Got on Propecia Today
- Thread starter d116
- Start date
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- 86
Don't think about "getting side effects", your brain is a powerful tool, and you can quiet easily convince yourself that you are experiencing side effects. For what it's worth, for the first week or so, I had slight nut ache, nothing painful, just annoying feeling, like it was clenching up, hard to explain. I've had no problems since and I'm six months in, I started noticed thickening/re-growth around the 3 month mark, and it's been improving since then.
But remember, not everyone sees results so quickly, could take anything up to a year but at the very least you know that you're doing everything in your power to halt your hairloss.
Good luck, d116.
But remember, not everyone sees results so quickly, could take anything up to a year but at the very least you know that you're doing everything in your power to halt your hairloss.
Good luck, d116.
Hey there. As Irish mentioned, don't think about side effects. There is about a 1 in 50 chance that you will get any, and they actually gradually go away over time if you experience them as you continue to use the medication. If you constantly think about and worry about side effects, your mind can actually cause them to happen and trick you into believing the drug is causing them.
You should wait at least 6 months before assessing your progress. I started seeing results at 3 months with peak growth at 6, and some people have had to wait for over a year before seeing growth.
Sorry to hear you are losing your hair at 22, but good on you for starting treatment early. There is about a 9 out of 10 chance that you will be a responder to the drug (as in not lose any more hair or grow more) and this effect has been shown to potentially last over 10 years in responders. The odds are certainly in your favor, so make sure you give it a good chance to work. Best of luck!
Oh and FYI, be aware of people such as 'Habeas Corpse' who have their own motives and try to convince people that the drug is dangerous. Often these people had a bad personal experience with the drug (had side effects or it just didn't work for them) so they set out to try and convince others not to give it a chance. The 'major health concern' he is referring to was an extremely small, weak study that didn't reach any useful conclusion. You can go ahead and ignore him, and if you have any further questions about the safety of the drug, it's best to speak with your doctor.
You should wait at least 6 months before assessing your progress. I started seeing results at 3 months with peak growth at 6, and some people have had to wait for over a year before seeing growth.
Sorry to hear you are losing your hair at 22, but good on you for starting treatment early. There is about a 9 out of 10 chance that you will be a responder to the drug (as in not lose any more hair or grow more) and this effect has been shown to potentially last over 10 years in responders. The odds are certainly in your favor, so make sure you give it a good chance to work. Best of luck!
Oh and FYI, be aware of people such as 'Habeas Corpse' who have their own motives and try to convince people that the drug is dangerous. Often these people had a bad personal experience with the drug (had side effects or it just didn't work for them) so they set out to try and convince others not to give it a chance. The 'major health concern' he is referring to was an extremely small, weak study that didn't reach any useful conclusion. You can go ahead and ignore him, and if you have any further questions about the safety of the drug, it's best to speak with your doctor.
Case in point, this is a perfect example of the fear mongering you will encounter, complete with a suspect ulterior motive. Notice the cut & paste, the bolded wording, red text and surly disposition! These people work very hard trying to scare the public. Make sure you are getting your information from trusted sources.
Also notice that the link that was provided reached the following conclusion:
"FDA believes that finasteride remains a safe and effective drug for its approved indications", as is the truth. It is extremely effective and repeatedly proven to be safe with a low occurrence of side effects.
As I mentioned, just go speak with your doctor if you have any questions or are having trouble sorting out what information is accurate or not.
Also notice that the link that was provided reached the following conclusion:
"FDA believes that finasteride remains a safe and effective drug for its approved indications", as is the truth. It is extremely effective and repeatedly proven to be safe with a low occurrence of side effects.
As I mentioned, just go speak with your doctor if you have any questions or are having trouble sorting out what information is accurate or not.
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Beingbaldsucksass
Guest
He wants his hair hippy, fack you, you wants to sell us snake oil
I'm confused, Habeas. You don't think people should get medical advice from their doctors, because they answer to the FDA, but this doctor can be fully trusted? Dr. Bosley commented that Propecia was dangerous, but it appears he made this statement on a whim, not based on any specific information. He didn't mention what long-term side effects he was referring to; for all anyone knows, he was only talking about gynecomastia. There weren't any reports of persistent symptoms until years after he even made that statement. What's more likely is that this doctor feared for his prosperous hair transplant business, and didn't want this drug approved because it would cut into his profits.
