One year and half my hair later.

[Identity Loss]

It started soon after my 31st birthday. I was shocked and in disbelief once I noticed I was losing my hair. I have always had very thick hair and have zero family history of hairloss. Not only do I have full headed men on both sides of my immediate family, but my mother has an ancestral wall with photos of our family members going back to the mid 1800's. Not a bald head in the bunch. One thing that I'm sure is making thigs worse is my exceptionally stressful job.

It's been about a year now since my nightmare began and I've been doing all I can with poor results.

Since I still had most of my hair I started on Propecia. All was well until I was about two weeks in and started to experience sever insomnia. I tried to stick with it but it was getting to the point where my body was extremely weak due to the lack of sleep. I stopped with the propecia for a week until my sleep cycle normalized. I then started with taking half the dose (0.5mg) hoping I could get my body used to it. The insomnia started right back up again. Propecia just wasn't an option for me.

I then started to use Revivogen as my DHT blocker along with using Rogain foam to help grow back what I lost. For a few months I noticed the tiny new hairs from the minoxidil but I was still losing my hair at a rapid rate.

Then there were the minoxidil side effects. I had a lot of water retention to the point where my face ballooned and my clothes didn't fit right. A few months in my skin started to look like I smoked a carton of cigarettes a day.

I stuck with this combination for about 9 months but my hairloss has excellerated greatly. My sink is full of hair every morning just from mild brushing. My desk is littered with hairs and I've picked two off this iPad while writing this.

I finally gave up on the minoxidil recently once I started experiencing a rapid heart rate roughly an hour after each application. After the last episode of rapid heart rate ,which lasted about 10 minutes, my doctor and I thought it was time to call it quits. The side effects now outweighed the benifets.

In one year, I went from noticing a few extra hairs falling from my head to losing over half my hair volume on the top of my head and now a topical DHT treatment is all I have left as I try to fight this.

That's my story so far. Advice is welcomed. Photos shortly.

[UK_]

I also had sleep issues with Propecia.

All the treatments we have are shit, Propecia causes side effects, minox is a joke, and everything else is just a scam.

[Soxfaninfl]

Did you try a sleep aid while on propecia? Maybe give it more time. That is crazy that you have no hair loss in your family, but your experiencing it. I knew that their was hair loss in mine, but it was still a shock to me that I had to deal with hair loss. Well don't feel too bad because my friends wife lost all of her hair. I mean everything. She wears a wig and has no body hair whatsoever not even eye brows. Did you try proscar or where you cutting the propecia pills in half?

[Identity Loss]

Did you try a sleep aid while on propecia? Maybe give it more time. That is crazy that you have no hair loss in your family, but your experiencing it. I knew that their was hair loss in mine, but it was still a shock to me that I had to deal with hair loss. Well don't feel too bad because my friends wife lost all of her hair. I mean everything. She wears a wig and has no body hair whatsoever not even eye brows. Did you try proscar or where you cutting the propecia pills in half?

I've taken Lunesta and Ambien before my hairloss becuase I have trouble falling asleep. They would help me fall asleep initally but then after 3 hours of sleep I'd be wide awake even on the highest dosage. I've found that working out after work helps me best.

I read somewhere that DHT is used in the brain to aide in the synthesis of nitric oxide which is used to allow the brain to go into REM sleep which explains what I was experiencing. While I would lightly doze for a few minutes at a time, I could never experience REM sleep.

I was just cutting the 1mg propecia pills in half.

[Dan26]

If insomnia was the only side effect that you got from Propecia, and it went a way when you stopped using is, maybe it is worth one more shot at 0.25 mg days a part or even less. 0.05mg all the way to 5mg inhibit the same amount of DHT. When you took it at 0.5mg, would you say the sides were just as severe as when you took it at 1mg?

If you want to scrap Propecia all together, look into RU.

[yeahyeahyeah]

I've taken Lunesta and Ambien before my hairloss becuase I have trouble falling asleep. They would help me fall asleep initally but then after 3 hours of sleep I'd be wide awake even on the highest dosage. I've found that working out after work helps me best.

I read somewhere that DHT is used in the brain to aide in the synthesis of nitric oxide which is used to allow the brain to go into REM sleep which explains what I was experiencing. While I would lightly doze for a few minutes at a time, I could never experience REM sleep.

I was just cutting the 1mg propecia pills in half.

What do you work as, if you don't me asking?

[DepressedByHairLoss]

I also had sleep issues with Propecia.

