Really need some advice

[MSFB]

ok im only 17, turning 18 in a couple of days. however i already have some decent recession at the temples which takes the piss a bit. ive been using rogaine foam for a month and a half, thought i could save some of the harline, but when the baldness is this aggressive and starting this early i doubt rogaine is gonna do much good for me. my mum doesnt want me taking propecia or finasteride at this age, or really at all. on the other hand im gonna be bald by the age of 20 if i carry on like this!

so basically im still considering starting finasteride, it seems like the only genuine hope of saving my hair, or at least buying some time.

so i really need some advice, i have read about all the benifits and successes of people using it, ive also read about the pretty nasty effects it can have on your body. can you advise me on the risks of starting finasteride now. its just im shitting myself after reading some of the stories about guys getting tits from finasteride, which you can only get rid of with surgery and so on.

when they say all side effects will stop if you stop taking it, how true is this really?
if my hormones get fucked up can i quit peopecia and go back to normal? what is the likelihood of real long term damage?

if anyone can be bothered to read all of that and answer those questions, or just give me ANY advice on whether or not to start finasteride id be really really grateful.

P.S. in case it seems like im overreacting or exaggerating things, my dad had TERRIBLE male pattern baldness and lost all his hair at like 25 or something, it seems im going the same way.

P.P.S i started a thread similar to this a while back but it disappeared somewhere...

 

[vipergts]

The best advice i could give you is that if you have to start Propecia or finasteride, start by using 0.25mg as opposed to the full 1mg to assess tolerance. This dosage is almost as effective as the full 1mg so you would be blocking most of your DHT. If your dad lost all his hair at 25 there is a chance that you loss will be too aggressive for even finasteride to stop, but you'll never know until you try.

 

[stampede]

I'd recommend you get on the pills ASAP.

If you don't, and leave it till you're older, I think you'll regret it (I certainly do).

Good luck whatever you do mate.

 

[tairian]

hey mate sounds to me as if where in similar boats, my hair loss started around 16 and it was very aggressive, a few days after i turned 17 i went to the doctor and talked it out with him and he said Propecia would most likely not have any bad affects simply because i was only 1 year below the suggested age before you should begin taking it. He basically said it's up to me and if any bad side affects do occur just stop use.
When you start losing hair this young it's devastating i mean it's bad for anyone but when your in high school it is worse in my opinion, so i started the propecia and the side affects where as follows - slight decrease in libido but nothing to warrant me to stop taking it, not going limp or nothing, no moobs or anything some slight testicular pain which was mild and went away after the first month and a decrease in the amount of facial hair i was growing, now my Doctor said at least with the facial hair that will come back in whenever i drop the use of propecia, the way i look at it is i don't wanna beard at 17 but i do want hair on my head, hopefully in 5-10 years there will be something better then the current drugs and then ill switch to those and grow myself a nice one but until then i can live without it.
The propecia so far has not had a big affect i haven't maintained but it has slowed down to about 1/4 of the rate it was going at before i began to take it, I've only been on 7 months so ill wait another 3 before switching to dutasteride, id advise you to get on propecia a.s.a.p you will regret not doing it when your staring in the mirror going wtf where did my hair go cause when it hits this young it's hit and run for as fast as it goes. The longer you wait the less hair you will be able to save with propecia.
I had the same dilemma as you and lemme tell ya considering your hair loss is as of right now not so bad that is the only reason there is a dilemma, once your hair loss progresses you will be in a frenzie to start taking anything and everything that may help, start now or you will regret it.

 

[MSFB]

thanks for all the advice guys.

tairian, i think what yuore sayng makes sense. im gonna use propecia sooner or later i gues so why not start now when i can save more hair?

its just these side effects man, ive read forums with people saying they have PERMANENT sexual side effects...i want to have kids when im older! as for not growing facial hair, i think that might actually be a positive side effect for me. could anyone point me in the direction of some studies into finasteride side effcts? ive heard various numbers and probablities about getting them but id like to see some studies. also, is there any study into the long term effects of the drug? if its only been on the market for 10 years i dont suppose its effects have been tested over a long time?

also vipergts, if i was to start, where is the best place to get some finasteride that i can cut into 0.25mg doses?

thanks again for the help guys.

