Should I try minoxidil and Propecia or just take Propecia?

[helpmefindmyhair]

I'm losing hair at the front of my head.

I'd like to hear your suggestions as to whether I should try using Minoxidil there.

Should I try minoxidil and Propecia or just take Propecia?

I know some guys say minoxidil made their hairline worse.

 

[Brasileirao]

I would start off with just Propecia. It is a lot easier to pop a pill then have to apply minoxidil to your head two times a day. Give it at least 6 months and then re-evaluate, if you feel like you need the minoxidil then do it.

Hope this helps,
T-Bonner

 

[The Gardener]

How old are you, and how long have you been losing your hair?

When you say that you are 'losing at the front', are you thinning all over the front area, or are you thinning on your sides, or are your sides bald? How far along are you? What's your Norwood, brotha?

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Hey guys,

Thanks for responding.

Gardener, I'm 31 and I noticed my hair loss about a month ago. I don't know when it started. I was styling my hair in a bathroom that wasn't well lit and I don't spend a lot of time looking at myself in a mirror. But about a month ago I was styling my hair in a well lit bathroom and I couldn't believe how much of my scalp was visible up front.

When I say up front I mean in between the temples. I've had receding temples for a couple of years and it never bothered me but losing all this hair in between the temples really has. My hairline doesn't seem to be receding yet. I of course would like to restore the hair at my temples, though I know that is supposedly the hardest to do.

I got a prescription for Propecia about 3 weeks ago but I wanted to read up some more before filling it. So far, all the talk about shedding has freaked me out but I figure, what else is there I can do? I basically have no choice but to start finasteride, correct? I mean, my hair loss is just going to get worse.

I guess I'm set on starting Propecia but I don't know about minoxidil yet.

I would say I'm about a Norwood 2 but when I look at my head from the top I can see that I could quickly become a Norwood 3 because my hair has thinned out in that area.

Damn guys, this hair loss has really freaked me out since I first noticed it a month ago. Thankfully this forum has calmed me down a bit. I'm so grateful it exists.

 

[Guest]

Hey guys,
I guess I'm set on starting Propecia but I don't know about minoxidil yet.

If you have purchased Propecia then may I suggest you buy Proscar when you run out of Propecia. You just cut the tablet in 4 and you get three times more for you money. Proscar is just finasteride a 5mg.

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Traxdata,

I was thinking of getting Propecia and just splitting it in two and taking .5mg a day.

I read either on this forum or hairlosshelp some messages by guys that insist they've done it and had the same results as when they took 1mg. They also provided links to studies to back themselves up.

If I decide to stick with the 1mg I will get the Proscar but how do you guys convince your doctor to give you a prescription for Proscar?

 

[Bryan]

I got a prescription for Propecia about 3 weeks ago but I wanted to read up some more before filling it. So far, all the talk about shedding has freaked me out but I figure, what else is there I can do?

Don't pay too much attention to the "shedding" stories, they'll just make you crazy! There doesn't seem to be much in the way of any official recognition of "shedding" by the medical community. In fact, one well-known dermatologist once said that he had used finasteride in thousands of his patients, but had never seen a single case of "shedding"! He said that he had only read about it on the Internet.

I basically have no choice but to start finasteride, correct? I mean, my hair loss is just going to get worse.

Very likely, unless you address the androgenic part of the equation in some way, shape, or fashion. Of course, finasteride isn't the ONLY way to do that.

I guess I'm set on starting Propecia but I don't know about minoxidil yet.

In my opinion, this is the way you should think about minoxidil: it probably doesn't inhibit the fundamental balding process in any way; all it does is provide an offset of extra growth while balding continues its merry way. In other words, all it probably does is buy you some additional time, unless you also do something to stop that balding process.

Bryan

 

[wastingpenguins]

Don't pay too much attention to the "shedding" stories, they'll just make you crazy! There doesn't seem to be much in the way of any official recognition of "shedding" by the medical community. In fact, one well-known dermatologist once said that he had used finasteride in thousands of his patients, but had never seen a single case of "shedding"! He said that he had only read about it on the Internet.

In my honest opinion, it's misinformation to claim that finasteride sheds are myths concocted only bymentally unstable message board posters.

I say this because I'm currently experiencing the EXACT shedding process that I've read about hundreds of times on forums. That is, one month after starting finasteride, there was a noticable increase in loss, and it has stayed this way for the last two months.

I don't believe (or at least I'm praying) that this shed is permanent. If all goes well, things should be turning around in the next few months...

 

[Deaner]

I didnt' believe in the sheds until recently My crown looks like sh*t (looked unnoticable before), and I lose like, 5 or 6 hairs everytime I just scratch a section of my head. It's brutal! but at the same time, without finasteride I would've lost it all eventually anyway, and I have a good chance of recovering it and THEN some, so what the hell eh?

 

[The shedder]

Yea same here, does anyone know a good site to buy some patience without a script? lol

 

[The Gardener]

When I say up front I mean in between the temples. I've had receding temples for a couple of years and it never bothered me but losing all this hair in between the temples really has. My hairline doesn't seem to be receding yet. I of course would like to restore the hair at my temples, though I know that is supposedly the hardest to do.

You are in the exact same boat that I was. I had bald temples, and my regimen was one of acceptance... until last year, at age 34. Last year, my front center patch started to thin, and thin quickly. It was itching terribly and shedding like mad. I went the minoxidil route because in addition to maintaining what I had, I wanted a shot at regrowth in my upper temple area as they were starting to get a bit high for my liking.

