Started Dutasteride 11/5/18 - Pictures & Updates

[LouisLoyd]

You have nice hair! Thanks for posting! Keep doing this!

 

[melky1]

Intense shed continues. Beginning to think this is the work of dutasteride.

All sorts of hair coming out, including many dark, thick ones, but also many that look totally wilted, translucent, broken, or just completely miniaturized. Really hoping everything is getting pushed out to make way for better growth..

 

[Kagaho]

Shedding when switching to dutasteride is common. I lost tons of hair for 6 months and it had a very noticeable impact, made me very depressed.

But then returned to baseline and mantained the Norwood 2.5 pretty well.

Thats what you should expect from 5α-Reductase inhibitor, if you want to regrow some hair consider buying an electric dermastamp, at least use it for improving absorption of the minoxidil, that should help.

 

[melky1]

Shedding when switching to dutasteride is common. I lost tons of hair for 6 months and it had a very noticeable impact, made me very depressed.

But then returned to baseline and mantained the Norwood 2.5 pretty well.

Thats what you should expect from 5α-Reductase inhibitor, if you want to regrow some hair consider buying an electric dermastamp, at least use it for improving absorption of the minoxidil, that should help.

Thanks for your reply, @Kagaho . This is what I figured, and will remain positive. I was so young when I started finasteride, I don’t recall any extensive shedding. This is far more noticeable. But, if it’s due to the added effect of duta inhibiting what finasteride can’t, then I suppose I’m getting what I paid for.

 

[UnknownT]

Hows it going now?

Im 4 months on .5mg dutasteride daily - never tried finasteride as duta is more powerful but im still losing hair. No sides

 

[melky1]

Hi @UnknownT - I'm just past the 2 month mark taking duta EOD. No sides, intensified shed has continued, unfortunately. Here's hoping it levels off and some regrowth occurs.

Have you experienced increased shedding in your 4 months?

 

[UnknownT]

@melky1 do you take finasteride on the days you dont take duta? If not have you tries finasteride before?

Tbh i havent noticed a "shed" but just maybe noticed more hair failling out on certain days. My hair loss was never thag agressive, maybe like 20 hairs in the shower. I started on duta though, ive never been on finasteride. Thought if duta is supposed to be more affective then why waste time.

 

[frank1980]

are you sure you have have lost significant hair? And did you say you lost 30 pounds in 3 months? That's fast weight loss, but doesn't sound like you starved yourself unless you were skinny to begin with.

 

[melky1]

@UnknownT yes - in fact, i decided to continue daily finasteride use for the first three months and then will move to alternate days. Why? Just a gut feeling. I understand that dutasteride does what finasteride does and then some, but I have been on finasteride for so long that I feel rather paranoid cutting it out altogether.

@frank1980 This question is tricky. I think all of us feel our hair loss more keenly than anyone else ever could. I have not lost enough hair that other people seemed to have noticed/commented/etc. I get compliments on my hair and don't feel "exposed." However, I know that I have experienced a great change in my hair in the last two years. I have experienced so much shedding and can no longer style my hair the way that I used to. I'd conservatively estimate I've lost 15-20% of the density I had at baseline, though in a diffuse pattern throughout the front and vertex that has made it less noticeable to people who aren't me.

Regarding my diet - I'm 5'11" and went from approximately 180 to 152lbs during my crash. I was also living extremely unhealthfully when it came to alcohol consumption. As I have continued to lose hair 1.5 years post resumption of a normal diet, I can't say with any certainty that the diet has contributed to my loss, but I tend to think that it triggered male pattern baldness.

 

[frank1980]

@UnknownT yes - in fact, i decided to continue daily finasteride use for the first three months and then will move to alternate days. Why? Just a gut feeling. I understand that dutasteride does what finasteride does and then some, but I have been on finasteride for so long that I feel rather paranoid cutting it out altogether.

@frank1980 This question is tricky. I think all of us feel our hair loss more keenly than anyone else ever could. I have not lost enough hair that other people seemed to have noticed/commented/etc. I get compliments on my hair and don't feel "exposed." However, I know that I have experienced a great change in my hair in the last two years. I have experienced so much shedding and can no longer style my hair the way that I used to. I'd conservatively estimate I've lost 15-20% of the density I had at baseline, though in a diffuse pattern throughout the front and vertex that has made it less noticeable to people who aren't me.

