Been on Finasteride for 9 years, Shedding again

[GoingBald34]

Hello everyone,

I was 25 when I first noticed my crown thinning. Prior to that, I had some temple recession but was still considered a NW0 after seeing a (Hair Transplant surgeon) to see about possibly fixing the temple. The cause of the thinning crown was due to a fungal infection, which made me shed hundreds of hairs daily. My dermatologist put me on proscar (1/4 daily 1.25 mg) since i have a family history of baldness and I have been taking it for the past 9 years. It seemed to have worked fine stabilizing the crown, possible minor regrowth too, my vertex was always thick but I havn’t noticed losing any ground there either... however I progressed to a NW1 -NW1.5 since then. It did not completely prevent my hairline from receding as my left temple is slightly worse than the right. Im 34 years old now, a married father but this still bothers me.

I will admit that I have been severely depressed and stressed out this past summer due to quitting my job, but sitting at home made me stress more about my receding hairline as well.

I went out and bought Rogaine foam and applied just a single time, but the stories about the shed made me discontinue after 1 use. I also didn’t like the idea of having to apply it twice daily. Now 2 weeks later, Im shedding more hair in the shower. Today I noticed over 50-100 hairs in the shower, combing, etc.. and I’m freaking out. These hairs are thick, not necessarily the weaker hairs. Typically I would notice this amount if I shampooed my hair after 3-5 days but I just washed it yesterday.

Is it normal to shed after being on finasteride for 9 years? Could the single application of Rogaine foam trigger this shed and if so, will that hair grow back? Is finasteride starting to become ineffective? I’m seriously starting to lose hope and thinking about just shaving my head. Hair loss sucks, I took having hair for granted for the first 25 years of my life..now it’s all I think about.

[mrclean]

Yes fin loses its effectiveness after a while. One application of rogaine foam will not do anything. You could try avodart and rogaine liquid and just apply at night, I use the Equate brand from walmart. Just want to keep as much as you can until a better treatment comes along.

[GoingBald34]

Thanks for the reply. How would I get a prescription for Dutasteride? I doubt my dermatologist would prescribe that. The HT specialist I saw said he doesn’t recommend that, and advised to stay on Finasteride.

[HairGuru]

Hey sounds like finesteride is still working as people have maintained hair on finesteride after 22 years and 15 years.

I would guess your stress and the fact you applied minoxidil and stopped would also cause more shedding.

My advice get some hair oils and ketaconazole shampoo. You could also consider adding topical finesteride to target he weak areas.

I use divine herbal oils and 15% topical minoxidil with added finesteride aswell as taking internal every other day.

[GoingBald34]

Thanks so much for the reply. I feel like the stress and depression is just making it worse for me, because I feel like it can accelerate rapidly at any moment. I felt like this 9 years ago before and ended up shaving my head bald thinking I would be a NW6 or 7 overnight, but here we are 9 years later and finasteride slowed down the loss to a NW1.5. That feeling is slowly creeping back once you notice an obvious change when styling your hair the exact same way for 9 years. Im certainly ruining my marriage life as well. A part of me wants to accept the inevitable and throw in the towel, but losing my identity is a terrifying thought. This goes to show you, hair loss at any level, small or large, can be absolutely devastating and life crushing. I feel like life will be over soon, but I will certainly try the recommendations.

[GoingBald34]

One thing I do want to mention is that Im hesitant to try DUT because of the horror stories of it destroying the hairline. I personally believe there is some truth to it, since it raises testosterone levels (on finasteride i measured to be a few points on the elevated side). My vertex and crown are fine for now, just don’t want to take the risk of losing the hair i have in the front since thats where slight thinning is starting to occur. There was a reddit user who got on fin because he was modeling and after several years started DUT to increase the results, he also stated it destroyed his hairline and he freaked out and stopped and grew it back on fin.

[HairGuru]

Hey I will reply later as I am at work, but this will keep you positive as a last resort.

You don’t have to give up!

See their reviews are fantastic

https://www.menshairpieces.co.uk/gallery

[GoingBald34]

Thanks, I’m not that far gone yet, sitting at a NW 1.5. Wouldn’t be surprised if I hit NW2 sometimes soon. Good to know that there are options. May start Avodart if my frontal area starts thinning more. I’m suspecting either its stress/chronic depression related shed or Propecia is losing its effectiveness. I regressed to a NW 1.5 in 9 years, I guess the drug did do its job, just hoped that I wouldn’t lose ground. MPB is a life long battle, Im sure it will eventually win out in the end. Hoping for better future treatments.

[GoingBald34]

Just an update: things are not looking good. I am still losing over a 50-100 hairs in the shower + when combing it just seems like they keep coming. Seems like no matter where i pull, I always end up with a piece of hair or 2. This was never the case in the past 9 years. Also happens in non mpb areas. I went ahead and put in a consultation to be prescribed Avodart. Since I’m already shedding, I’m no longer concerned about the Avodart sheds. I am extremely scared but at this point I can’t just depend on Propecia since it isn’t doing anything for me anymore. Could be TE due to the severe stress/depression this summer but I can’t just sit and wait for things to get worse 😢

[HairGuru]

My guess the stress and depression has made things worse.

I would try to eliminate your stress as that has probably imbalanced your hormones.

You could try mixture I use:

Topical lotion

15% minoxidil
0.1% finesteride
5% azelaic acid
0.25% progesterone
0.025% tretinoin
0.1% hydrocortisone