Short self-intro and question on finasteride

[Baldcha]

Hi everyone,

Nothing extraordinary about my story: only 25 and Norwood 3 (I know there are worse cases out there, I know).
I always used to put a lot of gel in my hair and as such I would not notice the receding hairline or the loss of density.

This was until 3 years ago when I talked with a guy 5 years older than me who, within the conversation, started talking about it. Even after this talk I was not really concerned about it and then it gradually started to be become more visible. I then changed my hair cut so one would not notice it and got by (more or less) for another year even though I could clearly notice that one could see more and more of my scalp through my forehead hair.

This now occupies my mind way more than before and it also takes lots (too much) of my time (reading about stories, medication, surgeons, checking my hairline, checking my friends'...). Besides, since I am working in Japan, it is even worse as there are very very few people my age who are loosing their hair here (and even people in their 30's or 40's have most of the time very dense hairlines here...). It only amplifies the "why me?" question...


Anyway I decided to take action and after a lot of reading, I have ordered nizoral 2%, minoxydil and finpecia.
I will use nizoral once a week and minoxydil twice daily and I am still hesitating for the finasteride... I figured I would have the medication ready in case I decide to start.

As such I have a question about finasteride: I am not a gymaholic and in fact I do my training at home. I am not aiming at being super big, I mostly train with my bodyweight and just like to stay fit. Given those facts I was wondering how significant is the potential loss of strength that is reported. If it is the kind of strength loss that will prevent you from completing the tenth repetition on a 80kg biceps curl, I think I can manage. But if I am not able to complete a, let's say, 5x10 inclined push-ups typical workout exercise this might deter me. Of course I would stop the medication probably right away if I were to experience any of the usual side effects and that's why I am asking about this particular as I am not quite sure about it.

Finally I have not found a lot of review on the shampoo Growthick by Grorganics and I would like to know what you guys think about it as a regular shampoo when not using nizoral...


Thanks.

[Aames]

Good luck, mate. Allow me to discuss the loss of strength. I don't think it is as profound as people make it out to be. You are suppressing a hormone that is involved in strength, so you may notice you feel a bit weaker or have less energy. The good news is, DHT is not active in skeletal muscle so it will not majorly affect your muscle gain (apart from possibly making you miss a rep here and there or what have you), which is really all that matters since lifting is all about aesthetics and not strength. No one cares how much you can lift, they care how shredded you are.

[Baldcha]

Thanks for the answer.

I am not aiming at lifting extremely heavy and right now I fit in most M-size clothes to give you an idea.

Since I am not aiming at progressing that much and do more or less the same thing once or twice a week with some variations I will be able to report whether it really has a major impact on my strength.

Finally, is there a topic that compares several products to "hide" hairloss (like topix for instance)? I would like to try to hide as much as possible the initial several weeks potential shedding when starting minoxydil/finasteride.

Thanks.

[BigThinker]

I've hit the gym every day since I started fin 4-5 days ago. No noticeable sides (maybe a nut ache for a few minutes?). Mind over matter. Obviously, this isn't a long sample time, but all's good up to this point.

Like Aames said, fin shouldn't inhibit your ability to gain muscle directly.

I've been shedding like a mofo the last couple days, though I don't know if it's due to fin or not.

[Baldcha]

Thanks for the answer BigThinker.

You wrote on another post that you are on 0.625mg per day.
Does it mean you take an eigth of a proscar pill a day?

Did you decide to start easy at first and increase should everything be alright?

[BigThinker]

Thanks for the answer BigThinker.

You wrote on another post that you are on 0.625mg per day.
Does it mean you take an eigth of a proscar pill a day?

Did you decide to start easy at first and increase should everything be alright?

8ths of Cipla Finpecia (generic 5mg fin). But yeah, same concept.

Originally I was going to every other day for a month, but just decided to go 0.625 mg every day (starting today).

[Baldcha]

I see, I would also be less worried by taking lower doses but more frequently, but I am wondering if it is really good to cut the pills (plus I have 1mg ones so trickier to cut)

Despite of all the studies (which says everything and its opposite) somehow it just makes more sense to take lower dose more frequently so you don't inhibit too much but you do it on a regular basis...

But again not scientifically-based at all...

[Aeroes]

Hey mate,

I'm glad your not rushing into finasteride. Please before you take it get your levels tested Testosterone/DHT etc. hormonal panel, just to be on the safe side.

I myself had a negative reaction, so i'm strongly against it. Though i'm happy if it works for you. Finasteride effects your hormonal system and there are always side effects involved in blocking hormones in your body, it could be now, later down the track, or even when you stop finasteride.

Cheers,

[Baldcha]

Thanks for the comment Aeroes.

On what dosage were you?

[Aeroes]

Thanks for the comment Aeroes.

On what dosage were you?

Not using finasteride anymore. I took two 1mg tablets. I know this may seem crazy how two tablets gave me side effects, but it was long lasting for about 6months. Woke up with a numb Johnson everyday for two weeks, dysfunction, weight loss etc, testosterone crashed.

This is just my experience, i'm not fear mongering etc etc. Just sharing my experience so people do there homework before they take it. So please don't let mine ruin yours.

:-)

[Baldcha]

Yeah this is precisely why I would like to start small (0.5mg a day) give it a weeks and see if it does any good and/or any bad.

[Aeroes]

Yeah this is precisely why I would like to start small (0.5mg a day) give it a weeks and see if it does any good and/or any bad.

No problem, I hope it works out well for you. Just incase here is some basic information on what your taking.


5 Alpha Reducase 2 - Enzyme Inhibited by Finasteride - Testosterone -> DHThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-alpha_reductase

Dihydrotestosterone - Decreased by inhibiting the enzyme 5AR2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrotestosterone

There's not a massive difference in lowering the dosages as far as the decrease in DHT though it's effect may not last as long.

Hope this information helps, really wish I had all this before I took it.

Cheers

[Baldcha]

I know I have read quite a bit on the half-life of the drug and how it is not necessarily because the half-life is that long that it gets out of your system exactly according to the half-life.

Even after this whole browsing and reading I still cannot help myself thinking that taking smaller dose on a regular basis would prevent a yoyo effect and be both effective but without decreasing the average levels too much...

I know it is not based on scientific knowledge at all, and most probably a stupid statement...

[Aeroes]

I know I have read quite a bit on the half-life of the drug and how it is not necessarily because the half-life is that long that it gets out of your system exactly according to the half-life.

Even after this whole browsing and reading I still cannot help myself thinking that taking smaller dose on a regular basis would prevent a yoyo effect and be both effective but without decreasing the average levels too much...

I know it is not based on scientific knowledge at all, and most probably a stupid statement...

No worries. Trust your own judgement. I'm not here to change your mind, just thought i'd share some info. I never thought i'd get any sides off two tablets, but going through PFS is the most horrible thing I ever experienced...

Good luck with your treatment mate, hope it goes well.

[Baldcha]

So I have been on Finpecia, one pill eod and then 0.5mg a day, for less than 3 weeks.

I did notice less shedding when showering and on my desk but I started using nizoral and growthick at the same time so...

But more importantly I also noticed that whereas my sex drive is still here it has become trickier to get a full hard erection... I know I am not the first one and this is a typical case encountered by some users...

I would like to know if erection dysfunction could be like some other side effects (such as brain fog) which go away with time?
I know there is probably no correct answer but I would like to know if some people have experienced mild erectile dysfunction at the beginning of the treatment which went away over time?

Than you all.