Your response to d116 is not factual. Finasteride can work wonders for frontal hair loss. While not as dramatic as the effect it has on the crown, my hair line thickened up quite dramatically. Especially if hair loss has started at the age of 22, the most important thing is treating it as early as possible. There may be treatments available in the next couple years, but on the other hand maybe not for 5 or 10 years. It's a thousand times easier to slow down or stop hair loss (with finasteride) than it is to regrow what you have lost. As for your last point, the stuff costs pennies a day. You can get a full years treatment of 5mg generic finasteride for less than $100. Maybe if he saved up that $100 for the next 50 years, he might have enough for a minor transplant.
Your response to d116 is not factual. Finasteride can work wonders for frontal hair loss. While not as dramatic as the effect it has on the crown, my hair line thickened up quite dramatically. Especially if hair loss has started at the age of 22, the most important thing is treating it as early as possible. There may be treatments available in the next couple years, but on the other hand maybe not for 5 or 10 years. It's a thousand times easier to slow down or stop hair loss (with finasteride) than it is to regrow what you have lost. As for your last point, the stuff costs pennies a day. You can get a full years treatment of 5mg generic finasteride for less than $100. Maybe if he saved up that $100 for the next 50 years, he might have enough for a minor transplant.
- Reaction score
- 86
Finasteride works for frontal hairloss, I can 100% vouch for that. Lies, lies and more lies I hear about finasteride and it's effectiveness regarding frontal loss, I've got temple regrowth from finasteride, the reason Merck state that it's not known if Propecia works for temporal and/or frontal hairloss is because their studies were with Norwood 3's and beyond.
Don't have the mentality of, "just go bald and save up for a hair transplant", do research, NOT propeciahelp, actual scientific studies, you know, the countless ones on the internet, published, legitimate studies, there is even a good few independent studies, primarily the Japanese study that proved finasteride is a safe and VERY effective drug that treats and can reverse hairloss for years.
Remember, official studies are your friend. Don't let hairloss ruin your young life. finasteride saved me from a mental breakdown at the age of 24, now, when I look in the mirror, I almost cry with joy and happiness for what finasteride did for me and I'll sing it to the world. I'll be forever greatful, without it, I'd be a morbid, dank individual.
Don't have the mentality of, "just go bald and save up for a hair transplant", do research, NOT propeciahelp, actual scientific studies, you know, the countless ones on the internet, published, legitimate studies, there is even a good few independent studies, primarily the Japanese study that proved finasteride is a safe and VERY effective drug that treats and can reverse hairloss for years.
Remember, official studies are your friend. Don't let hairloss ruin your young life. finasteride saved me from a mental breakdown at the age of 24, now, when I look in the mirror, I almost cry with joy and happiness for what finasteride did for me and I'll sing it to the world. I'll be forever greatful, without it, I'd be a morbid, dank individual.
Please re-edit that to a normal size because that is extremely obnoxious.
I was talking about persistent side effects, which I thought was fairly clear when I said: "He didn't mention what the long-term side effects were" The portion you highlighted is referring to potential side effects during treatment, which we all know about. The extent of what he said about long-term side effects was simply: "...The potential side effects, especially the long-term side effects of the drug...."
Please provide a link to the full article that outlines what he said, because if he just said "especially the long-term side effects" he may have just been referring to either gynecomastia or decreased libido/ed that persists while taking the drug. He isn't saying anything about side effects that persist after discontinuing treatment.
Granted I am only going based off the small portion you pasted here, but I am assuming he didn't elaborate further in the full discussion if you didn't post it here as well.
I was talking about persistent side effects, which I thought was fairly clear when I said: "He didn't mention what the long-term side effects were" The portion you highlighted is referring to potential side effects during treatment, which we all know about. The extent of what he said about long-term side effects was simply: "...The potential side effects, especially the long-term side effects of the drug...."
Please provide a link to the full article that outlines what he said, because if he just said "especially the long-term side effects" he may have just been referring to either gynecomastia or decreased libido/ed that persists while taking the drug. He isn't saying anything about side effects that persist after discontinuing treatment.
Granted I am only going based off the small portion you pasted here, but I am assuming he didn't elaborate further in the full discussion if you didn't post it here as well.
I actually have a huge interest in learning. But my concept of learning isn't accepting whatever anyone tries to cram down my throat without questioning it; it's being critical and asking the right questions to determine if the information is factual or not. And in this exact situation, I didn't take what you said at face value and determined that you have very likely misconstrued what the doctor was actually saying.
You are clearly assuming that's what he is referring to, and the fact that the portion you posted is all he said has almost completely convinced me. You are simply reaching the conclusion that you want to reach based on what he said.
Where did you even get this from? Obviously some crucial details were cut out of this conversation to make it look worse than it is.
