Going to bite the bullet with finasteride. But a question first.

[Throne]

I've been reading and watching posts on this forum for over 6 months and I've decided to sign up and get involved with the community.

I'm 21 years old and my hair has been thinning since I was 18. My hair loss seemed like diffused thinning at first but with both sides of my family having hair loss too, I can no longer deny it.

Thinning has picked up its pace the last year and I thought it's start to take some action as it has now noticeable.

I'm considering going on finasteride but as with most new users, I'm a little bit wary. Should I take any precautionary methods first before taking the drug? Blood test/hormone check etc.

Currently using nizoral, have been for a year. I tried copper peptides and even spironolactone but were ineffective.

Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Finnjävel]

Get a prescription for finasteride and just get on with it before it's too late. No need for hormone tests or any other bs.

 

[Throne]

Thanks for that rather blunt reply.

Can anyone recommend a legit site that sells finasteride? (I'm in the UK)

I've had a browse at InHouse Pharm and they seem alright, if not a little confusing. They have 2 types of Generic finasteride - not entirely sure what the difference is?

I've tried contacting this Dr. Ashcroft that everybody keeps mentioning but to no avail.

Cheers

 

[imbalding]

Finasteride is Finasteride, the only diffence is the brand name and cost.
I'm using fincar from inhouse its the cheapest and im sure that alot more people on this site use it aswell.

I would go for a blood test and get your hormones done it only takes a second, its not BS at all. A baseline is good to have just incase any issues occur.

 

[Throne]

Thanks iambalding!

I have a question though regarding sides and only because there is a split in opinion.

Should I get sides, do I continue or do I halt the treatment? Some say persevere with it as they will go away, some say to stop right there and then.

 

[imbalding]

well that all depends on what sides you get. most people dont get any except maybe a bit of ball ache.
if you get any sides you dont like or cant deal with then quit the drug. espiecally if you've just started taking it and afterwards seek advice.

 

[Wuffer]

When I started out, I had an increase in libido for a few weeks, followed by a decrease for a few weeks, and then it all leveled out in the end. I've been on for more than a year, and other than the first month, I can't say i've had any side effects.

I think it's pretty normal to experience some side effects initially. If you look at the FDA approval studies, it indicated that side effect profiles after 1 year were in the 2-3% range. After 5 years of treatment, they were in the 0.3% range. This indicates that side effects lessen over time. However, this may not be the case, as a number of people experience increased side effects over time. But this may also just be caused by aging, as some people complaining of this have been on the medication for 10+ years.

I personally recommend that if you get side effects, you hold out for at least a month to see if they go away. If they get worse, or don't go away, then you might want to consider getting off.

Just don't start on it expecting to get side effects. Remember that they are relatively rare, and chances are you will not get any.

 

[Throne]

Thanks for the advice guys, very helpful.

I spoke with Dr Ashcroft today about sides actually and he quoted a study on how people on the drug are just as likely to experience sides as people in the placebo group. Meaning, the mind certainly plays a part.

Though with ED and stuff like that, it's obviously hard not to think about it. I'll gauge the seriousness of the sides (if I get them) and go from there.