I've been applying S5 cream twice a day (day cream and night) for the last 3 and a bit weeks, no irritation etc. Hadn't had any shedding until now, have very short hair at the moment (0.5-1.5mm) and when I wash my hair I'm lucky to see 4-5 little hairs in the sink but tonight after putting some water on my head I must have seen 40-60 little hairs in the sink...time for mini freak out! I can see my hairline has gotten thinner (albeit on the receding parts already). Things worth noting, I tried finasteride for a week and a bit, but had nasty brain fog after a week and some ED, so I have been off of it for just about a week now, will think about going back on it in a little while, I also tried Rivivogen over the weekend, so appied that three times (don't like it though). Has anyone else experienced a shed using S5 cream? Or could the Rivivogen etc has added to it?
S5 cream shed?
- Thread starter NickUK01
- Start date
Captain Hook
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 44
Having been on S5 cream for a little over 2 months I've noticed no shed, quite the contrary, I've noticed a transient decrease in shedding ever since I started using it. I honestly believe antiandrogens don't cause sheds, it doesn't make sense when you think about it, they don't shorten telogen like minoxidil does for example.
Yeah, that is what I thought, of course I'm sure it is possible to have a shed from it, like anything I guess. I will bin the Revivogen and see how it goes with just the S5 as a topical for the time being, hopefully the shed won't last too long, with hair as short as mine you really can see every hair disappearing!
can you use dinoprostone as a replacement for pge2 powder? if this dinoprostone stuff is available from a licensed manufacturer by prescription, why s everyone not jumping on it versus pge2 powder from a questionably reputable supplier that could turn out to be fake?
Captain Hook
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 44
Technically yes, it is sold by pharmaceutical companies in the form of a topical intracervical gel for various gynaecological indications. It's very expensive though and PGE2 from group buys really is the only affordable option unless you want to use castor oil which only activates 2 out of the 4 EP prostanoid receptors (EP3 and EP4) whereas PGE2 activates all 4.
One online pharmacy quotes 16.60 GBP for one 2.5 mL tube, at 400 µg/mL. If money is no object, then this could certainly be an option. For the rest of us however, we're left to our own devices with other options.
Norwood One
Experienced Member
- Reaction score
- 139
Captain Hook, what are your opinions on Sulfasalazine? you seem to know a lot about chemical compounds/chemistry in general. Adverse sideffects? When I do a search for it, what turns up is veterinary medication for dogs. I don't quite know what to buy or if it's even safe to take.
Captain Hook
Established Member
- Reaction score
- 44
Apologies for the late reply. Here's how I see it:
-Sulfasalazine was brought to light by SwissTemples as an experimental treatment to lower PGD2 and increase PGE2, however we don't know how well it works even for him since he is on quite a few experimental treatments at once
-Sulfasalazine is cheap, so if you are okay with trying an experimental but approved drug then by all means give it a try
-Keep in mind that while sulfasalazine is well tolerated if you aren't allergic to sulfa drugs (medications containing a sulphonamide functional group). There are however rare side effects like Stevens-Johnson syndrome (but this is no more common than with paracetamol, the incidence is extremely rare), thrombocytopaenia and depression. Common side effects include reversible infertility, nausea, headache, dizziness, fatigue.
It would probably okay to give it a try and see if you tolerate the medication well, but I wouldn't do so without having routine (every 3 months) blood tests (serum sulfapyridine, one of sulfasalazine's metabolites) performed under the supervision of your physician. I personally wouldn't use it simply because its risk/benefit profile isn't lucrative enough for me.