Losing Hair on finasteride

[Hairless Goat]

Like I mentioned in another thread, I was on .5mg Dr Reddy's finasteride every day from February 7th - April 12th (I believe). Other than that I have only used .5mg of brand name Propecia, which I'm currently on. I'm now approaching 9 months on the drug and it appears my hair is getting worse. I suspect the 2 month stint on Dr. Reddy's is a possible culprit. In the past few months, I have become more serious about working out and my diet, re-incorporating squats into my workout (allegedly raises Test levels profoundly). I don't know what it is but my hair doesn't look as full, pay careful attention to the temples. Yes, these photos aren't the best but I think show a deterioration of my hair. Should I bump up the dosage to 1mg? Do you expect more time on brand name Propecia will restore what Dr. Reddy's potentially ravaged?

4+ Months (End of December)

http://i.imgur.com/y8iKmq7.png

5+ Months (End of January)

http://i.imgur.com/hfupsSo.png

http://i.imgur.com/L5IKD2b.png

6+ Months (End of February)

http://i.imgur.com/Lv3CyCn.png

http://i.imgur.com/ktVBDkX.png

8 Months (Mid April)

http://i.imgur.com/WeygiOr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/aE1GZ8Z.jpg

8+ Months (End of April)

http://i.imgur.com/URQcyuw.png

http://i.imgur.com/hOaidd2.png

Do you guys see the deterioration?

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Primo]

Well there's always a possibility that generic meds are fake, although it's extremely unlikely, so you could try trademark Propecia and see if it makes a difference, but I really don't think there's been much if any detoriation in your hair.

The only difference is the angle at which you took the pictures in months 4 and 5 makes your hair look better and disguises the loss.

Also bear in mind you will get plenty of sheds with finasteride, that doesn't mean it's not working, quite the opposite, it means you have to be patient and wait for the next growth phase of hair. I'm past the 8 month mark now and about to enter my third shed, it happens, just keep your hair short, like you have in months 4 and 5 and that way you won't have to worry about it as much.

 

[Hairless Goat]

Thank you for weighing in - I hope you're right! I added two more photos under '8 Month (Mid April)' ... You don't think the latest pic looks worse than December/January, regardless of angle?

 

[Primo]

Maybe, very, very slightly (which is natural after a shed) but both photos are taken from a different side of the face, with slightly different angles of lighting so who knows, lol,, either way you're a diffuser not a receder so you're chances of responding positively to finasteride are higher than most, just keep your hair short and wait another 3 months and I'm sure the midsection will begin to fill in.

 

[Hairless Goat]

Funny you say keep the hair short. Lately, I've been thinking about growing my hair back out. Ideally, something like this:

http://i.imgur.com/huIfNfl.jpg

That picture was taken 4 and a half years ago, so I don't know if it's possible. Why is it best to keep my hair short? Because it looks better?

By the way, that doll looked like a girl I had dated around the time.

 

[Finnjävel]

Short thinning hair is easier to manage. If you grow it out (and it's thin), there's always a risk of looking ridiculous. You know, a sort of comb forward with half a can of hair spray thinking you're fooling everyone. (I've been there

 

[Hairless Goat]

Short thinning hair is easier to manage. If you grow it out (and it's thin), there's always a risk of looking ridiculous. You know, a sort of comb forward with half a can of hair spray thinking you're fooling everyone. (I've been there

It's disheartening. I associate more with longer hair and did better with the ladies. Man, I wish I started Propecia back in January of 2011, around the time I found out about it. All these fear mongers delayed me a year and a half. I really have a bone to pick with them.

 

[talmoode]

yes short hair would look better with thinning hair (shorter than your hair now). Have you considered shaving your head?

 

[Hairless Goat]

Not really. I don't associate with shorter hair, nor do I think it will flatter my face. Long hair worked for me for years and sadly those days may be over.

I don't know if it's time to bump on the dosage from .5mg to 1mg. The hair restoration surgeon I've gone to is convinced the full dosage is not necessary. My dermatologist, on the other hand, disagrees with him.

 

[Primo]

Unless you're really tight budget wise I would bump up to a 1mg dosage, that's the recommended dosage and the dosage which achieved the successful results in the clinical trials, so you don't really want to deviate from that if you don't have to.

