Propecia or Regaine, opinion and help please?

[Misery]

Hi people


First off, sorry for all the questions... Hope you can help me though


I'm a fairly youngish, just turned 49 year old and have got to a stage in my life, where I no longer sleep, eat and breath normally anymore, just because of HAIR loss!!!?

3 long term relationships over, pretty stressed out times, and starting getting thin on the crown couple of years ago, but nothing to get bothered about as it covered over OK.

Over the last year it's been slowly getting worse, and I'm not convinced that the concealers haven't speeded things up but now I can't live without them. Even though mostly they end up on the pillow every morning now.

Saw my GP, no sympathy there and the usual 'There's a lot worse things than losing your hair' speech which I really don't need, Worse than that, I went to see a dermatologist who I paid £180GB for the privilege of being told 'When you're older you won't even care about it, use Regaine'. And that angered me loads, People just don't get it. I don't suppose it helped that he had little hair on his head, and you would maybe expect that from him, I don't know, but not for that money, Some people just really don't get the effect it can have.

In the last couple of months it's gone berserk and only really noticed just how bad this week, that it's basically falling out all over, hairline, and the area inbetween that and the crown now. I've no idea why so quick but I HAVE to do something. It's just looking thinner than I ever imagined it would get so quickly.

OK, I'm not in my teens anymore, but my brother lost his early and he had a long time to get used to it. When it happens in your 40s, because you're used to having hair it's more of a surprise I think.

I don't want to promote smoking in any shape or form, but I gave up 3 months ago, and I've lost more hair in this period and in super speed than ever before. Coincidence? I know they say smoking is affects the blood circulation etc...

I'm not great on any drugs, I have a sensitive stomach to most drugs, even pain killers and anti biotics so have avoided Propecia because of it, but I'm now at the stage where I've never actually been so depressed in my life, and I know it's selfish and a lousy thing to say, but you guys can relate to it.

What do I do and what do I take first? Can I take quarter of the Propecia, or half?

I used to use Nizorelle, which was the 1% version of Nizoral, and that was good, but they stopped making it sadly, and now I only have Nizoral which I can't use anymore because it was chucking hair out like no tomorrow, Is there a milder shampoo I should be on? What's Revivogen like, or Regensomething?

What is RU and the difference between that and Regaine?

Propecia produces more testosterone, Is that right, Isn't that something that bumps up hairloss?

Because it's speeded up so much I'm guessing you will say I should get on to both Propecia and the Regaine, but then how would I know what would work? I don't get a lot of luck with taking stuff so feel I will not be that lucky with sides, but can you please give me some advice.

Also, I put concealers in my hair every day now, and don't wash it every day, Does that affect anything do you know and would Regaine not work if it's mixed with concealer or do I have to wash hair every day, morning and evening before applying?

My hair colour is med brown, but I've got some grey too, but why the majority of falling hairs now looks to be the grey ones?

Thanks for listening, and please give some advice to me. Anything I can do right now, to stop this or take something to get back what's gone in last few years. Plus what important vitamins do you get on first off

Just typing this now and noticing hairs on shirt, one on laptop and it's like that every day now. Can't even look in a mirror any more, and have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach every day

One last thing, does everyone who's had a HT still HAVE to take Propecia and use Regaine

[Rochester]

Hi Misery,

First off, I know this might come off as sounding patronizing, but seriously congrats on getting to 49 without having to deal with hair loss, it's a pain in the ass at any age but at least you haven't had to deal with it in your 20s and 30s. That being said i think it affects everyone psychologically regardless of age and if it bothers you you should do something about it.

I'm no expert and have only just started treatment a couple of months back, but from my general research, experience and lurking this is my advice:

Stopping smoking was a good idea. When i quit (i was a heavy smoker) my hair went to shit for a bit, shedding and greasy etc. but after about 6 months it came back a lot thicker and healthier. There are a couple of post on The Balding Blog that also mirror my experience of this, and medical studies that show how smoking can effect the hair negatively. Your body kind of resets itself to a pre-nicotine state, which affects hormone levels, which in turn affects your hair. Give it some time. Plus there are all the health benefits from quitting etc. Nice one on that.

RU seems to be more hassle than it's worth. You have to mix it your self, buy the relatively expensive ingredients from China using Western Union, and there doesn't seem to be much evidence that it actually works apart from individual testimonials on forums.

Vitamins won't really do much for you tbh, unless you have a deficiency but that's quite hard to have if you live in the western world and have an ok diet.

Actual treatment wise, you've got Propecia, Nizoral, Rogaine and Dut (which isn't actually cleared for hair loss but does work) To get info on these i'd recommend Spex's free ebook found on his website spexhair.com it really is all you need to know about the treatments and which one's you might want to use.

