Quitting finasteride

[joseph49853]

Week 9.

So the shed continues. Its a mild but consistent shed. I havent yet noticed the difference cosmetically. I think I might give myself another week and if it doesnt subside, then I'll get back on finasteride.

On a side note, my semen has been very healthy looking - much whiter and thicker. But, still no noticeable difference in my libido. I guess I never really exprienced a decreased in desire while on finasteride.

To tell you the truth, I don't feel any different than when I was on finasteride. Not one bit. Im surprised that my hair has held up as well as it did after nearly 2.5 months.

I believe you're performing a real service for the posters of Hairloss Talk. I only really discovered a lot about my side effects after stopping Finasteride for 5 weeks. I then was able to weigh the pros and cons of using Finasteride, and decided the few sides were worth it for me. Maybe you'll too come to the same conclusion soon.

 

[20sometingtoo]

I believe you're performing a real service for the posters of Hairloss Talk. I only really discovered a lot about my side effects after stopping Finasteride for 5 weeks. I then was able to weigh the pros and cons of using Finasteride, and decided the few sides were worth it for me. Maybe you'll too come to the same conclusion soon.

Thanks,
Yeah, theres a strong possibility that I'll get back on finasteride.
I'm also thinking that if I've been on finasteride for 4 years, cycling off it for a few months, and then getting back on may "jumpstart" its effects again. I believe it is sometimes done with patients who are medicated for long-term degenerative diseases. They will drop the medications for a few months and then get back on - kind of tricking the body out of its tolerance. Its possible.
Has any one else heard of this?

 

[20sometingtoo]

Week 10

Hair's still doing OKAY. But I'm looking for more than an OKAY. Still not too sure about getting back on finasteride. I'm a little worried about not noticing the difference until its too late, which is I was originally thinking about getting back on.
I feel fine and so does my penis.

I guess, if I wanted to continue without finasteride, any of the health benefits from dropping it would have been realized by now. That said, I assumed that any of the negative effects on my hair would have also been realized by now. Outside of this slow and steady shed (maybe its not even a shed) I'm doing just fine.

I'll make a decision sometime this week.

 

[RTJBJ]

20 somethingtoo

can you pls post phots of your hair, it will give us the idea about your hair loss

RTJBJ

 

[20sometingtoo]

Week 11.

I think I'm starting to see a difference - a turn for the worse. Not enjoying the prospect of thinning any more than this. I'll probably order some more Propecia tomorrow.

I gotta get to a doctor first though. My father said my hair looks nothing like his hairloss, nor like anyone elses for that matter.
Damnit. This is bugging me out.

I'll work on getting pics up too. I have to borrow a camera.

 

[tpeter]

Week 11.

I think I'm starting to see a difference - a turn for the worse. Not enjoying the prospect of thinning any more than this. I'll probably order some more Propecia tomorrow.

I gotta get to a doctor first though. My father said my hair looks nothing like his hairloss, nor like anyone elses for that matter.
Damnit. This is bugging me out.

I'll work on getting pics up too. I have to borrow a camera.

I quit right around the time you did man, i dunno if you remember me.

Anyhow i started taking .5 propecia instead of 1.25 that i was getting from the cheap stuff.

I didnt really notice anything bad happening when i quit for 2 months but it was the thought of noticing when it was too late.


I forget to take it everyday too, but taking that .5 whether its enough or not helps the mental side of things.

 

[20sometingtoo]

Here we go. Some pictures in completely random order.

Notice that I have no recession in the temples. Also, that the thinning seems to be generalized and of equal amount all over my scalp. Check out the picture of the back of my head!
Crazy.

Anyway, these pics were taking when my hair was still a little wet. No one seems to notice that I have a problem yet when my hair is completely dry. But I'm coming dangerously close to that point where I can no longer hide it. Swimming has been out of the question.

 

[stax]

20sometingtoo, has your hair always been diffuse like that on the back and sides before you started propecia? My hair is diffuse all over like yours and mine is a bit worse on the sides. My hair was never like this before starting Propecia is was pretty thick all over. Now after 9 months on Propecia my overall hair has become diffuse and the sides are even thin now. I just rubbed the sides of my head and i shed 20 hairs and some were thinner than others. What the hell is the deal with that? Im soooo confused.

 

[joseph49853]

Here we go. Some pictures in completely random order.

Notice that I have no recession in the temples. Also, that the thinning seems to be generalized and of equal amount all over my scalp. Check out the picture of the back of my head!
Crazy.

Anyway, these pics were taking when my hair was still a little wet. No one seems to notice that I have a problem yet when my hair is completely dry. But I'm coming dangerously close to that point where I can no longer hide it. Swimming has been out of the question.

Diffuse thinning is cool because you can go much longer without being detectable. But it's also easier to trick yourself into thinking you're not balding at all... until it's too late.

I am only thinning on the top, while it seems you are actually thinning worse in the back... yet, overall you still look pretty good.

If I were you, I would start up on Finasteride immediately... even if it's only a small dosage a day. I found that my one month off of Finasteride set me back around three months. Although, it wasn't all for naught, as I learned a lot about the medicine's true effect, both good and bad, in the process. Good luck.

 

[20sometingtoo]

Stax,
I've always had thin hair but never this bad. I started finasteride when I was 19 because I 'thought' I was losing my hair. I was on it for almost exactly 4 years until I quit 12 weeks ago. About 2 years ago I started to notice this thinning. I still cant figure it out.

Joseph,
I'm not sure I agree that diffuse thinning is better. I think it sucks just the same. I have NO thick hair. None.
But, its true that it might be easier to hide when my hair is dry.

I've been using the LC daily for about 6 weeks. We'll see if that helps. I dont know why I'm not too thrilled about gettting back on finasteride. I mean, I was perfectly fine with taking it daily for 4 years. Not sure whats holding me back now.

 

[joseph49853]

Stax,
I've always had thin hair but never this bad. I started finasteride when I was 19 because I 'thought' I was losing my hair. I was on it for almost exactly 4 years until I quit 12 weeks ago. About 2 years ago I started to notice this thinning. I still cant figure it out.

Joseph,
I'm not sure I agree that diffuse thinning is better. I think it sucks just the same. I have NO thick hair. None.
But, its true that it might be easier to hide when my hair is dry.

I've been using the LC daily for about 6 weeks. We'll see if that helps. I dont know why I'm not too thrilled about gettting back on finasteride. I mean, I was perfectly fine with taking it daily for 4 years. Not sure whats holding me back now.

Come on, take it. You know you want to. And you're probably right about having thick hair. My hair was thick enough to actually break cutting shears before I started thinning. But I was able to hide the thinning for a long time because of my unusually thick remaining hair. Anyway, good luck.