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Can't convince myself to get on finasteride
I can't shake the fears that messing with my body's chemistry is worth it for hair loss, but I want to do more, while avoiding snake oil. I feel like the literature on the subject is inconclusive, studies investigating it like this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481923/
Seem to imply that side effects are overblown, but then at the end basically turns around and says that their findings aren't consistent with other studies, and that more research is required.
Then of course there are forums like these where of course its more likely to run into people with negative impacts, many reporting side effects in the short and long term, and even occasionally running into people who claim they've suffered from persistent side effects even after discontinuing the drug. I could never forgive myself if I ran into any long term issues.
For me, I feel like my hormones have always felt a little off, I had some what I think was gynecomastia during puberty, including sore, inflamed breasts and even some lactation (which resulted in poor posture for me in middle school, in an attempt to hide them), and a lower than average sex drive during those years (I think that's more than recovered), but since then I've seemed to develop facial/body hair faster and now, hair loss faster than my several years older brothers, which is confusing, as the former seems to imply heightened estrogen during puberty, and now heightened testosterone. Because of this, I feel I should be extra careful with hormones. This would be something to consult a doc about.
Long story short, given my concerns, is there other good literature out there on finasteride you could point me to? Since I'm so apprehensive, should I just avoid it? I should still be fairly attractive and I hate all the constant worrying that comes with the fight for hair loss. I'm worried about asking for personal opinions because I imagine whatever is said will just reflect your own experience with the drug, and not the greater whole of the risks.
For reference, my "regiment":
1% Keto - Regenepure - 3x a week, upping that to most days as regenpure seems very mild in comparison to nizoral, and feels great whenever I do it. Any instance of a MPB itch is all but gone. Still appear to be shedding but that could just be buildup from waiting a few days to get a good wash in. 3.5 months.
Dermarolling - 1.5mm, 540 needles, once every 3-4 weeks. Have spotted vellus growth and even some longer hairs under the thin hair at temples but am unsure if its new or business as usual. 2.5 months
Daily vitamins - 1 month.
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I'm tempted to start trying topicals like Spiro Cream or RU, to lower DHT on the scalp instead of systemically, but am worried I'll be spending money and time for pitiful results.
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Get blood tests. If all is well proceed with low dose of fin if you are comfortable with that and actually want a shot at saving your hair.
RU performs on par with fin. Don't waste your time with topical spiro.
The chances of persistent sides are extremely small with fin. If you have an underlying condition though It would be something you want to consider more carefully.
Hormone panel bro, asap!
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Senior Member
“To date, there is no evidence-based data substantiating the link between finasteride and persistent sexual side effects in the numerous double blinded, placebo controlled studies using finasteride 1 mg for hairloss. Reports of persistent sexual side effects have come from a variety of sources with some internet sites attracting individuals claiming to have sexual and psychological issues related to finasteride. While continued difficulty having erections after discontinuing finasteride has been reported in post-marketing surveillance the incidence of this problem remains unknown.This rare side effect is included in Merck's patient product information in the United States, and in Public Assessment Reports of the Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom and the Medical Products Agency of Sweden.
The persistence of sexual side effects appears to be a rare event, and it has yet to be determined whether these recent reports represent a true causal relationship, or if they are simply coincidental and related to other factors such as the high incidence of sexual dysfunction in the general population, and/or the placebo effect. Also, little data is available concerning the medical and psychological work-up of these patients to exclude other potential causative factors.
Think this pretty much sums it up.
Good luck to you, it certainly works for me.
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In a few years there might be safe effective options to keep hair through topical AA although its never for sure. So I think waiting is a perfectly valid option for many men if its slow and not bad yet.
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Originally Posted by awesome1
I'm tempted to start trying topicals like Spiro Cream or RU, to lower DHT on the scalp instead of systemically, but am worried I'll be spending money and time for pitiful results.
Spiro and RU can affect the body in even more ways than fin can, even topically. Also, long term usage is unknown for hairloss.
If you are willing to try them before fin, then honestly you are severely misinformed on these drugs, or just looking at the wrong stuff. Most people use things like that when they either tried fin/dut and got sides or didn't get results from fin/dut, but in either case they want to try their luck with another drug.
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Senior Member
Look at yourself in the mirror and imagine yourself without hair. If you think you will look good, then forget about treatments. Enjoy your hair for as long as you have it. When you lose too much of it, shave and move on with your life. If you don't like what you would look like without hair, then that should be enough to convince you to save your hair.
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If u are in doubt then don't take it . This applies for everything ru, Minox , etc
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Originally Posted by Notcoolanymore
Look at yourself in the mirror and imagine yourself without hair. If you think you will look good, then forget about treatments. Enjoy your hair for as long as you have it. When you lose too much of it, shave and move on with your life. If you don't like what you would look like without hair, then that should be enough to convince you to save your hair.
Fair comment. But looking in the mirror and seeing gynaecomastia doesn't appeal either.
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Senior Member
Originally Posted by Jcm800
Fair comment. But looking in the mirror and seeing gynaecomastia doesn't appeal either.
The potential fin sides are definitely something that need to be considered. I researched them and decided to take the risk. Everybody considering fin should understand the risk of potential sides and decide for themselves.
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