Help me make the right first step

[Dozou]

Hello all, first post here.

I'm 28 and my hair has started thinning / receding over the last couple of years. It's not that noticeable yet so I want to try and nip it in the bud if I can.

I wasn't sure where to go or who to talk to (GP was no help) so I went to the Belgravia Centre to talk to someone there.

They recommended 1mg Propecia + 8% Minoxidil (mornings) + 10% Minoxidil cream (evenings).

My questions:

1. Does this recommendation seem correct?
2. If so, is there anywhere I can get the same products for cheaper? Propecia is easy enough but the 8%/10% Minoxidil products don't seem as straightforward to get hold of?
3. I have history of mild depression / anxiety. Should I be concerned with Propecia?

Thanks in advance,
D

[doinmyheadin]

Recommendations is about right. Unfortunately Propecia (finasteride) and Minoxidyl are the only 2 proven treatments we have at this stage.

You can get Proscar and cut it into 1/4s taking a 1/4 each day, this is much cheaper then Propecia.

With minoxidil if you want to go to the effort of using it every day, Just use 5%. You can use Rogaine/Regaine original or you can use the foam which is a lot less messy.

Personally Im not a doctor but if you have a history of mild depression / anxiety I would get on propecia quickly to try halt the hairloss. If you are worrying about your hair now imagine how you are going to feel when it gets worse and it becomes more difficult to style or hide.

Try not to think about side effects as most people dont get them. And thinking about them will only put you in a bad frame of mind. You could even start with a smaller dose of finasteride and work your way up to full dose. Theres people on here and other forums who have had success with this.

Also stay away from Hair Transplants as they are a Illusion at best even high density transplants.

[Tiger norwood's]

Personally Im not a doctor but if you have a history of mild depression / anxiety I would get on propecia quickly to try halt the hairloss. If you are worrying about your hair now imagine how you are going to feel when it gets worse and it becomes more difficult to style or hide.

i am debating the exact same issue in an other thread, propecia and depression. I think it is time that we have an expert in the field, who can give medical advice regarding safeness of this drug when you have a history of depression. I would like if Spencer could debate this in his show, maybe speak to a doctor who specializes in neurology/mental diseases or something like that.

[chrisis]

Regarding Propecia, I'd simply say don't rely on the studies. They're largely open to interpretation.

I've asked time and time again whether the fact participants in the studies are (for the most-part) older men with progressed stages of balding doesn't potentially skew the data. I haven't read a good response from anyone, so make of that what you will.

Disclaimer: I'm a 28 year old who had serious side effects after 2 months on Propecia.

[Dan26]

Unfortunately there is no way to know beforehand if you will experience side effects from propecia. If you do decide to go through with it, the best thing to do would be, first, take a genetic test for hair loss ---> http://www.hairdx.com/en-us/
It will at least tell you if you'll be a good, average or poor responder to Finasteride, so you can know in advance if it's even worth taking the risk based on hair loss response.

Secondly, start on a low doage and think about slowly introducing it into your system by taking it every other day or so to start. 0.25 mg of Finasteride has been shown to inhibit nearly the exact same amount of DHT as 1mg (60ish &#37. I'm not sure what your doctor will recommend in regards to Propecia, but do your own research, because he/she probably knows little about the drug and simply goes by the book. Also be sure to take the required blood/urine test to monitor your bodies response to Fin.

Remember, there is a chance you will experience side effects and they may be persistent. It is up to you and only you to decide if compromising your sexual and mental health is worth saving your hair.

Good luck!

[rugger31]

Been on it for 7 months no side effects at all u just got to try it if u get bad sides u could try regain foam.

[Tiger norwood's]

Been on it for 7 months no side effects at all u just got to try it if u get bad sides u could try regain foam.

Good to hear that you don't have any sides mate :-) but that does not mean that others will not, and this guy has a history of depression. Therefore i think that even though doctors knows little about propecia, they have knowledge about how to treat and minimize the changes of experiencing depression and anxiety. He needs to listen to what his doctor have to say in this case, that is in my opinion, the most reasonable thing to do.