 

[Pondle]

its just these side effects man, ive read forums with people saying they have PERMANENT sexual side effects...i want to have kids when im older!

Don't believe the hypochondriacs, man. I've never heard any clinical evidence of permanent sexual side effects. Finasteride can reduce your sperm count a little, but you should still be able to conceive children, and if you stop taking the drug, your sperm count will bounce back to pre-treatment levels.

 

[killbill123]

its just these side effects man, ive read forums with people saying they have PERMANENT sexual side effects...i want to have kids when im older!

Don't believe the hypochondriacs, man. I've never heard any clinical evidence of permanent sexual side effects. Finasteride can reduce your sperm count a little, but you should still be able to conceive children, and if you stop taking the drug, your sperm count will bounce back to pre-treatment levels.

Some labs in Europe have already commissioned studies on the "permanent side effect" question, though...so attention from major medical establishments can be good news on this question. At the least it does legitimate the very possibility.

 

[Pondle]

Some labs in Europe have already commissioned studies on the "permanent side effect" question, though...so attention from major medical establishments can be good news on this question. At the least it does legitimate the very possibility.

You mean the Swedish study? Personally, I just don't get it. You stop taking finasteride, DHT bounces back, and your 'normal' hormonal balance is restored in a few weeks. Bob should be your uncle.

 

[MSFB]

have studies showsn any evidence of impotency? if so what percentage? if anyone knows

cheers.

 

[killbill123]

Some labs in Europe have already commissioned studies on the "permanent side effect" question, though...so attention from major medical establishments can be good news on this question. At the least it does legitimate the very possibility.

You mean the Swedish study? Personally, I just don't get it. You stop taking finasteride, DHT bounces back, and your 'normal' hormonal balance is restored in a few weeks. Bob should be your uncle.

People's bodies are different, man. Sometimes the body's mechanism which maintains a homeostasis gets stuck, and once you remove something (Propecia), the body will work at all costs to maintain the same environment, even if that environment was artificially created in the first place.

It's a phenomenon we are also beginning to see a lot with long-time users of anti-depressants who, after getting off the drugs, still experience sides from it for months, years, and indefinitely.

It's not common, but it does occur. It's not as 1+1=2 as you make it out to be.

 

[stampede]

Be brave and take a chance.

Fortune favours the brave :hairy:

 

[Pondle]

People's bodies are different, man. Sometimes the body's mechanism which maintains a homeostasis gets stuck, and once you remove something (Propecia), the body will work at all costs to maintain the same environment, even if that environment was artificially created in the first place.

It's a phenomenon we are also beginning to see a lot with long-time users of anti-depressants who, after getting off the drugs, still experience sides from it for months, years, and indefinitely.

It's not common, but it does occur. It's not as 1+1=2 as you make it out to be.

To be honest I've only seen the one study on long term effects on sperm count, nothing ever on impotence. Seems like sperm motility could be a long term negative change, but I don't think anything <30% was considered "clinically significant" in this particular study.

Dutasteride (D) and finasteride (F) significantly (P < 0.001) suppressed serum DHT compared with placebo (dutasteride, 94%; finasteride 73%), and transiently increased serum T. In both treatment groups, total sperm count compared to baseline was significantly decreased at 26 weeks (D -28.6%, F -34.3%) but not at 52 weeks (D -24.9%, F -16.2%) nor at the 24 week follow-up (D -23.3%, F -6.2%). At 52 weeks, semen volume was decreased(D -29.7%, F -14.5%, significantly for D) as was sperm concentration (D -13.2%, F -7.4%, neither significant). There was a significant reduction of 6-12% in sperm motility during treatment with both dutasteride and finasteride and at follow-up.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, doi:10.1210/jc.2006-2203

The Effect of 5-Reductase Inhibition with Dutasteride and Finasteride on Semen Parameters and Serum Hormones in Healthy Men
John K. Amory, Christina Wang, Ronald S. Swerdloff, Bradley D. Anawalt, Alvin M. Matsumoto, William J. Bremner, Susan E. Walker, Lynda J. Haberer, and Richard V. Clark*

 

[killbill123]

People's bodies are different, man. Sometimes the body's mechanism which maintains a homeostasis gets stuck, and once you remove something (Propecia), the body will work at all costs to maintain the same environment, even if that environment was artificially created in the first place.

