Losing Ground On finasteride + Rogaine Need Advice

[DeterminedGuy]

Hi All,

I am back after a few months, I originally was here getting advice on finasteride from you experienced guys. Well, I am really feeling at a major loss, I don't know what to do anymore. I started finasteride last week of december, i started a dose of 0.5mg for 2 weeks, then jumped up to full 1mg dose which is now 4.5 months so in total its 5 months on finasteride. I have been using Rogaine for about 2 years, and using dr regenpure shampoo ritually every other day for a year now.

I am losing ground, and it feels like the more I try to slow it or stop it the more I accelerate the hair loss. I started with the rogaine with my vertex thinning with a fairly full hairline. After starting finasteride my crown area is now going. I could not see through the front before January, well now I can and its disturbing. Am I doing more damage to myself? Should I just stop, am I jumping the gun? I really dont know what to do at this point and don't know if its just me or its the routine.

I included a pic below, it doesnt really show the front top of my head and how much worse its gotten. Yea theres coverage now, but I know that in 6 months I wont have coverage. I'd say I'm losing hair at a rate of like 10% hair yearly right now... but 10% of front or more.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Hi All,

I am back after a few months, I originally was here getting advice on finasteride from you experienced guys. Well, I am really feeling at a major loss, I don't know what to do anymore. I started finasteride last week of december, i started a dose of 0.5mg for 2 weeks, then jumped up to full 1mg dose which is now 4.5 months so in total its 5 months on finasteride. I have been using Rogaine for about 2 years, and using dr regenpure shampoo ritually every other day for a year now.

I am losing ground, and it feels like the more I try to slow it or stop it the more I accelerate the hair loss. I started with the rogaine with my vertex thinning with a fairly full hairline. After starting finasteride my crown area is now going. I could not see through the front before January, well now I can and its disturbing. Am I doing more damage to myself? Should I just stop, am I jumping the gun? I really dont know what to do at this point and don't know if its just me or its the routine.

I included a pic below, it doesnt really show the front top of my head and how much worse its gotten. Yea theres coverage now, but I know that in 6 months I wont have coverage. I'd say I'm losing hair at a rate of like 10% hair yearly right now... but 10% of front or more.

You just may not be a great responder to finasteride. Some people are not great responders like myself. You really don't know how worse it would be if you did nothing so I would keep taking finasteride and hope you improve eventually. If you just maintain or bald slowly, you might say its working but you respond poorly. If you quit, you may be worse off than just maintaining or balding slowly. The choice is yours. Even though I responded poorly, I have stayed on it because its basically like buying insurance as we know finasteride has been shown clinically to be beneficial for most people.

 

[Grasshüpfer]

Five months is not enough to tell if it's working.
Are you sure the light is the same on the second picture?

 

[Bagels]

Not enough time to tell. How does your scalp feel and how is the shedding. Wait a year.

 

[DeterminedGuy]

I know everyone says, oh wait a year then reassess. I guess my concern is this, can finastride cause additional hair loss and possibly balding? Worse than if I did not take it at all?

The picture lighting is the same, might just be the phone cause I used a phone cam. My hair is only slightly longer on the left older pic.

My scalp feels the same, I have had minimal maybe slight itch throughout but I have felt like its been dryer. So not sure if its change up top or just dry skin, which did alleviate a bit with medicated shampoo.

The shedding was bad between Feb-April, this month it finally slowed down a little but I think its relative to the amount of hair I now have. Before finasteride I was losing like 20-30 hairs in the shower, showering twice a day. A few weeks on finasteride and I doubled that number or more for 3-4 months.

I know they say 4 months for the head to calm down, so now over the next 4 months is where the real test is? Have those people who have had success seen a huge shed and actually then either maintained or grown anything back? Not looking for false hope, just some reality based on what different individuals have seen.

@DoctorHouse: Did it eventually slow down for you? It sounds like you had serious had fall, but it also sounds like you may have had some slow loss that has allowed you to keep some a bit longer? Hard to say I know.

Thanks for all your feedback. I really dont wanna be bothered with a hair transplant, or going down that road. I really was hoping I could at least by several more years, hell I'd take 5 just to say I had some level of success. My father was completely bald by 30, I'm 37 guess it could have been worse. By the way, what you see is 5 years of thinning. Shrink the bare area to 10% and that was where I was at 32, its just straight up not fair.

 

[kj6723]

FYI I did not notice finasteride gains until about 7 months into it, but I also never noticed an increased shedding phase or anything.

People like @buckthorn who had accelerate loss on finasteride also describe a significantly increased itching, which you say you don't have, so it doesn't quite sound like that, although maybe he could help to clarify if you're having the same symptoms or not.

I think you should wait it out to at least 9 months-a year. If you're still clearly losing ground, consider dutasteride. Or if you're really anxious about it you could just add dutasteride now. If your loss is really aggressive dutasteride may be necessary

 

[Grasshüpfer]

I was on the run last time, maybe I add something:

I'm in the same situation as you. 7 months on finasteride and so far not really any reaction from my body. For some weeks shedding and itch went down, but especially this week it's itching like hell and I shed maybe 30 hairs in 10 minutes.
Status is roughly the same, but photos can be hugely deceiving.

I'm still quite positive. On guy on the German forum had the same story: incredible itch and shedding in month ten or something. Posted basically the same despairing post that you did, but in 2007.

He is a mod on the German forum now and has seen no worsening of his status since then as far as I know.

I would be happy if you could keep us updated. If not for the story from 2007 I would be depressed as well now. It's important to share our experience.

 

[DeterminedGuy]

I was on the run last time, maybe I add something:

I'm in the same situation as you. 7 months on finasteride and so far not really any reaction from my body. For some weeks shedding and itch went down, but especially this week it's itching like hell and I shed maybe 30 hairs in 10 minutes.
Status is roughly the same, but photos can be hugely deceiving.

