My Finasteride Story so far...

[Dan26]

Hey Desmond I know there is not much anecdotal evidence for 0.05mg/day finasteride, and no clinical evidence either (in terms of hair count, as opposed to 0.2mg which was included in clinical trials), but did you ever consider it? Scalp DHT is decreased by almost he same amount, and serum DHT 20% higher on it, according to this study,. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10495374

A bit counter intuitive, and doesn't really make sense to me tbh...but that's what the study claims!

[Desmond84]

Thanks Desmond, you're really reassuring me with your post's, I respect your input. I'm currently trying Keratene myself, but feel it's worthless, so before long I'm going to try your regime, would Tues and Fri be an ok schedule do you think?

Thanks mate and I wish you continued good luck.

Thanks for taking time to write a long, and very very helpful post, much appreciated.

I was going to start with 0.25mg every other day, but as you suggest i will start with 0.25mg twice a week to taper on, and reach 0.25mg EOD or 0.5mg EOD.

But yeh, me too, I want to use it until something like CB 03 01 gets released

It's a pleasure to help you guys out

Let me know if anything else is in your minds...and keep me posted if you start Propecia...

Good luck

[BudskiiHD]

Hey Budskii

I caught my hairloss pretty early! My temples were see-through when I started fin so you could say beginning of NW2. Under bright light they looked really bad actually!

It's now 10 months since I started fin and tbh I'm blown away! My hair's probably back to how it looked 6-8 months before I started Propecia. Temples are much thicker and I probably look NW1 to an untrained eye! My hairline hasn't moved since I started fin and the vellus hairs on my hairline have become terminal again.

My hair's still improving every month, which is surprising.

Side effects wise, I'm tolerating fin much better. The first 6 months, on the days I took Fin, I had this uncomfortable feeling down there...this dull pain at the tip of my pe$$$ (Just on the days I took fin, it would disappear the day after). Now, I don't have any of those sides...

Libido's improving but still not the same as pre-fin! Actually, libido is the only side that I'm suffering from at this point! I would say my libido's back to 80% of what it used to be pre-fin!

Mentally I feel so much better! I sleep well, I'm not as depressed about my hair anymore! I hit the gym and worry about my hair much less!

I'm 29 btw Catching your hairloss early is the key until hair multiplication becomes a reality.

When I first wanted to try 0.25mg TWICE A WEEK, there wasn't much anecdotal reports about how effective it would be...I went down this route bcause I was terrified of sides and I experienced a whole bunch of them. And I can assure you that 0.25mg TWICE A WEEK is more than enough. If Fin is going to work for you, you can be sure such dosing is sufficient! I'm not going to increase the dosage either! This is it for me till something better comes along!

Hope this info is helpful and everyone can overcome their fears somehow. It's not easy though...believe me I know.

Thanks for taking time to write a long, and very very helpful post, much appreciated.

I was going to start with 0.25mg every other day, but as you suggest i will start with 0.25mg twice a week to taper on, and reach 0.25mg EOD or 0.5mg EOD.

But yeh, me too, I want to use it until something like CB 03 01 gets released

[Jcm800]

Thanks Desmond, you're really reassuring me with your post's, I respect your input. I'm currently trying Keratene myself, but feel it's worthless, so before long I'm going to try your regime, would Tues and Fri be an ok schedule do you think?

Thanks mate and I wish you continued good luck.

[Desmond84]

Thanks for sharing Desmond.

Can I ask, what NW you were before starting ( you said temples getting thinner, so i guess NW1? ), also did you get any regrowth? Apart from your temples, has your hairline improved? Did you experience any minaturized hair on your hairline grow back thicker & terminal ( not completely minaturized hair, but the 0 - 0.5cm thin hairs ) ?

I guess age plays a big role in the questions asked above, so could you give me a rough idea of how old you are ?

Lastly, how are you feeling now? Is your mood still same as pre fin ( if not better ) ?

Hey Budskii

I caught my hairloss pretty early! My temples were see-through when I started fin so you could say beginning of NW2. Under bright light they looked really bad actually!

