Newcomer, possibly dealing with MPB?

[dex89]

Hey typicallyconcerned, I saw that your balls have been hurting. Lol. Sorry to hear that. Mine hurt a little bit too. I just took the first pill about 5 hours ago and they started hurting after about 2 hours. They hurt a lot for like 5-10 minutes, but now they only hurt a little bit. Did the pain increase as you continued? I'm going to take it for a few more days and see how I feel. I only took .5 today btw, and I plan on sticking with that dose for now

I also had testicle pain during the first couple of months but it only occur about 5 times a month. Just stick threw it, the pain will go away like it did to mine.

[typicallyconcerned]

Hey man umm mine actually hurt for several days after actually stopping the med (I took 2 doses then stopped b/c of ball ache). I'm probably restarting soon... umm from what I hear this is fairly common. However if you want peace of mind the best thing to do is bring all of your questions to a doctor. The people on this forum are great and they share their experience but it comes down to needing professional opinion. Best of luck!

[whereswaldo]

My balls don't hurt at all today. I will keep y'all updated if any side effects occur and when I start to notice results.

[whereswaldo]

It's been a little over a month now, and I said I would keep you guys updated with my progress. I am still shedding a lot of hair, and the shedding has definitely increased since starting finasteride. However, I have read that this is not unusual. For the first couple of weeks I was unable to achieve a full erection, relative to before starting finasteride. That side effect has thankfully subsided completely, as well as the testicular pain. I do have a decreased libido, but I can still achieve a full erection no problem when I'm close to my woman of interest, and my libido does seem to be creeping back to normal. I have noticed that I have breakouts on my face more often now, but I think that has more to do with the winter weather over-drying my skin. With that being said, I will continue to check in every month or so, or whenever I notice shedding cycles etc.

So, I have a few of questions because I seem to be finding a lot of mixed answers on the net: Will the hair I'm shedding now grow back? How long will it take to notice regrowth? How long will this shedding last? Answering with general statistics or your own personal experience with these issues would be awesome! Thanks!

[whereswaldo]

Sorry for the double post, but I was also wondering what I would be classified as under the NW scale.

[BigThinker]

Sorry for the double post, but I was also wondering what I would be classified as under the NW scale.

So your derm prescribed 5mg fin to be cut inter quarters as well? That's the second time I've seen that from a member of this site. What a cool dermatologist! My derm is pretty cool too, I'm hoping she will allow me to cut 5mg pills when I express my concern with the cost of 1mg pills

As for NW scale, I'd say NW2 maybe? I wouldn't get too tied up in what NW you are. You could get a variety of answers from members of this site. Worry about the quality of your hair, and take pictures periodically of your hair in the same light, at the same length, brushed the same way to gauge your progress (or lack thereof - I hope it's not that latter!)

1 more month till my derm appt. I might clip my hair while I have it and still take fin so I can keep my speckles of hair on the dome.

Best regards, homeboy!

[whereswaldo]

Hey guys! So I kind of forgot to post on here for the past few months! Lol!

I've actually forgotten all about the hair loss until just recently. Let me catch the thread up on my progress. Here I am starting month 5:

I experienced a steady heavy shed for probably the first 2.5~3 months of starting finasteride. At around month 3 through month 4, the shedding declined a lot. I would notice maybe 10 or 20 hairs in the tub, which is what I would just consider normal compared to the 100s I would have to clean out before. The little bald spot on the back of my head has grown in now, and my libido has returned to normal. I experienced a little bouts of depressions here and there for the first couple of months, but I don't feel any of those chemical depressions lately. Things seemed to really gel for those months (3&4.) I think my body has adjusted and moved past those types of side effects that are unrelated to my hair. However, within the last couple of weeks, I've started shedding a shit ton of hair out of nowhere! The tub is full again after I shower! It shocks me because I guess I was spoiled for those months of little shed. Lol.

Also, I haven't been paying attention to my hair-loss as much because I'm wearing it a bit longer right now, so this sudden shedding caught my attention! I lifted up my bangs to check out my hairline, and I realized that my hair has receded quite a bit since the start of taking fin! My crown hair is nice a thick now, but I can see hair thinning in the front and temples and it looks like it might leave me at a NW III in just a couple of months (or weeks) at this rate.

I've read that fin destroys some people's hairlines. I just don't know if the hair will grow back from whatever I lose. I don't understand why the bald spot on my crown has been filled in, yet my hairline is falling apart. Has anyone had any experience with this? If so, did your hairline grow back after you lost it? Does anyone know how I can predict when the hairline is going to stop this aggressive receding? You know, like I can see the pattern of where my hair is thinner on my hairline. I'm not sure if it's going to actually thin out or grow thicker. -_- Such a stupid thing to have to worry about. I forgot I was even worried about this until all my hair started falling out again, haha.

I do believe the finasteride is working because it accelerated my shedding and then stopped it, unless these are just completely typical "hair-loss" shed cycles. It would be a bummer if it just destroyed my hairline and left me looking like my father at age 21. Lol . Anyway, I have a scheduled appointment with my dermatologist next month, but I think I'm going to move it up so I can get her opinion on it. I just thought I would see if you guys had any insight. I still have faith, and I'm not freaking out or anything yet haha. I'll post some pictures tomorrow, but for now it's night and I can't take any pictures with the same lighting as before.

Alright thanks guys! Let me know if you have any questions. I appreciate your help a lot!

P.S>Sorry if any of this sounds like gibberish. I'm terribly sleep deprived right now. Goodnight!

[whereswaldo]

Also if it helps to know, I believe that the hair is miniaturizing on my hairline, but I am shedding all over, including the minis of course