Taking the plunge, started taking fin from today

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Good luck with that. Try to think of it as a vitamin.

[Difthin]

Good luck with that. Try to think of it as a vitamin.

Hi Glenn,

Thanks for taking the time to respond, appreciate it.

With 'think of it as a vitamine' I assume that you mean that 'the itch' is a coincidence/psychosomatic more than a side related to fin in your opinion?

Short update:

Have now used .6mg fin EOD for 11 days. Besides having an almost constant itch for the past week, I do not have any other sides that are noticable, if the itch was related to fin anyway, I think it is but am not sure of course. So far so good.

Have added regenepure to the regime for the first time today and the itch has subsided! My hair does feel kind of dry but not too bad and not that different from other shampoos. My hair looks pretty full so in that sense regenepure might be working for me as well.

Have also decided to take better baseline pictures and will update those next update. If any one could explain or point me to a discussion on how to take decent baseline pics that would be grand.

Although I feel that I am not taking a sufficient dose of fin with regard to the halftime (.6mg EOD) I have now definitely decided to stick with the low dose for a month, or 19 more days. I wanted to switch to .6 ED because of the itch which seemed to be worse on the days that I didnt take fin. But Im going to stick to it because I hope my body will better cope with the higher dose next month. Fingers crossed, will update soon. Cheers and good luck ALL!

[Difthin]

Just a short update as there is not too much to tell.

From today on Im taking .6mg ED instead of EOD. No sides, except that maybe my balls are a little sensitive. In other words, no reason to quit. I do suspect that fin causes me to have an itchy scalp, but with keto shampoo that is very easy to control.

I dont think Im shedding, which is perhaps not a good sign, but it's also very early in the game for me. Photos did not show any notable difference so no need to post them. If there is more to report I will do so.

Good luck all my bold brothers and keep the faith!

[capitan]

Just my opinion:

You should really be taking the approved dose for hair loss, which is 1mg.

All the studies on Finasteride's efficacy have been done with this dose, where 90% maintained or regrew hair.

Yeah, I know there are some studies showing that smaller doses reduce just as much DHT, but I wouldn't trust those. Did they evaluate its long term affect on the patients hair?

Even then, some people have taken smaller doses, took some tests, and realized that the smaller doses were barely affecting their DHT. I think one of them is a member of this site.

Bottom line, I've talked about this with a dermatologist, urologist and endocrinologist. They all recommended I take the approved dose, the dose which helped so many men retain hair, the dose which has been consistently trialed again and again. Go figure.

Maybe you should do the same.

[Difthin]

Just my opinion:

You should really be taking the approved dose for hair loss, which is 1mg.

All the studies on Finasteride's efficacy have been done with this dose, where 90% maintained or regrew hair.

Yeah, I know there are some studies showing that smaller doses reduce just as much DHT, but I wouldn't trust those. Did they evaluate its long term affect on the patients hair?

Even then, some people have taken smaller doses, took some tests, and realized that the smaller doses were barely affecting their DHT. I think one of them is a member of this site.

Bottom line, I've talked about this with a dermatologist, urologist and endocrinologist. They all recommended I take the approved dose, the dose which helped so many men retain hair, the dose which has been consistently trialed again and again. Go figure.

Maybe you should do the same.

Thanks for your reply. Ive been contemplating the same for about a week now. With your added opinion I am even more sure that I should...so Ive decided to take 1mg every day instead of the .6mg. Will update if there is anything to report with this new regimen, if not, Ill report back in a month from now.

[Difthin]

Two month update!

short recap: I started out taking .6mg fin EOD to get my body used to the drug. I also take multivits ED. After two weeks I added keto shampoo to the regeimen (regenepure, EOD).

After one month I decided, after some contemplation, that it would be best to just take the recommended dose of 1mg fin a day (I was planning on taking .6 mg fin ED for a month as well but I skipped that). I havent skipped a single dose of fin or anything else, kinda 'religious' in that aspect.

Last two weeks I have added biotin, MSM, and omega 3 to the regimen.

So I did have some sides. I was unaware that fin could cause depression, but after about 4 weeks I started to feel really depressed feelings, not like I used to, more severe than normal (I am sensitive to depression). I also had less sperm, and less firm erections and some pain in my balls. I deided to wait at least two weeks before I would call it quits with the fin. Luckily, sides stopped after about one week. At this moment I have no sides at all, ie no depression and NO DICK PROBLEMS! Very happy about that.

First weeks I also had a severe itch, which I usually dont have. With keto shampoo added to the regimen I have been itch free however for I guess six weeks or so.

One issue is that I dont seem to be to be shedding, which is kind of a disappointment because I know that a shedding probably means that you are a good responder. However, I am only taking the recommended dose of fin now for 4 weeks, so who knows what might come.

A positive point is that, since I have started my hair regimen, is that I am taking much better care for myself. I am more aware now that I should take good care of myself. I have visited the dentist (long overdue), teeth hygienist (dont know the word in english), and am taking good care of my skin etc. In other words, starting the hair regimen has made take better care for myslef, which is very positive in my opinion.

To conclude, sides were there but subsided. I am taking better care for myself. Not shedding yet, but might in another month or so. Pretty satisfied with the hair (I even think I am thickening a little but thats probably just my imagination after only 2 months). I have also posted some photos, some with dry hair, some soaking wet, all with the harshest lighting possible:

http://imgur.com/a/B4GXA

All best!

Edit: I havent added minox yet. I am really on the fence about it. On the one hand, it could grow more hairs, or at least make the hair thicker. On the other hand, the application and long soak in time, possible aging of the skin, sever dependence on minox are pretty shitty aspects. So far, I just want to see what fin does for me in a year. Let me know if you think that is a bad decision and also if you agree with my train of thought please

[redy]

Hey man, looked through your posts and pics:
I'd say add rogaine to your list - rogaine and fin together can get some pretty good regrowth - I'm doing it and I'm hoping for that to happen to me!

Just my opinion, also, but:
You have a pretty decent hairline/coverage but very low density - maybe consider shaving it down at least with a buzzer to a 1 guard or so, and then keeping a well kept beard/stubble look - I noticed you had one.

[Difthin]

Hey man, looked through your posts and pics:
I'd say add rogaine to your list - rogaine and fin together can get some pretty good regrowth - I'm doing it and I'm hoping for that to happen to me!

Just my opinion, also, but:
You have a pretty decent hairline/coverage but very low density - maybe consider shaving it down at least with a buzzer to a 1 guard or so, and then keeping a well kept beard/stubble look - I noticed you had one.

Thanks for the reply. I actually have decent coverage when I style my hair, so am not at the point that I need to shave. Might post a pic with how I look 'normally' soon. I also look pretty ugly when buzzed, got a 'long' face, so that kind of sucks as well. But yeah, when coverage starts to dwindle significantly more and I am not a good responder to fin etc I will definitely get rid of it all

[Norwoody Harrelson]

Personally, I would not hop on the minox as I don't think that you need it. Besides, it is a mess to work with and an added chemical to your regime. Keep taking the 1mg of fin and apply a diet rich in greens and high in protein and essential fats.

[Difthin]

Personally, I would not hop on the minox as I don't think that you need it. Besides, it is a mess to work with and an added chemical to your regime. Keep taking the 1mg of fin and apply a diet rich in greens and high in protein and essential fats.

thanks for the advice, appreciate it!

Heres some pics of me with dry an styled hair, not really the greatest pics to judge my hair because of friendly lighting but still, you can see that I still have quite some coverage, at least I think :S