Regarding my diet - I'm 5'11" and went from approximately 180 to 152lbs during my crash. I was also living extremely unhealthfully when it came to alcohol consumption. As I have continued to lose hair 1.5 years post resumption of a normal diet, I can't say with any certainty that the diet has contributed to my loss, but I tend to think that it triggered male pattern baldness.

Ok. That is a bit considering you weren't overweight to begin with. I might say the loss may have been stress/nutrition/ alcohol related. It happens to women all the time. Good news is that this is probably temporary IF you can go back to healthy living.

 

[melky1]

hey @frank1980 - let's say the hairloss was due to nutrition and abuse. Why would the shedding intensify a year after returning to a moderately healthy diet? I've been back eating normally and going easier on the sauce since May 2017. Shedding has persisted throughout and got even worse by June, 2018.

 

[4hair4him]

Now six weeks into dutasteride. .5mg every other day, still taking 1.25 finasteride every day because I’ve been doing it so long that I’m paranoid to quit, I suppose. Liquid minoxidil 1x daily, before bed.

No sides that I can discern. Ball-ache subsided after a few weeks. PShedding is.. just as bad, worse probably. I dread the shower, and losing dozens and dozens of hairs throughout the day. When I tousle my hair. When I see a what looks to be a stray hair that I want to pat down, only to find it’s loose, no longer rooted to my scalp, just sitting there caught in other hairs. Keeping my hair on the top and in front is long now - it’s the only way I can style it remotely how I’m used to -so lost hairs are really hard to miss when they end up in my hand, on my face, floating onto my desk. Many lost hairs look to be healthy, thick, pigmented strands. Others are wilted, have strange zig-zaggy jagged stretches in them. I had one today that I couldn’t even confirm was a hair, it was so short and so thin and translucent.

Long story short.. things suck. Way too early to call on duta, but minoxidil continues to do nothing but make my scalp itch. I hate it and would really like to stop, but I keep thinking “two more months,” worried that this is a prolonged shed phase that I will never come out of if I don’t persist (full disclosure: I only started this brand of liquid minoxidil in October after 10 months of mostly foam followed by a different brand of liquid).

Pics attached are from tonight’s minoxidil application. Fallen soldiers, the rat’s nest of hair in the front of my hairline, and an example of how my hair can look healthy when bunched up, but if left to its own devices, is struggling.

Fingers crossed dutas is doing its thing... thanks for reading.

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Did you notice any feminzing of your face?

 

[melky1]

@4hair4him face is same as usual, for better or worse! What sort of feminization are you referring to?

70 days in, now. I’m still taking finasteride every day, duta EOD. Will probably shift to alternating days (finasteride/duta/finasteride/duta/et al) once I reach the 90 day mark (saw a chart at some point that indicated EOD duta takes 90 days to build up to peak..). Still using minoxidil 1x daily.

I’m... discouraged. It’s probably to early to feel that way, but, still. My hair feels like a rat’s nest with so many weird miniaturized strands and continuing to lose density. I’m keeping it longer than I have in ages so that the texture will cover up the thinning. But when I apply minoxidil at the end of the day and part at the vertex it’s clear how crappy it looks:



I’ve not lost faith in duta but getting very tired of minoxidil. Wondering if adding 1x daily minoxidil has done anything beneficial at all. I started a year ago now, and while it’s true that I haven’t been consistent with the medium (6 months foam/3 months liquid/3 months different brand liquid), I have applied it every single day and things have only gotten worse.

Anyone been through anything similar?

 

[dguru]

@4hair4him face is same as usual, for better or worse! What sort of feminization are you referring to?

70 days in, now. I’m still taking finasteride every day, duta EOD. Will probably shift to alternating days (finasteride/duta/finasteride/duta/et al) once I reach the 90 day mark (saw a chart at some point that indicated EOD duta takes 90 days to build up to peak..). Still using minoxidil 1x daily.

I’m... discouraged. It’s probably to early to feel that way, but, still. My hair feels like a rat’s nest with so many weird miniaturized strands and continuing to lose density. I’m keeping it longer than I have in ages so that the texture will cover up the thinning. But when I apply minoxidil at the end of the day and part at the vertex it’s clear how crappy it looks:

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I’ve not lost faith in duta but getting very tired of minoxidil. Wondering if adding 1x daily minoxidil has done anything beneficial at all. I started a year ago now, and while it’s true that I haven’t been consistent with the medium (6 months foam/3 months liquid/3 months different brand liquid), I have applied it every single day and things have only gotten worse.

