[HELP - PHOTOS ATTACHED] What treatment should I use?

[LMS]

All right, fellas.

Time for a heart to heart.

So tomorrow marks two weeks that I have started taking fin. I am doing 1 MG per day.

But, something is up...

I am not horny. Ever.

It sucks.

I am a healthy 28 yo, and I have always been a pretty horny dude, and now, I find myself going the entire day without thinking about sex.

Its nice, in a way, because my work production has skyrocketed (i have a bunch of side projects I work on)

No other side effects other than this...orgasms are normal, ejaculation volume is the same from what I can tell...a little achey in the ball region sometimes but nothing too bad at all.

Listen, if this is a temporary thing because my body is adjusting to the DHT being cut off, I can deal with it.

But if this is how it is always going to be, I really might have to accept my fate.

I love being a dude, and I am sure many of us can relate lol

SO, knowing this...is it normal to have this at the beginning, and then the body neutralizes and adjusts accordingly in months to come?

Or is this more than likely how my body will always be when it is on Fin?

Any feedback from people who have taking fin would be awesome.

Thank you everyone.

Give it a month, preferably two and then judge how your libido is.

It may be permanent it may be temporary, its about 50/50 if I recall correctly according to clinical trials. So for roughly half the libido returned while on treatment while the other half had to go off for libido to return.

[thinninghair]

Appreciate that...super helpful.

That gives it some glimmer of hope.

You guys think its better to do 1 MG every other day or just start doing .5 every day?

Thanks!

[Notcoolanymore]

I would cut the dose even as low as .25 and take it every day.

[Dan26]

Even 0.2mg/day was solid in trials, i beleive 20% less effective than 1mg/day as far as haircount goes, so definitely worth trying.

0.2mg/day for now bro and if things get better up it

[thinninghair]

So, an update.

Happy Easter y'all.

Good news and and bad news.

Good news, I am horny again. And, I am still horny even at my original dose of 1 MG/day. This is, obviously, a huge relief. I think it was a combination of my body adjusting before, and a little bit of mental discouragement as well.

The bad news is, my hair has never looked worse. It's actually f###ing horrible. I am shedding like crazy, and I literally have reached the point that I either need to rock a buzz or just wear a hat everywhere.

I got some concealer (powdered stuff, forgot the name) and that actually works all right, and if I go out at night, I can pull off a full head of hear that way. But if its sunny outside and I am in public, I am thinking about my hair 24/7. Not my kind of living, you know?

F hair loss. What a worthless plague.

Anyways, gotta always stay positive right? I realized that my worthless, f###ing genetic curse is actually motivating me to be more wealthy than ever. I understand that I am going to need a high-end hair transplant, and that is going to run me $20k USD, at minimum.

So, in that aspect, its kinda been nice. I have been more focused than ever, working OT and making side money like its nothing. Money loves me because it respects my focus...kinda interesting.

Anyways, my rant, continued...

I refuse to lose 50%+ of my aesthetic looks because of a genetic curse. I am going to fight regardless, and it sounds like a 20k hair transplant gets your hair presentable.

(I am not one of those guys who is expecting healthy locks everywhere after a transplant...I just want an even distribution of hair everywhere...which will be much better than my current state)

Anyways, that is the update. I have been rocking finasteride for 6-7 weeks now.

Thank you everyone for your advice/support/encouragement...I'll leave with two questions:

Thoughts on ditching Finax for Propecia?

I am hearing the vast majority of people on this forum saying Finax is just as well, but I have heard a few say that they only trust/and or saw better results with Propecia. If you've used both, I'd love to hear your opinion.

What are the top hair transplant doctors in the world?

(money, location not a factor, if it is the damn doctor who did Wayne Rooneys hair, than so be it)

Thank you everyone, I'll post pictures every 3 months with all of this. Peace.

[Notcoolanymore]

This sounds dumb, but I think the fact that you have been shedding since you started taking fin means that your fin is legit. I don't think inhouse would manufacture a balding pill. As hard as it is you just have to ride it out. Don't expect miracles. Most people, including myself, see those "great responders" and want the same results. It usually doesn't work that way. Just prepare yourself for a shitty year. By the end of that time you should start seeing some positive results.

[thinninghair]

Notcoolanymore...appreciate the words.

Yeah, I realized most people saw sheds, that's why I am sticking it out and have never considered stopping.

Plus, going the HT route, I know finasteride is pretty much a lifelong play.

[SOTF]

Give it a month, preferably two and then judge how your libido is.

It may be permanent it may be temporary, its about 50/50 if I recall correctly according to clinical trials. So for roughly half the libido returned while on treatment while the other half had to go off for libido to return.

What? 50/50?! Get out of here with that nonsense. Percentages of men with real libido issues on these drugs is in the single digits. This is proven with plenty of scientific backing.

Drop in DHT levels when comparing .25 and 1 mg of finasteride are relatively similar so telling someone to try .25mg if they are experiencing real side effects is rather pointless.

Whatever you do, and this can be said 50 times and not sink in, do NOT get off the drug because you think your hair loss is progressing. Really, look at the long term studies of finasteride for hair loss. More than likely you will maintain what you have indefinitely. The only time my hair loss has progressed the last 5 years is when I went off finasteride because I thought it was not effective.

I waited too long to get on fin as I am a NW 3.5 now but I have friends who had nice heads of hair at 23 and now at 28 are NW 6 while I've maintained. And my hair loss is very aggressive, diffuse with a NW 6+ pattern. I was losing at 17-18.

Dr. Feller told me when I was 20 and barely NW 2 to get on propecia and stick to the protocol. I should have listened!

