Can't use propecia/minox...what now?

[baldnotbeautiful]

Hey - so I tried propecia for 6months and did nothing but shed constantly(lost a ton of ground that hasn't returned yet) and I didn't like the sides I got from it(weak erection mainly, not really willing to risk going longer on it). I also tried rogaine and got rapid heart beat/chest pain from it. So the only 2 FDA approved solutions I can't use. Can anyone else recommended something else to try? I'm diffuse thinning, but most noticeable in temples reduction/crown.

Thanks for any help.

[ChrisM]

Hey - so I tried propecia for 6months and did nothing but shed constantly(lost a ton of ground that hasn't returned yet) and I didn't like the sides I got from it(weak erection mainly, not really willing to risk going longer on it). I also tried rogaine and got rapid heart beat/chest pain from it. So the only 2 FDA approved solutions I can't use. Can anyone else recommended something else to try? I'm diffuse thinning, but most noticeable in temples reduction/crown.

Thanks for any help.

What dosage strength of Propecia did you use ? It is possible with a pill cutter you might be able to trim 1mg to .25 cutting the pill into quarters. If you bought the Proscar 5mg you would cut it to 1.25 mg essentially. But this is moot since you aren't willing to go on it.

Minoxidil the active hair stimulant for growth was you only other option. Recommending dutasteride would do no good since it has side effects in the realm of Propecia.

But how much hair have you lost are you on the Norwood scale of male pattern balding at a 2, 3 or a 4 or perhaps greater than that ?

Your options are quite narrow since those are the only approved medicinal drugs by current scientific design to help possibly repair baldness for those responsive to their combination and this is of course aside from a hair transplant. Even ketoconazole in shampoo form in Nizoral must be used in concert with Minoxidil and Propecia to be effective....

I would suggest you talk to you dermatologist and physician to see what you can do to workaround this problem of yours or possibly suggest alternatives if they can determine such.

[Tracy C]

Can't use propecia/minox...what now?

You need to learn how to come to terms with losing your hair and move on. Something better (or at least different) will come along that you might be able to use.

[clandestine]

Hey - so I tried propecia for 6months and did nothing but shed constantly(lost a ton of ground that hasn't returned yet) and I didn't like the sides I got from it(weak erection mainly, not really willing to risk going longer on it). I also tried rogaine and got rapid heart beat/chest pain from it. So the only 2 FDA approved solutions I can't use. Can anyone else recommended something else to try? I'm diffuse thinning, but most noticeable in temples reduction/crown.

Thanks for any help.

You could now try more unconventional, less assured methods. Check out the RU thread in Hair Loss Treatments, or the Cetrizine thread in cutting edge. Maybe play around with some supplements like Vit C, MSM and Curcumin. There are options besides minoxidil and propecia, but there are less guarantees when using them. I'm personally on RU and AHK-CU.

[Dan26]

You need to learn how to come to terms with losing your hair and move on. Something better (or at least different) will come along that you might be able to use.

Lol common Tracy, don't pretend that the FDA approves meds are safer and more effective than the "Grey Market" alternatives...

You have some research to do!

The fact that you got rapid heart beat from minox and no success from propecia is tough though. In terms of things that might help you, it would depend on how much effort you are willing to put into helping your hair.

[baldnotbeautiful]

I'm pretty much down to do whatever I can at this point...was even thinking of just trying to continue with rogaine and just deal with the sides...maybe use every other day and use the bare minimum i could, at least on the crown area, which is what bothers me the most at this point, and hopefully get minimum sides.

Been looking into hair transplants now, just seems theres so much that can go wrong and its so damn expensive, its not really that affordable for me.

The thing is 6mths ago my hair was for the most part fine...sure I had thinning but it wasn't very noticeable to anyone but myself. But I decided I wanted to prevent anything further and got on propecia and all I did was shed like crazy for 6mths and lost a ton of hair from that. Along with some minor sides that were concerning, the shedding that showed no sign of stopping was what really forced me to get off of it. I'm hoping the hair from the huge shed I experienced from propecia will return at some point in the next few months(been off it about a month now) and I can feel a little bit better about things...

[ammin]

Try TRX 2 with revivogen and the laser comb

[Tracy C]

...don't pretend that the FDA approves meds are safer and more effective than the "Grey Market" alternatives...

The safety and efficacy of those "grey market alternatives" has not been adequately and appropriately established. That is why they are on the grey market. Anyone and everyone who goes that route is taking a very foolish risk.

[Dan26]

The safety and efficacy of those "grey market alternatives" has not been adequately and appropriately established. That is why they are on the grey market. Anyone and everyone who goes that route is taking a very foolish risk.

Not entirely true. The long term safety and efficacy yes, but the same could be said about Finasteride and a plethora of other FDA approved medications.

They are not relegated to the 'Grey Market' because they are not safe or not effective (some not all! some don't work and may not be safe but there are some worth pursuing IMO!), they simply are unrealistic solutions to commercialize due to stability issues and the fact one would have to buy the compound and vehicle separately and make there own small matches periodically to ensure the solution stays stable.

eg. RU - an anti-androgen that has been around for over a decade that never made it anywhere, probably one of the biggest grey market solutions. Consensus is it is safer and as effective if not more than finasteride. Tough to find reliable suppliers. CB is an anti androgen in clinical trials, with money behind it, and on its way. It will be considerably more effective than fin, and has an impeccable safety profile, due to low systematic absorption. RU is a less effective and less safe version essentially, a risk most people who have bad responses to fin are willing to take.


To each their own, there are some good things coming down the road so I am not in anyway discouraging new users to hop on the big three until then, but in a lot of cases the big three is not effective and results in sides, out of which arises the need for a grey market.

Just for the record Tracy, if I ONLY took the general advice you supply to new users (to see a hair loss specialist, get on FDA approved meds), I would be in a bad place right now! Of course, it is good advice to take when you are starting out, and I much rather someone take your advice then someone saying 'Forget the big 3! get on these grey market solutions now!'. The point is you need to educate and empower yourself if you are serious about saving your hair because doctors are not going to suggest anything outside of FDA approved meds, it is not part of there job description. I believe the majority of docs are absolutely clueless/useless when it comes to hairloss, this is based on my own experiences. If these bozo's made it common practice to order baseline blood + hormone tests for patients undergoing 'hormone therapy ie fin or dut', maybe I would take them seriously.

[Tracy C]

Look at the case of RU58841. That's very much a "grey market drug" which has "adequately and appropriate established" efficacy and safety.

No it hasn't.

[NotBelievingIt]

Adequetly maybe, but the key phrase, Highlander, is "appropriately"

Meaning, long term trials approved by the FDA. Unfortunately in the eyes of the law what a bunch of, frankly anonymous, users on a forum have posted does not amount to appropriate.

[Dan26]

As long as you are using RU in small-moderate doses with a good vehicle, it is safer than fin, BELEIVE that. CB is much safer and more effective than BOTH.