My Story

[raheama1]

Hi

i have had a bald patch forming on my crown due to stress and my hair has thinned out dramatically i have used Propecia for 3 months but the shredding and sex side effects made me stop, now im use Hair essentials from Wellbing http://www.naturalwellbeing.com/products/hair-growth, it has saw palmetto in it and is used as a DHT blocker after using this tablet my hair is threading like mad does that mean it responding to the treatment, my question is has anyone used this vitamin tablet and what is your views on this, anyone help will be appreciated as im shredding so much hair and there is white bulbs at the end of the falling follicles does that mean it healthy hair or bad hair.

Thanks for any help

[25 going on 65]

You could be experiencing a shed from your run on Propecia, depending on how long ago you quit. Heavy shedding after three months would be normal.
Typically, a sudden and high volume of shedding means you're responding to a treatment, but I'd be surprised if it was the saw palmetto. There's not really evidence to show that it works to fight hair loss.
RE: side effects on Propecia, people who experience them in the first few months often notice that they go away on their own while continuing to take the drug. It might be worth it to go back on for 6-12 months and see if the sides don't resolve themselves, especially since there's no other proven way to maintain your existing hair besides dutasteride (which works in a very similar fashion to the active ingredient in Propecia, finasteride).

[raheama1]

I have stoped taking propeica about 2 years ago but am taking saw palmotee now and I feely hair is shredding because I'm taking this tablet. The reviews of this product are huge and people are experienceing lots of growth. My hair that falls out has White bulbs and I have read this is good as the bad hair are being pushed out and good one are coming through but it hard to believe. The only reason why i don't go back on propeica is because people are sueing them for permeant side effect or even prosate cancer which I'm rally worried about
Thanks

[25 going on 65]

The rate of shedding in humans can vary a lot over time - there are periods when there is very little shedding and periods when there is heavy shedding. It's definitely not from Propecia if you quit two years ago.
It could be the saw palmetto working, but I wouldn't count on it. There just isn't evidence for that. Keep in mind a lot of online consumer reviews are fake, planted by the companies selling these products. The same is sometimes true of testimonials on hair loss forums. Hair restoration is, sadly, still a very shady industry with a lot of unethical practices. (Consider hair transplants: there are surgeons in this industry with decades of documented butchery behind them, dozens or hundreds of disfigured patients in their wake, who can still freely practice their "craft.")
That said, if you want to continue saw palmetto, I don't see a problem with that. It shouldn't be dangerous to your health. Just keep in mind it's an unproven treatment. And like with any medicinal hair loss treatment, you'll need at least 6-12 months to see if it works. If it doesn't, that's another 6-12 months of hair loss untreated.
FYI, if you're absolutely opposed to finasteride and dutasteride, you could try Nizoral shampoo and minoxidil. Neither will stop hair loss in the long term but they probably will give you short-term results.

[raheama1]

Thanks for all you help MUCH apperiated. Shall I go back on propeica with all these scares going around bout and lawsuits or shall I not bother. I'm on nizoral shampoo already it makes me dry scalp but ain't seen any good results. Iv brought rogaine but scard of the shredding it will cause and It fall hair may be premeant so I'm on the edge with that. This vitamin essentials I'm taking now I see new hair groaning in on my hairline I see results but my crown is shredding bad that's where I have bald patch and thining so it may be getting rid of all the bad hair there and new hair are coming in I don't know. I'm just. Confused. I have been taking boitin which should help for growth but i dong know where I stand with that

Thanks

[25 going on 65]

You're welcome!
RE: Nizoral shampoo, the way you use it can make a real difference. First, I would recommend the 2% prescription formula instead of the 1% OTC. When you use it, massage it thoroughly into your scalp and let it sit for five minutes before rinsing it out. Start out with 2-4 times per week, and after a couple months you can drop to one use per week. I use it twice per week but it's not FDA-approved for long-term usage at this frequency - in other words I'm experimenting at my own risk - and I've heard of people reporting increased shedding from overuse.
Ketoconazole does tend to dry your scalp, so you might want to use a conditioner for moisture. I personally don't like the hair texture conditioners produce, but they do help to reverse the drying, and they may help your general scalp health (though they don't treat male-pattern hair loss).
As for minoxidil, like Nizoral, it probably will induce extra shedding at first. This can go on for quite a few months, so the key is patience. The hairs you initially lose should be replaced by new ones once the cycle completes.
I don't know much about hair loss vitamins/supplements except that on their own they don't seem to treat male-pattern hair loss. But they may improve the quality of your existing hair.