There are other forms of Ket shampoo that aren't as harsh as Nizoral called revita or regenipure or something, if you google ket shampoo or search niz alternative on the forums something will come up. In my opinion Ket shampoo is really good for stopping inflammation if you use it sparingly, so might be worth getting a hold of a less harsh version. Also piroctone olamine shampoo is a good adjunct as well i find.

Propecia does sort of increase testosterone but that generally doesn't effect your hair, it's more the DHT that does that.

Yes i think before any HT they ask a patient to go on Propecia for at least a couple of months before hand to stabilize the loss, not sure about rogaine.

If you decide to take propecia and you have trouble with medication, or are worried about sides, you could try building up the dosage to see how you respond. i.e start with 1mg a week for 3 weeks, then 2 a week, then 3 etc. I'm doing that now with .25mg/0.5mg and things are fine. Too early to tell any results though.

Do some research on sides but don't believe everything on the forums, stick to published, legitimate, medical studies and talk to people like doctors and hair loss specialist about the drug or listen to Spencer on the Bald Truth. Like any drug it does have side effects but the chances of getting them are very low. Also read some of the efficacy studies on the drug like the 10 year japan study and the 5 year studies. i would find a doctor who knows about the drug to help you along if that made you feel more comfortable taking it.

The general consensus on forums is to start Propecia first for a year and then see at what state you're in after that to see whether you want to add rogaine or not. However this is usually advice for the younger guys in the teens and twenties who are having to battle raging DHT. It's up to you really because rogaine alone could be enough, as your DHT decreases in your 40s
and 50s anyway, However it's supposedly a pain to stick to religiously for some people and does generally cause an initial shed i'm led to believe. Alternatively if you want to attack it head on you could use both, it depends on how much you've lost, your hair loss type, coverage etc.

Finally, if you do take Propecia the generic version is much cheaper and can be acquired through Spex's website on prescription for a much lower price. And if you want to go even cheaper you can get finasteride generics online from some reputable places like inhouse pharmacy.

I know it feels shit now, but remember you're in quite a lucky position with it only starting at 49. Like 70% of men have lost some hair by then! so it's not like your balding prematurely or anything like some less fortunate younger guys on this forum for whom hair loss has really emotionally ****ed up at 17. I'm sure your brother would have liked to have been you when his started going, even if he has gotten used to it now. Also if it's only just started now then there will probably be a good chance of stabilizing it and possibly getting regrowth imo.

Hope this helps.

Rochester

[Misery]

Thanks so much for your reply, and I really appreciate you taking time out to answer me.

Yes, it's true 49 is not horrendous, but it has been happening for a few years leading up to it, but I just was able to cover up, It's pretty bad now, and people telling me to accept it don't get it, and of course the hair would have to go when I'm single for the first time in my life! I think the exs contributed to it!

What you say about smoking makes a lot of sense yes. No smoking for 3 months should have made me feel better, but unfortunately..... I've never felt worse, and the urge is still there, but in fairness I thought it would help the hair situ. It's really bolted out these last few months. If my diet is not great on dairy, meat, eggs etc, then I'm guessing B Complex, and MultiVits should be downed? Is MSM and Biotin a real help though?

I wish it had only just started now... It's showing more than ever now, but started a long time ago, I thought. I saw a trichologist in my 20s because of it falling out, but he explained that although a load fell out, it was replacing itself, and I'd be OK till my 40s... He got that bit right.

I'm at this stage where I now know this hair is not going to come back unless I do something about it now, the crown has expanded a whole heap, but I always covered it with concealers, but never had to do the front, And now.... there are patches all over the front half of head and receding line now. When I first started using concealers a bit used to come off over night, Now.. it all comes off because there's not as much hair to cling on to now.

But yes, it's never been this bad, and maybe with the stopping smoking and giving up meats etc that's what has speeded up the process?

Thanks again for your help. Are there many in their 40s who start treatment later. Interesting what you said about the DHT decreasing in your 40s? So other factors could be making this fall out worse than just DHT

[Rochester]

Hi Misery,

Yeah no worries mate, tbh I don't usually reply to posts online as i'm trying to stay away from forums but you looked like you needed some advice so.

Oh ok i thought it had only just started for you, in that case yeah i mean probably time to jump on treatments.

Yeah they don't tell you that bit about quitting smoking that your body goes out a whack for awhile. I was all over the place, sex drive going crazy and then dieing, feeling euphoric and lethargic in the same day, skin was shit for a bit, but it all kind of levels out after a couple of months and everything gets better than before. it's like night and day trust me stick with it. I think any hair loss from quitting smoking is temporary at the end of the day, same thing happens to vegans apparently when they quit meat. Because your hormones change, which always effects your hair.
It's like a 'good shed' i suppose. If you have mpb though it might appear like its exacerbate things, and because you had it before quitting i guess that is the case.