Anyone been through anything similar?

I am about 2.5 months into dutasteride and honestly the results have been astonishing, my hair has gone back to its original colour and lots of hairs on the hairline, but mainly the density of surrounding areas feels like its tripled, first time in a long time I have not had to put in effort with the ladies, I was discouraged had a dreadful shed, but sh*t just got mad better.

I admit my routine is a little out of the ordinary though,

Mk -677 Ibutamoren 3 x a week (HGH release research chemical)
Dutasteride 3 x a week
Minoxidil daily
dermaroller 3-4 times monthly

 

[melky1]

Wow, @dguru , sounds like quite a commitment - that paid off. I will hope for a similar response with my less involved routine!

 

[melky1]

Hey everyone. Coming up on 5 months since I added dutasteride to my regimen. Sorry to say no miracle results.

At about day 100 (mid Feb) of taking 0.5 dutas every other day and 1.25 finasteride every day, I discontinued daily finasteride and since then have only taken it on alternate days. So, finasteride, duta, finasteride, duta, etc etc. I figured by day 100 the duta would have built up in my system (going by the graph below), and finasteride benefits would be superseded.

I'm starting to worry that I was wrong. Things have gotten worse in the last three weeks, lots of hair fall and getting very difficult to style my hair. Lost hairs run the gamut from wispy to long, strong, dark.

Is this a delayed dutasteride shed? Is my body reacting to lowering my dose of finasteride? Should I get back on daily finasteride along with my EOD dutasteride? Can I finally get off minoxidil which has not offered any improvement in the 16 months I've been using it? Or do I just power through and stick to this regimen for a full 6 months plus?

TLDR: Longtime finasteride user added dutasteride 19 weeks ago. Discontinued daily finasteride use after three months, alternating daily with dutasteride. Hair counts dropping of late. Help!

 

[UnknownT]

Hey everyone. Coming up on 5 months since I added dutasteride to my regimen. Sorry to say no miracle results.

At about day 100 (mid Feb) of taking 0.5 dutas every other day and 1.25 finasteride every day, I discontinued daily finasteride and since then have only taken it on alternate days. So, finasteride, duta, finasteride, duta, etc etc. I figured by day 100 the duta would have built up in my system (going by the graph below), and finasteride benefits would be superseded.

I'm starting to worry that I was wrong. Things have gotten worse in the last three weeks, lots of hair fall and getting very difficult to style my hair. Lost hairs run the gamut from wispy to long, strong, dark.

Is this a delayed dutasteride shed? Is my body reacting to lowering my dose of finasteride? Should I get back on daily finasteride along with my EOD dutasteride? Can I finally get off minoxidil which has not offered any improvement in the 16 months I've been using it? Or do I just power through and stick to this regimen for a full 6 months plus?

TLDR: Longtime finasteride user added dutasteride 19 weeks ago. Discontinued daily finasteride use after three months, alternating daily with dutasteride. Hair counts dropping of late. Help!

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I stopped taking duta after 6 months cos i didnt see any results. Switched to finasteride but its only been 2 months. I think for some people they might respond to one and not the other.

 

[frank1980]

I stopped taking duta after 6 months cos i didnt see any results. Switched to finasteride but its only been 2 months. I think for some people they might respond to one and not the other.

I'm not saying it's impossible you're correct, but I think one over the other would not provide better results. They both work by dht suppression. So unless your body is able to block one and not the other, I don't see how it's possible. Did you do any blood tests to see your dht levels on dutasteride? Also, maybe you had a bad or fake batch of dutasteride.

 

[melky1]

Anyone else take both dutasteride and finasteride, either every day or on alternating days? Is it possible I need to stay on daily finasteride after it being part of my regimen for 11 years, even though I've begun taking the (presumably) more potent dutasteride?

 

[frank1980]

Anyone else take both dutasteride and finasteride, either every day or on alternating days? Is it possible I need to stay on daily finasteride after it being part of my regimen for 11 years, even though I've begun taking the (presumably) more potent dutasteride?

It's a waste of money I would say. Dutasteride kills 98% of dht or something like that. It's basically beating a dead horse.