding at the moment though, naturally I'm very concerned.
- Reaction score
- 92
But you have other things as part of your hair regime? Did you begin the Avodart before these?
I was only on finasteride, started june 2008 till september 2013, when i made the switch to avodart.
Added minoxidil and dermarolling in november 2017.
Also used minoxidil with fina from 2008-2009 but with negligible results.
My regrowth comes from the dermarolling & minoxidil combo.
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@Yakitori
Started finasteride and minoxidil 10 years ago. But it was late. My hair already looked really bad, an almost diffuse NW3 vertex. Rain, wind or direct sunlight, all terrible enemies.. Dropped the minoxidil, lucky for me didnt impact the hair.
By 2013 was only using finasteride and still at baseline but wasnt enough, tried Avodart with the hope of getting regrowth, which definitely didnt. But that pill keeps me away from the higher Norwood scale, and with time you realize thats what antiandrogens do for most of us.
Then something good happened, one crazy guy from another forum (motivated mainly by the indian dermarolling study) started experimenting with wounding, the science was sound and he managed to document his progress really well.
A few months later other dude posted legit pics showing massive regrowth using a 1.5 mm dermaroller and minoxidil and more good data related to skin disruption and minoxidil got published..
So last november said what the hell lets give it a chance. Still not in the place i want to be but the change is cosmetically significant and im seeing vellus hair turning terminal at the front and temple region.
My regimen now: Avodart 0.5 daily, Dermarolling twice a week and Minoxidil 5% 2 times a day.
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- Reaction score
- 92
Thanks for all the insight Kagaho. If the meds have halted your hairloss then I think you've won the biggest battle! So did you switch from finasteride to dutasteride because you wanted to achieve regrowth also?
Very interesting about the results you're getting with a dermaroller. I'd be tempted to try but I really don't want to get into minodoxinil again. Maybe I could try with the dermaroller alone.
Out of interest, if you were looking for regrowth, have you ever considered an hair transplant? If you've halted further loss, then going with a top surgeon could potentially give you great results.
I will probably need a 4th hair transplant at some point soonish. I'm just desperately trying to stem any further hairloss at present. This shedding is really getting me down something chronic
Very interesting about the results you're getting with a dermaroller. I'd be tempted to try but I really don't want to get into minodoxinil again. Maybe I could try with the dermaroller alone.
Out of interest, if you were looking for regrowth, have you ever considered an hair transplant? If you've halted further loss, then going with a top surgeon could potentially give you great results.
I will probably need a 4th hair transplant at some point soonish. I'm just desperately trying to stem any further hairloss at present. This shedding is really getting me down something chronic
Yeah switched bcs i thought there was a chance of getting some regrowth.
Dermarolling alone may not be that effective but I understand what you say about minoxidil, its really a commitment.
About transplants, I am not a big fan, results vary a lot frome one case to another and as a diffuse thinner there is a higher chance my donor area is somewhat miniaturised.
Also, im confident we'll have similar but less invasive options on the near future.
Shedding is complicated, but if its the Avodart causing it that means its going to work.
Good luck man.
Dermarolling alone may not be that effective but I understand what you say about minoxidil, its really a commitment.
About transplants, I am not a big fan, results vary a lot frome one case to another and as a diffuse thinner there is a higher chance my donor area is somewhat miniaturised.
Also, im confident we'll have similar but less invasive options on the near future.
Shedding is complicated, but if its the Avodart causing it that means its going to work.
Good luck man.
Yes, they look at me like I’m crazy. I have an appointment this month with the #1 derm in North Carolina who specializes in scalp disorders. I have a suspicion that she’s gonna give me the same look bc no doctors know anything about this.
- Reaction score
- 152
how much you roughly shedding?