I am a 36 year old male. I started using Propecia when I was 24. I had a full head of hair at the time and really didn't need to be on any drugs, but some of my friends were trying it and the idea of not having to worry about hair loss was reassuring to me.
I had great success with the drug as I didn't lose any hair over the first 10 years of use. If anything my hair actually got thicker. Back in the spring of '14 I decided I want to go off for a little bit. I read some of negative stories about the drug and the idea of taking a pill that changed my hormones for the rest of life started to affect me. The first time I went off was for 10 weeks. I did notice some small changes in my hair and noticed an increased libido, more morning erections etc. It was as though my sexual appetite on the drug was a 5 and off it was 7/8. I went back on the drug as I thought I was noticing thinning of my hair.
Since then I have debated staying on the drug and have gone and off it a number of times over the last two years. The interesting thing when I would go off the drug about 2/3 weeks later I would start to get a strong tingling almost electric feeling in my hair, as though I could feel some change occurring in my scalp. At the same time I would feel a surge of libido and stronger erections/orgasm. I would usually panic due to the feeling in my scalp and go back on the drug. As soon as I did that the feeling went away.
My theory is that after a few weeks my DHT levels increased and the first time off the drug start to affect the hair follicles. My body is adjusting to the new hormones levels in my body and trying to rebalance itself.
This May I decided to try and go off for good. This time when the scalp feelings came I was going to stick it out. Over a period of two weeks I had odd sensations from extreme itching, tingly feeling, my hair felt like it had static electricity passing through it. My hair felt foreign to me. It was a very traumatic experience as it seemed like my hair was changing very rapidly, my scalp was inflamed, I was stressed beyond belief. After about two more weeks the feeling started to go away. My hair stylist said she had other customers go through the same experience and she thought my scalp was almost numb (hence why hair felt foreign) as it adjusted to the new hormones.
I am about 8 weeks on. All the odd feelings have gone away, but my hair feels and looks different to me. My stylist commented that she still thought it was thick on top but that it almost felt like doll hair (my hair on the side doesn't feel like that), whatever that means. To me the hair is in the beginning of the thinning process.
I have done a lot of trial and error these last two years. As an aging man, I think that limiting DHT definitely has a slight to moderate impact on sexual performance. The role DHT plays in erections is very clear. Changing this mechanism will have some impact. For most its very low, for others its more extreme. I also think all of the reading I have done on side effects has had a psychosomatic impact as well, which has made it more challenging being on the drug.
Anyway, I wanted to share my experience and would love to hear from others who might have gone through the same process. I am still debating whether to get back on the drug. Part of me wants to stay off for good, part of me wants to ensure that I save my hair. Thinking of catch up hair loss and watching it/worrying about it on a daily basis is quite stressful and exhausting.
I had great success with the drug as I didn't lose any hair over the first 10 years of use. If anything my hair actually got thicker. Back in the spring of '14 I decided I want to go off for a little bit. I read some of negative stories about the drug and the idea of taking a pill that changed my hormones for the rest of life started to affect me. The first time I went off was for 10 weeks. I did notice some small changes in my hair and noticed an increased libido, more morning erections etc. It was as though my sexual appetite on the drug was a 5 and off it was 7/8. I went back on the drug as I thought I was noticing thinning of my hair.
Since then I have debated staying on the drug and have gone and off it a number of times over the last two years. The interesting thing when I would go off the drug about 2/3 weeks later I would start to get a strong tingling almost electric feeling in my hair, as though I could feel some change occurring in my scalp. At the same time I would feel a surge of libido and stronger erections/orgasm. I would usually panic due to the feeling in my scalp and go back on the drug. As soon as I did that the feeling went away.
My theory is that after a few weeks my DHT levels increased and the first time off the drug start to affect the hair follicles. My body is adjusting to the new hormones levels in my body and trying to rebalance itself.
This May I decided to try and go off for good. This time when the scalp feelings came I was going to stick it out. Over a period of two weeks I had odd sensations from extreme itching, tingly feeling, my hair felt like it had static electricity passing through it. My hair felt foreign to me. It was a very traumatic experience as it seemed like my hair was changing very rapidly, my scalp was inflamed, I was stressed beyond belief. After about two more weeks the feeling started to go away. My hair stylist said she had other customers go through the same experience and she thought my scalp was almost numb (hence why hair felt foreign) as it adjusted to the new hormones.
I am about 8 weeks on. All the odd feelings have gone away, but my hair feels and looks different to me. My stylist commented that she still thought it was thick on top but that it almost felt like doll hair (my hair on the side doesn't feel like that), whatever that means. To me the hair is in the beginning of the thinning process.
I have done a lot of trial and error these last two years. As an aging man, I think that limiting DHT definitely has a slight to moderate impact on sexual performance. The role DHT plays in erections is very clear. Changing this mechanism will have some impact. For most its very low, for others its more extreme. I also think all of the reading I have done on side effects has had a psychosomatic impact as well, which has made it more challenging being on the drug.
Anyway, I wanted to share my experience and would love to hear from others who might have gone through the same process. I am still debating whether to get back on the drug. Part of me wants to stay off for good, part of me wants to ensure that I save my hair. Thinking of catch up hair loss and watching it/worrying about it on a daily basis is quite stressful and exhausting.