Again don't quote me on that but logically it makes sense, quitting stuff doesn't really 'accelerate' mpb, although as you said stress from your exes might have done a bit.


Also i dont know where i read the dht thing going down during the 40s-50s but I'm pretty sure that is the case. Also in the 10 year fin study it says there was a higher success rate for those over 30 than those younger, so read into that what you will.

Dht is the main culprit I'm afraid though, chances of 'other factors' are so slim that you'd be mostly wasting time trying to find them. Alot of people initially think they have a thyroid thing or something but believe me you'd know from other symptoms if there was anything wrong with that. so yeah might want to jump on some kind or regime.

Yeah i mean vits can't hurt i suppose, but it's really really hard to have a nutritional deficiency even if you are a veggy, as long as you have some kind of protein in beans or something. Don't expect anything from vits alone and check the amounts on the back, too much vit A can make hairloss worse apparently.

I think there are alot of people who start treatment in their 40s, just search the forums a bit.

[Jcm800]

Hey OP I'm on my early 40's and you damn bet I still care about my hair and appearance. I quit smoking myself 5 months ago, can't say I feel better for it either, had two heavy colds in that time even tho I'm knocking vit C back like it's going out of fashion. Anyway keep at it, it's gotta be for the best

[Misery]

Hi Misery,

Yeah no worries mate, tbh I don't usually reply to posts online as i'm trying to stay away from forums but you looked like you needed some advice so.

Oh ok i thought it had only just started for you, in that case yeah i mean probably time to jump on treatments.

Yeah they don't tell you that bit about quitting smoking that your body goes out a whack for awhile. I was all over the place, sex drive going crazy and then dieing, feeling euphoric and lethargic in the same day, skin was shit for a bit, but it all kind of levels out after a couple of months and everything gets better than before. it's like night and day trust me stick with it. I think any hair loss from quitting smoking is temporary at the end of the day, same thing happens to vegans apparently when they quit meat. Because your hormones change, which always effects your hair.
It's like a 'good shed' i suppose. If you have mpb though it might appear like its exacerbate things, and because you had it before quitting i guess that is the case.

Again don't quote me on that but logically it makes sense, quitting stuff doesn't really 'accelerate' mpb, although as you said stress from your exes might have done a bit.


Also i dont know where i read the dht thing going down during the 40s-50s but I'm pretty sure that is the case. Also in the 10 year fin study it says there was a higher success rate for those over 30 than those younger, so read into that what you will.

Dht is the main culprit I'm afraid though, chances of 'other factors' are so slim that you'd be mostly wasting time trying to find them. Alot of people initially think they have a thyroid thing or something but believe me you'd know from other symptoms if there was anything wrong with that. so yeah might want to jump on some kind or regime.

Yeah i mean vits can't hurt i suppose, but it's really really hard to have a nutritional deficiency even if you are a veggy, as long as you have some kind of protein in beans or something. Don't expect anything from vits alone and check the amounts on the back, too much vit A can make hairloss worse apparently.

I think there are alot of people who start treatment in their 40s, just search the forums a bit.

yes it does make sense about the smoking.. I honestly thought giving up would help the situ, not make it worse, but I will be incredibly happy if these noticeable big white patches on my head fill in but somehow I don't see them being replaced after 3 months of non smoking. I think Regaine will be a must.

I will have to check out Regaine now. Interestingly the website says the foam is only for people up to 49 which is a bit weird, and the liquid is for all. Don't fancy bothering with the liquid as it goes, It will be a pain enough to wash out the concealers every day before applying. Thanks again! So few people get that understanding of the waking up with the horrible feeling in your stomach because the hair thing is such a killer. Waking up 3 or 4 times a night, and Baseball caps and not going out are my life now!

Hey OP I'm on my early 40's and you damn bet I still care about my hair and appearance. I quit smoking myself 5 months ago, can't say I feel better for it either, had two heavy colds in that time even tho I'm knocking vit C back like it's going out of fashion. Anyway keep at it, it's gotta be for the best

Yeh, I remember when I was a teen giving up and getting loads of colds!! I then kept smoking from 20s to 49 and boy do I miss it! yes, dose up definitely. Did you get a shed or are you on meds?

What is it with all the people saying just accept it? Why would I want to accept it when I've gone to docs and derms for that advice. Even my hairdresser said accept it, And, I'm so concious of going to hairdresser now, I pay extra so he can come to my house, That's how bad it is. Thankfully you guys get it!