You are clearly assuming that's what he is referring to, and the fact that the portion you posted is all he said has almost completely convinced me. You are simply reaching the conclusion that you want to reach based on what he said.
Where did you even get this from? Obviously some crucial details were cut out of this conversation to make it look worse than it is.
I said: "Dr. Bosley commented that Propecia was dangerous, but it appears he made this statement on a whim, not based on any specific information. He didn't mention what long-term side effects he was referring to; for all anyone knows, he was only talking about gynecomastia. There weren't any reports of persistent symptoms until years after he even made that statement."
I didn't make it in the form of a question, but I assume you would have responded to that statement if you had an answer.
I skimmed the examiner article, and it doesn't look like more than an exercise in Bosley bashing. I'm not sure what LexisNexis is, but it looks like it's a membership based service. The fact that the examiner article only posted a small portion of the article with pieces cut out is quite suspicious, especially since the editor seems to just want to badmouth the guy.
But honestly, I really don't care that much. It doesn't mean anything.
I didn't make it in the form of a question, but I assume you would have responded to that statement if you had an answer.
I skimmed the examiner article, and it doesn't look like more than an exercise in Bosley bashing. I'm not sure what LexisNexis is, but it looks like it's a membership based service. The fact that the examiner article only posted a small portion of the article with pieces cut out is quite suspicious, especially since the editor seems to just want to badmouth the guy.
But honestly, I really don't care that much. It doesn't mean anything.
That's fine, I actually don't post here much anymore anyway, so you can go right on doing your thing and i'll just get back to enjoying my fantastic summer with my full head of hair. Hope all the time you spend you time hating a chemical works out for you in the end.
Seriously, you need to chill out man. I'm not sure what your intention was to start posting here suddenly, but you appear to have become quite unpopular, and already people are pointing out the fact that all your posts are basically spam. If you want to continue to act like a fear-mongering robot that shoves giant bolded text down everyone's throats, then you will quickly get shunned off the forum. People don't respond to this.
If you decide to act like an actual human being, then people might be a lot more receptive to what you have to say. If you have a story, tell it. Show the facts, admit that they aren't perfect, but be honest. Hell, I would completely support you if you did this, just as I support everyone else who takes this same approach. In fact, persistent and rude fear mongering was basically the sole reason I decided to TRY finasteride in the first place. If I was approached differently from the start, I might have never even started it myself.
Seriously, you need to chill out man. I'm not sure what your intention was to start posting here suddenly, but you appear to have become quite unpopular, and already people are pointing out the fact that all your posts are basically spam. If you want to continue to act like a fear-mongering robot that shoves giant bolded text down everyone's throats, then you will quickly get shunned off the forum. People don't respond to this.
If you decide to act like an actual human being, then people might be a lot more receptive to what you have to say. If you have a story, tell it. Show the facts, admit that they aren't perfect, but be honest. Hell, I would completely support you if you did this, just as I support everyone else who takes this same approach. In fact, persistent and rude fear mongering was basically the sole reason I decided to TRY finasteride in the first place. If I was approached differently from the start, I might have never even started it myself.
- Reaction score
- 86
"Hairloss is a cosmetic issue, NOT medical".
Hogwash, hairloss can really destroy ones mentality. It almost did me, and all you have to do is read the countless threads in the impact section, you'll be surprised at just how many post you'll find with regards to people being depressed and even going as far as to say that they have considered suicide and turned to drink and drugs because of what it did to their self esteem, they've also lost jobs, wifes, GF etc.
The effects of "only a cosmetic issue" is what's damaging, potentially life threatening, as mentioned above regarding suicide.
Hogwash, hairloss can really destroy ones mentality. It almost did me, and all you have to do is read the countless threads in the impact section, you'll be surprised at just how many post you'll find with regards to people being depressed and even going as far as to say that they have considered suicide and turned to drink and drugs because of what it did to their self esteem, they've also lost jobs, wifes, GF etc.
The effects of "only a cosmetic issue" is what's damaging, potentially life threatening, as mentioned above regarding suicide.
Why exactly should someone trust Dr. Bosley? He clearly has an interest in keeping Propecia/finasteride use low. Look to the studies. They clearly indicate potential for side effects, some even long term for a low number of folks. But these incidents are low. I think the recent one cycling around scaring people in the media still concluded that side effects were somewhere in the 3% range. Talk to YOUR doctor, or one not in the bulk hair transplant business and educate yourself to actual factual information before making your own determination.
For the record, I'm 3.5 months into my finasteride/minoxidil use and my hair is visibly thickening throughout and I have minor regrowth in the upper temples at this stage.
