5 years into current regimen, change or add anything?

[X190]

Well the years have gone by, and the hair days have been up and down like the waves of the ocean. There are days in which I see my male pattern baldness in a positive way, and others where I feel I am doomed beyond hope. Regardless of these feelings, for the past 2 years I have been pretty careless about how my hair looks although I have maintained my treatments to an extent.

Right now I am on 1ml Rogaine 5% x1 a day, 640mg Saw Palmetto x1 a day, and Nizoral 1% x3 a week. This has been my staple regimen for over 3 years now, and has done it's job quite well to the point of slowing the hairloss progress down substantially. Many of you know my hair loss history and what I have done to combat hair loss. Now bearing this in mind, is there anything you would recommend for me to either add or change to my regimen with the purpose of optimizing my treatment?

Thanks to all...

XL

 

[SE-freak]

With all due respect,

finasteride.

 

[triton2]

I think there's no scientific data to support saw palmetto's effectiveness against male pattern baldness. If anything, what studies show is that saw palmetto doesn't change serum DHT levels; however, it eases urinary synthoms in people with BPH, which is probably due to it's 5AR blocking at a very SPECIFIC region of the prostate... so its 5AR blocking properties are probably just prostate specific.
However, there's a scientific study in which TOPICAL saw palmetto was shown to be effective (1). If I were to use saw palmetto I'd certainly follow the topical route, and not the oral route. Besides, being an AR antagonist, it might not be a good idea to take it orally, for it might result in some skeletal muscle catabolism. Perhaps its topical effectiveness comes from its AR antagonism instead of 5AR blocking.


1: randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of botanically derived inhibitors of 5-alpha-reductase in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.

Prager N, Bickett K, French N, Marcovici G.

Clinical Research and Development Network, Aurora, CO, USA.

BACKGROUND: Androgenetic alopecia (Androgenetic Alopecia) is characterized by the structural miniaturization of androgen-sensitive hair follicles in susceptible individuals and is anatomically defined within a given pattern of the scalp. Biochemically, one contributing factor of this disorder is the conversion of testosterone (T) to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the enzyme 5-alpha reductase (5AR). This metabolism is also key to the onset and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Furthermore, Androgenetic Alopecia has also been shown to be responsive to drugs and agents used to treat BPH. Of note, certain botanical compounds have previously demonstrated efficacy against BPH. Here, we report the first example of a placebo-controlled, double-blind study undertaken in order to examine the benefit of these botanical substances in the treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to test botanically derived 5AR inhibitors, specifically the liposterolic extract of Serenoa repens (LSESr) and beta-sitosterol, in the treatment of Androgenetic Alopecia. Subjects: Included in this study were males between the ages of 23 and 64 years of age, in good health, with mild to moderate Androgenetic Alopecia. RESULTS: The results of this pilot study showed a highly positive response to treatment. The blinded investigative staff assessment report showed that 60% of (6/10) study subjects dosed with the active study formulation were rated as improved at the final visit. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes the effectiveness of naturally occurring 5AR inhibitors against Androgenetic Alopecia for the first time, and justifies the expansion to larger trials.

 

[global]

Like the others said I would switch the saw palmetto for finasteride, or at least add a proven topical anti androgen such as spironolactone.

 

[Guest]

Global,

Your an old timer, I know newbies aren't familiar with XL, I thought you would of remembered XL's experience with finasteride.

XL,

If the treatment is going well and your ok with your hair, don't bother to add anything. Thats the way I look at it. I would hate to have to add somthing more to my regimen right now especially since its going pretty ok. I'd only want to add somthing more if I was really losing ground. Keep it up.

-badasshairday

 

[socks]

If you cant use Finasteride then one possible potent topical routine would be:

RU58841
Spironolactone
Minoxidil

I would then rotate between Nizoral and Nano shampoo.

 

[global]

Global,

Your an old timer, I know newbies aren't familiar with XL, I thought you would of remembered XL's experience with finasteride.

XL,

If the treatment is going well and your ok with your hair, don't bother to add anything. Thats the way I look at it. I would hate to have to add somthing more to my regimen right now especially since its going pretty ok. I'd only want to add somthing more if I was really losing ground. Keep it up.

-badasshairday

The problem with us old timers is our memories start failing us