I am getting discouraged...

[VWdude]

Okay... So i'm going through these posts.. and I see alot of guys who have been on their treatments for 8 months to over a year and they are saying they have gotten worse... i dunno about you guys but it makes me feel kinda shitty... especially when people are using both minoxidil with finasteride together yet they still come out worse. I just hope I am a good responder.

 

[jsond]

I know how you feel. But there are also many posts where people have gotten good results w/in a few months or several months down the road after the initial shed. Everybody responds different so it's up to you to decide if its worth it to try. I know we all lose hair fast enough and don't want to do anything to make it worse. As has been stated many times: if you do decide to start a regimen stick with it as long as you can. I have started applying minoxidil this week. I am a diffuse thinner and my hair is already very thin so I shudder to think how I will look if I get a massive shed period early on. And I have to understand that the loss may increase and I may not get any results too. I really should have started this years ago when a big shed would not have been noticeable. But woulda, coulda, shoulda..too late to worry about that not. But I decided I am going to stick with it no matter what. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[YoungAndThin]

I know how you feel dude.

Maybe you should try not to visit these forums for a few weeks. I tried that a while back and it really helped to get my mind off this hairloss crap for a little while.

Coming here too often can be counter-productive. Sure you learn about all these treatments and stuff but it could also really get you down sometimes. Somedays I feel so good and after reading some posts on this site I feel miserable and hopeless again.

Just stop coming to this site for a little while. Your spirits will pick up.

 

[VWdude]

Thanks for the feedback guys... i think i might just take your advice... i know it always can't be positive and i will read some negative posts... but maybe its because the good responders don't come around anymore who knows...i am doing what i can and i am just going to have to stick with it.

 

[The Gardener]

For the record, I have been a GREAT responder.

I am an older dude, 35, and my temples have been bald for a long time. However, although my treatments have not magically regrown a perfect hairline (which I was not really shooting for given my age), my regimen has turned my hairline from a Phil Collins look into more of a Jude Law look. Temples still bald, but the center hair is growing THICK! Stylability improvements have been amazing. I've noticed incremental progress, but it took a year or so before I really started to feel good about my hair.

People ask me about my hair, they ask me, 'you look different, younger?" I don't have a perfect hairline, but a comment like that makes it all worthwhile as far as I am concerned.

You really have to stick to the treatments consistently and religiously. You GOTTA get that am minoxidil app in every day. You GOTTA use that nizoral twice a week. You have to be consistent, and patient, and ride out the bumps. The trend is not a definite upward increase in haircount, it is an up and down ride that trends upward, but only over time will you see the net benefits if you are a responder. And, keep in mind that stastics say that the majority of people will respond positively, some very positively, and others moderately positively as is in my case. BUT, all proven treatments say that it takes a year of consistent use before making judgements.

 

[Greg1]

VWdude, I dunno know but maybe if someone isn't seeing any good results after eight months they should try another treatment option? I hear where you're coming from on this. It helps to see some kind of results within three months else it's easy to get discouraged. Persevere.

 

[Trent]

yup. from what i've gathered from this site, 8 months is still too early to see if finasteride really works for you. they tell you to wait a year, because you need to wait a year, not because you need to wait six months. think about how long hairloss takes- years! don't expect the reversal process to be any less.

 

[MiddleAgedManiac]

For those who have been using nizoral and minoxidil only, when did you start seeing any improvement? I am 10 months into it and only a few sprouts.
Months 3 through 9 I saw inceased shed in the male pattern baldness area.

Can I expect to see an increase in hair over the Summer? I will be about 13 months in. I have a decent hairline but am thinning in the classic male pattern baldness pattern....I am 35 yo.

================
35 yo decent hairline NW2 thinning in the classic male pattern baldness pattern fairly quickly

nizoral 2% 3X pr wk
Nioxin Cleanser/Conditioner 2X per wk
Cold water rinse
minoxidil 5% 1-2x per day (sporadic)
Skin, Hair, Nail vites (1000 mg MSM - Lysine - Zinc - etc.)
Beta Sitosterol 113mg 1X day
Flax, Fish, Borage oil for Omegas
Centrum A-Zinc Daily Vite
Lowfat Diet

 

[ShedMaster]

yup. from what i've gathered from this site, 8 months is still too early to see if finasteride really works for you. they tell you to wait a year, because you need to wait a year, not because you need to wait six months. think about how long hairloss takes- years! don't expect the reversal process to be any less.

I agree. Depending on how agressive the balding process is, it can take a while to step on the brakes and reverse the loss. Stopping the loss can also be considered success with propecia. 1-2 years is the optimal time to experience the maximum benefits from propecia.