Sup everyone,
I'm 22 and first noticed thinning in the crown area a little over a year ago. I was probably in denial for the first few months or so, but when friends starting noticing it and making comments, I knew the battle had begun. My dad is bald as f*ck (Norwood 6) so I knew it was only a matter of time...but it is my hope that modern advances in technology and medicine might give me some options, if only to delay the inevitable.
In early 2007, I had a brief 3-month affair with Kirkland 5% minoxidil. Needless to say, the twice-daily applications were a pain in the *** and messy. It left my hair looking greasy and my scalp feeling dry and itchy. Eventually, my patience dwindled to the point where - in a fit of rage - I chucked the remaining bottles of minoxidil in the garbage (which was strangely satisfying). Now, I know people are gonna say "hey you shoulda given it more time", but honestly....f*ck liquid minoxidil. It was more trouble than its worth. (I'm open to using the minoxidil foam later down the road, but I don't need it just yet)
I had also been researching Propecia/finasteride at the time, but I decided against it after seeing all the nightmarish accounts on propeciahelp.com. That sh*t is ridiculous, man. So I booked an appointment at a hair-loss clinic for a consultation. Basically, the Doctor said that I was definitely suffering from genetic hair loss (androgenic alopecia) and recommended that I start on Propecia right away.
Me: "But wait...I read on the internet that Propecia can cause serious sexual side effects, like impotence and decreased libido and sh*t like that??"
Doctor: "Listen, I've been doing this for 15 years. Countless patients have walked through these doors. A very small number of them have reported some decrease in libido, etc. But you have nothing to worry about, you have a very slim chance of any of that happening to you."
He then proceeded to show me dozens of digital pictures of patients who had some success with Propecia. "Look at this guy, see the difference?"
So I made an appointment to come back a month later to get a Proscar prescription...but never went! I was still paranoid about potential side effects (blame propeciahelp.com), and thought there might be other alternatives. I even bought a 3-month supply of Pr0cerin (misled by http://www.askdocweb.com/pr0cerin.html) and tried that for a while, until I experienced a shed and discovered it is widely considered a SCAM.
When summer arrived, I just didn't want to think about my hair anymore. I was tired of letting it stress me out and syphon away my self-confidence. So I buzzed it down to a #2 and was surprised when I looked in the mirror, it didn't look bad at all (tip: get a tan after you buzz it so you don't look like a cancer patient). People noticed ("wow you shaved your head!"), and I even got a few compliments. The buzz cut is really low-maintenance, and the added psychological benefit is that you spend less time in front of the mirror checking out your bald spots. The thinning/shedding is much less noticeable as a result, and you can go on about your day without stressing about it.
In the back of my mind, however, I knew it was just a temporary solution. So I continued my research. In the end, I came across this forum, and decided to give finasteride a try. I bought a considerable supply of Finax (generic finasteride) from unitedpharmacies and popped the first pill on November 21, 2007.
I monitored myself closely for side effects, and lo and behold, near the end of the first week (Day 5, I think) I thought I experienced a decrease in libido / decrease in penile sensitivity, and generally could only muster half-chub erections. I decided to cut the dose down to 0.5mg/daily a few days later. The side effects decreased over the next couple weeks, which leads me to believe that they were likely psychosomatic...but I can't say for sure whether it was the drug itself or psychologically-induced. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
For instance, my sister recently went to get a series of travel vaccinations prior to her trip to Guatemala. After administering the injections the doctor said, "I am going to give you a few pamphlets that describe the possible side effects of these vaccinations... just DON'T read them. If you read them, you're more likely to think you have side effects. I can't tell you how many times people have come in here thinking they have side effects when they are completely fine."
My sister knew this, since she studies psychology and neuroscience, and understands how powerful the mind can be.
Anyway, I am now approaching 2 MONTHS (as of January 21) on 0.5mg finasteride / daily, plus Nizoral 3 x week. No major shedding to speak of (hard to tell when your hair is buzzed), no side effects whatsoever at this point. Though I don't expect to see any results before the 6-month mark, my hair feels healthier and thicker than before, and I honestly think I can see some microscopic improvement in the crown area...the scalp doesn't quite shine through as much, it seems...but that might just be wishful thinking. Still, I feel good about it. I took a picture at Month 1 and will take another at Month 2.
My hope is that I will be posting in the "Success Stories" later this year, with pics and all. So that's my story. Good luck to all of you.
