Does Scalp Itch Occur During Propecia Shed

[mpbsucks]

Alrighty, so I have made a few postings regarding my situation, and after some exhausting research I have discovered that this question has largely gone unanswered for many people. So here it is

During a finasteride induced shed, does the scalp itch and burn at all? If anyone has experienced a shed with a scalp itch and then the shed stopped and they were succesful with the drug please respond.

[mmmcoffee]

I know its largely controversial whether or not scalp itch is connected to mpb.

my experience is this:

before I started treating my mpb, i never had any itching.
I then started using rogaine and never had any itching
I then started using propecia and rogaine together with nizoral, no itching
I then quit rogaine (cost factor), within a few months had major itching and shedding.

itching/shedding stopped when i switched from nizoral to head and shoulders, but that could just be a coincidence that the shed was naturally ending

Then added rogaine back into the equation (fear of hairloss factor trumps cost factor) no itching

7 months into propecia, 7 weeks back on rogaine and my scalp slighty itches randomly throughout the day, but nothing major, noticing slightly increase in shed, but my head is itching all over, not just in the MPB region.



Confused yet?

I think there is definitely a correlation between itching and a shed.

edit: i know this doesnt really help, sorry

[mpbsucks]

Hey man, thanks for answering. Heres my story. After taking 1/4 pill a day of fin for 3 months my hairloss stopped completely. I went from shedding around 150-250 hairs a day to nadda. After four months of success I have begun a massive shed. Two weeks into the shed my scalp has started to itch like crazy and I've lost about thirty percent, if not more, of my hair diffusely. Its been three months with no sign of slowing down, Im starting to suspect that the propecia just stopped working for me. Thanks for the advice though man, I am using RU to, thinking of starting dutasteride...Dont really know what to do...

I know its largely controversial whether or not scalp itch is connected to mpb.

my experience is this:

before I started treating my mpb, i never had any itching.
I then started using rogaine and never had any itching
I then started using propecia and rogaine together with nizoral, no itching
I then quit rogaine (cost factor), within a few months had major itching and shedding.

itching/shedding stopped when i switched from nizoral to head and shoulders, but that could just be a coincidence that the shed was naturally ending

Then added rogaine back into the equation (fear of hairloss factor trumps cost factor) no itching

7 months into propecia, 7 weeks back on rogaine and my scalp slighty itches randomly throughout the day, but nothing major, noticing slightly increase in shed, but my head is itching all over, not just in the MPB region.



Confused yet?

I think there is definitely a correlation between itching and a shed.

edit: i know this doesnt really help, sorry

[z06guy]

Hey man, thanks for answering. Heres my story. After taking 1/4 pill a day of fin for 3 months my hairloss stopped completely. I went from shedding around 150-250 hairs a day to nadda. After four months of success I have begun a massive shed. Two weeks into the shed my scalp has started to itch like crazy and I've lost about thirty percent, if not more, of my hair diffusely. Its been three months with no sign of slowing down, Im starting to suspect that the propecia just stopped working for me. Thanks for the advice though man, I am using RU to, thinking of starting dutasteride...Dont really know what to do...

I say you stay the course bro.

Three months is simply not enough time to throw in the towel and go with dut.

You see, Fin puts hairs into telogen phase and prepares it for a new cycle. This phase can take 90-120 days... After this period of time you should start seeing newer and strong hairs grow in. For some folks it can take a bit longer to see improvement. So realistically by the 9 month to a year mark you should know if 1/4 is enough for you. I'm personally on 0.5mg...

Another thing.. Your scalp is getting more sensitive to DHT as time goes on... It's very possible that you may have to slightly increase dosage to see results. Worst case, consider taking 0.5mg or even 1 full mg before switching to dut.

Until then, stop visiting hair forum sites and try not to think about it too much. The stress of worrying over it will probably cause more hair loss... Relax bro.

[Ktownmatti]

Agree w the above .

[mmmcoffee]

Like the guys above said, stick with it if you have no side effects. 3 months isnt enough to know if its working for you, you need at least a year or two. Furthermore, ive found that yes the itching and shed come and its not fun when it happens, but the itching will go away in a few weeks along with the shedding.

Think of it this way:
the treatments put your hair into a premature telogen phase so it can come back thicker and stronger about 3 months after it sheds. But when it grows back, maybe fin can make it even thicker - so it grows back and boom another premature telogen phase shed. if you stick with it your hair should come back thicker if youre a responder. it wont accelerate your hair loss. it just takes time.



unrelated to what im saying above:

Ive heard a theory that the itch comes from less coverage and thus your scalp is in a new enviroment...potentially drier due to less hair coverage. Not sure if that is feasible but could be.

[mpbsucks]

Thanks for the encouraging words guys, I sure hope your right! Im a Respiratory Therapist at a hospital and I cant wear a hat to cover it up, Its driving me nutts. Thing is, On Feb 20th I'll have been on 1.25 mg of fin daily for a year. I started out four months with no results, after that my hairloss stopped completely for four months, and now its been shedding for three months. I had my DHT tested and its only 8, shouldnt that be low enough to halt it? Maybe Im one of those guys that adapts to the drug quickly....I'll keep you guys updated, hopefully the shedding stops soon.