the_morrow's story - UPDATED with RECENT PIC!

[the_morrow]

Hi all,

Newbie here - please be gentle :wink:

I'll give you a bit of background on my situation...

Around the age of 23/24 I started to notice my hair was falling out rather rapidly. I am now 25 and have a nice balding spot on the back of my head. About a month ago I decided to shave my head (not fully, just super short) to see if I could pull off the look. I didn't mind it but what I did notice was the whole top of my head was thin as well - classic U-shape male pattern baldness starting. Even the front is receeding and I'm starting to get a patch of hair in the front and less behind it - It seems the thinning hair is also patchy!

I was in the USA (I live in Canada) and decided to buy a product called Extra Strength Minoxidil Topical Solution USP 5% - which I believe is the equivalent of Rogaine - just the "no name" brand.

Anyways, I'm not too sure if any hair has started to grow yet - I doubt it because I've only been using it for a month - it's a spray on solution.

Here is where the problem lies.

My sister had cancer a few years back and some of the hair on the base of her head (at her neck) never fully grew back after her chemo treatments. She went to a dermatologist here in Canada who said he could prescribe her Prescription Rogaine - which apparently is super strong - stronger than any Rogaine available over the coutner - and that she would have to use it for 9 months at a cost of $100 per month.

So I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on a couple of questions...

1. Is this Extra Strength Minoxidil Topical Solution USP 5% that I'm using now any good?

2. I've read you can't get 5% Minoxidil/Rogaine in Canada without a prescription - could that be what my sister's dermatologist was referring to?

3. If I see results with the treatment I'm currently using, or if I switch to a dermatologist recommended treatment, do I have to keep using it forever? Will my hair just start falling out again if I stop treating it?

4. Right now my hair is short so that I can apply the Minoxodil spray to my scalp - I find when I had longer hair and tried to use it, it just made my hair greasy and unmanageable. Am I doomed to a life of short hair?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out!

- Mike

 

[Guest]

Hello morrow,

i am far from being an expert, but will try to answer your questions:

1. Sounds good, the active ingredient of Rogaine is 5% of Minoxidil!
2. no idea, but I seriously doubt you can´t get Minoxidil in Canada without prescribtion. Otherwise you have really strict laws over there and you might try an online pharmacy instead.
3. First of all, seeing results requires patience! One month is nothing, you should give your treatment at least 6-12 months. Keep in mind that by using minoxidil you will first see an increased shedding which will grow back when using minoxidil furthermore. It also depends on what you mean by "forever". Yes, your hair you have saved or even regrown with minoxidil will fall out, when you stop using it, but keep in mind! There might be new solutions coming in a few years ago, so that you can give up minoxidil. Maybe hair isn´t really important to you in ten years and so the falling out of your hair won´t matter to you. If you want hair at the moment I would definetly try minoxidil. Nobody knows what is in the future.
4. I don´t know, if you actually can´t use it with long hair, then yes.... Maybe search the Rogaine section of HairLossTalk.com. This probably has been answered before and will contain many hints.

Last but least, you definetly need a DHT-Blocker. i personally recommend Propecia, maybe even the stronger Avodart. This is taken orally, 1 pill a day. Topical solutions include spironolactone and other stuff, but I am not using one of them and hence can´t give good instructions. As addition Nizoral shampoo is recommended and should be used two times a week.
You should do some reading in the forum and you will find many more useful hints.
Good Luck!

 

[the_morrow]

thanks for your help Taugenichts! a couple points i wanted to respond to...

2. no idea, but I seriously doubt you can´t get Minoxidil in Canada without prescribtion. Otherwise you have really strict laws over there and you might try an online pharmacy instead.

i am sure we can get it here just not at 5% - i read in another thread on here that its like 2% - and 5% is only prescription...

Last but least, you definetly need a DHT-Blocker. i personally recommend Propecia, maybe even the stronger Avodart. This is taken orally, 1 pill a day. Topical solutions include spironolactone and other stuff, but I am not using one of them and hence can´t give good instructions.

what is DHT?

As addition Nizoral shampoo is recommended and should be used two times a week.

what is the benefit of this shampoo?

thanks again Taugenichts - ill keep search the forum to get more info

 

[Guest]

Hi again

2% minoxidil is usually used by women. Men should use 5%. I am really surprised that you can only get it with prescription in Canada. You should try a foreign online pharmacy. In the minoxidil section you should find a topic dealing with good online pharmacy who deliver abroad.

About DHT: In order to make it short: DHT is responsible for you hair falling out, that´s why we are trying to block it.
HairLossTalk.com website says this about DHT-inhibitors:

1. DHT Inhibitors - Work to inhibit the binding of Testosterone and 5-Alpha Reductase, which in turn keeps DHT levels close to normal, which in turn helps keep hair growth and loss regulation at its normal healthy state. These treatments truly deal with hair loss at the "root" of the problem.

If you are interested in further details you should use the search function of this forum. DHT inhibitors are Propecia(active ingredient: Finasteride) or topicals such as spironolactone.

Nizoral in addition with finasteride is said to give better results than finasteride alone. One shouldn´t expect any miracles from adding it and neither is Nizoral alone able to stop hair loss. But since it is rather cheap (available at walmarts or pharmacies) and easy to use ( two times a week instead of your regular shampoo) it is recommended as a standard addition to your regimen.

 

[the_morrow]

Regimen - with Pics!

Ok so I've been using 5% Minoxidel as well as Nizoral shampoo as my regimen until today...

I got a prescription for Propecia so now I have the three-pronged attack!

