The male pattern baldness itch feels like punishment

[neddy2016]

I spent years without this itch. I heard people speak of it but i never experienced it. Then i start finasteride and it hits me for the first time. Im told i might need to try dutasteride and it continued. So i stopped and it never went away. Its become a burdon that wants to kill my hair while im trying hard not aggravate it further.

Its got to the point where i avoid exercise and just be lazy and unhealthy to calm it down. But that is such miserable living just so inflammation doesnt destroy my hair follicles.

Before anyone starts naming DHT blockers, they don't work for me. If anything they wrecked my body trying them the first time.

 

[Mr. Slap Head]

How about RU? Or alternatively, even a brief cycle of topical estradiol to downregulate receptors.

finasteride and dutasteride are proven to cause an intense upregulation of ARs

 

[neddy2016]

How about RU? Or alternatively, even a brief cycle of topical estradiol to downregulate receptors.

finasteride and dutasteride are proven to cause an intense upregulation of ARs

I can’t use anything that has a DHT blocking effect or that reduces my testosterone too unnatural. I tried RU years ago and I know that also made it worse

I also tried minoxidil in liquid and oral form and had same result. Had terrible MBP itching for days after trying oral minoxidil.

The sad thing is there was a time I never had this problem. I wish someone had warned me about the upregulation of finasteride and Dutastaride. I desperately wanted to stop the hair loss so I tried everything. But now, I struggle just to calm that itch down so that it’s not wrecking havoc on my hairline. The desire to stop it has actually made it more difficult to slow it down.

 

[Mr. Slap Head]

If that's the case, only thing you could try is something weak like fluridil, saw palmetto, keto shampoo. But that's a pretty weak regimen. Better than nothing though I guess.

 

[neddy2016]

No Im screwed. While I haven’t tried Flutidil, I at this point know my body doesn’t like any types of DHT blocker or anything that messes with my hormones. I spent years trying to figure out why that was and I’m still totally confused. Even getting various blood tests hoping to find something. But nothing helped. Maybe I stressed my body out back when I was using DHT blockers? I dunno. Some kind of dermatitus? I dunno. There is no sign of that.

Latest it’s been tingling above what’s left of my hairline so that’s getting thinner now it seems. Should take a few weeks to rapidly show if It doesn’t slow down. Sigh

 

[Armando Jose]

Try stop itch, it is a bad sign

 

[Joey.Dots]

I spent years without this itch. I heard people speak of it but i never experienced it. Then i start finasteride and it hits me for the first time. Im told i might need to try dutasteride and it continued. So i stopped and it never went away. Its become a burdon that wants to kill my hair while im trying hard not aggravate it further.

Its got to the point where i avoid exercise and just be lazy and unhealthy to calm it down. But that is such miserable living just so inflammation doesnt destroy my hair follicles.

Before anyone starts naming DHT blockers, they don't work for me. If anything they wrecked my body trying them the first time.

Man, I really feel for you—what you’re describing is brutal. It sounds like you’re dealing with chronic scalp inflammation or some kind of neurogenic itch that got triggered after starting finasteride or dutasteride. You’re not alone—plenty of people report scalp itch after using DHT blockers, not before. It’s like your scalp never fully resets.


The fact that you're avoiding exercise just to reduce inflammation says a lot about how intense this has become, and it’s not sustainable long term. You deserve to live a healthy life and take care of your hair.


Since meds made things worse, you might want to explore options like:

• Topical anti-inflammatories (like ketoconazole, clobetasol, or LLLT)
• Natural antihistamines or low-histamine diets (in case it’s immune-related)
• Scalp barrier repair treatments (like serums with niacinamide, zinc, etc.)

Also, getting checked by a dermatologist who understands both autoimmune reactions and hair loss could be worth it—even just to rule out seb derm, contact dermatitis, or something more systemic.


You’re not crazy. And you’re definitely not alone. Hang in there, man.

 

[losingbattle88]

I spent years without this itch. I heard people speak of it but i never experienced it. Then i start finasteride and it hits me for the first time. Im told i might need to try dutasteride and it continued. So i stopped and it never went away. Its become a burdon that wants to kill my hair while im trying hard not aggravate it further.

Its got to the point where i avoid exercise and just be lazy and unhealthy to calm it down. But that is such miserable living just so inflammation doesnt destroy my hair follicles.

