Questions about Ketoconazole, TRT, and propecia.

[FrankieRed]

Hello all. I am brand new to the site and think it's great that there is a safe place where people can touch base and stay informed about a tender topic like hair loss.

My name is Frankie. I am 45, and began taking testosterone replacement therapy from my doctor at age 40 because I had low testosterone. Over a three year period I noticed a tiny bit of hair loss, in the hairline and the crown, probably because the TRT raised my DHT to 3 times the normal amount. But still, I didn't lose that much. No one else noticed but me. ...Anyway, I read about a DHT blocking shampoo with Ketoconazole in it named Revita. I tried that and lipogaine with azelic acid in the hopes of stopping future hair loss. ...What happened was I had two to three weeks of heavy shedding where I was losing literally hundreds of hairs per day whereas before I was not. ...So I got scared and stopped the lipogaine, the Revita, and the testosterone altogether. That was 2 years ago and my hair still hasn't grown back. To this day I can see through my hair in the sunlight when before I started the revita and lipogaine I could not, and it's as if I permanently lost 1 out of every 7 or 8 hairs on the top of my head. Needless to say I was traumatized and confused. (I know shedding can occur from using those products, but shouldn't the hair have come back by now at least? Well, it hasn't. Not even thinner ones.

My questions are:

1) Has anyone used Revita with Ketoconazole before with success?

2) Doesn't that seem odd that something that is supposed to grow hair, or keep hair on your head actually causes you to lose it? Should I have stuck with it until the shedding stopped?

3) has anyone out there taken Propecia while on Testosterone replacement therapy? I will have to go back on TRT for health reasons because of my low testosterone. My thinking is as long as I keep my DHT low enough with the use of propecia I can still get the benefits of TRT without losing anymore hair, or at least slow it down.

Please feel free to comment. I could use some advice.

[Rizaan]

I use Ketoconazole, I lost a lot of my hair too in the first few weeks, but I thought that was because of the minoxidil, and now after reading your post, I'm more worried than before. Since the thinning, I haven't observed any new hair(been using since one and a half months) at the front of my head in spite of using minoxidil there as well as on my temples. I still continue using the shampoo every 2 days a week and the hair loss has reduced a lot. I think I'll continue using it as well as minoxidil on my thinned area and see what happens.

[FrankieRed]

Rizaan, thank you for commenting. I think you are correct and give you props for continuing the use of both keto and minoxidil. I was told it takes at least 3 months for the hairs that fell out to recycle, and it might even take as much as six months to see the full effect of the regrowth. Everything I have read said that if your hair sheds it only means it is working. Stick with it. Chances are you will be happy with the results in a few weeks. ...I got too scared and stopped, thinking that at least what fell out would have grew back. Maybe i will take another crack at it in the future, but for now i am too scared to give it another go. Please keep me posted as to your results. I hope your success will give me the courage to try again.

[FrankieRed]

Anyone else out there have any ketoconazole or minoxidil success stories after shedding? please feel free to respond.

[Rizaan]

Rizaan, thank you for commenting. I think you are correct and give you props for continuing the use of both keto and minoxidil. I was told it takes at least 3 months for the hairs that fell out to recycle, and it might even take as much as six months to see the full effect of the regrowth. Everything I have read said that if your hair sheds it only means it is working. Stick with it. Chances are you will be happy with the results in a few weeks. ...I got too scared and stopped, thinking that at least what fell out would have grew back. Maybe i will take another crack at it in the future, but for now i am too scared to give it another go. Please keep me posted as to your results. I hope your success will give me the courage to try again.

I'm sorry, I think I was a bit confused, I tried remembering when I started losing more hair, and it didn't start with ketocanazole.
I started using minoxidil 1 and a half months ago, noticed thinning of my hair on the front, visited a doctor after a month of using minoxidil, and then she prescribed me with the shampoo. Although I had been taking vitamin tablets too, I think my overall hairfall reduced because of ketocanazole.
But just yesterday, I realized I was suffering from erectile dysfuntion and reduced libido,and now I conclude these are side effects of ketocanazole and not minoxidil, after searching it on google too.

[Rizaan]

Btw, you should check for tiny hairs using a flashlight after wetting the bald area, and if you apply minoxidil, you might see good results in time. For the overall hairfall, have you consulted your doctor regarding it?

Wait, I think I know what caused your hairfall. Ketocanazole works by reducing testosterone synthesis in the testis, that would reduce whatever testosterone your own body produces. But by using TRT, you increased testosterone and hence DHT, causing hairfall. So, you wont observe any effects from the shampoo unless you stop the testosteronereplacement therapy.

[FrankieRed]

Just curious. What would you do in my situation? Would you start up the Keto again if you were me? ...I'm pissed because maybe I stopped too soon and didn't let the keto do its thing.

[FrankieRed]

Actually, my hormone doctor, Dr. Shippen, a pretty well known TRT dr. told me to use dht blocking shampoos while on TRT. I honestly think I would have had success if I kept it going and stuck it out the three months like i was supposed to. i only stopped because I thought my existing hair would grow back. Right now I'm in limbo afraid to make a move. I'm off TRT right now as well. ...I'm seeing a derm after the new year and see what he says. Also looking for a general consensus here on the threads whether to give it another go.

[Rizaan]

That depends on whether you prefer a healthy sex life, or getting back your hair.
If its the hair, then I'd either stop the TRT and keep using keto OR I'd find another shampoo for hairfall, that doesn't work based on testosterone.

[Rizaan]

Keto is absorbed by the body, goes in the bloodstream and reduces testosterone production in the testis. DHT is produced later from testosterone, so your doctor is right. I don't know much about all this other than what I said, but you could try finding a DHT blocking shampoo instead of keto.

[FrankieRed]

I think keto is a dht blocking shampoo. ...I'd also like to find out if I can in fact take testosterone and propecia at the same time. On test my DHT was 3 times the normal amount. My thinking is if the propecia can drop it down to at least normal, I might be able to run test and propecia at the same time. I will ask doc.

[Rizaan]

Okay, so ketoconazole blocks DHT as well as testosterone production... I wonder how it is supposed to work with TRT.
Propecia causes way more damage(health) than benefits(hair), you can read many threads posted on these forums from people who used it, many of them still haven't recovered from its side effects after years, but you should ask your doctor.

[FrankieRed]

I understand the sides from Propecia, however, I am hypogonodal anyway. Meaning I have low T, so administering testosterone is what has to be done, regardless. No harm in introducing Propecia at that point because it lowers DHT. I am already administering Arimidex for high levels of estrogen, so, and so it goes. ...This is my feeling. But I will get expert opinions before i go full monty.

[Rizaan]

Yeah, in that case it might be better to use propecia as it is known to be more effective than minoxidil.

[Rizaan]

If I may ask, what caused your low testosterone and high estrogen synthesis?