First time starting Propecia, looking for advice and a couple of questions!!

[NickUK01]

So I have got a prescription for Propecia which I will be starting this weekend and I was just looking for a little bit of advice! I am thinking of starting on a lower dose at first to test the waters regarding sides etc. I am thinking either 0.5mg daily or 1mg every other day, has anyone had any success with this and upped the dose at a later stage? I have put off taking it for a month now out of fear of sides, but have decided to try it with an open mind and not jump to any conclusions with how it may affect my body until I have had a fair wack at it. I will be buzzing my hair down probably this weekend (you can see what it looks like at the moment in the Tell us your story section).

One last thing that I am curious to get your thoughts on is the effect on finasteride on your body hair, I have average body hair but have been blessed with the ability to grow a decent beard, I am not fussed about my overall body hair but my beard is a big part of my image and haven't been without one for many years (I'm 31, probably about 4 inches long at the moment). I have read that that a few people have seen growth slow down/stunt while on finasteride? Anyone had anything similar to this?

Thanks for taking the time to read through all this, any thoughts would be much appreciated!

 

[Agustin Araujo]

It's recommended to simply take one Propecia tablet daily and keep it easy that way. About Finasteride (Propecia) affecting body hair, I believe certain users of the medication do experience a reduction of it. I take Dutasteride, which is basically a stronger version of Finasteride, I haven't had any reduction in body hair.

 

[NickUK01]

Thanks for your advice . Maybe I should just jump into 1mg daily and see how my body reacts to it and possibly adjust depending on that. Hopefully it won't have an effect on my body hair, it doesn't appear to be very common either way! Got my Propecia script today so now it is time to bite the bullet and give it a go!

 

[abdo123]

incase you got any libido problems. i had some on my first 2 weeks and they were gone by 40-50 days of medication. don't panic unless you're really dead down there.

give it sometime

 

[OptimisticDude]

I'm new here but have read quite a bit and I'm still on the fence regarding the once/day vs every other day. I'm 6 months in on Finasteride after 10 years on saw palmetto and 6 yrs minoxidil. I've been doing 1mg every day and do notice a bit of a decrease in libido, and a drastic one if I throw SP into the mix. That, and watery sperm. I'm a pretty hairy dude and I haven't noticed any significant reduction in body hair.

If I could restart I might have gone for an every other day (1mg) regimen, but at this point I'm worried that jacking with the dose may cause a hormone shift and cause *another* shed. I'd like to start seeing some definite results before I tamper with dosage.

Edit: oh, and regarding the beard, I've got a gnarly one if I grow it out, but instead shave once a week or so. It grows as fiercely as ever, if that's of any comfort. *ROOAAAR*

 

[ajbrah]

0.5mg EOD is what I would start with. It's good that that's an option for you. I got the 5mg tabs and couldn't split them that small. Either way, I got such awful side effects, including gynecomastia and brain fog (among many others), that I had to quit within a few weeks both times I tried finasteride. Good luck man. Hopefully it doesn't give you sides and hopefully I didn't make you paranoid - but if you get sides, you will know it (particularly if you are sensitive to medications and hormone fluctuations already), and they can make living with finasteride unbearable.