For the record, I'm 3.5 months into my finasteride/minoxidil use and my hair is visibly thickening throughout and I have minor regrowth in the upper temples at this stage.
Benjamin36
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 30
Man oh man, I still remember the first time I went to the pharmacy to pick up my first prescription of finasteride. The pharmacy is in the back of a large drug store, so I was a bit nervous, kind of like when you are a teenager buying a box of condoms.
When I walked up to the pharmacy there was a young girl there (25), so I handed her my prescription. After I handed it to her, she looks at it and then asks me what it's for. It was embarrassing because there were people around, so I just mumbled "hair loss". It really pissed me off, because it kind of felt as if she did it on purpose. It made me want to tear her a new one.
When I walked up to the pharmacy there was a young girl there (25), so I handed her my prescription. After I handed it to her, she looks at it and then asks me what it's for. It was embarrassing because there were people around, so I just mumbled "hair loss". It really pissed me off, because it kind of felt as if she did it on purpose. It made me want to tear her a new one.
Did your surgeon not discuss finasteride with you before you got your transplant? It's usually recommended that a person be on the drug for at least a year before having an operation. Talk to your doctor or surgeon, but IMO you should go on finasteride ASAP. Without finasteride, the transplanted areas will remain full, but the hair surrounding these areas could thin, making for a very unusual look.
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Hair loss (Androgenetic Alopecia) is a recognized medical condition. The term "medical issue" as you are using it is quite vague. I assume you are referring to the fact that it isn't a 'serious' medical issue, in that it doesn't directly cause harm to the human body like something such as a tumor would. This is completely true, but also goes for other 'cosmetic' issues such as acne, vitiligo, gynecomastia, and so on. These conditions aren't inherently dangerous, but are strongly associated with causing depression, anxiety, loss of self esteem, social anxiety, and so on. These mental conditions ARE inherently dangerous, and potentially life threatening as well. At the very least, they significantly lower a person's quality of life.
If treating the underlying cause alleviates said mental issues (as it usually does), then it is in the person's best interest to consider treatment, even if there is a risk involved.
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Beingbaldsucksass
Guest
״not medical issue" yhea right a 20 years old guy loosing his hair is nothing, wtf? A 20 year old guy want to bang every woman he see
How so? Are you talking about guys like Jason Statham and Bruce Willis? Guys that look that good bald are few and far between. It doesn't matter if being bald was traditionally considered a trait of a virile male, most guys look way worse when they are losing their hair and that hurts them overall.
Females largely see balding as an unattractive trait. Not only that, bald/balding men are less likely to be selected among other candidates for job positions, and overall end up with less satisfying careers. Not to mention the fact that balding is well known to lower self esteem, which can significantly hinder ones sex life as well.
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Beingbaldsucksass
Guest
Baldness is the symbol of old and sick
Again, yes there are hundreds of famous bald/balding guys that look absolutely fantastic, but they were all very good looking guys to begin with. In fact, many guys who have full heads of hair choose to shave their heads because it makes them look better. You are also pointing out guys that are in their 40's, have almost perfect bodies and are extremely rich and famous. Of course women love these guys! I completely understand where you are coming from here, and agree with you.
It's a different story though when a 20-something guy starts balding. It doesn't translate into "man those are some sexy androgens that guy has", it makes most young guys look way worse. Especially guys (like me) who have always looked extremely young, being bald makes you look like a baby or a cancer patient. Skinny bald guys tend to look like drug dealers. I'm not trying to be mean, but that's pretty accurate to the perceptions of our society. Being bald is by no means a deal breaker, but just like being overweight, having low confidence, having another cosmetic issue, it can seriously hinder you especially when dating, but it's something that can now be treated.
If you had the body and face like Jude Law, Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, balding wouldn't even be an issue in the first place! I would give up all my hair in a second if I could look like any of those guys!
It's a different story though when a 20-something guy starts balding. It doesn't translate into "man those are some sexy androgens that guy has", it makes most young guys look way worse. Especially guys (like me) who have always looked extremely young, being bald makes you look like a baby or a cancer patient. Skinny bald guys tend to look like drug dealers. I'm not trying to be mean, but that's pretty accurate to the perceptions of our society. Being bald is by no means a deal breaker, but just like being overweight, having low confidence, having another cosmetic issue, it can seriously hinder you especially when dating, but it's something that can now be treated.
If you had the body and face like Jude Law, Vin Diesel, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, balding wouldn't even be an issue in the first place! I would give up all my hair in a second if I could look like any of those guys!