It's now 10 months since I started fin and tbh I'm blown away! My hair's probably back to how it looked 6-8 months before I started Propecia. Temples are much thicker and I probably look NW1 to an untrained eye! My hairline hasn't moved since I started fin and the vellus hairs on my hairline have become terminal again.

My hair's still improving every month, which is surprising.

Side effects wise, I'm tolerating fin much better. The first 6 months, on the days I took Fin, I had this uncomfortable feeling down there...this dull pain at the tip of my pe$$$ (Just on the days I took fin, it would disappear the day after). Now, I don't have any of those sides...

Libido's improving but still not the same as pre-fin! Actually, libido is the only side that I'm suffering from at this point! I would say my libido's back to 80% of what it used to be pre-fin!

Mentally I feel so much better! I sleep well, I'm not as depressed about my hair anymore! I hit the gym and worry about my hair much less!

I'm 29 btw Catching your hairloss early is the key until hair multiplication becomes a reality.

When I first wanted to try 0.25mg TWICE A WEEK, there wasn't much anecdotal reports about how effective it would be...I went down this route bcause I was terrified of sides and I experienced a whole bunch of them. And I can assure you that 0.25mg TWICE A WEEK is more than enough. If Fin is going to work for you, you can be sure such dosing is sufficient! I'm not going to increase the dosage either! This is it for me till something better comes along!

Hope this info is helpful and everyone can overcome their fears somehow. It's not easy though...believe me I know.

[BudskiiHD]

Thanks for sharing Desmond.

Can I ask, what NW you were before starting ( you said temples getting thinner, so i guess NW1? ), also did you get any regrowth? Apart from your temples, has your hairline improved? Did you experience any minaturized hair on your hairline grow back thicker & terminal ( not completely minaturized hair, but the 0 - 0.5cm thin hairs ) ?

I guess age plays a big role in the questions asked above, so could you give me a rough idea of how old you are ?

Lastly, how are you feeling now? Is your mood still same as pre fin ( if not better ) ?

[Jcm800]

Oh, I just realised you're getting Finpecia...I haven't used that brand before BUT as rule of thumb tablet cutters are very effective at cutting pills...I wouldn't be too worried

Thanks Desmond, tbh if I start the treatment I think I'd like to try Propecia initially, then continue with Finpecia perhaps at a later date if I tolerate it.

How are you doing yourself on it?

Thanks.

[Desmond84]

Oh, I just realised you're getting Finpecia...I haven't used that brand before BUT as rule of thumb tablet cutters are very effective at cutting pills...I wouldn't be too worried

[Desmond84]

Thanks kindly Desmond.

I've been advised by a supplier that 1mg finpecia won't cut up that small, that's why I'm asking. Don't really want to spend £70 for a load of pills I won't use if i can't cut them into smaller doses.

Maybe I'll just have to order and see, thanks for the reply, appreciated. :-)

It is true that they are not scored, hence they may crumble when cut!

BUT, as long as you purchase PROPECIA and use a tablet cutter, you will have no problems! Some brands use cheaper fillers that disintegrate much easier...that is not the case with the Merck brand...you can take my word for it lol

[Desmond84]

Thanks for sharing your story Des! I've been on fin for little more than 2 months and started at 0,5mg daily and changed to 1mg daily for about 2 weeks ago.

My libido is way lower than it was a year ago. I've pretty bad MPB and my hair loss accelerated the last year and I went into an deep depression for the last couple of months. That made me start with finasteride.

I had already low libido even before I started with fin. What do you think, shall I lower my dose before I notice any further sides? The thing is that I'm afraid that a lower dose will increase my hair loss.

It feels like I'm in the middle of an vicious circle.

Henkeh, I don't know if you were following our discussions late last year but the amount of DHT decreased by 0.25mg is almost identical to 1mg...furthermore, the effects of 1 tablet last for about 3.5 days! If sides are bothering you reducing the dose will not have a dramatic effect on your hair! I personally think ppl should not take 1mg daily until they tapered up the dose over 12 months!

With regards to libido...the product information claims everything should go back to normal by the 12th month although there has been exceptions...

