starting my regimen, want your opinions! w/ PICS

[notat24]

Hi everyone, just starting my fight against MPB, I'm 24. So I have been creeping a number of forums, doing an insane amount of google searches, and I have narrowed it down to 3 things I am for sure going to use. And a short lists of others that I am considering. I would appreciate some insight from people who have used any of these products.

FOR SURE
-Minoxdil 5% foam
-Nizoral Shampoo (can anyone recommend a good brand?)
-RU58841 (still need to figure out how to get everclear here in the USA, any substitutes?)

THINKING ABOUT
-Saw Palmetto (low doses)
-Finasteride (again lower than advised dose, any advice on what dose to take?)
-Black Currant Oil (orally 500mg per day)

Also I am very curious about natural supplements to strengthen hair, please recommend me some!


About the saw palmetto and finasteride, I have been thinking it might not be so bad to have a reduction in testosterone, because I am extremely sex driven. I worry at times and think I could have a sexual addiction, I have a hard time focusing on important things and think about sex really often. So being less horny, almost sounds appealing to me. But being sexually incapacitated would be my worst nightmare. I think if I want to reduce testosterone, I would prefer the SP because it is a natural. Only other thing is I do have a bit of a predisposition to being depressed, I've heard that depression can be a side to finasteride. Thoughts???

Thanks in advance

[Inspired to achieve]

Dude,

My opinion is ditch the RU58841 (kitchen sink approach will get you NO where)
also hold off on the Minoxdil 5% foam for 12 months until you've given Fin a chance to work.

As for shampoo try/research Regenepure Dr. (It's good stuff and doesn't contain nasty sodium laureth sulfate like Nizoral shampoo.

Sulfates = BAD news for hair.

Save your cash with hippy approach - Fin has the data and results.

I'm 3 months in and it's looking good.

(i wish someone had told me this 3 years ago - Good luck man)

[notat24]

Thanks for the reply,

Why would you say to hold off on the minoxidil? Seems like the standard to go with, even if I did use fin, why wouldn't I use minoxidil too?

Also, I have heard some awesome things about RU, an insane amount of people on forums & youtube swearing it works.

Also I wouldn't say the saw palmetto and black currant thing is necessarily hippie stuff, you know regenpure has saw palmetto as one of it's ingredients right? And I do believe that vitamins, anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids do improve general health over all, and a healthy body, in my opinion, can translate to healthy hair. Maybe I would be more likely to keep the hair that does regrow from fin, minoxidil, regenpure, and ru. And if not, being healthier from them doesn't bother me.

[Dan26]

Where are you going to order your RU from?

[notat24]

i sent you a pm

[Tracy C]

Why would you say to hold off on the minoxidil? Seems like the standard to go with, even if I did use fin, why wouldn't I use minoxidil too?

Many people feel it is best to wait until you know one medication is working before adding another to your regimen. I personally do not always agree with that but I do understand why.

Also, I have heard some awesome things about RU, an insane amount of people on forums & youtube swearing it works.

I have also seen and read many many posts from guys who will swear on a big stack of Bibles that RU is working wonders for them - but none of them provide any real proof. If fact most of the photos are of too poor quality to be able to see anything significant. The few photos I have seen that are anything close to good quality are from guys who do not actually MPB - and their before and after pics look exactly the same. Such photos do not meet the necessary metrics required to qualify as proof.

The quality of the photos you have provided is bad but I can see that you actually do have MPB. Since you actually do have MPB, stick with meds that are actually proven to treat it.



If you are going to go with some hippie stuff, get a good quality saw palmetto complex. Don't waste your money on that other stuff.

Since you should only use Nizoral once a week, your exposure to the sulfates in it is insignificant. The unreasonably high cost of Regenepure is not justifiable.

[Inspired to achieve]

Bearing in mind this is only my personal opinion: Do what you think feels right..

I suggested holding off on Minoxidil because if you use both Fin & Min how will you determine which it's actually treating the hair loss better without possibly going backwards first. You would have to commit to the two for the period in which you wanted to maintain your hair.

Apologies for the "hippy treatment" call & i agree with what you said about clean eating/balanced diet and daily exercise benefiting hair health & overall health for that matter.

Best of luck!

