34 and feeling ridiculous!

[spacepiston]

About a 2 years ago my sister-in-law (who happens to be my hairdresser) suggested that I look into hair products because my hair was thinning. I told her she was nuts and that my hair had always been thin compared to my brother.

I've kept my hair fairly short for the last 7 years and seeing my scalp is pretty common when it's short. Over the summer I missed a haircut and I noticed for the first time that I could see my scalp in one temple area where I was sure I had never seen it before.

One thing I know, you never worry about hair loss until you are losing it. In my case, it appears the loss is very gradual, but none the less the noticeable loss caused a change in priority for me. I quickly became very concerned about my future hair loss.

I always thought I would just take Propecia if I ever started losing hair, after all I had seen the advertisements on tv over the last decade. Some quick research revealed a rather bleak picture (in my opinion). I settled on Finasteride as the best option, as it actually appears to work, at the very least it stops loss. All the sexual side effects looked like b.s. to me, besides it's just a 2% chance and I have never had any side effects from any medication that I can think of.

So I scheduled a physical and had my doc write a script for Proscar 5mg as it was covered by my insurance while even generic Propecia 1mg was not! So I got 90 5mg tablets for a $30 co-pay! Much better than 90 tablets of 1mg Finasteride for over $230!

Obviously I cut the 5mg pill into quarters. Day 1 I had side effects. My groin felt like it was..puckering?? I can't quite describe it, but I considered it a positive as I 'felt' like the product was having some effect. As the days rolled by I started feeling more and more constant pain in my groin area. I figured it was my body getting used to the drug and so obviously I needed to tough it out.

Fast forward 3 weeks, no reduction in pain! But my hair feels thicker, looks better?? ARRRG!!! I decided to stop cold turkey, too many horror stories on the internet and most people say they have NO SIDE EFFECTS??? My nuts hurt! So does my prostate?? I never felt my prostate before but I'm sure it's what's sore in there!

So I go get my next haircut.. sister-in-law notices a difference, says it looks "much better in the temple areas" and "thicker overall". Now I'm a skeptical dude, I'm no sucker, but she was just re-affirming what I noticed myself! Yet I'm not supposed to see results for 6 months?

So I can't stop taking the stuff, because it seems to work, and I want to see the results at 6 months. I even took pictures when I started. I just took new pictures - it looks better.. noticeably better. It feels better, noticeably thicker. I compared the pictures (and I was careful to make sure the lighting, length, angle, combing, etc. was as close as possible). After a month I can see improvement!!!!!!! Heck I was hoping to just hold onto what I had but it really seems to work!

Now the reason I feel ridiculous: My wife says she doesn't care, doesn't notice any loss, thinks I'm killing myself by taking this stuff. Now I'm taking the smallest amount I possibly can, maybe 1/8th of the pill ever 2 to 3 days... side effects have greatly improved but I can still tell that I'm on the stuff, nothing is.."normal" down there. The whole thing about impotence and shrinking penis stuff seems like a joke though.. I have noticed none of that.... I think it might be psychological for many I don't know... I know that if your junk feels sore and numb that you probably aren't in the mood...

So I plan to keep taking the stuff in the smallest dose possible as I have read that very little still works.. I can feel the side effects taking such a small amount so it all jives in my book. I read this forum quite a few times (scared me a bit), but I felt like I should at least share my story. I consider myself someone who never needs medication and sees the doctor every 4-5 years for pointless checkups. I believe this is a powerful drug and I believe it works. I think the key is to start taking it as soon as you notice real hair loss. That was my biggest fear, that I would wait until I had lost enough hair that other people would notice, and that Finasteride would stop the loss but grow nothing back. Well.. based on initial results... it's a finasty ride, but I think it's worth it. If you're reading this and you're considering waiting until it gets worse.. I'd advise against it.. but know that side effects are probably much more prevalent than admitted. I know one thing, I would never put a topical product on my head, that's just my personality.. plus I have never seen a photo that supports the hassle.

[Notcoolanymore]

About a 2 years ago my sister-in-law (who happens to be my hairdresser) suggested that I look into hair products because my hair was thinning. I told her she was nuts and that my hair had always been thin compared to my brother.

I've kept my hair fairly short for the last 7 years and seeing my scalp is pretty common when it's short. Over the summer I missed a haircut and I noticed for the first time that I could see my scalp in one temple area where I was sure I had never seen it before.

One thing I know, you never worry about hair loss until you are losing it. In my case, it appears the loss is very gradual, but none the less the noticeable loss caused a change in priority for me. I quickly became very concerned about my future hair loss.

I always thought I would just take Propecia if I ever started losing hair, after all I had seen the advertisements on tv over the last decade. Some quick research revealed a rather bleak picture (in my opinion). I settled on Finasteride as the best option, as it actually appears to work, at the very least it stops loss. All the sexual side effects looked like b.s. to me, besides it's just a 2% chance and I have never had any side effects from any medication that I can think of.