Good luck.

[thinninghair]

3 MONTH MARK on FIN

Fellas,

It's been 3 months since I got on fin.

Been taking 1 MG every day, religiously, except for my first week when I tried .5.

Haven't missed a single day.

And I gotta be real with you, my hair has never been worse. I lose close to 15-20 strands of hair every day in the shower, without fail. I have to use a concealer now if I go out in public. I don't go swimming in public anymore.

I can survive this, if I could get peace of mind that I can keep the remaining hair that I have.

I am at the stage where I'll need a HT....and that's ok, I am cool with that. I am already saving $$ for this.

What I am concerned about, is maintaining the hair that I currently have. I know its supposed to take 1 year to see results, but how long does it take for the fin to STOP the hair from shedding? I am still losing tons of hair (just as much, if not more, as pre-fin), and its been 3 months.

Two questions?

Should I go to a hair doctor and get prescribed propecia, so I know its the "real deal"? (i am currently using Finax, from India)

Should I start upping the dose to two tablets per day - so I total of 2 MG per day?

Any feedback from real fin users would be great...thanks guys!!!

[Notcoolanymore]

If it makes you more comfortable then I would say yes go to a local pharmacy to get your finasteride. Even go with name brand propecia of you have the cash. Generic fin should be good enough though. It appears that I am getting results from the fin I bought from inhouse, but after I am done with those pills I plan on just spending the extra money and getting my stuff locally.

No, just stick with 1mg/day. That should be enough.

[thinninghair]

Hmmm ok.

Is shedding on fin supposed to stop within 3 months though?

Anyone?

[Illuminated]

I'm ready to just out this in my signature so I don't have to keep repeating it like a broken record but I'm a transgender female, I am castrated and taking 0.5mg of Avodart of daily as well as micronized progesterone and estrogen. I have been on hormones replacement therapy since October 2013 and I was castrated in January 2014.

With all that I have done I have yet to see results yet. I think this echoes that this process takes time.

Honestly it's hard for me to say, as a male with free flowing androgens I would never take anything other than avodart for my hair loss. Especially since you have such a substantial amount of loss at only 28. Avodart is stronger but it has a higher potential for side effects.

Also some people just don't respond to finisteride and only respond to avodart and vice versa.

There is always a shedding phase with any hair loss treatment that actually works. You most likely are shedding miniaturized hairs that are going to grow back thicker.

Reading your story really made me angry. I feel really bad for you, you were totally taken advantage of by scumbags. You did what a lot of people do when they lose hair, you panic and throw money at it hoping it's going to help. You need to stop doing that. A hair transplant will give you coverage but it's not what you think. It does not have the density you had and it requires you to have a certain style constantly to cover up what cannot be replaced.

I feel like you're again doing what you've been doing the whole time, throwing money at the problem to fix it just to be disappointed again. You're asking everyone for the best hair transplant surgeon in the world. You're willing to throw tens of thousands of dollars at something and I think you need to chill out for a bit.

It will most likely take 12 months to know if finisteride CAN stop your hair loss or reverse some of the loss. If by then things are worse I suggest Avodart.

You also need to prepare yourself for the fact that these medications may not work for you, even if they do work the best they may do for you is only slow down your loss. That would make a hair transplant even more complicated.

This is yet another thing you are not considering, if you don't respond well to treatment then a transplant is going to turn into a large mess.

I know it sucks but this is not something that can be as easily dealt with as you think. Look at the multi millionaires who still have substantial hair loss. Even money unfortunately cannot fix this terrible issue.

You should add ketoconazole 2% shampoo to your regemine as well, you can get a prescription for it by a dermatologist but in the meantime you can purchase 1% Nizoral shampoo over at Wal-Mart. Use is every 3 days and leave it on your whole scalp for 5-7 minutes. It disrupts androgen receptors at the scalp and can help halt and reverse hair loss.

Also you should get a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. Sulfates have been shown to worsen hereditary hair loss. Aveeno has an inexpensive shampoo and conditioner that is sulfate free.

Most of all good luck. I hope you aren't offended by what I wrote, I just hate to see people struggle and panic and taken advantage of in situations like this. Hair loss has had a detrimental effect on my life and I know how painful it can be. I also hate watching people take advantage of others in this situation.

[thinninghair]

No offense taken at all, and I appreciate your thoughtful feedback.

I honestly don't feel like I've been taken advantage of.

I understand every human being is different, so i don't mind throwing money at different options. The best way to find truth is to test and find out for yourself. I would rather be proactive than throw in the towel.

The reason why I am concerned about the shedding post-3 months on Fin is for the reason you mentioned...an HT is worthless if you can't maintain the hair you have. If I have no luck with fin, then I think that is the end of the road.

I still think it is too early to tell, but wanted to get feedback from the group here.

Again, appreciate your response...I plan on seeing a hair doctor and getting on the real fin, even though its 4-5x as expensive.

Avodart scares the hell outta me cause I want to have kids some day, but maybe i've been mislead.

[thinninghair]

July 8, 2014 - Finasteride update.

The last 30 days I have lost more hair than I ever have before. I am losing 20-30 hairs a day in the shower, and hairs fall over my keyboard all day long at work.

I believe I have lost the battle. F hair loss, what a worthless f###ing disease. F finasteride for not doing jack shit. I am seeing a hair doctor this week, I will have an update then.

Long story short, my hair loss has only heightened since being on fin, (i am about 4 1/2 months deep into it)

[thinninghair]

Well, since Fin let me down, what is next?

Anyone?

I am still losing tons of hair every day. What is the next step??