I'm still quite positive. On guy on the German forum had the same story: incredible itch and shedding in month ten or something. Posted basically the same despairing post that you did, but in 2007.

He is a mod on the German forum now and has seen no worsening of his status since then as far as I know.

I would be happy if you could keep us updated. If not for the story from 2007 I would be depressed as well now. It's important to share our experience.

Well, if in the next couple months the shedding slows/stops and I can maintain for a while I'd take it. Regrowth would have been a huge bonus, but at this point I just want to keep what I got. Losing 30% more, I'd have to shave it and I dont wanna get there yet.

What I don't get, is that we see all this non-sense about the concept that if you just lost a bulk of hair that since its recent. Theres still the chance some can regrow. Long as the follicle is not dead, which then you hear is not the case early on in hair loss its just dormant for a bit. Yet, no one ever validates regrowth under these assumptions. UNLESS you are real young, lets say teens through maybe 20-21 area. No one in there 30's and on are talking about success in terms of regrowth, but there is the slowed loss for us approach or beyond 40.

Ok so I am getting off my soap box lol, sorry I am just frustrated as the rest. I should mention I am also using a 0.5 derma roll 2-3 times a week, which I can for sure say I have noticed some improvement over 2-3 consistent use. Meaning, I see less hair fall, not much thickening. I guess I will continue to do what I am doing, I know they say give it 4 months to do anything at all and wait 8-12 months in to make any calls on it. So I will continue forward I guess, unless someone can say "its hurting you not helping you".

I keep coming back here every couple of months to touch base with you guys, ask questions, etc. I'll keep doing the same until I decide to cave and give into this losing battle.

Oh and before I switch off from here, I will add what I don't get is why so many men with aggressive male pattern baldness have vitamin D deficiency and higher cholesterol. I don't buy age as a factor, cause that excuse only goes so far. As my cholesterol has gone up, so has my hair fall, and my Vit D deficiency that popped up in same time frame. This is just all a thought, I can only play forum doctor and make bad assumptions. I did start beta-sitersol for kicks, I have also started a cleaner diet as of 6 months ago to help with the cholesterol.

I'll stop here, continue to welcome your guys feedback.

 

[Armando Jose]

Bad result with minoxidil and finas. It is not for you.

 

[DeterminedGuy]

Bad result with minoxidil and finas. It is not for you.

@Armando Jose Appreciate the reply, but can you help elaborate? I believe your point is that both may have done more damage than good and should stop?

 

[JeanLucBB]

FYI I did not notice finasteride gains until about 7 months into it, but I also never noticed an increased shedding phase or anything.

People like @buckthorn who had accelerate loss on finasteride also describe a significantly increased itching, which you say you don't have, so it doesn't quite sound like that, although maybe he could help to clarify if you're having the same symptoms or not.

I think you should wait it out to at least 9 months-a year. If you're still clearly losing ground, consider dutasteride. Or if you're really anxious about it you could just add dutasteride now. If your loss is really aggressive dutasteride may be necessary

I've had significantly increased itching but I feel like I've had mild gains and definite stabilisation at the least.

 

[michel sapin]

jean luc your scalp itching have increased while on propecia ? on all area of your scalp ?

 

[FutureSaitama]

I must say, i'm a diffuse thinner and i had scalp inflammation on the area that i'm balding and seborrhea. Propecia solved all that for me, my skin is less oily and i have less acne on my back. I'm also a hairy monkey on my hands and chest, legs.. so i guess my early loss was caused my hyper androgenity. You may have some other factors that are triggering your hair loss. Just my 2 cents.

 

[JeanLucBB]

jean luc your scalp itching have increased while on propecia ? on all area of your scalp ?

Yes all areas.

 

[JeanLucBB]

I must say, i'm a diffuse thinner and i had scalp inflammation on the area that i'm balding and seborrhea. Propecia solved all that for me, my skin is less oily and i have less acne on my back. I'm also a hairy monkey on my hands and chest, legs.. so i guess my early loss was caused my hyper androgenity. You may have some other factors that are triggering your hair loss. Just my 2 cents.

Definitely made my skin less oily and 100% got rid of my back acne which was fairly major before.

 

[FutureSaitama]

Definitely made my skin less oily and 100% got rid of my back acne which was fairly major before.

If it wasn't for the low libido i would put that sh*t even in my soup.

 

[Grasshüpfer]

Only thing I'm afraid of is that I miss the point to add duta.

 

[DeterminedGuy]

Only thing I'm afraid of is that I miss the point to add duta.

I contemplated switching to duta if this doesnt work out, I was going to wait 4-6 months. So that would be 8-10 months, but then I am afraid to switch off anything at this point. Stopping cold turkey could also has its pitfalls as well. For us who did not have finasteride sides, do we also tolerate duta just as well? I also contemplated well, what about just going to 1.25mg finasteride instead of switching. In theory, that should match the lower min dose of duta. I believe duta does block both AR's but what do I know.

Anyway, so from mon-today I have noticed I am only at about 10-15 hairs in hand per shower 2x's dailiy. Down from the 20-30 pre-finasteride and the 30-40+ post finasteride last 5 1/2 months. I dont know if that is a good thing or not, I can only hope it continues to slow like this. Like I said though, it could all be relative and its just slowing now with less hair. Oh by the way, I had to include T/Gel in the mix 3 times this week cause my scalp has been itchier than normal but I think its dry skin as I mentioned above.

 

[Dante92]

I would switch to duta, if I weren't suffering from heavy sides from finasteride as well. It would be suicide.

 

[JeanLucBB]

I would switch to duta, if I weren't suffering from heavy sides from finasteride as well. It would be suicide.

What sides do you get?