[25 going on 65]

My opinion is that unless you are ready to start finasteride for certain, I would not waste time or money with a regimen at all.
Good luck.

[mattj]

A hippy/Big Pharma combo approach won't harm, but I'd put my money on Big Pharma delivering the real results.

What evidence convinced you that RU is worth a shot?

[notat24]

Thanks for all the replies and wishes of good luck!

About what evidence is convincing me that RU works. It is simply the many threads and numerous hairloss forums of people reporting their results. I think these forums are pretty subjective, and they have always backed up the things that work, for example, most all threads I have encountered support that minoxidil, fin, and ketoconazole work. And these aren't doctors reporting this, it is normal people, so why should I not believe these same people when they say that RU works? I am ok with taking a leap of faith, especially when it comes to fighting my hairloss.

Uh... I really don't get the advice about not starting a regimen unless I use fin... Thanks but, no thanks 25 going on 65. I will try all of the things I mentioned. Fin scares me, a lot of people saying bad sides, and if I do fin, as I said in my OP, I would use lower than prescribed doses, and I think alone that wouldn't be enough.

As for the Nizoral, I ended up buying regenepure, it is really expensive, so I might consider switching later on. And about the sulfates in the shampoo, I noticed that my normal shampoo also has sulfates, so maybe it is a good idea to stick to regenepure to give my scalp a break from them ever couple days?

Also anyone have a cheaper source other than amazon for regenepure?

[25 going on 65]

Uh... I really don't get the advice about not starting a regimen unless I use fin... Thanks but, no thanks 25 going on 65. I will try all of the things I mentioned. Fin scares me, a lot of people saying bad sides, and if I do fin, as I said in my OP, I would use lower than prescribed doses, and I think alone that wouldn't be enough.

My opinion was mostly based on the assumption you want to stop losing your hair
Also if the established safety profile of fin scares you, you should not even consider using experimental/alternative treatments. (Forum anecdotes should have the least weight in your research by far.)
Good luck with whatever you decide. If you pass on fin, minoxidil and ketoconazole can probably buy you some time.

[Dan26]

The difference between fin and some of the experimental stuff is there is a small amount of evidence suggesting fin could **** your shit up for a long time, whereas we are not sure with the experimental stuff lol.....

[Tracy C]

...whereas we are not sure with the experimental stuff lol.....

It baffles and amazes me that these guys are not more scared of the uncertainty of the experimental stuff than they are about the rare possibly from the stuff that is proven to work. Totally amazing.

[Tracy C]

About what evidence is convincing me that RU works. It is simply the many threads and numerous hairloss forums of people reporting their results.

This does not qualify as evidence.

Uh... I really don't get the advice about not starting a regimen unless I use fin...

This is because if you are unable or unwilling to take the medication that is proven to stop hereditary hair loss in males, anything else you do to treat it is going to be such an uphill battle that it is almost pointless to bother trying.

As for the Nizoral, I ended up buying regenepure, it is really expensive, so I might consider switching later on. And about the sulfates in the shampoo, I noticed that my normal shampoo also has sulfates, so maybe it is a good idea to stick to regenepure to give my scalp a break from them ever couple days?

It would be best to replace your regular shampoo and conditioner with sulfate free shampoo and conditioner - or a 2-n-1. Aveeno makes an excellent sulfate free shampoo, conditioner - and a 2-n-1 for you guys who don't want to fuss with using two separate products.

Regenepure is unjustifiably expensive no matter where you buy it. I would only use it if it were the only shampoo available on the market that had Ketoconazole in it. If you only use Nizoral once per week, as you should, your exposure to the sulfates in it is insignificant.

[Dan26]

It baffles and amazes me that these guys are not more scared of the uncertainty of the experimental stuff than they are about the rare possibly from the stuff that is proven to work. Totally amazing.

Again, you are not being specific whatsoever. What do you think is more harmful, a topical anti-androgen with with an excellent safety profile, virtually no systematic absorption, and currently in clinical trials (CB), or an internal medication that inhibits an enzyme that produces an important male hormone?

You are missing the point though. Even when finasteride was not approved for hairloss, people out there were willing to try it. If you study some of the experimental products available, there is no reason/evidence to suggest extreme adverse sides.

Feel free to specify which experimental products you have problems with.