Starting dutasteride

[25 going on 65]

My scalp seems to be producing much less oil. I am not sure how to express that in medical/scientific terms but my hair seems not to get nearly as much of a "greasy" texture in between washes.
Shedding is mild on some days, almost nonexistent other days. Definitely less shedding than when I was on fin so far. This must be temporary since the body needs to shed x amount of hairs over time as the follicles go through their natural phases, but in a way it feels reassuring to shed so little

[WarLord]

4% based on a few studies with methodical flaws and conducted/supported by drugs companies with a financial incentive and track record for lying/hiding inconvenient data.

Finasteride does nothing bad. DHT is a useless hormone and the change in testosterone levels is so minute that you won't notice it.

It's only you, hysterical hypochondriacs, who spread all the bullsh*t in the internet. It is quite obvious that some of you even don't read leaflets carefully, and get a puffy face on finasteride and impotence on minoxidil. LOL You are clowns.

[baldozer]

DHT is a useless hormone

Really? And by the way, Finasteride doesn't stop DHT, it actually inhibits 5 alpha reductase which combines with Testosterone to produce DHT. So it does inhibit DHT, but not directly. 5 alpha reductase is an important enzyme in the body, which does more than just make DHT. And DHT is not useless either. Useless for girls, gays and transgenders, but not men.

[WarLord]

Really?

Oh, no. Of course. It will make you bald, it will enlarge your prostate, it will cause prostate cancer, it will contribute to dermatological problems (from acne to dermatitis) - and all other joys, without which a true man can't live.

[El Nino]

Oh, no. Of course. It will make you bald, it will enlarge your prostate, it will cause prostate cancer, it will contribute to dermatological problems (from acne to dermatitis) - and all other joys, without which a true man can't live.

Do you know that some Doctors prescribe Finasteride for Transgenders who want the full surgery to become a WOMAN?

It makes sense because they wouldn't mind being chemically castrated (they're going to be chopped anyway), grow breasts, lose muscle and have a more feminine body.

[25 going on 65]

Wow....just had my first big shed since starting dut. Took a shower and saw 50-60+ hairs come out. Including the ones I did not see, who knows how many I lost. Maybe part of it is I had not washed my hair since the day before yesterday, and today was also a keto day, but wow. After a month straight of seeing no more than 15 hairs come out (many days I would see something like only 2-5), this one was a little shocking. Hope it is not a sign of things to come!!

On an unrelated note.....chrisis is not a hypochondriac or a clown, he is a good guy dealing with a very long recovery from fin sides. He and I have very different views of things like fin, but he is very open about his experiences on meds and with surgery, more so than 90% of people on this forum. I respect that.
Be decent to each other, we are all here for the same basic reasons

[Aames]

Wow....just had my first big shed since starting dut. Took a shower and saw 50-60+ hairs come out. Including the ones I did not see, who knows how many I lost. Maybe part of it is I had not washed my hair since the day before yesterday, and today was also a keto day, but wow. After a month straight of seeing no more than 15 hairs come out (many days I would see something like only 2-5), this one was a little shocking. Hope it is not a sign of things to come!!

On an unrelated note.....chrisis is not a hypochondriac or a clown, he is a good guy dealing with a very long recovery from fin sides. He and I have very different views of things like fin, but he is very open about his experiences on meds and with surgery, more so than 90% of people on this forum. I respect that.
Be decent to each other, we are all here for the same basic reasons

I'm sorry to hear about your shed. I would probably have a panic attack if I were to lose that many hairs at once. My shedding is up and down. Some days I seem to be able to tug on my hair all I want without losing much, if any. Other days, I notice a fair amount of shedding when applying minox. Never over 10 hairs, though. God, that would freak me out.

[WarLord]

Do you know that some Doctors prescribe Finasteride for Transgenders who want the full surgery to become a WOMAN?

It makes sense because they wouldn't mind being chemically castrated (they're going to be chopped anyway), grow breasts, lose muscle and have a more feminine body.

A good educational thread:

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=99862&highlight_key=y

You are all borderline psychotic hypochondriacs. I am curious, what "side effects" you make up this year. What about the mad cow disease? It is a nice side effect, what do you think?

[WarLord]

Wow....just had my first big shed since starting dut. Took a shower and saw 50-60+ hairs come out. Including the ones I did not see, who knows how many I lost. Maybe part of it is I had not washed my hair since the day before yesterday, and today was also a keto day, but wow. After a month straight of seeing no more than 15 hairs come out (many days I would see something like only 2-5), this one was a little shocking. Hope it is not a sign of things to come!!

On an unrelated note.....chrisis is not a hypochondriac or a clown, he is a good guy dealing with a very long recovery from fin sides. He and I have very different views of things like fin, but he is very open about his experiences on meds and with surgery, more so than 90% of people on this forum. I respect that.
Be decent to each other, we are all here for the same basic reasons

Oh, the good ole counting hairs in the shower again! You should realize that the number of hairs in the shower doesn't matter. What matters is the hair on your head. If I counted my hair every day, I would have to conclude that I have been balding since the age of 12!

[WarLord]

I have been using dutasteride for 4,5 weeks, by the way. But only two pills a week, in addition to my finasteride regime. In any case, I would recommend to start very slowly, because the reports mentioning shedding are quite frequent. On the other hand, you shouldn't be paranoid and count hairs every day.

[dex89]

Have you gotten any major sides?

[25 going on 65]

I have been using dutasteride for 4,5 weeks, by the way. But only two pills a week, in addition to my finasteride regime. In any case, I would recommend to start very slowly, because the reports mentioning shedding are quite frequent. On the other hand, you shouldn't be paranoid and count hairs every day.

Yeah I have never really been a shed hair counter. I just happen to notice when a lot of hairs come out in the shower because during a typical wash I see so few. In general, as long as the hair on my head looks fine, the hair in my drain is no problem

Since that day my visible shed hairs dropped back down to normal. I guess it was just a lucky evening.

[25 going on 65]

Have you gotten any major sides?

It has been less than 6 weeks so these are early days, but I see no significant changes as far as sides are concerned. I feel like my libido has risen a bit....but that is not necessarily because of dut. Also this is more than you want to know, but "ejaculatory volume" has increased whereas when I started fin I believe it decreased a little. No idea if it is drug related or down to other factors?
One thing to keep in mind, I am still on fin (down to 1.25 mg daily from 2.5), which could be muddying the effects of dut. My plan is to taper off fin during the next few months

[dex89]

It has been less than 6 weeks so these are early days, but I see no significant changes as far as sides are concerned. I feel like my libido has risen a bit....but that is not necessarily because of dut. Also this is more than you want to know, but "ejaculatory volume" has increased whereas when I started fin I believe it decreased a little. No idea if it is drug related or down to other factors?
One thing to keep in mind, I am still on fin (down to 1.25 mg daily from 2.5), which could be muddying the effects of dut. My plan is to taper off fin during the next few months

I see, thanks for the response. Have you had any major sheds lately?

[25 going on 65]

I see, thanks for the response. Have you had any major sheds lately?

Just that one recent day when I saw 50-60 or more come out in the shower. Otherwise shedding has been minimal since starting dut.
My whole reason for tapering off fin slowly while starting dut was the hope of minimizing the initial shed. I thought maybe fin could help bridge the process....no idea if it has any chance of working, but I saw no harm in trying.