Also if you're patient with finasteride for another 6months or so, you might be able to grow your hair out a bit longer, the only reason I suggest keeping it short for now is because I personally find it horrible having long hair when I'm in the middle of finasteride/minoxidil sheds, constantly fiddling with it and worrying how it looks 24/7 is mentally draining and looking in the mirror at it depresses the hell out of me. Maybe 1 day of the week I manage to make it look awesome, but then the other 6 days of the week it looks awful no matter how long I spend styling it.

By keeping it short on the otherhand it looks decent everyday so I no longer have to worry about looking like a clown and So am much less stressed as a result.

 

[Hairless Goat]

Thanks for the detailed response, Primo.

You think I'm still shedding 9 months into the treatment? Regardless, I have every intention to stay the course.

As for upping the dosage, I cannot afford 1mg of Propecia every day. It would come in a >$70 a month. I have 3 options, however:

1) Continue on brand name Propecia .5mg every day.

2) Split the generic 5mg finasteride tablets into quarters and take 1.25mg every day. Admittedly, I have my misgivings about this approach. I don't want more finasteride than I need and I don't know how the drug is distributed throughout the tablet. It would be cost-effective though for sure.

3) Take 1mg of generic Propecia (Dr. Reddy's). I would go this route if I weren't concerned about the effectiveness of Dr. Reddy's.

I don't know which option I should swing for now. In the summer, once Dr. Reddy's loses exclusivity of the generic, there will be more options. But for now I'm limited to those 3 options.

Thanks again.

 

[Primo]

Well, I mean shedding in the good sense, where your hair will grow back darker, thicker and denser in 3 months.

Also, I would go with the generic finasteride option if you need to save money. I've been taking generics from the very beginning and have had good results.

Until I got my private prescription for finasteride recently I was ordering finpecia from the goa facility in india, which everyone seems to be very paranoid about on the forums, lol, but it's worked brilliantly, lots of thickening and some hairline regrowth.

I think just like hair loss medication side effects, the fears about the efficacy of generic medication get wildly exaggerated on the Internet.

i would recommend either dr reddy's or the 5mg generic medication, whichever one is cheaper and easier to get hold of for you.

 

[Spanishlad]

If you buy the generic online there is a chance it could be fake, if you get it from a regular pharmacy I would just up the dose to the recomended 1mg and be patient it took 14 months before I was sure I was seeing results.

 

[Primo]

If you buy the generic online there is a chance it could be fake, if you get it from a regular pharmacy I would just up the dose to the recomended 1mg and be patient it took 14 months before I was sure I was seeing results.

But isn't propecia the only type of 1mg finasteride available at a regular pharmacy? Or am i missing something here?

 

[Spanishlad]

just buy the 5mg pills and split them,its far cheaper.

 

[Hairless Goat]

I have a bottle of 1mg Dr Reddy's and a full bottle of 5mg generic Proscar in my possession.

I know the side effects of Propecia and the efficacy of Dr. Reddy's are seemingly exaggerated online. The only problem I have with the latter is that my doctor questioned the effectiveness of Dr Reddy's based on what he heard from other doctors. I also suspect (inconclusively) that I lost hair the two months I was on Dr. Reddy's.

My doctor, on the other hand, believes in the 5mg tablets, from prescribing them for years. I just have my reservations about cutting an unscored 5mg tablet and taking .25mg more of finasteride each day than I need to.

I can continue to take .5mg every day and then get on 1mg from some other generic once Dr Reddy's loses its exclusivity in the summer.

You really think a shed after the 6th month mark would be a portent of good to come? Isn't shedding more of an early treatment thing?

 

[Spanishlad]

.25mg more finasteride each day shouldnt make a difference people with BPH take a full proscar 5mg daily and have been doing so for over 25 years. Why not just take your doctors advice and cut the 5mg pills? making sure you are getting the recommended 1mg dose. If you are worried about shedding then listen to the advice you have been given.

 

[Hairless Goat]

Well this doctor recommended cutting the 5mg pills and taking a quarter of a pill every OTHER day. He approves of my .5mg every day regimen. My dermatologist thinks I should just take 1mg Propecia every day, no cutting or skipping days.

 

[Bowser]

Doctors are the trained professional but it's quite a statement to say that dr reddys finasteride is not very good. I mean, it's not like they can really know either. They work quite remote from where the pills are actually made and in fact probably have no idea.

I also think doctors may tell you things that perhaps he feels you want to hear - even if its bending the facts a little.