Starting The Bigger Three Today! (dutasteride, Minoxidil)

[realone]

Yo! Today I'm hopping on the bigger three (.5 mg dutasteride, 5% minoxidil) minus the nizoral.

I've been on finasteride 1.25mg/daily and minoxidil for a couple weeks, but I decided to go all out and just hop straight on dutasteride. I picked up my prescription this evening and just downed my first one.

There's no serious hair loss in my family; father, uncles all kept on to their hair surprisingly well for european guys. In fact, right now I have more loss than my uncles do, and they're in their 60s. I have one great-grandfather that was a strong NW7-- I pray I'm not taking after him. I'm 24 now, and I started losing my hair around age 22. In that time I've gone from NW1 to NW2, maybe Norwood 2.5. I am a singer, and in all corners of the entertainment industry visible baldness before the age of 40 is looked down upon: that's why I'm pulling out all the stops and going straight on dutasteride. This way I'll know I'm doing everything I can and hopefully be able to obtain some peace of mind.

Right now my loss is pretty rapid. I shed over 100 hairs a day. I lose 60 in a single hair washing session (I've counted); my hair is dyed blue so they're easy to count against my white shower tiles.

Below are some baseline pics. All I'm hoping for is maintenance; I'll consider any growth at all a wild, wild success.

I'll check back in with you guys here about my sides in a month. I'll post pics again in six months. Feel free to ask a question if you have one. I'm planning on growing my hair out, but I'll do my best take pictures that truly reflect any gains/losses I experience.

Wish me luck! See ya soon.

 

[Beowulf]

It might be a bit bumpy, but I'm looking forward to some great results!

Keep us posted!

 

[realone]

I just took my 30th Dutasteride pill. As promised, 1 month update:

Dutasteride: 1 month
Minoxidil 5%: 7 weeks

SIDES: None. When I started finasteride (just a couple weeks before I ended up switching to Duta) I noticed two instances of watery semen and weaker erection in the first two days. This went away after the third day on meds. These side effects haven't reprised themselves upon making the switch to dutasteride.

HAIR: It's still too early in the game to make calls about efficacy, but I have noticed some things. I have small dark hairs sprouting along my hairline in my Norwood 1.5 area. I also have a lot of dark hairs growing along the lower sides of my temples (3 o'clock and 9 o'clock on my forehead). I took a couple photos with flash and I can definitely see said small hairs clearly. I went to visit my parents and my mom noticed this and commented on it without me prompting her-- hopefully this is a sign that the meds are working and regrowth is not far off. Keep in mind that since I started finasteride three weeks before I switched to dutasteride this is actually my 7th week on DHT inhibitors.

SHEDDING: I stopped keeping track of this. I don't bother to look in the mirror longer than a quick glance, I no longer check my hands for hairs after shampooing, and I've tried to stop taking photos of my hair (except for once a month to track progress).

We can all attest that balding is an experience with a high emotional toll. That's why I went all out and went straight on Dutasteride-- now I know I'm on a gang of strong medications, and at this point, whatever the deck of life has to deal to me is gonna get dealt. I want to move on with my career, my life, and my relationships. I could use the brain space. I think we all could.


See you in 5 months when I post the 6 month update (with photos)!

-realone