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To OP, I think you've made the right moves with a low intermittent dose and gauging your response. It's unfortunate you aren't side free. I doubt however that you will find a solution to your question that you are hoping for.
As obvious as it sounds, I think you have to decide whether the side effects are worth whatever DHT inhibition you are getting. Consulting a medical professional who has more expertise than you would be a wise move (not necessarily a general doctor), particularly if through them you are able determine your DHT/total T/free T/estrogen. That way you might have a much better picture of what finasteride is doing to your DHT level. Theoretically, there should exist a dose at which your DHT is less significantly lowered to the point at which big sides would dissipate. You just have to find the right doctor/specialist. I haven't done this myself.Comment
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Take this advice brother. And it may be wise to embellish your physical symptoms to your doctor, in order to give him good reason to order these tests. I am speaking from experience, I tried the honest approach and was not able to get everything I need. Say you are tired, low libido, low energy, brain fog, watery semen etc, even pop the question of a referral to a endo/uroligist. You need to get a full picture of your health, then make decisions from there.Comment
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Hey Tracy,
I appreciate your activity on this forum and your efforts to help people out, but I honestly think you are too much of a fundamentalist and linear thinker in your responses.
To say that because I cannot take 1mg of propecia every day I should just give up and learn how to accept going bald is a drastic and potentially harmful statement that could dishearten a lot of us who don't respond well to fin. It is also poor counsel.
While there is little doubt that fin is the most effective hair loss remedy, what you ignore in your statement is the following:
1. It is feasible that I can take fin in combination with something that mitigates my particular sides. (hence the purpose of this thread)
2. You do not know my level of hair loss, nor how far it may progress. It is very feasible that my hair loss could stabilize by 30 (I'm not THAT bald, just receding hairline and a bit of thinning that hasn't gotten much worse in about 6 years), in which case a good hair transplant would absolutely solve my hair loss problems 100 percent regardless of fin.
3. You are not considering Dr. Gho's ability to regenerate donor hair, which would, supposing my hair loss does progress, allow me to at least get basic coverage if not much better, as I have a very, very good donor area.
4. For whatever reason, you fail to mention all of the treatments in the pipeline that will meet your hypersensitive loyalty to FDA approval and clinical testing within the next 5-10 years.
Not to mention the plethora of gray market treatments that are apparently working for many would-be baldies across the world. I don't need to formally rely on these for the sake of the point I'm making, and there is indeed the possibility of long term side effects, but there's equally the possibility that they work without long term sides.
****The truth of the matter is I will most likely never be completely bald, nor will ANYONE my age at my level of hair loss, unless he or she refuses to or is fiscally unable to do something about it.****
There are too many realistic options and the science is progressing at too quick a level for there to not be a superior treatment available by the year 2020 at the absolute latest. And there is reason to believe that something exists to minimize my fin sides. And there is nothing stopping me from one day getting a hair transplant to address my hairline, then supplementing the other areas (should they even need supplementing, which they do not as of now) with Dr. Gho's procedure.
Again, I respect what you do for this community, but telling someone to just deal with it and accept baldness is not productive in this particular context, nor is it accurate. If EVERYTHING fails I will indeed move on and enjoy my life, but there are simply too many choices at this point.Comment
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For the gyno I am considering 3 options:
1. Surgery (issue here is will it come back or does it permanently go away?)
2. Myomin (issue here is effectiveness. I was taking about 2 pills a day and I didn't have a real gyno outbreak the entire 3 months I was taking Myomin; my chest even looked better. However I ran out and immediately felt chest pain. So there's at least some argument it was helping, and I've read that I should have been taking around 9 of these pills a day instead of 2. This will most likely be my next route.)
3. Letrozole (issue here is safety, but tons and tons of bodybuilders use Letrozole to cure gyno. I will go this route if the Myomin regimen fails.)
My main concern is the testicular pain and epidydimitis. Gyno sucks but can be treated. I have mild sexual sides but I also have an over-active libido so the decrease actually helps me lol. Unfortunately I have no clue how to get rid of chronic epidydimitis and this is the main reason I'm trying to find a fin alternative (which may be cetirizine if we're really really lucky).