So I scheduled a physical and had my doc write a script for Proscar 5mg as it was covered by my insurance while even generic Propecia 1mg was not! So I got 90 5mg tablets for a $30 co-pay! Much better than 90 tablets of 1mg Finasteride for over $230!

Obviously I cut the 5mg pill into quarters. Day 1 I had side effects. My groin felt like it was..puckering?? I can't quite describe it, but I considered it a positive as I 'felt' like the product was having some effect. As the days rolled by I started feeling more and more constant pain in my groin area. I figured it was my body getting used to the drug and so obviously I needed to tough it out.

Fast forward 3 weeks, no reduction in pain! But my hair feels thicker, looks better?? ARRRG!!! I decided to stop cold turkey, too many horror stories on the internet and most people say they have NO SIDE EFFECTS??? My nuts hurt! So does my prostate?? I never felt my prostate before but I'm sure it's what's sore in there!

So I go get my next haircut.. sister-in-law notices a difference, says it looks "much better in the temple areas" and "thicker overall". Now I'm a skeptical dude, I'm no sucker, but she was just re-affirming what I noticed myself! Yet I'm not supposed to see results for 6 months?

So I can't stop taking the stuff, because it seems to work, and I want to see the results at 6 months. I even took pictures when I started. I just took new pictures - it looks better.. noticeably better. It feels better, noticeably thicker. I compared the pictures (and I was careful to make sure the lighting, length, angle, combing, etc. was as close as possible). After a month I can see improvement!!!!!!! Heck I was hoping to just hold onto what I had but it really seems to work!

Now the reason I feel ridiculous: My wife says she doesn't care, doesn't notice any loss, thinks I'm killing myself by taking this stuff. Now I'm taking the smallest amount I possibly can, maybe 1/8th of the pill ever 2 to 3 days... side effects have greatly improved but I can still tell that I'm on the stuff, nothing is.."normal" down there. The whole thing about impotence and shrinking penis stuff seems like a joke though.. I have noticed none of that.... I think it might be psychological for many I don't know... I know that if your junk feels sore and numb that you probably aren't in the mood...

So I plan to keep taking the stuff in the smallest dose possible as I have read that very little still works.. I can feel the side effects taking such a small amount so it all jives in my book. I read this forum quite a few times (scared me a bit), but I felt like I should at least share my story. I consider myself someone who never needs medication and sees the doctor every 4-5 years for pointless checkups. I believe this is a powerful drug and I believe it works. I think the key is to start taking it as soon as you notice real hair loss. That was my biggest fear, that I would wait until I had lost enough hair that other people would notice, and that Finasteride would stop the loss but grow nothing back. Well.. based on initial results... it's a finasty ride, but I think it's worth it. If you're reading this and you're considering waiting until it gets worse.. I'd advise against it.. but know that side effects are probably much more prevalent than admitted. I know one thing, I would never put a topical product on my head, that's just my personality.. plus I have never seen a photo that supports the hassle.

Results after 3 weeks? I wouldn't say it's impossible, just unlikely. Hair doesn't grow that fast, does it. But who knows, you might be one of those great responders we always hear about. Sorry to hear about the sides. I had sides for the first couple of months. Mild ball ache here and there. I have not felt any pain in a long time. Not sure how much pain you are in, but if it gets too bad, I would stop taking it.

[win200]

Results after 3 weeks? I wouldn't say it's impossible, just unlikely. Hair doesn't grow that fast, does it. But who knows, you might be one of those great responders we always hear about. Sorry to hear about the sides. I had sides for the first couple of months. Mild ball ache here and there. I have not felt any pain in a long time. Not sure how much pain you are in, but if it gets too bad, I would stop taking it.

I had minor ball ache for about a week, week and a half. Just from anecdotes online, it seems like this is a very common side effect at the outset of finasteride use.

[spacepiston]

I started taking it 10/21/13. I reduced my dosage from 1.25mg a day to every 2/3 days around 11/8/13. My side effects seem to be going away which is a welcome change. Like I said, I didn't expect any results in the first 3-4 weeks but I'm wondering if strong side effects=strong results?? Either way I'm not missing enough hair for anyone but myself to notice, though the pictures I took suggest that it is indeed working. I'll try and post them soon to see what you think

[spacepiston]

THEN


NOW

[jetfly]

Wow, some months on minoxidil and it fill up the temple, easily!

[spacepiston]

Testicular pain subsiding w/ lower dose but now I have pain in my rectal area? I can't believe I'm even mentioning this online.. I also have a difference in how things feel prior/during urination. Sometimes I have a sensation of burning.........I read that someone else had that issue.. aack, fml.

[Notcoolanymore]

Pain in the rectum and burning while urinating? A little off topic, but how is your dating life. You haven't been with any loose women(sorry) lately have you. Maybe you unfortunately contracted an STD. Which come to think of it isn't exactly bad news. It must mean somebody thinks your hair looks great.