Need someones advice/opinion - Propecia 10months-pics

[dizzydizz]

Hello, been lurking on here for a long time . I'm 25, been losing hair since 18. it has been a slow process. have seen quite a few friends lose literally all their hair in 2 years or less since they werent trying anything so tried propecia at the age of 22 but got terrible sides.. started using Rogaine foam and it was brilliant - for about 6 months. got loads of compliments and significant growth after that my hair started thinning and getting coarse and really crap. I guess it just stopped being effective on me? maybe due to lack of propecia ?
So started Propecia feb 2012. It is now Nov 2012. I take 1mg pill everyday at the same time... i miss a dose maybe once a month MAX most months i havent missed. since I have started I have had zero sides.. unless my mild acne is due to propecia i can't be sure since I have always had oily skin. havent been using rogaine since about JULY 2012. I use nizoral about once or twice a week. Do you think this is just shedding the hair which I had gained on rogaine ? time to start rogaine again?

I don't have any baseline pics but I have pics from August and pics I took today.

I can't believe how much worse my hair has gotten in three months. Please have a look and tell me what you guys think...continue with propecia or is there no point? or double down get some minoxidil as well ? maybe minoxidil will be better this time around with propecia in the picture? Around september I started taking protein shakes because I am working out - could this be a contributing factor?
Everyone says give propecia at least a year but it has been almost ten months what kind of a difference would 2 more months really make? PLEASE SOME ADVICE...first two pics are from about August 25th. the other ones are from today november 20th

 

[Benjamin36]

I'm in the exact same position. Started taking finasteride in March, was already using nizoral and still am once or twice a week, and by April I noticed a dramatic change in my hair which I attributed to the "finasteride Shed" that you hear about. It's now November, and my hair has still not recovered from the shed, my hair was thick in the areas that are now thin, for years, as I started to notice redeceding around eighteen and have managed to keep a relatively full head of hair until now at the age of thirty-seven.

I don't know what advice to give you, because there are mixed opinions on this Forum. Some on here say that the same thing happened to them and they recovered at the eighteenth month and are glad they didn't quit finasteride, while others will say they are on month eighteen and their hair still looks worse than when they started.

Unfortunately, there is really no way to tell what will happen. For all we know maybe the finasteride is helping and if we stop using it the situation will be worse. Or adding minoxidil may make everything better, or it may cause another shed which will make you regret trying it. We're kind of stuck in Limbo right now unable to decide what to do next.

 

[dizzydizz]

exactly. it is just impossible to know really . I never thought propecia was helping or hurting me really. perhaps just maintaining and then in these last three months when I took another look at the august pics i was like oh ****. maybe it is just a propecia shed and i shld stick it out.
its weird how I can be quite happy with my hair for a while and then one day I just think ...I am screwed.. its not like all that hair fell out in a day you know.. i think I'm going to start minoxidil and see. minoxidil initially never gave me a shed . i might as well try "the big 3"
what is depressing is seeing people with less hair on their baseline pics than me and in 5 months already going greaat.. like why is that not happening here?

 

[dizzydizz]

come on !

come on ! 100 plus views and no ones got any opinon ? anyone been through this ? need some help here people

 

[IrishFella]

There's a lot of similar threads in the shedding sub section and they've been discussed to death. It's all about holding out and re-evaluating in a year. Patients is a virtue when treating hairloss.

 

[abcdefg]

Regardless of what it looks like I mean the only thing you can do is keep using the propecia. I mean without it you know whats going to happen you have to give it at least 1.5 years or so to judge whether it kept your hair or not. Regrowing hair is not really something to count on.

 

[SilverShark]

Same thing happend to me... I started finasteride at may 5th, first month at my hairline really thick hairs come out. Second month I notice that little new hair falling out. I was really happy at the first, but now in 7th month I cant see any benefits. Hair still faling out, no regrowth. One day I think that situation is "not that bad" but on the other day I think that I "messed up with finasteride". Im using minoxidil from local pharmacy but I think that their formula is not good. It is dry out instantly like pure alcohol so I order Kirkland minoxidil online and I hope that it will regrow hair. Maby I will buy LaserComb... I really don't know what to do...

 

[Lewis Hamilton]

Your choice of hair versus impotence

Hello, been lurking on here for a long time . I'm 25, been losing hair since 18. it has been a slow process. have seen quite a few friends lose literally all their hair in 2 years or less since they werent trying anything so tried propecia at the age of 22 but got terrible sides.. started using Rogaine foam and it was brilliant - for about 6 months. got loads of compliments and significant growth after that my hair started thinning and getting coarse and really crap. I guess it just stopped being effective on me? maybe due to lack of propecia ?
So started Propecia feb 2012. It is now Nov 2012. I take 1mg pill everyday at the same time... i miss a dose maybe once a month MAX most months i havent missed. since I have started I have had zero sides.. unless my mild acne is due to propecia i can't be sure since I have always had oily skin. havent been using rogaine since about JULY 2012. I use nizoral about once or twice a week. Do you think this is just shedding the hair which I had gained on rogaine ? time to start rogaine again?

Hi there,

I'd recommend (if you are happy with the risk of permanent sexual dysfunction) continuing on. The Propecia generally only reaps rewards after about 12 - 18 months. You must bear in mind the hair goes through cycles or growth and shedding every four months, so it's of no surprise to me, on the 8 month mark, you are seeing more loss. By January it will be twice as good as it is now. It wont hurt to give it a hand using Rogaine/Regaine, but i'd only use the 2% stuff: you will need to stick with that for 5 months.

Lewis.

 

[dizzydizz]

Hi there,

I'd recommend (if you are happy with the risk of permanent sexual dysfunction) continuing on. The Propecia generally only reaps rewards after about 12 - 18 months. You must bear in mind the hair goes through cycles or growth and shedding every four months, so it's of no surprise to me, on the 8 month mark, you are seeing more loss. By January it will be twice as good as it is now. It wont hurt to give it a hand using Rogaine/Regaine, but i'd only use the 2% stuff: you will need to stick with that for 5 months.

Lewis.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the reply lewis.. But I'm wandering why you said "IF you are happy with permanent sexual dysfunction?"
I've been using propecia for 10 months now and have not experience any sides.. certainly not sexual ? The first time I tried propecia 3 years ago I got sides, but not in the past 10 months at all.
My brother has been using propecia for something like 6 years and hasn't gotten any sides.
So in conclusion you really do think it is worth carrying on for a while more and my hair should recover?
I think I'll try the rogaine foam from january. right now where I am only generic minoxidil liquid is available and I think these manufacturers are kind of dubious so I rather not risk it.