I almost kept my libido in check by dropping fin for a given period of time (2 weeks for example) to make sure my libido returns if it did I knew that the effects are reversible in my case...you can do something similar

[Jcm800]

Hey JCM

Go to your local Pharmacy and ask for a tablet cutter...look at the range and get the more expensive one. Trust me...it's worth every dollar...(it should be around $6-$7)

Also, ask them for a little 10mL amber bottle to store your tablets once you cut them...

Always only cut up 1 tablet into 4 quarters and keep those 4 pieces in the bottle...don't do the whole pack in one go! It might lose its efficacy...

Hope that helps

Thanks kindly Desmond.

I've been advised by a supplier that 1mg finpecia won't cut up that small, that's why I'm asking. Don't really want to spend £70 for a load of pills I won't use if i can't cut them into smaller doses.

Maybe I'll just have to order and see, thanks for the reply, appreciated. :-)

[Desmond84]

Hey Des.
First of all I must say that you and Hellouser are my favorite "Characters" on this forum. You two are the most helpful, at least for me, in this forum.

So...I was on fin 1mg every day 10 months ago for 3 months and stopped.
It didn't affect my libido at all, but it did do a nice job in the shrinkage subject, if you know what I mean. It had an effect on shrinking my little friend.
So...The question is, do you think it is something that can go away after some time?
I've tried so many things since then but we all know that everything, maybe except of RU, is bullshit.
Maybe 5 out of 100 things that are being sold can help, WITH fin or RU, but not alone. Impossible. Or possible for a few people. Anyway too rare.

Right now I have what seems like a full head of hair, just for everyone to understand, some girl in my work told me that I remind her of Jim Morrison.
For those of you who know who he is and how he looked like, I was all like "THANK YOU MADAM! (just dont touch my hairline, or I'll look like Jim Temple-son)"
I'm heading into NW3 too fast these days, and I just have no choice.
If I'm bald I look like crap cause I have small head, if I have hair I look like an actor (Or a singer, whatever).

Desmond, waiting for your reply, and thank you again.

Hey Longwayhome

Thanks for the kind words brother...with regards to shrinkage, that does happen and it is related to both the sudden change in prostate size and lack of morning wood...

Same thing happens when ppl undergo prostectomy (esp., TURP operations)...these effects are temporary and only last between 6-12 months...

To prevent fibrosis, try and keep it erect for 30 minutes to 1 hour by watching some of your favourite movies to mimic the effects of morning wood...Once you go past the 12 month mark, I doubt you would have any more problems...

With patients that undergo prostate operations, doctors generally prescribe Cialis 5mg once daily for 6-12 months to ensure adequate blood flow till the body recaliberates itself...

Just as your semen volume returns to normal after a while, you can be sure the shrinkage will too...for most ppl anyways (there are always exceptions as we've seen the poor souls @ PropeciaHelp)...

Good luck brother...

Also, if you want check out my new thread about a german topical that has the same mechanism of action as Finasteride without the sides...very interesting stuff:

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?t=12723

[Desmond84]

Desmond, how are you managing to cut up 1mg down to 0.25mg? The tablets look so small, don't they disintegrate? Are you using generic Fin, or Merck? Thanks.

Hey JCM

Go to your local Pharmacy and ask for a tablet cutter...look at the range and get the more expensive one. Trust me...it's worth every dollar...(it should be around $6-$7)

Also, ask them for a little 10mL amber bottle to store your tablets once you cut them...

Always only cut up 1 tablet into 4 quarters and keep those 4 pieces in the bottle...don't do the whole pack in one go! It might lose its efficacy...

Hope that helps

[Jcm800]

Desmond, how are you managing to cut up 1mg down to 0.25mg? The tablets look so small, don't they disintegrate? Are you using generic Fin, or Merck? Thanks.

[Californication]

Side effects are a reality for some people.

Fin gave me gynecomastia. Only way to know is to try it, though.

Always interested in hearing about people who got gyno from fin since I did get puffy nipples/increased fat there and it was really my only major side effect. Not sure if it was glandular though. How long into fin did you get it? Did you notice it quickly enough to stop? Have you thought about trying a lower dosage, more spread apart so you get some benefit possibly but without the gyno? Mine started to show up at the four month period, thanks in advance for any answers.