Here's some pics of the before...


late spring 2006 - spikey look with balding patch in the back


late spring 2006 - spikey look with balding patch in the back


july 2006 - shorter cut and you could almost see thru the hair its so fine



And then the after pics after I buzzed my head...


july 2006 - got gutsy in Vegas and shaved it off! as you can see, minimal coverage left


july 2006 - another angle


another angle


so yeah... hopefully i wont go thru a big shed with Propecia - i didnt really have a huge shed with Minoxidil... I'll keep updating this thread with new pics as i progress...

here's hoping!

thanks for all the informative posts on this site - you guys rule!

 

[SheddingVic]

propecia has side-effects... do some research before jumping into something you may regret later on. Your girlfriend may not appreciate a limp penis...

Give minoxidil 5% a try for about a year with Nizoral before getting on finasteride.

 

[Hawaii male]

get on propecia right away.

limp dicks are for the weak minded. Its all in a persons head wether or not they will get that.

 

[Angie #7]

Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 229
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"get on propecia right away.

limp dicks are for the weak minded. Its all in a persons head wether or not they will get that. "

No, it can be one of the proven side effects!! exhaust all your options, and then think carefully about if you want a limp penis. I have been with my husband for 19years and he is thinning on top, but I appreciate the fact that he is horny as when we were first dating and has the wood to deliver. (Sorry for being so crude!)

 

[Hawaii male]

Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 229
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"get on propecia right away.

limp dicks are for the weak minded. Its all in a persons head wether or not they will get that. "

No, it can be one of the proven side effects!! exhaust all your options, and then think carefully about if you want a limp penis. I have been with my husband for 19years and he is thinning on top, but I appreciate the fact that he is horny as when we were first dating and has the wood to deliver. (Sorry for being so crude!)

2% or some low stat like that. Alot has to do with your mind. IF i think propecia will give me sides and a limp dick , then it will happen. If i think i cant get a erection , then i cant. 1mg of finasteride is relatively a well tolerable drug with LOW sides. 2%

 

[the_morrow]

well i got a month's supply of propecia to start so we'll see how this goes...

if my dick becomes like a dead house plant i have no problem dropping propecia...

id rather have wood than hair

 

[Guest]

the_morrow, keep in mind that most side effects might go away even if you continue taking finasteride. So, even if you experience sides you should continue with finasteride for a while and decide then what to do.

 

[the_morrow]

so i'm experiencing some allergic reactions to Propecia it seems...

so it doesn't look like i will keep it up...

so im going to change my regimen to just minoxidil and Nizoral...

I'll keep you updated!

 

[Guest]

bad idea man.

you need to get on revivogen and spironolactone cream, maybe both, if you're going to just be on minoxidil and nizoral. minoxidil doesn't stop you from balding. it simply grows hair while other hair falls out. nizoral won't stop it either by itself. i would add revivogen to your regimen if you are going to stop propecia.

you could try adding avodart(dutasteride). it's a stronger dht inhibitor than propecia and who knows, you may not be allergic to it like you are to propecia.

 

[Momofthree]

I can tell you from experience, my husband has been on propecia for manyyears maybe 6? And there has absolutely never been an issue in that department if you know what i mean. Never. Sometimes the mood is not there but it does not affect the quality of anything if you know where I am coming from. NONE nada! Its mental trust me!!!

Now im suffering from hair loss and it sucks! :evil:

 

[the_morrow]

well im still using Propecia and the allergic reaction seems to have disappeared... so i'm still going with Propecia/minoxidil/Nizoral - and i think im starting to see some new hairs sprouting already...

i do have a question though - since Propecia keeps your hair from falling out, and minoxidil regrows it - say after a year of using both, can I eventually discontinue using minoxidil as it's grown the hair back, and Propecia is keeping it from falling out? or do i always have to use both from now on? thanks!

 

[the_morrow]

Month 9!

hello again! just an update here to track my progress...

here's a recent pic of my hair...

i've noticed that the balding spot in the back isn't as prominent as it once was - although it's not completely covered with hair stilll... the front is still receeded but i can live with that - im focusing more on just getting the top and the back filled in...

also - i rarely get dandruff anymore so i really haven't been using Nizoral - should i still be using it though?

the one thing that scares me is that im shedding like crazy these past 2 weeks - i know a shed is normal - but im at 9 months of propecia + rogaine - i thought sheds were limited to the first 3-6 months? any thoughts/comments?

thanks everyone!

 

[klink]

I would stay on the big3. nizoral is easy, use it 3 times a week, it's just shampoo.

Taking and using stuff for baldness is like treating our bodies for a thyroid condition, we stay on the regimen so all our hair does not fall out.

 

[retropunk]

Re: Month 9!

the one thing that scares me is that im shedding like crazy these past 2 weeks - i know a shed is normal - but im at 9 months of propecia + rogaine - i thought sheds were limited to the first 3-6 months? any thoughts/comments?

thanks everyone!

It may take a year for rogaine hair to 'stabilize.' This shed may just grow the hair back at a thicker diameter.

 

[RaginDemon]

Re: Month 9!

hello again! just an update here to track my progress...

here's a recent pic of my hair...

i've noticed that the balding spot in the back isn't as prominent as it once was - although it's not completely covered with hair stilll... the front is still receeded but i can live with that - im focusing more on just getting the top and the back filled in...

also - i rarely get dandruff anymore so i really haven't been using Nizoral - should i still be using it though?

the one thing that scares me is that im shedding like crazy these past 2 weeks - i know a shed is normal - but im at 9 months of propecia + rogaine - i thought sheds were limited to the first 3-6 months? any thoughts/comments?

thanks everyone!

Your hair looks good styled like this. It beats your shaved look by a lot. Just my .02

 

[the_morrow]

thanks for the advice guys i just realized there is an entire sub-forum devoted to the topic of shedding so i'll go snoop around there - been about 2 weeks now and still shedding!

i like my hair longer too but it was so much easier to do the regimen with a shaved head!