I think that a finasteride only regimen would be good for you. It will take some time, probably several months, but it is worth a shot first before getting on the minoxidil. The minoxidil is a far more complicated routine to keep in the long term, so see if the finasteride does the trick for you. Be patient, and stay positive about it. Statistically speaking, finasteride works for the vast majority of most people.

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Gardener,

Thanks for your advice. I see that finasteride isn't in your current regimen. Did you ever you use it?

Have you regrown the hair you lost in between your temples? Have you regrown any hair at the temples themselves? If so, what do you think did the trick?

Also, what do you think about the idea of only taking .5mg instead of the full 1mg?

 

[The Gardener]

I have not taken finasteride, this because I don't like taking pills, period, and has nothing to do with any supposed sides from the finast. I use spironolactone, a topical androgen blocker, which attacks the same chemical process that finasteride attacks, but it is messier because I have to apply two topicals every day.

Because I never used a spironolactone-only regimen, which would be somewhat comparable to a finasteride-only regimen, I can't really attribute my hair improvements to one or the other. However, I do think that the minoxidil has more immediate effects than does an anti-androgen, especially an internal anti-androgen like finasteride. But, seeing as you will have to continue your regimen for the rest of your life, I would wait and see what finasteride alone will do for you. Heck, you might just have to take a pill a day and keep your hair! And if 7 or 8 months passes, then consider adding in the minoxidil.

I would also add in Nizoral shampoo 2-3 times a week if you don't already use it.

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Gardener,

I got Nizoral about a month ago but I only used it twice. I used it the first day I got it and then 3 days later. The second time my hair was so dry that I used some conditioner about 4 hours later and I swear I've never had more hair end up on my hands.

I'm really observant about stuff like this and I don't think I'm overreacting or imagining this.

Right now when I wake up I don't see any hairs on my pillow and when I dry my hair I don't see any hairs in the towel. When I style my hair I usually do have about 5 hairs come out up front.

So I think I may use T-Gel instead of Nizoral.

When I start taking these drugs all of the extra shedding is really going to freak me out but I guess I'll just have to cope.

 

[The Gardener]

Yeah, that is too bad about the Nizoral. The chemical in it is also somewhat of an anti-androgen, but, you are definitely not the first one to have a bad reaction from it, and T-Gel is a suitable substitute. The only problem is that T-Gel can also dry out hair, but, there have been others on this board that have bad reactions to the Nizoral but not the T-Gel, so I hope it works for you. If not, you could switch over to Head and Shoulders and give a third anti-irritation chemical a try?

And, YES, definitely ride out the shedding. It will happen, it has happened several times to me but it never seems to make a really negative impact on how my hair looks overall. In fact, my hair continues to improve despite the numerous sheds I have had from time to time.

If you do feel the itch to try something new, you could go ahead with the minoxidil as you suggested in your first post, or, you might also consider using 2% spironolactone. It uses the same basic strategy to fight DHT as Finasteride, but in fact, the Finast and the spironolactone each combat one of the two strains of DHT in the blood more effectively than the other. So, a Finast/spironolactone combo would be a very potent and synergistic anti-androgen treatment. Just some food for thought, future weapons in your arsenal against the hairloss...

Good luck!

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Gardener,

I've never quite understood this.

Why exactly are T-Gel or Nizoral a so-called necessary part of everyone's regimen?

What's the theory behind me using one of those shampoos while I'm on finasteride?

 

[blue]

ill answer that real quick

you need a healthy scalp

 

[The Gardener]

Why exactly are T-Gel or Nizoral a so-called necessary part of everyone's regimen?

Okay, taking some license here for the sake of keeping it simple... When DHT attacks the follicles, it creates an immune response that causes irritation and accelerates the hairloss. Basically, the DHT attacks the hair, and the DHT attack creates further irritation and inflammation, and this irritation and inflammation exponentially increases DHT's affect on the hair.

For a more cogent and factually-based explanation of this, scroll up to the top of this webpage and check out the link on the top left hand corner titled "Why you better be using Nizoral!" Here is the link to it, I highly suggest reading it:

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/newsletter/article252.htm

HairLossTalk.com & co do a far better job of explaining this than I can, but, the heart of the matter is that it is important to reduce scalp irritation and keep sebum levels low as these are both situations that will help DHT do it's thing. Using Nizoral and/or T-Gel help keep it in check. Read the article, ESPECIALLY read part 2 on the second page from the link on the bottom of this page, and let me know what you think.

In addition to the anti-irritation properties, Nizoral in particular has an active ingredient that is a mild anti-androgen, which is a serendipitous addition to its intended purpose for us hairloss sufferers.

 

[helpmefindmyhair]

Okay,

I'd read that article before but I read it again this time just to see if I missed anything.

The reason I asked the question to begin with is because I haven't experienced any scalp irritation yet. My scalp isn't itchy.

When I read it through a second time though I did catch this:

"Without exception, nizoral is the most successful shampoo on the market today at not only controlling the itch, but any underlying inflammation you may not be able to detect, while simulatneously helping stimulate minor hair growth."

So I guess I should take it because there may be inflammation I'm not aware of?

I don't care if there's a slight chance it will regrow hair. That's what I'll take finasteride and minoxidil for.

 

[The Gardener]

You got it. Even though you might not have irritation, the Nizoral and/or T-Gel will help keep your scalp sebum in check, which is a better environment for regrowth.

And, although you might not have inflammation or irritation now, if you ever decide to add in minoxidil, you will probably get some irritation and slight flaking during the first month or so, and Nizoral will help with it.