All the treatments we have are shit, Propecia causes side effects, minox is a joke, and everything else is just a scam.

Amen to that UK, and I'm glad I'm not the only one saying it. Only a small fraction of hair loss sufferers opt for today's treatments because today's treatments are not nearly as effective as they need to be and some of them come with highly negative downsides, especially with regards to hair transplants. As I've said plenty of times before, it's downright ridiculous that in today's day and age, we don't have much better treatments for hair loss.

[PatientlyWaiting]

Not that I want to have any of these side effects but I don't know why the hell I don't have any of these finasteride side effects. I sleep like a Bear, nothing wrong with me sexually, no girl titties. I don't get it. I'm just seriously immune to all of these side effects or something. I take 1.25mg fin daily for nearly 2 years, it stopped my hair loss but never gave me regrowth.

[PatientlyWaiting]

As I've said plenty of times before, it's downright ridiculous that in today's day and age, we don't have much better treatments for hair loss.

I agree, but hair loss is looked down because it's not "physically" harmful.

I guess that's all that matters. It doesn't matter how harmful it is mentally and socially. A disease has to literally hurt or kill you for people to take notice.

[DepressedByHairLoss]

I agree, but hair loss is looked down because it's not "physically" harmful.

I guess that's all that matters. It doesn't matter how harmful it is mentally and socially. A disease has to literally hurt or kill you for people to take notice.

I know, and this is what pisses me off more than anything: that hair loss is regarded as some kind of joke by a lot of people. That in part is why we have such s****y options to treat it. However, there are plenty of other diseases out there that are not physically harmful that get like 100 times more attention than hair loss does.

[samian]

Not that I want to have any of these side effects but I don't know why the hell I don't have any of these finasteride side effects. I sleep like a Bear, nothing wrong with me sexually, no girl titties. I don't get it. I'm just seriously immune to all of these side effects or something. I take 1.25mg fin daily for nearly 2 years, it stopped my hair loss but never gave me regrowth.

Why do you think side effects are all that common? Remember, the people you see on forums are more likely than not the people that are having trouble with their treatments - if they were working for me without a hitch, I certainly wouldn't be here.

[rdawg]

Why do you think side effects are all that common? Remember, the people you see on forums are more likely than not the people that are having trouble with their treatments - if they were working for me without a hitch, I certainly wouldn't be here.

Pretty much this. I too don't suffer from any side effects a little over 2 months on the stuff.

So much fear mongering on propecia. Dont get me wrong, side effects do and can happen, but it's to a very small, vocal minority. And there's probably millions that dont suffer from any at all.

[VictimOfDHT]

Pretty much this. I too don't suffer from any side effects a little over 2 months on the stuff.

So much fear mongering on propecia. Dont get me wrong, side effects do and can happen, but it's to a very small, vocal minority. And there's probably millions that dont suffer from any at all.

Yup. I just want to second that motion. Obviously, the only people who are going to be here talking about Fin's side effects are the ones who have it. The vast majority of people who take and don't experience anything aren't going to come here and tell us they have no issues. Unfortunately, most readers take that as a "proof" that most of the people on Fin are actually suffering from sides when that is NOT the case at all. I myself have been taking it since it came out and I have yet to experience any of the sides but unfortunately I can't say Fin is doing me much good.

[VictimOfDHT]

I agree, but hair loss is looked down because it's not "physically" harmful.

I guess that's all that matters. It doesn't matter how harmful it is mentally and socially. A disease has to literally hurt or kill you for people to take notice.