Before anyone starts naming DHT blockers, they don't work for me. If anything they wrecked my body trying them the first time.

U have too many demodex mites. Im killing mine soon with sulphur soap.

 

[Arthurandsam]

Itching is good, it's just new hairs sputting out

 

[neddy2016]

Itching is good, it's just new hairs sputting out

No, itching in this situation is a sign of inflammation. Inflammation is not a good thing for hair follicles. It’s just restricting blood to the point they won’t regrow again.

 

[neddy2016]

Man, I really feel for you—what you’re describing is brutal. It sounds like you’re dealing with chronic scalp inflammation or some kind of neurogenic itch that got triggered after starting finasteride or dutasteride. You’re not alone—plenty of people report scalp itch after using DHT blockers, not before. It’s like your scalp never fully resets.

Yeah sadly it does feel that way.

Something I was thinking about today is how when my testosterone is high my hair becomes thicker and darker. But when I took finasteride for a few months my hair actually become lighter and thinner… and itched a lot in the male pattern baldness area. I do wonder if some people just end up upregulating DHT to combat the lack of DHT. It would make a lot of sense with what has happened since then.

Having used DHT blockers has become a major regret.

 

[Mr. Slap Head]

Yeah sadly it does feel that way.

Something I was thinking about today is how when my testosterone is high my hair becomes thicker and darker. But when I took finasteride for a few months my hair actually become lighter and thinner… and itched a lot in the male pattern baldness area. I do wonder if some people just end up upregulating DHT to combat the lack of DHT. It would make a lot of sense with what has happened since then.

Having used DHT blockers has become a major regret.

You're talking to a bot... lol

But yeah. Upregulation is definitely a real thing. There's mechanisms that are interacting at the receptor level, and that something no blood test can spell out. I think it's pretty darn common for people to get worse hair on dutasteride. Not nearly as much seem to suffer hyper reflex on finasteride, but I am sure that it is still a possibility for a given individual since the mechanism is the same.

Perhaps some cannot tolerate any inhibition and would be better served with other treatments. Or, it may be possible that some may benefit from low doses of finasteride. Say if someone blocks around 25-50% instead of 70-90%, maybe they could avoid the upregulation and experience benefits. Unfortunately there's no test for how one will react to these drugs without trial and error.

That said, in my opinion, oral minoxidil is the most powerful drug to combat hair loss. Maybe you can combine it with something to treat the scalp inflammation.

 

[neddy2016]

I have tried oral minoxidil a few years ago. Only took it for 2 days as the 2nd day I had an intense male pattern baldness itch. In the corners of my hairline this strong itchy tingle. It also made me really tired and I lacked a lot of energy

I remember I went to the doctor and basically asked if I could get some anti-inflammatory cream for it. I got it, and even that made the inflammation worse.

I’m convinced our immune systems play a part in whether we can reduce that inflammation or not.

 

[losingbattle88]

You're talking to a bot... lol

But yeah. Upregulation is definitely a real thing. There's mechanisms that are interacting at the receptor level, and that something no blood test can spell out. I think it's pretty darn common for people to get worse hair on dutasteride. Not nearly as much seem to suffer hyper reflex on finasteride, but I am sure that it is still a possibility for a given individual since the mechanism is the same.

Perhaps some cannot tolerate any inhibition and would be better served with other treatments. Or, it may be possible that some may benefit from low doses of finasteride. Say if someone blocks around 25-50% instead of 70-90%, maybe they could avoid the upregulation and experience benefits. Unfortunately there's no test for how one will react to these drugs without trial and error.

That said, in my opinion, oral minoxidil is the most powerful drug to combat hair loss. Maybe you can combine it with something to treat the scalp inflammation.

I have tried oral minoxidil a few years ago. Only took it for 2 days as the 2nd day I had an intense male pattern baldness itch. In the corners of my hairline this strong itchy tingle. It also made me really tired and I lacked a lot of energy

I remember I went to the doctor and basically asked if I could get some anti-inflammatory cream for it. I got it, and even that made the inflammation worse.

I’m convinced our immune systems play a part in whether we can reduce that inflammation or not.

Yes oral min and finasteride are negative drugs and shouldnt be used in a healthy male. Both are risky and dangerous. Stay far away.