Does Fin Actually work? How often do you take it?

[MNAAAAA]

Ok so I went to the doctors today and they prescribed me 1 MG of Finasteride. I was glad to hear that I could finally get it but then when I went to the pharmacy to find out its $100 for 1 months worth of pills I said forget it.

I am aware of all the side effects of Fin, and and tried almost everything else with no success.

I do not want to hear about how you hate fin because of the side effects, I want to know if it actually worked for you.

Also, how often did you take it? Did you just take half of a pill every other day? Theres no way I'm paying $100 for the script that just last one month. Help me out here guys.

[MNAAAAA]

Also, is dutasteride better than fin? Please tell me your opinions.

[MNAAAAA]

One last thing sorry. I just called walmart pharmacy and they have Fin 5 MG for only $9.00. I left a message to my doc to ask if he can bump me up to that. Is that to many MG to take?

[J_B_Davis]

It works well for a lot of people, me included. There is no reason you can’t go for the 5mg and cut it into quarters, that’s pretty common.

[EricPotratz]

Finasteride only increases the number of hairs by an average of 8-12% over 12 months, and it only has this effect in about 70% of men. Some get no benefit at all. I would certainly try minoxidil before finasteride if you haven't already. Its can increase hair count by about 130% within 12 months, and also is effective for 60-70% of users.

And no, I would not opt for the 5mg of finasteride if you decide to use it. More is not better in this case.

[MNAAAAA]

I have tried rogan once everyday and it irritated my scalp and turned it red.

[Vincent777]

Ok so I went to the doctors today and they prescribed me 1 MG of Finasteride. I was glad to hear that I could finally get it but then when I went to the pharmacy to find out its $100 for 1 months worth of pills I said forget it.

I am aware of all the side effects of Fin, and and tried almost everything else with no success.

I do not want to hear about how you hate fin because of the side effects, I want to know if it actually worked for you.

Also, how often did you take it? Did you just take half of a pill every other day? Theres no way I'm paying $100 for the script that just last one month. Help me out here guys.

I've read on this and other forums that people take .25 mg every day just to make sure they don't get side effects and if it doesn't work they up the dose. I am new to all of this as well and I'm considering taking finasteride myself.

About taking the pill every other day I saw this video from hair transplant surgeon Craig Ziering where he states that you shouldn't take it every other day. http://youtu.be/Hui0FHub4d4?t=59s
I am not sure if he is being honest or just money motivated but I read a lot of threads on the forums where people were using it couple of times a week or once a week with success as well as dividing 5 mg finasteride to quarters.

Once again I am new to the community here and to the finasteride so I would advise to take more advices and inform yourself before you make any decision.

[ParanoiaDestroya]

Firstly, I take 1mg. Standard prescription.

In regard to efficacy, the 5 year study data shows that 42% kept what they had and 48% regrew hair. In most cases you won't grow a lot, granted there are some people who have had impressive results in that regard. Bernstein has a section on his clinic's website that shows patients that have responded best in regrowing hair, which I believe he said represents 1/3 in his practice. But of course I would suggest that you look for maintenance rather than aesthetically appreciable growth.

So you've got really good odds at 90% over 5 years. Additionally, it's 86% over 10 years. Also of note is this commentary from Bernstein...

"I think the most interesting question relates to the 10% who continued to lose hair in the treated group. Did these men lose hair at a slower rate than the non-treated group? Based on the action of finasteride on blocking DHT and DHT’s central role in causing male pattern hair loss, it is reasonable to assume that even these “non-responders” did have some benefit from the drug, albeit small. If half of those on the medication continued to lose hair did so at a rate slower than the placebo group, then 95% of patients actually benefited from the medication to some degree – an extraordinarily high success rate, in my opinion."

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/answers/is-propecia-effective-in-young-patients/

[burtandernie]

I think propecia is the biggest piece of evidence there is for how important androgens actually are in MPB. I mean the only reason MPB probably progresses is the fact that propecia only removes about 75 percent of the DHT levels but the fact it actually works in such a large percent of men its hard to doubt the critical importance of androgens. Women even lose hair if given large amounts of androgens. It all adds up.
If you want to stop or slow MPB as much as you can I dont see the alternative to propecia. Its use that or accept baldness at this point

[Notcoolanymore]

Yes it works. Call different pharmacies and ask for their prices on generic finasteride. I went to one and the price was $80+ dollars for generic finasteride. I went to a different pharmacy and it was about $8, although the price recently went up by $1.

[EricPotratz]

I think propecia is the biggest piece of evidence there is for how important androgens actually are in MPB. I mean the only reason MPB probably progresses is the fact that propecia only removes about 75 percent of the DHT levels but the fact it actually works in such a large percent of men its hard to doubt the critical importance of androgens. Women even lose hair if given large amounts of androgens. It all adds up.
If you want to stop or slow MPB as much as you can I dont see the alternative to propecia. Its use that or accept baldness at this point

Suppressing circulating androgens is not a requirement to stop hair loss. Pattern baldness is not a consequence of androgens. Its an abnormal cell response to androgens. There are many mediators between androgens and androgen transcription of hair loss factors (e.g., IL-6, TNF, TGF). The abnormal cell response to androgens can be corrected; most notably by normalizing 5a-reductase, AR concentration, increasing SHBG, and reducing androgen mimicking cytokines such as IL-6. All these things can be accomplished by lowering circulating leptin, insulin, and IGF-1 -- through dietary intervention. Lowering oxidative stress can also control the hair loss factors stimulated by androgens. In general, I consider 5a-reductase inhibition something that should be considered in conjunction with several other interventions, if at all. And I never consider androgen suppression appropriate unless someone just needs to tone down an exorbitant dose of testosterone.

[inbrugge]

...AR concentration, increasing SHBG, and reducing androgen mimicking cytokines such as IL-6. All these things can be accomplished by lowering circulating leptin, insulin, and IGF-1 -- through dietary intervention. Lowering oxidative stress can also control the hair loss factors stimulated by androgens...

Care to elaborate on how to accomplish these through natural or medicative methods?

[EricPotratz]

Care to elaborate on how to accomplish these through natural or medicative methods?

Yes, but I'm not sure its something I can easily summarize in a few sentences. I'm publishing a book in early 2015 on this very topic, including about 1200 peer reviewed references to back up the protocol, but here is a bit of info...

In brief, hair loss can be prevented by lowering intake of oxidized fats/oils, proteins, and glycated carbohydrates; lower intake of insulinemic foods; lower intake of glycemic carbohydrates; increase intake of fermentable carbohydrates; increase intake of particular phytonutrients and antioxidants; etc., The "why" and the "how" are the parts that require a bit of explaining, but the important message is that androgen hypersensitivity (main issue with pattern baldness) comes way after nutrient deficiencies (i.e., imbalances), oxidative stress, intestinal dysbiosis, low-grade inflammation, etc. If these issues are corrected, the dysfunctional response to androgens will correct itself, and healthy hair can be grown without sacrificing androgens.

[RanDave]

Hi,
First of all would like to mention that Finasteride works. I take it for a short period of time and have already started noticing some results. As about the side effects, so it is all individual and some people may experience minor side effects, others do not. I think that many depends on our thoughts.
As about the price, so yes brand version of Finasteride is really expensive. I order its generic version (1 mg) from an online pharmacy and I’m happy with its quality and price.