dutasteride Seems to Have Lots of Non-Responders and/or Frontal Loss

[harey]

I've been reading hairsite4.com for the past two days, as they have a forum specifically for dutasteride., and while, sure, these boards are often populated by non-responders, it just seems like an overwhelming amount of people experience frontal loss that they never regain.

Normally I subscribe to the whole "you would have lost that anyway" bit, but *none* of these guys are exactly comforted by that. I've ordered my Duprost, but now I'm scared of taking it.

 

[Red Rose]

There is no logical reason why dutasteride should speed up the balding process.

 

[Thinning]

Yeah in fact Ive seen posts where its touted as the only treatment to regrow hair in front.

 

[harey]

Well, the simple fact is, while I prefer this site, hairsite4.com, as mentioned, has its own dutasteride section, with thousands of posts, and it appears that so many people suffer loss in the front. Now I'm not saying that that wouldn't have occurred anyway, but unlike finasteride., it seems that people who don't respond in the first six months on dutasteride. don't ever respond. period.

Has anyone had results that suggest otherwise?

 

[Thinning]

Maybe thats because the people taking dutasteride have already been on finasteride and dont see an additional benefit - thus they think they are "non-responders".

 

[JWM]

Nope. While I WAS on finasteride for 6 years prior, my hair took an unmistakeable dive the 8 months I was on dutasteride. I received comments from family and friends about how bad my hair had thinned in front while using it.

 

[Red Rose]

Harey, it honestly depends where you look.

If you go over to HLH.com and use the search feature there, the general consensus from dutasteride users is generally positive, IMO.

In fact I have just bumped a thread up on dutasteride over there and am hoping to hear how this guy has done since his glowing report back in May 05. Knowing my luck though, he had probably posted a report in the interim that dutasteride caused his dick to fall off and his hair to fall out but we'll see.

Photomatt

Ok a little history:

I started Propecia in December of 1999. The first 6 months were pretty good.....good enough to where the woman that cut my hair back then commented that my hair appeared thicker and asked me what I had been doing. Then at right about 6 months I had a shed that was so severe, I seriously felt suicidal. It scared the living hell out of me. I continued taking it and a few months later it came back and all was ok....but the pattern of growth and horrendous sheds never stopped....it seeemd like clockwork...every few months I would look ok...then it would all fall out. It was maddening. I went on like this for four years and then I started regressing pretty badly. The sheds were not growing back as thick and the area of hairloss was widening.

It seemed I had hit the wall with Propecia. I decided to up my dose to 1mg in the am and 1.25mg of Proscar at night. This did little to change anything but I gave it time. I took that for about a year and right at the five year mark, it was obvious I was in trouble. I bit the bullet and ordered Reddy's Dutas praying it was legit because I pretty much quit Proscar cold turkey when I started dutasteride. I have been taking it 3 days in a row and take the fourth day off. There is no real reason for this formula, I just wanted to try to stretch it out a little to save money. All I can say is 2 months into this, my hair looks better than it did years ago....it's almost amazing to me. The sides and back have thickened and I have had no shed problems yet.....I know it's coming but so far so good. The quality of my hair is getting really good too....when I look at hairs on my brush, they are thin and stringy at one end, and getting thick and course at the bulb end which is a great sign.

I've also had no libido problems or any others that some have talked about. As far as I am concerned Proscar isn't even in the same ballpark as dutasteride as far as effectivness.....I'm not saying everyone will respond this well but if you are maxxed out on Proscar don't be afraid to try it, I am so happy I did.

Good luck

 

[JWM]

LOL, check out my response to your post on HLH.

 

[JWM]

BTW, the first 3 months on dutasteride for me were awesome too. ZERO fallout and hair looked great. Then........ :evil:

From what I have read, this is common with alot of dutasteride users. Great initial results and then boom!

 

[harey]

So my question is, has anyone shed in the front for awhile, and then eventually seen results? Because on hairsite4.com, NO ONE has. I mean no one.

By the same token, you mention being okay initially, and then losing it. What happened after that?

 

[JWM]

Nothing happened. My hair is still very thin.