One thing to keep in mind: the tricky thing about starting multiple treatments around the same time is that when you see results, you don't know how much each treatment is contributing or if some of them aren't contributing at all. However, with proven treatments like minoxidil and ketoconazole, I don't consider this a problem. I feel it's safer to just start using them altogether rather than waiting for 6-12 months to gauge the effects of one against the other, since you'll most likely be able to keep more hair with a combined approach.
RE: finasteride, I've definitely read a lot of complaints about side effects, but according to clinical studies most men don't experience them and those that do often see the sides go away while on the drug. That said, the growing number of patients who claim to have side effects after quitting is something to keep an eye on IMO.
For me, it basically came down to the 1-5% risk of side effects versus the 100% risk of going bald without the treatment, so I decided to take the plunge. I've been on it a year and I feel fine, but everyone has to make these choices for themselves. What's right for me isn't necessarily right for you and vice versa.

Final note: for your thin patch, consider trying a concealer like Toppik or Nanogen fibers (there are many others you can look into as well). I haven't used them but I know of people who say they give great cosmetic results.

[raheama1]

I'm on the edge with this now. I dnt want to shread anymore hair as I have half my hair left on my scalp. I just wash with nizoral and I shreaded 17 hairs as iv been counting. Iv been using nizoral for along time as my dermo prescribed me for prosiases. It stressing me out I want to to try roagine but feel if I apply it to my bald patches on crown it will shread all hair all over head. I want to go back on propecia big time bit worried. But if your saying it helped you and it been on for a year no side effect then I know I could be on it too. If I shread anymore hair I will have nothing left only head belive me. Just don't know what step to take next
Thanks

[25 going on 65]

I understand your concerns. Just keep in mind, any medicinal hair loss treatment is going to put you through a shedding phase. The shed is worse in some people than in others. Some patients require more than a year before their hair gets better than when they started (for me it was maybe 8-10 months before I noticed an improvement, though I seemed to stop losing hair by the 6-month mark or so). So like I said, patience is key.
I want to emphasize that just because I tolerate finasteride well, doesn't mean everyone else will. It's possible you will have some side effects. But like I said, the chances are slight, and if you do get them then they may resolve themselves with continued use. If they persist, you can quit the drug again. The one side effect I've noticed is a slight change in ejaculatory fluid, although I'm not positive if it's from the drug or something else. It doesn't bother me anyway.
The other option is dutasteride, but if fin gives you side effects then dut probably will also (and they could be more noticeable since dut reduces DHT more than fin). We also don't have as much knowledge about long-term effects of taking dutasteride for hair loss, whereas some people have been on finasteride for more than ten years.

By the way, how often are you using Nizoral shampoo?

[raheama1]

Can you realy say propecia has helped you alot and has it brought back your hair to it normal state. When I was on It my sex drive was down my sperm count decreased and was watery and I put on weight that all in first month that alot of side effects plus I was hurting down there alot. Has you tried roagine does it help. I used nizole on my arms for prolasis for about 6 years. On my scalp it was on and off would use once every 6 months but now for past month iv been using it once a week but I shread each time I use it. My main concern is the get hair filling n the bald patches if that happens then I will b happy.

[25 going on 65]

I'm actually using Proscar, which is the same drug (finasteride) but it comes in a 5 mg pill instead of 1 mg like Propecia. I cut the pills into quarter and take one quarter every day. This means I'm getting 1.25 mg per day instead of 1 mg, but the difference doesn't matter. Both doses have pretty much the same effect. The reason I do this is because it's cheaper.
Anyway, I would definitely say finasteride has helped me. When I started taking it, I was about a Norwood 1.5 or so, but with considerable diffuse thinning all over the top. Also my crown was thinning. After about six months on fin, my hair loss seemed to stop progressing. By the end of one year, my hair seemed to be getting thicker all over. Right now (I think it's been about 15-16 months at this point) I'm quite happy with the results. The crown isn't perfect but it wasn't too bad to begin with, has definitely shown some regrowth, and with styling I have complete coverage.
My hairline has thickened up but it hasn't moved forward at all (finasteride doesn't regrow temple hair once it's gone). It's similar to where it was when I started the drug, a Norwood 1.5-2. I believe there may still be a very slow recession at the temples, but it's hard to say. The next couple years will make it clear whether or not I've stopped the frontal recession completely, but I'm considering going on dutasteride for that purpose.
In short: finasteride doesn't regrow a full head of hair like when you were a teenager (unless you start using it VERY early at the first signs of hair loss), but it does stop or at least dramatically slow the rate of loss in most men, and can also regrow some hair. The level of success varies with each individual, so you can't know how well it works for you without trying. For me, stopping the progression of hair loss is a big deal, because at least it stabilizes your appearance. One of the things I hated most about losing hair was that I kept having to readjust to a different image every 6-7 months or so.
If your goal is to fill in the patches behind your hairline, you might see very good results with finasteride. But those side effects you mentioned sound bad - if you do take the drug again and the effects come back, stay in close touch with your doctor. (Again, you can always choose to quit the drug if you wish.)
I should say that I've also been using Nizoral shampoo for at least two years. I don't use minoxidil but it does seem to produce regrowth in a majority of men who use it (again, the success level varies from person to person).

By the way, are you using Nizoral shampoo or a topical ointment? If you're using an ointment or lotion I would recommend switching to the shampoo instead (2% ketoconazole, which you can get with a prescription).