hi! this is my first post!
anyway
im 18, nearly 19 (mid may). i started proscar (5mg finasteride) in january. at first for about 2 months i think my hair loss accelerated a little, but maybe that was in my head (i really believe this). anyway, i used to have a crazy itching before ant-DHT medicines. felt like bugs crawling in my head or like sharp-pin point pains undrneath the dermin of the scalp since i was about 15. last august i went to my Doctor coz the hair loss became apparent. in fact it had been goin since i was 15 (i was just in denial - coz i had quite physcologically scarring acne, i thoght this could just not be happening to me) my thick fuckin doctor prescribed coal tar shampoo and betamethasone. he couldnt even diagnose it as male pattern baldness. i believed him - just thought i had some scalp irration followed by temporary hair loss. the f*** face. cos of him i didnt get on anti-DHT till 5 months later. so in jan i went up to him with info of the propecia.com site and concinved him to prescibe me it. he prescribed me the 5 mg version cos he's so fuckin old and thick.
by jan 05 i had lost about 50% of my hair from the top id say (more towards the front and at the temples) and had noticeable tempolar recession and some of my hair was coarse - like fuckin pubic hair. what the f***! i started proscar (1 a day last thing at night, 3 hours after dinner)- for the first 2 weeks, yes i did suffer from loss of libido (didnt mind this) and watery semen. also i had more acne outbreaks. after 2 weeks, my libido picked up and semen got a little better. the itching had improved signifificantly, id say by about 50%. at week 4 i bought the big guns out - DUTASTERIDE! i took both finasteride (5mg) and dutasteride (0.5) simultaneously. dutasteride with the loading dose - 3 pills a day for ten days, then 0.5 mg after that. Now dutasteride is a mofo - it drove my libido down to the ground and my acne REALLY picked up - zits dotted my forehead and chin. also semen got more watery. also getting and mainting an erection is really a challenge.
then i learnt dutasteride only supresses your scalp DHT levels my 55%, and at 2.5mg by 83%, so i made this simple estimation
0.5 mg = 55%
1.0 = 65%
1.5 = 73%
2.0 = 79%
2.5 = 83%
there is a decrease of 2% at each succesive 0.5 mg becuase the gradient on the x,y -(dutasteride intake, dht supression) curve is always decreasing from postive in the linear stage to ~0 on the plateu at the top. ie the more dutasteride you take, it reduces some dht, but less than the previous dose you take (the rate is changing, refelcted by the change in gradient)
now, my diverting funds from my student loan- lol - i can afford to buy dr reddys dutasteride and take two pills daily and supress my DHT levels even more. but i also take 5mg of finasteride i get from my Doctor. so hopefully im thinkin in the ballpark of ~70% DHT inhibition for me?? any scientists wanna confirm?
as you can tell, i really dont give a f*** about the following sideffects from this regime- loss of libido, watery semen, some more f*****g acne, no morning peckers, difficulties in gettin and maintaining an erection. I JUST WANT MY HAIR AND CONFIDENCE BACK!
on the plus side -by april, ive murdered that f*****g itching by about 95%. my hair is starting to become straight and smooth again. it feels softer. i cant see an significant changes apart from that. my hair loss hasnt gotten any worse from baseline i think ie no heavy sheds.
i wont consider using minoxidil cos that thing is just too expensive - in the UK £30 for a months supply - and its too messy, time consuming and inconvenient and reminds you of your hairloss every time you apply it. the pills are cool - i eat finasteride the mornin. then eat breakfast about 2 hours after and 2 dutasteride capsules 3 hours after dinner last thing before bed. i hope they make minoxidil in oral form. but as it is, minoxidil needs to get A LOT chepear to compete with Dr reddys dutasteride and finasteride generally.
so anyway, i think you should jump on propecia. it has a very good theraputic ratio (benefits versus sides). I can honestly say if i was 1 mg of propecia, i would have no sides at all. dont risk causing more damage to your hair.
think about it like this, the dht started binding to your follicles and triggering the inflamation and immune response quite a while before your hair actually drops out. so just because your hair is there now, every day without effective anti DHT treatment, is a day closer to that hairs demise.
every person, before male pattern baldness has a full head of hair, and even while damage is being wrought under your scalp, your follicles remain resilient for a while, but they cant sustain those attacks for ever. thats why people notice hair loss 6 months to a year afterwards the process of male pattern baldness has actually kicked in. Its a mixed blessing that resilence. im an undergraduate pharmacist, i should know!
sorry about the story - it was my first post - just wanted to get everythin off my chest. ive been readin the forum for about 4 months, but only registed when it made me!