I'll start with the Myomin and report back. Wish me luck.Comment
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Just curious... What makes you think the fin is causing your epidytimitis?.. I have suffered from it chronicaly long before fin. It can be very stubborn to get rid of. My urologist told me it can take up to a 6 week course of antibiotics to get rid of it.Comment
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Well I broke up with a longterm gf and took a break from fin for about a month and wasn't sexually active during that month (it's generally an std side right?) and when I got back on fin next thing you know my chest is hurting like crazy and I've got swelling and aching below the belt.
Whenever I stop fin it calms down and whenever I take fin it flares up. So just putting one and one together there. Could be something else but I doubt it.
All I know is it sucks and I feel your pain.Comment
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Mine comes and goes often. I haven't really been able to correlate it w anything. It's technically just inflammation of the epidytimis- most often caused by infection, but not always. But yeah it sucks... Sometimes if my gf touches the wrong spot, I hit the frigging ceiling in pain.Comment
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So ****ing ridiculous:
I went off fin for about three weeks because I ran out of Myomin, ordered some more, and was shipped the wrong product. So I finally got some about a week ago and I took roughly .2 mg of propecia spaced 3 days apart. I now have intense aching in my chest and my nipples have once again gotten that puffy look of gynecomastia. This is with me taking 7-8 Myomin pills a day. I'm starting to worry that the Myomin is actually making things worse.
It's a god damn vicious circle. If I don't take finasteride I go bald, if I take finasteride I get manboobs. Which is worse?! And wtf happened? I was taking 1mg of finasteride every day for like 5 years and suddenly I can't handle .2 every 3 days? So frustrating.
Looks like I'm going to order some letrozole and see what happens. ****ing unfair that I can't even use fin...Comment
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I don't understand why you would continue to take a drug that is creating such problems for you, let alone the fact you took that poison for 5 years+. I took 1mg for 6 months before I noticed the ever slow creeping of gyno, excess belly and side weight, stuttering and brain fog issues, and low libido with weak erections. It was almost like I was forcing myself to ignore these side effects because I wanted my hair. So I personally decreased my dose to .5mg EOD hoping they would cease for another 6 months...NOPE! My pecs turned into boobs and soon people were commenting on my extreme puffy nipples. All this to protect my hair..and I thought going bald was bad.. Try having somebody comment on you having pizza nips.
Long rant short..I quit Propecia immediately after I received those comments and FORTUNATELY for me I am currently 90% recovered 10 months post Fin. But that's not the kicker, the most ironic part about taking that poison was that it did absolutely nothing for my hair. Nothing. I put my body through hell taking that drug to keep and regrow hair and it did nothing. That's what crushes me the most.
Now I have strong morning woodies back, high energy in the AM, body weight decreased, strengths at the gym came back, got ripped. It's honestly unbelieveable I and others took or continue to take this poison. One of the biggest regrets of my life, but thank god I'm almost 100%.Comment
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reason I took it was because it saved my hair for 6 years bro. I was thinning quick at 21, hopped on and regrew my crown plus kept my hairline at bay for 6 years. in the past year off I've lost an entire Norwood. No fool would take it for that long if it did nothing. now I'm ****ed without it.Comment
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I hear you. I really do. It's a cold world out there and going bald is a vicious cycle depression, frustration, and hopelessness.
Sad part is, I guarantee you don't remember how you and your body were pre Fin all those years ago. With me the sides crept slowly minus the weak erection issue. But I learned to live with it and convinced myself they were minor. Now creeping towards a year post FIN it's truly unbelieveable the role DHT plays in the body. I feel better in every way and fortunately for me my hair has only slowly decayed.
I'd argue I'm more obsessed about my hair and going bald then anyone on this forum, that's why we are here right? But I'd never touch FIN again even if it did regrow my hair and keep my hairline at bay. Now after getting off and seeing my body transform to the athletic build it was prior and everything else I discussed, not a chance! Now that the effects are diminishing on your end..I honestly don't see why you continue.
What's next? Duta? Terrible bro. Terrible.Comment
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I am strongly considering RU. Whatever's next has to be topical, I can't take anymore pills. Honestly I plan on having a HT when I'm 30 (2 years), so I would just like to maintain until then. My plan is to get a straight NW1-ish hairline from Dr. Rahal then just ride it out until Histogen or something saves the day. If all else fails I think I could go to Rahal then to Dr. Gho every few years to fill up areas behind the hairline, but Jesus that would get old, not to mention expensive.
If I could just keep my hair as is I'd probably hesitate even to get a HT, which is why propecia really would save me but for the sides.Comment
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