I'm 22 and first noticed thinning in the crown area a little over a year ago. I was probably in denial for the first few months or so, but when friends starting noticing it and making comments, I knew the battle had begun. My dad is bald as f*ck (Norwood 6) so I knew it was only a matter of time...but it is my hope that modern advances in technology and medicine might give me some options, if only to delay the inevitable.
In early 2007, I had a brief 3-month affair with Kirkland 5% minoxidil. Needless to say, the twice-daily applications were a pain in the *** and messy. It left my hair looking greasy and my scalp feeling dry and itchy. Eventually, my patience dwindled to the point where - in a fit of rage - I chucked the remaining bottles of minoxidil in the garbage (which was strangely satisfying). Now, I know people are gonna say "hey you shoulda given it more time", but honestly....f*ck liquid minoxidil. It was more trouble than its worth. (I'm open to using the minoxidil foam later down the road, but I don't need it just yet)
I had also been researching Propecia/finasteride at the time, but I decided against it after seeing all the nightmarish accounts on propeciahelp.com. That sh*t is ridiculous, man. So I booked an appointment at a hair-loss clinic for a consultation. Basically, the Doctor said that I was definitely suffering from genetic hair loss (androgenic alopecia) and recommended that I start on Propecia right away.
Me: "But wait...I read on the internet that Propecia can cause serious sexual side effects, like impotence and decreased libido and sh*t like that??"
Doctor: "Listen, I've been doing this for 15 years. Countless patients have walked through these doors. A very small number of them have reported some decrease in libido, etc. But you have nothing to worry about, you have a very slim chance of any of that happening to you."
He then proceeded to show me dozens of digital pictures of patients who had some success with Propecia. "Look at this guy, see the difference?"
So I made an appointment to come back a month later to get a Proscar prescription...but never went! I was still paranoid about potential side effects (blame propeciahelp.com), and thought there might be other alternatives. I even bought a 3-month supply of Pr0cerin (misled by http://www.askdocweb.com/pr0cerin.html) and tried that for a while, until I experienced a shed and discovered it is widely considered a SCAM.
When summer arrived, I just didn't want to think about my hair anymore. I was tired of letting it stress me out and syphon away my self-confidence. So I buzzed it down to a #2 and was surprised when I looked in the mirror, it didn't look bad at all (tip: get a tan after you buzz it so you don't look like a cancer patient). People noticed ("wow you shaved your head!"), and I even got a few compliments. The buzz cut is really low-maintenance, and the added psychological benefit is that you spend less time in front of the mirror checking out your bald spots. The thinning/shedding is much less noticeable as a result, and you can go on about your day without stressing about it.
In the back of my mind, however, I knew it was just a temporary solution. So I continued my research. In the end, I came across this forum, and decided to give finasteride a try. I bought a considerable supply of Finax (generic finasteride) from unitedpharmacies and popped the first pill on November 21, 2007.
I monitored myself closely for side effects, and lo and behold, near the end of the first week (Day 5, I think) I thought I experienced a decrease in libido / decrease in penile sensitivity, and generally could only muster half-chub erections. I decided to cut the dose down to 0.5mg/daily a few days later. The side effects decreased over the next couple weeks, which leads me to believe that they were likely psychosomatic...but I can't say for sure whether it was the drug itself or psychologically-induced. Maybe it was a little bit of both.
For instance, my sister recently went to get a series of travel vaccinations prior to her trip to Guatemala. After administering the injections the doctor said, "I am going to give you a few pamphlets that describe the possible side effects of these vaccinations... just DON'T read them. If you read them, you're more likely to think you have side effects. I can't tell you how many times people have come in here thinking they have side effects when they are completely fine."
My sister knew this, since she studies psychology and neuroscience, and understands how powerful the mind can be.
Anyway, I am now approaching 2 MONTHS (as of January 21) on 0.5mg finasteride / daily, plus Nizoral 3 x week. No major shedding to speak of (hard to tell when your hair is buzzed), no side effects whatsoever at this point. Though I don't expect to see any results before the 6-month mark, my hair feels healthier and thicker than before, and I honestly think I can see some microscopic improvement in the crown area...the scalp doesn't quite shine through as much, it seems...but that might just be wishful thinking. Still, I feel good about it. I took a picture at Month 1 and will take another at Month 2.
My hope is that I will be posting in the "Success Stories" later this year, with pics and all. So that's my story. Good luck to all of you.
