Educated Questions from a Newbie *pics*

[manimgoindowndown]

something else you also brought up is that minoxidil is temporary and the hair you made (strengthened rather) falls out after you stop it.

Why is it that I have heard that although you can discontinue finasteride and side effects go away...why doesn't your hair fall out like with minoxidil?

If it is true and there are side effects in less than 2% of males...why isn't finasteride a wonder drug then?

Sorry for sounding so juvenile!

Tell me how I look bald

[manimgoindowndown]

1. Not sure. But finasteride's half life in the body is only 4 to 6 hours. 2.5mg of finasteride every 3 days seems like a bad idea because your DHT levels would just see-saw constantly. You want to aim for a steady-state. This may not be such an issue for women because they don't produce as much DHT and it doesn't have such an effect on their bodies. If you don't want to take a pill every day you would need something like dutasteride which has a much longer half-life. Guys on dut often take a dose once a week.

2. There are several papers doing the rounds of forums like this about the role of DHT in sex drive and other body processes. If you're interested you should probably track them down and read them.

3. Minox should still work, but maybe not as well as it would have worked last time. At any rate minox doesn't generally work for very long unless it's supported by fin. Couple of years at most.

4. The evidence of permanent damage is not yet clear. There are reports of it but a causal link has not been established that is generally accepted by the scientific community. There does seem to be something strange going on though. My suspicion is that for a certain sub-set of men, the effects are permanent. Question is, how big is that sub-set? Nobody knows yet because no clinical trial has yet found evidence of it.

5. Some anti-fin campaigners argue there is permanent damage caused by fin. As far as I understand it though, they are not usually arguing that hormone levels don't return to normal. They are arguing that fin damages receptors in the brain and other areas. So your hormone levels might return to normal but your body can't respond to them fully. You are probably best off asking some anti-fin people, they are quick to put their argument forward. Personally I'm on the fence.

6. You can easily get your hormone levels tested, it's a simple blood test. There is also a genetic test to test your likely response to fin. If you are worried about side effects you could get this test done. If the result comes back and says you won't respond to fin, then you might not even bother with the risk of taking it.

7. I can't reinforce this enough. If you are going to take fin, you need to start it ASAP. This is because fin is fantastic at maintaining hair but poor at growing back lost hair. Once the damage is done by DHT it is extremely unlikely you will ever get that hair back from the current range of drugs (or any of the drugs in development right now). If you wait until it's too late, your hair will miniaturise and you won't be able to get it back.

Also Pate what are you using and how long hae you been on it?

[manimgoindowndown]

pate thanks!

1. I think you're wrong here. I know the half life is that long BUT DHT takes about two weeks to produce to the quantity that finasteride takes away?


6. What's this test called for finasteride's genetic potential? If I mention it is it common enough my doctor will know about it...also will GPs typically do it or dermos ?

The one thing that really scares the shitt out of me as someone who would like kids in the future is that a small amoutn of finasteride comes through your semen! I imagine Finasteride could have a dangerous affect on a child

[Pate]

1. Not sure. But finasteride's half life in the body is only 4 to 6 hours. 2.5mg of finasteride every 3 days seems like a bad idea because your DHT levels would just see-saw constantly. You want to aim for a steady-state. This may not be such an issue for women because they don't produce as much DHT and it doesn't have such an effect on their bodies. If you don't want to take a pill every day you would need something like dutasteride which has a much longer half-life. Guys on dut often take a dose once a week.

2. There are several papers doing the rounds of forums like this about the role of DHT in sex drive and other body processes. If you're interested you should probably track them down and read them.

3. Minox should still work, but maybe not as well as it would have worked last time. At any rate minox doesn't generally work for very long unless it's supported by fin. Couple of years at most.

4. The evidence of permanent damage is not yet clear. There are reports of it but a causal link has not been established that is generally accepted by the scientific community. There does seem to be something strange going on though. My suspicion is that for a certain sub-set of men, the effects are permanent. Question is, how big is that sub-set? Nobody knows yet because no clinical trial has yet found evidence of it.

5. Some anti-fin campaigners argue there is permanent damage caused by fin. As far as I understand it though, they are not usually arguing that hormone levels don't return to normal. They are arguing that fin damages receptors in the brain and other areas. So your hormone levels might return to normal but your body can't respond to them fully. You are probably best off asking some anti-fin people, they are quick to put their argument forward. Personally I'm on the fence.

6. You can easily get your hormone levels tested, it's a simple blood test. There is also a genetic test to test your likely response to fin. If you are worried about side effects you could get this test done. If the result comes back and says you won't respond to fin, then you might not even bother with the risk of taking it.

7. I can't reinforce this enough. If you are going to take fin, you need to start it ASAP. This is because fin is fantastic at maintaining hair but poor at growing back lost hair. Once the damage is done by DHT it is extremely unlikely you will ever get that hair back from the current range of drugs (or any of the drugs in development right now). If you wait until it's too late, your hair will miniaturise and you won't be able to get it back.

[manimgoindowndown]

Hi guys 23 and just researching and researching finasteride and just want to end my paranoia and ask a few questions before I begin. I started losing my hair at a very stressful job (DoD job- requires polygraph) less than two years ago...a co worker noticed my scalp... I didn't pay attention to all the hair in my bed and thought "it would go back you're just stressed." Nope.

1. I know there is a study of WOMEN where it showed they had just as much as a good affect with 2.5mg every three days vs 1mg every day of finasteride...are there any studies for men like this? How about people's experiences and recommednations? I have rarely read it going past 1.25mg on this board without noticeable side effects

Also are the any risks (agressive prostate cancer) associated with the higher dosing? At what dosage are these risks statistically significant?

2. I'm still confused about how DHT affects hormones (T and estrogen and E2) levels in the body and what role it plays in sex drive/CNS? Is there any long term evidence about this? I am 23 and sure as hell don't want to be impotent before marriage!

3. I started minoxidil for three months and stopped it abruptly, right after a shedding phase because I wasn't ready for a lifelong committment...if I use minoxidil completely this time would I keep more hair (I'm pretty sure the answer is NO)

4. What is the evidence that side effects are long lasting once your off...also how long to return to normal... I heard 8 weeks?

5. I know of only one study that looks at whether your DHT and hormone levels return to normal after discontinuing finasteride (compared to your peers vs, say, your original values years before)...but it is only a yearlong... are there any other studies out there that study this? Personal experiences?


6. Are there any tests out there (and what are there cost-covered by insurance typically?) to run for hormonal changes before I start on fin...to crosscheck if I ever stop.

7. Why do so many people recommend to start finasteride immediately. I mean if you're body's DHT production is going to cut down to barely any, wouldn't there sort of be a natural equilibrium that that reduced sweetspot of DHT would allow only a certain amount of hair to be on your scalp long term?

Since I bodybuild for those who are looking for bodybuilding studies...I found two good ones

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11956450?dopt=Abstract

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/288/1/E222.full

4/26 photo is of a two week grow
5/1 photo is of a three week grow.
Although it can get thicker I haven't kept it longer because again although the sides grow out fine the top doesn't have much hair (scalp shine)

Born with two bald spots...dad and his brothers are all bald.
The weird thing I notice about my hair is unlike the Norwood chart that shows sort of balding from the bald spot/crown my balding is (none on that back of my head, barely any on the temple..althoughits gotten worse and ALL on the top of my head EXCLUDING the bald spot/crown)

Worse comes to worse... I look good bald, can appreciate it but hey long dark eyes tan tall and my hair accentuates it so its a plus