Unfortunately, how bad or harmful something is seen depends 100% on how we are programmed (by society) to perceive it. Somethings are bad and harmful (to us) but we're programmed to see them as good or at least harmless. For example, alcohol is bad (it's a poison) but hardly any one doesnt drink (alcohol) and in fact people think of it as a good thing!
Depression is harmful. Billions are spent on depression treatments and research and people are encouraged to seek immediate help if they suffer from depression. Some people actually qualify for disability because of their depression and no one can force them to work.
Now, we all know how extremely depressing and devastating hair loss can be. We all know how it can affect every aspect of one's life YET, depression that's caused by hair loss isn't even recognized as legitimate. A man who dares to say he's depressed because of his hair loss is ridiculed, scolded, and looked down upon and even told he's not "man enough"! He's usually attacked -I don't mean physically- especially by other MEN for being "weak".... Even other bald men would tell him to shut up and "be a man" and to get on with his life.... and I'm 100% sure these men only tell him that because that's what they'e been PROGRAMMED AND CONDITIONED to say to other men who dare to complain about their hair loss. I'm also 100% sure these tough men feel like SHIT inside about their own hair loss and probably wish every second of their lives they could get their hair back but they dare not admit it, again, because they're afraid of the backlash and the shaming that our society is always ready to mete out to any man who dares to complain about "frivolous" or "trivial" things such as hair loss.
You see, we live in a society (well actually a world) that tells men their suffering, their feelings or whatever is of their concern are UNIMPORTANT and don't count. Imagine if baldness hit women and young girls in the same rate it does men. I'm so damn sure a cure would've been found like a 100 years ago. I'm sure Obama would've enacted laws that would've made it mandatory on all medical research labs to allocate a certain amount of money, time and effort to find a cure for baldness. I'm sure billions and billions of dollars would've been spent on funding hair loss research and scientists would've been racing to find a cure (the US spends 4 times as much on female-specific research than it does on male-specific research). I'm sure even the UN would've convened to come up with a solution to the problem.
But since baldness is MAINLY a male issue that mostly affects men -the gender whose feelings and concerns or sometimes even lives don't matter (close to 80% of all who commit suicide are men and male teens, yet nothing special being done to address the problem like it would've been had it been 80% women.... )- NO one seems to give a rat's ass about it, ESPECIALLY that it doesn't kill, even though it would be really really stupid (on the part of society) to think it doesn't HURT (men). To say hair is not important to men, and to dismiss someone's concern about his hair loss problem or call him vain for wanting to do something about is beyond FU-CKED UP. NO. It's NOT "just hair". It's more than that. Much more than that. Otherwise millions of men wouldn't be depressed about it, despite the fact that society tells them they don't need their hair. If hair wasn't important -to you who say it isn't- WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE WASTING COUNTLESS HOURS AND DAYS TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS? IMO, hair is just as important as any part of your body and maybe even more so. I've seen people with missing fingers or limbs and they're functioning normally. However, many many balding men have had their whole lives shattered because of their hair loss problem and will never live normal lives or see their dreams (achieving their goals) come true. Many of these men live like hermits. I myself have been held hostage by this curse and my life has gone down the drain because of it, especially that I have BDD. Now, just because you happen to be one who doesn't feel this way, DON'T think every other balding man should or CAN feel the same way you do-something some people seem to have a hard time understanding. Don't expect us all to have the "whatever" attitude about our hair loss. That's just IMPOSSIBLE.

Again, it's all about how we are programmed to perceive something. Hair loss...as long as it's a man that's losing his hair -and not a woman- it's trivial and funny and many people won't think twice about making jokes about a guy's receding hairline. Now god forbids it were a woman losing her hair and I guarantee you any one who dares to make fun of her would be attacked and beaten by every one around. WHY? What's the difference? And who the fukc decides hair to a man should be different than what hair is to a woman? Why is it that a man is seen as vain if he wants to do something about his hair loss but the same thing isn't said about a woman who wants to do something about her hair or looks (trying to look younger through countless face lifts, breast implants.....) A guy gets hit in the groin is funny, despite the fact that it's painful!! A woman gets hit in the same area and it's sad and every body feels sorry and no one would find it funny of course! WHY? I'm just bringing this up to show the DOUBLE STANDARDS.

Depression is serious shit and no one would make fun of you if you were suffering from depression, and insurance companies will cover your treatment....UNLESS...you tell them your depression is a result of your hair loss and suddenly they (insurance and people) tell you to fukc off and "be a man". WTF? So apparently not all depressions are the same. If your depression was caused by hair loss and you were suicidal, or at least your social life was on the line and you were suffering every moment of your life, your depression isn't seen as legit or serious and you're left to suffer alone.

So, I have no doubt in my mind baldness would've been a thing of the past LONG TIME AGO had there been a genuine interest and effort put into finding a cure/treatment to this curse. I find it hard to believe that scientist claim to be able to clone whole beings but still unable to clone part of a being (hair). I don't think hair loss is the mystery that it's made out to be and had someone genuinely tried to research it 30 or 40 years ago the only place we'd be seeing bald people is in photos, or at least it would be a choice.

[Soxfaninfl]

I've been in Fin for almost 6 months with no side effects. I would have quit it if I experienced ED. It wouldn't have bothered me if I experiece a decreased libido. I'm single so I'm not getting laid often like I was when I was married.