[Dozou]

Thanks for all the input so far - it's really helping me to make an informed decision. The depression thing is a tricky one. I only have it mildly and not all the time, however, I feel like losing my hair would probably contribute more to this so it's probably a gamble I'd be willing to take.

However, referring just to the physical side effects of Finasteride now...

When people say it can screw up your prostate / sexual health... what exactly does that mean?

Are we talking:

1. impotence (temporary / permanent)
2. infertility (temporary / permanent)
3. pain (what sort of pain?)
4. Anything else?

And how common are all of these?

Cheers guys

[Tiger norwood's]

Thanks for all the input so far - it's really helping me to make an informed decision. The depression thing is a tricky one. I only have it mildly and not all the time, however, I feel like losing my hair would probably contribute more to this so it's probably a gamble I'd be willing to take.

However, referring just to the physical side effects of Finasteride now...

When people say it can screw up your prostate / sexual health... what exactly does that mean?

Are we talking:

1. impotence (temporary / permanent)
2. infertility (temporary / permanent)
3. pain (what sort of pain?)
4. Anything else?

And how common are all of these?

Cheers guys

I'am no expert when it comes to these sides, but yes you could face impotence temporary / permanent, pain in the testicles, Gynecomastia (male breast) and the list continues. Again these sides are not very common and many have very positive results with the drug.

But i have to say, i am in the same boat as you, when it comes to depression. Just think about it, propecia does (According to merck, manufacturer of propecia ) have a tendency to trigger depression, and if you are senitive to this. you will be on a medication that, who knows, will keep you chemically depressed for as long as you take this drug. Have you been using anti depressants ?

[rdawg]

Thanks for all the input so far - it's really helping me to make an informed decision. The depression thing is a tricky one. I only have it mildly and not all the time, however, I feel like losing my hair would probably contribute more to this so it's probably a gamble I'd be willing to take.

However, referring just to the physical side effects of Finasteride now...

When people say it can screw up your prostate / sexual health... what exactly does that mean?

Are we talking:

1. impotence (temporary / permanent)
2. infertility (temporary / permanent)
3. pain (what sort of pain?)
4. Anything else?

And how common are all of these?

Cheers guys

I'm on propecia(about a month and a half now) with no sides so far. All of these are possible but the likeliness of them happening is quite small regardless of what the small minority that experience them says. millions take the drug and i'd say around 5-10% experience these problems just from reading all the research. Less then 1% have semi-permanent or permanent issues like this, which is probably equivalent chance to being killed on your next plane ride.

read the research yourself however, as there is a possibility, but the majority have no issues and are fairly happy on the drug.

[Dan26]

You just gotta listen to your body and correspond with your doctor frequently, especially if you are starting to experience even minor side effects. The long term studies they've done on the drug are insufficient IMO. Sometimes it is when people get off the drug where they start to experience adverse side effects. BUT, judging on what I've seen online at least, the people who suffer mild side effects in the early stages are usually the ones who have a lot of success with the drug.

If you do take it, just try and keep a positive attitude, healthy lifestyle, exercise ect. Don't let yourself obsess over it, try and stay occupied!

And again this is just my opinion from what I've read, but start with a low dosage (0.25mg). The drug has a near flat dose response rate such that 0.25mg, 1mg, 5mg, 10mg inhibit nearly same amount of DHT across the board. Links explaining -->

http://www.physics.upenn.edu/facultyinfo/frankel/papers/propeciafda2/

http://www.physics.upenn.edu/facultyinfo/frankel/medres/propcrapmerck.htm

Your in the early stages of hair loss and if you feel you may be susceptible to depression and are worried about the effects Fin could have on that, It's definitely in your best interest to be on a low dosage a few months at least to see your results (you got to be patient with results regardless your dosage).

Best Wishes broski

[PatientlyWaiting]

Save your hair, get on finasteride.