I am 23, my hair loss was diffuse and slowly becoming more visibile. It had been going on for about 1 year. The shedding slowed down a bit and I saw a Doctor, and have been taking Propecia 1 mg everyday for exactly 4 weeks today, the real Merk stuff, not generics or imports. I am not expecting immediate resutls, but of the 4 weeks on this drug, I have been shedding like my hair is trying to escape the plague for the past 3 weeks. My hairloss has gone from iffy to obvious in just 3 weeks time. I here there are non-responders to this drug, but if that is the case, does just mean nothing happens or that you shed 50x times worse? All the hairs that are shedding are very thin compared to the thicker hairs on my head. I have never taken anything else for hairloss, no topicals, so I know my hormones arent screwed up like alot of people out there who take anything under the sun for hairloss and the negative effects just pile up. Has anyone had similar experiences?
Shedding like a dog after 4 weeks of Propecia...help!
- Thread starter nyfever
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uk_propecia1
New Member
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Same here
Sounds similar to my experience - I'm 27, was losing my hair very slowly from my early 20s (so slowly I didn't notice till I looked at photos later) until it suddenly got much worse in about December last year. I started on finasteride in February (no other treatments though). Within 5 days or so my hair started shedding by the load, and didn't stop - it also got really oily. After 6 weeks the dermatologist I saw told me to stop as he thought it was alopecia areata. Once I'd stopped, within about a week it went back to (almost) normal, i.e. hair loss was same as before I took finasteride (noticeable, but much slower).
Then I saw a trichologist in May, who told me to take finasteride just in case it was male pattern baldness and also to get my scalp clear as he thought the "sebacious material" could be a factor. Same thing happened - after a few days the hair loss speeded up massively, and didn't stop. It got so bad I stopped after about a month. The trichologist wouldn't listen and insisted finasteride wasn't causing the increased hair loss - it could only be the scalp condition. Shedding never starts that quickly, he reckons.
So I start finasteride again towards the end of July, and the same thing happens yet again. Then about two weeks ago, when I requested a repeat prescription (against my will!) for the stuff, there was a mix-up at the doctor's and they lost it so I had to put in another one a few days later. As a result I ended up not taking it for about 5 days after I ran out, and before I got the new box - and yet again, the hair loss slowed down a lot and my hair looked a bit fuller, somehow (can't explain it myself). I start on finasteride again, and guess what... after two days, massive shedding starts again. Trichologist still won't listen, I reckon the makers of finasteride are paying him to promote the stuff... he's told me to give it another eight weeks before we decide whether it's worked or not. Well I'll give it 8 weeks, but not a day more...
What I want to know is... since it looks like I'm not the only one this has happened to, how do we convince the medical profession (and the drug companies) we're not just making this up? Why can't some kind of tests be done on people who say this is happening to them to find out what's going on - what are they afraid of, that we might be right? I hope things get better for you, please keep us posted as to what happens.
Sounds similar to my experience - I'm 27, was losing my hair very slowly from my early 20s (so slowly I didn't notice till I looked at photos later) until it suddenly got much worse in about December last year. I started on finasteride in February (no other treatments though). Within 5 days or so my hair started shedding by the load, and didn't stop - it also got really oily. After 6 weeks the dermatologist I saw told me to stop as he thought it was alopecia areata. Once I'd stopped, within about a week it went back to (almost) normal, i.e. hair loss was same as before I took finasteride (noticeable, but much slower).
Then I saw a trichologist in May, who told me to take finasteride just in case it was male pattern baldness and also to get my scalp clear as he thought the "sebacious material" could be a factor. Same thing happened - after a few days the hair loss speeded up massively, and didn't stop. It got so bad I stopped after about a month. The trichologist wouldn't listen and insisted finasteride wasn't causing the increased hair loss - it could only be the scalp condition. Shedding never starts that quickly, he reckons.
So I start finasteride again towards the end of July, and the same thing happens yet again. Then about two weeks ago, when I requested a repeat prescription (against my will!) for the stuff, there was a mix-up at the doctor's and they lost it so I had to put in another one a few days later. As a result I ended up not taking it for about 5 days after I ran out, and before I got the new box - and yet again, the hair loss slowed down a lot and my hair looked a bit fuller, somehow (can't explain it myself). I start on finasteride again, and guess what... after two days, massive shedding starts again. Trichologist still won't listen, I reckon the makers of finasteride are paying him to promote the stuff... he's told me to give it another eight weeks before we decide whether it's worked or not. Well I'll give it 8 weeks, but not a day more...
What I want to know is... since it looks like I'm not the only one this has happened to, how do we convince the medical profession (and the drug companies) we're not just making this up? Why can't some kind of tests be done on people who say this is happening to them to find out what's going on - what are they afraid of, that we might be right? I hope things get better for you, please keep us posted as to what happens.
G
Guest
Guest
uk,
sounds like you never stayed on the med for the recommended period f time. a 6 week shed is not unheard of so continuing to go on and off it gives your results a lot less credibility.
sounds like you never stayed on the med for the recommended period f time. a 6 week shed is not unheard of so continuing to go on and off it gives your results a lot less credibility.
Nathaniel
Experienced Member
- Reaction score
- 3
Re: Same here
Dude,
If you are serious about your hairloss you have to put up with the shedding. I was shedding like crazy for the first 5 months on the stuff. There was a time I did the "pull test", you know pulled my hair lightly with my fingers and BAM, 9 or 10 hairs would come out. It was crazy! Good thing I had been reading this forum or else I would have stopped.
Don't give up!
uk_propecia1 said:
Dude,
If you are serious about your hairloss you have to put up with the shedding. I was shedding like crazy for the first 5 months on the stuff. There was a time I did the "pull test", you know pulled my hair lightly with my fingers and BAM, 9 or 10 hairs would come out. It was crazy! Good thing I had been reading this forum or else I would have stopped.
Don't give up!