24yo starting Propecia.

[whyyyyyyyyyyy]

I'm a 24 year old male with slight balding in the temple areas and crown. Based off the Norwood scale, I don't think I even fit into any of the classes but I know my head and there's no longer hair in places where there used to be. My first run in with hair loss was about 6 months ago when I was working longterm overtime at the job, and it was probably stress induced because those hairs have actually grown back. Regardless, I'm now losing hair in the "traditional" places and think it's time to start taking action.

My first reaction to losing my hair was pretty standard. I was in denial at first and thought I just had some weird cowlick going on, but after a few haircuts it finally sunk in and that's when I went into a bout of depression. "My life is over", "I'll never get any girls now", "why did this have to happen to me?"-- I felt quite the victim but I usually handle depression pretty well, and decided that I just have to accept it and do whatever I can to prevent it from progressing.

After doing loads of research, I decided that propecia alone would be the best option. I came across all the horror stories and how it allegedly ruined people's lives, but at the same time I found a lot of positive stories about people getting results with next to no side effects. I was on the fence for a couple months and thought it was unfair that 'I' had to be doing stuff like this, but the hair loss kept getting worse so I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist and walked out 30 minutes later with Propecia prescription in hand.

The first step was complete, and after months of doing more research and self-debating all while my hair was falling out, I eventually got the Propecia and that's where I'am today. Now, I'm a fairly smaller statured guy whose always been more sensitive to things like alcohol and caffeine (and candy), so I've made the decision to start off slow by getting a pill cutter and taking half doses. I've read how 0.5mg is almost as effective as a full dose and I don't see why I should be taking the same dose as someone who weighs 50 pounds more than me, so I don't see it as a bad idea. I have a long list of sides engrained into my mind, and I'll be watching closely for anything out of the norm. Hopefully, the times don't fail me and I get to keep what I have left.

[[mcr]]

I've had great results with Propecia, and wish the same to you.

I've made the decision to start off slow by getting a pill cutter and taking half doses.
Don't second guess the doctor's decision. He saw you, he knows what your weight is, he would have told you if you needed half a dose. I'd take a full dose.

I have a long list of sides engrained into my mind
If you look for side effects, they will become real, even if you aren't inclined to having side effects. Look up hysteria, and the placebo effect to learn more about this phenomenon.

I had Propecia side effects, and they are very tolerable and very temporary.

Best of luck!

[KeepTheHair]

Hey it is good that you did the research and started propecia.

Welcome to the forums man and good luck, but I do recommend maybe adding some more treatments to your regimen if you want to see some regrowth or gaurantee halting the loss.

[Winston]

Welcome to the forum! It’s good to see someone who has taken the time to be so well informed before jumping into treatment. I know that Spencer Kobren recommends trying one treatment at a time at the beginning to determine which is working for you. Propecia is the first medication recommended by The American Hair Loss Association to try, before any other treatment. Give it a few months and see how you do. You can always add to your treatment sometime in the future.

[whyyyyyyyyyyy]

First off, thanks for all the replies. It's good to know that others are listening out there.

After reading what's happened to people while taking a full dose, there's no way I could bring myself to start off taking more than 0.5mg. Taking it in the first place is a huge step for me, and I'd rather gradually increase my dosage over time than bounce around trying to find the sweet spot. Plus, I've been having just bearable testicular pain throughout the day since starting and I don't want to find out what doubling the dosage would do.

I'm keeping somewhat of a side-effect journal to monitor what I experience while taking it. I had brain fog for the first two days but that has since gone away. My libido has shot through the roof, but I hear it should plummet in about a month or so before normalizing back out. The libido thing is my main concern and I've been 'checking for a pulse' more than the mirror as of late. I'm not worrying much about gyno because I've taken prohomone supplements which increase free testosterone just like Propecia before and I didn't get any man boobs, so I think I'm good there. In the end, if the hair loss slows and I still work down there then I'll probably be a user for a long time.

[hdude46]

in the propecia study the placebo group had more side effects than the actual group taking the medication. the mind is a very powerful tool. the sides happen to a very very very small amount of people and its mostly a internet hype myth. u really need to take the recommended amount of medication if u want it to work. u really need to stop worrying about the sides so much and just take the pill and go on with your day. brain fog? come on. when i started taking it i was the same way and actually convinced myself i was experiencing sides. when i just took the pill and stopped worrying about everything else i was fine. u need to do the same otherwise u will drive urself crazy for no reason. dont believe me actually talk to a doctor, not some random poster on the internet who claims that that propecia made his leg fall off.

[whyyyyyyyyyyy]

in the propecia study the placebo group had more side effects than the actual group taking the medication. the mind is a very powerful tool. the sides happen to a very very very small amount of people and its mostly a internet hype myth. u really need to take the recommended amount of medication if u want it to work. u really need to stop worrying about the sides so much and just take the pill and go on with your day. brain fog? come on. when i started taking it i was the same way and actually convinced myself i was experiencing sides. when i just took the pill and stopped worrying about everything else i was fine. u need to do the same otherwise u will drive urself crazy for no reason. dont believe me actually talk to a doctor, not some random poster on the internet who claims that that propecia made his leg fall off.

Thanks for the encouraging post. I'm a lot more comfortable with taking the drug now and after some time I'll consider upping to a full dose.

[whyyyyyyyyyyy]

The way I see it: there's probably been over 5,000,000 people who've used some form of finasteride since it's approval as hair loss treatment in 1998. 100,000 (2%) are posting about side effects online.

[whyyyyyyyyyyy]

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