22 and in need of guidance...

[charlieNY]

I need some serious advice!

My name is Charlie. I noticed my hair thinning when I was 20 years old. My family has very little history of hairloss, so this was very surprising to me. I never thought it would happen to me, but after comparing pictures from ages 18-19, I knew something was up. My hairline has receded a decent amount, but I dont have any loss on my crown.... yet.

When I was 22 I went to Bosley and had a consult. I immediately started taking propecia and after about 3 months of propecia, added rogaine foam. I have now been on propecia for about 10 months, and rogaine foam for 6/7. I noticed the initial shed from the foam at the 1-3 month period, but then it stopped completely. I thought I had everything under control and was very happy with my results.

Now, at the 6 month mark, things are different. I have been shedding more than ever, and my hair looks worse than before I started any treatment at all. I have been researching for weeks and keep hearing about rogaine causing shedding early on, but not about this. Let's just say I am at a crossroads... do I drop the rogaine and just use propecia? maybe im one of the 50% who it doesnt work for? but then, i could potentially jeopardize any growth I have achieved. Or, do I power through, risk making things worse and see if it gets better?

Obviously I know that everyone has a different experience, I just need some guidance and to hear what other people have gone through. Hairloss sucks, especially at this age. I have a decent amount still, I just want to preserve what I have and not let it get worse.

Thanks.

[mattj]

With Rogaine, users sometimes report second shedding phases after the initial one. Also, the first shed you experienced might have been due to the Propecia.

Unfortunately it's impossible to tell you with any certainty whether you're going to have a positive response to the treatment. All I can say is that your experience doesn't fall outside the normal range and the sheds can be unpredictable and vary a lot between people.

[charlieNY]

I spoke to my doctor at bosely... he seemed to have NO answer for me. He basically said to use trial and error... Go off the rogaine and see what happens. I feel like this is complete bulls@*t. I was told when I started it that it would help. I have no thinning on my crown, but my hairline is running away pretty quickly... The fact that he even told me to use it in the first place is ridiculous. He never mentioned that it doesn't help hairlines when I started... I potentially have ruined my hair permanently now. This is very discouraging. Has this happened to anyone else? I guess from here I will stop the rogaine and cross my fingers that my hair gets better.

[SBTRKT]

Get off propecia and shave your head. That drug is ruining many thousands of mens lives.