It's a phenomenon we are also beginning to see a lot with long-time users of anti-depressants who, after getting off the drugs, still experience sides from it for months, years, and indefinitely.

It's not common, but it does occur. It's not as 1+1=2 as you make it out to be.

To be honest I've only seen the one study on long term effects on sperm count, nothing ever on impotence. Seems like sperm motility could be a long term negative change, but I don't think anything <30% was considered "clinically significant" in this particular study.

Dutasteride (D) and finasteride (F) significantly (P < 0.001) suppressed serum DHT compared with placebo (dutasteride, 94%; finasteride 73%), and transiently increased serum T. In both treatment groups, total sperm count compared to baseline was significantly decreased at 26 weeks (D -28.6%, F -34.3%) but not at 52 weeks (D -24.9%, F -16.2%) nor at the 24 week follow-up (D -23.3%, F -6.2%). At 52 weeks, semen volume was decreased(D -29.7%, F -14.5%, significantly for D) as was sperm concentration (D -13.2%, F -7.4%, neither significant). There was a significant reduction of 6-12% in sperm motility during treatment with both dutasteride and finasteride and at follow-up.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, doi:10.1210/jc.2006-2203

The Effect of 5-Reductase Inhibition with Dutasteride and Finasteride on Semen Parameters and Serum Hormones in Healthy Men
John K. Amory, Christina Wang, Ronald S. Swerdloff, Bradley D. Anawalt, Alvin M. Matsumoto, William J. Bremner, Susan E. Walker, Lynda J. Haberer, and Richard V. Clark*

Again, statistically insignificant results are of little meaning to someone who is irreparably damaged by a drug for something cosmetic like hair loss. If only .5% of planes crashed, would you still feel chipper about getting on a plane knowing it had a 1 in 200 chance of crashing and killing you? It's all about where you fall in the statistics.

I'm not saying that no one should use Propecia...hell, I use it...but people should be aware of the risks and it is unfair to brush off a very significant side effect that may or may not be permanent by assuring someone that the odds are against it happening to them. That's pretty empty if, later on, it DOES.

 

[Pondle]

Again, statistically insignificant results are of little meaning to someone who is irreparably damaged by a drug for something cosmetic like hair loss. If only .5% of planes crashed, would you still feel chipper about getting on a plane knowing it had a 1 in 200 chance of crashing and killing you? It's all about where you fall in the statistics.

I'm not saying that no one should use Propecia...hell, I use it...but people should be aware of the risks and it is unfair to brush off a very significant side effect that may or may not be permanent by assuring someone that the odds are against it happening to them. That's pretty empty if, later on, it DOES.

It was "clinically significant" rather than "statistically significant", I believe.

I'm not aware of any studies that show an individual can develop some kind of spontaneous DHT deficiency after withdrawing from treatment. :!: Everything I've ever read shows that DHT returns to baseline a few weeks after cessation of treatment. After all, finasteride merely binds with 5AR; when that complex degrades, T is free to bind with it once again. As such, hormonally-mediated sides, especially sexual sides, should abate with the return of a 'normal' hormonal balance.

Every drug, every action in life, involves an element of risk. You must make a personal risk assessment before you begin a course of lifestyle drugs or indeed do anything (get on a plane, climb a mountain, have unprotected sex, ride a bike, cross a road). But bear in mind that finasteride has a 15 year record of generally safe use. For those that don't feel confident enough to use finasteride, there's always baldness.

 

[paximperia]

Personally, I haven't experienced any side effects. I started losing my hair at 18, and it started falling out really fast when I turned 19. I started 1mg Finasteride about 5 months ago, and about 2 months later it almost completely stopped falling out. I even got some regrowth at the temples, and completely at the crown. By the way, growing breasts was very uncommon at the 1mg dose (less than 1%).

 

[MSFB]

wow thats good...
what type did you get? standard propecia or a different make?

im worried about all the different types, i cant afford propecia but im worried the others will be counterfit, buying them off obscure interent sites and all.