 

[harey]

And how was your hair when you started on the Norwood scale, and how is it now?

 

[Slartibartfast]

So my question is, has anyone shed in the front for awhile, and then eventually seen results?

If I factor in how long it takes dutasteride levels to reach their peak (about 3 months) I've had 11 months of a full dose. I'm not going to retype my entire story thread, but basically, during my near-14 month stint, the front shed (months 4 - 5), then the rest of my hair did the same (months 6 - 8 ). A few months later the non-front sections started to recover and are now as good as pre-shed - which is pretty damn thick. The front has stabilized and is showing signs of gradually improving - even if it doesn't, I believe it's well ahead of how much finasteride would have left me with by now.

Slarti

 

[oni]

Slarti hows the dutasteride going ?

 

[Guest]

Down to my last 20. Must order some more.

 

[Slartibartfast]

Previous post was mine.

...the non-front sections started to recover and are now as good as pre-shed - which is pretty damn thick. The front has stabilized and is showing signs of gradually improving...

Not much more to say really. Frontal diffusion is a bastard, waiting to see whether those tiny little hairs progress to adulthood is a slow and boring process, but at least I've no side effects to report.

Only a few weeks 'til my story thread needs updating, better think of some more to say...

How goes your great dutasteride experiment? Must be up to what, 18 or 19 months by now.

Slarti

 

[oni]

I am very happy with the results. I am near the 18 month mark now and you can't really notice that I was losing my hair in the first place and thanks to male pattern baldness I clippered my hair to a 2 guard which most people say suits me better than any other hair style I had before that was 6 months ago and I still like the style.

Good luck Slarti you should see some more results in the next few months. :wink: I am still seeing results after 18 months and I was only really happy about the 16 month mark so let that be a lesson to the people that whinge after 4 months on finasteride or dutasteride, it does take time!!!

 

[Slartibartfast]

Glad you're happy with your results you lucky bastard - not even a really short haircut suits me and you go and take it down to a 2 guard and people prefer it over ALL your old styles. rotest:

But seriously...From the start I reckoned on it taking dutasteride a good 18 months to tackle my frontal loss, purely because the best I got out of finasteride was after 14 (months not tablets), and at the .5mg/day dose dutasteride levels take 3 months to build-up in your system. So here's hoping the next 4 to 6 months are good'uns: they will be if the short/thin/light hairs I can see near the front, thicken up; plus I've spotted some early-stage regrowth on my temples.

Perhaps if there are enough of us "old timers" still seeing an improvement well after the 1 year mark some of the newer users will be able to take a deep breath and calm right down when the 4/6/8/10...-month mark panic sets in.

Slarti

 

[WiseJoeyD]

I think I'm quite guilty of the 4/6/8/10* wobblers. I must say my lick of fring is now precariously close to needing a good clipping to salvage a 'look' rather than wispy locks waving around!

I can see the Island-ification* with a noticeably thin patch right behind my frontal area where the two thinned/receeded sides meet. Your usual Norwood.

Mind you that inspection is usually under the halogen in the bathroom; the one that blinds you on a direct glance so under 'dark' circumstances not entirely noticeable)

I don't think my crown has suffered though. In fact was pleasantly surprised that even when sifting through it in the mirror there was less shine-through (lost my job as "reflector" cause of that(!)).

Just that now I have sort of see-through fringe area...acutally a good comparison, which pulled me out of the film for a second, was your guy in NightWatch! Now, before you berate my movie 'taste' I just noticed he's got almost the same sort of frontal thing as moi ("me") which was kind of funny.

I would be quite keen nonetheless to keep taking dutasteride till it's (inevitable?) conclusion and then I can report back once and for all if it's a definate "Elvis would weep" or "Elvis would be proud" outcome!

Anyway, I'm kind of confused whether I've added to the debate or just gave "two thumbs up" review to a film!

*"Four from the top Carol"
**Scarlett and Ewan running wild on my scalp?! Bloody cloning...wait...

 

[not me!]

Dude, why did you steal my old avatar? My user name was social drinker.