Finasteride - the shed........

[limit]

Hi guys,

i'm 21 and currently 2.5 months into proscar treatment (1.25mg daily). I definitely think my hairline is thinning and retreating at a faster rate, although I do not know if this is due to the infamous shed, or, the fact that as you reach a certain point in balding, each hair is vital to your overall appearance rather than somebody with a full head of hair losing some. What I mean is that I may be at this threshold point rather than the shed.

I'm a student of science and hence am very aware of the placebo affect and cannot trust my judgement on the matter. what I want to hear is peoples personal experiences of the : severity and duration of the shed. And also what results can i expect and when (I realise it varies but a hypothesis? I'm closing in on a full norwood 3 fast).

I'd also appreciate the voice of a HT surgeon as they will have seen loads of patients on the treatment.
Also as I started proscar, I halved my minox dose to once daily (cant stand being seen with it on) - what affect would this have had???????


ps i realise this is covered throughout the forum but a specific thread on this one side effect would be nice (please dont mention any sexual sides etc)

[VictimOfDHT]

I can't remember any shedding associated with the use of Fin. Nothing that I was aware of. I think people report that the shedding last about a couple of months or so. If Fin works for you, you should at least keep the hair you have. I don't think it's that effective in the hair line and it might not even prevent further loss in that area but who knows.
With minox I can say there was some shedding but not massive shedding or anything. Apparently some people do experience some shedding with Fin when they first start using it. Nothing else I can add.

As for the minox, I wouldn't cut down on it. You should continue to use it twice. I know it doesn't feel good at all to have in your hair but... You can try the foam one.

[Posrex]

I started taking Proscar (cut into 4ths) in January 2011 to treat what I felt was the beginnings of a receding hairline. 8 months in and all I have experienced is even more diffused and thinning of my front hairline, temples, and now even vertex. It's been a nightmare but I'm committed to see it through to the 12-month mark to see if the shed hair will grow back. At this point, I'd be thrilled if I regrew hair to the point where I was before I even started taking proscar. Everyday I shed more hair while taking showers and when I check to see if new hair follicles are growing in, all i notice is more scalp and balding patches. My hair volume looks noticeably thinner under direct light, much more so now than when in January. Taking proscar has definitely accelerated my hair loss so far and I am just hoping and praying that during these next 4 months, something will change.

[AgainstThis]

Not to be a buzzkill, but if it's month 8 and you haven't seen benefits, you might consider dropping finasteride altogether.

Most users experience an initial shed in the first month of use and then it's all regrowth and maintenance. By month 8, you KNOW if it's gonna work for you or not.

[UK_]

Yeah 8 months is saying something... specifically that you're not responding to the fin.

I'd call it a day before you do some lasting damage to your sex drive.

[Jcm800]

Are you considering the Fin UK_?

[Posrex]

Yeah, this last month and a half have has been a bad hit...maybe I should just cut my losses and stop now...

Can anyone share experiences of going off of Fin? Is it safe to just stop taking it cold turkey or is it advised to wean your way off the medication? Thanx..

[spinnaker89]

I started taking 1/4 (1.25) EOD and its almost been a month and right now all of a sudden I THINK i am seeing some shedding. right after i started i thought it was slowing (the hair loss) but i could have been wanting to see that and my mind was playing tricks. but recently I cant put my fingers in my hair without 1 or 2 hairs coming out. Im kinda starting to freak out but since people said it is faily normal im hoping it will stop soon and then go uphill from there. I havent had any sides thank god. This sucks i was so hopeful that once i start my hair will make a big rebound but now im nervous again and if this doesnt work I will be devastated. Idk what other option I really have after this. Im so sick and tired of worrying about this and constantly thinking about it. Idk why modern science hasnt made a solution to this and frankly im starting to doubt they ever will, seeing as pharmaceutical companies want to keep making money. anyway yea idk what to do idk if going 1/4 everyday is better or should i keep at my EOD and just ride it out. help me out guys and please feel free to ask me any questions.

[inspects]

Hi guys,

i'm 21 and currently 2.5 months into proscar treatment (1.25mg daily). I definitely think my hairline is thinning and retreating at a faster rate, although I do not know if this is due to the infamous shed, or, the fact that as you reach a certain point in balding, each hair is vital to your overall appearance rather than somebody with a full head of hair losing some. What I mean is that I may be at this threshold point rather than the shed.

I'm a student of science and hence am very aware of the placebo affect and cannot trust my judgement on the matter. what I want to hear is peoples personal experiences of the : severity and duration of the shed. And also what results can i expect and when (I realise it varies but a hypothesis? I'm closing in on a full norwood 3 fast).

I'd also appreciate the voice of a HT surgeon as they will have seen loads of patients on the treatment.
Also as I started proscar, I halved my minox dose to once daily (cant stand being seen with it on) - what affect would this have had???????


ps i realise this is covered throughout the forum but a specific thread on this one side effect would be nice (please dont mention any sexual sides etc)

It took about five months for me to notice an appreciable difference, I did not experience any shedding, actually I just take the pill and don't even think about it, its just one of several pills I take to help hair growth and stop loss in its tracks. I also take Biotin, Saw Palmetto, Multi-Vitamin, gets lots of Vitamin D from the Sun, Glutathione, Fish Oil, B-Vitamins, eat right, exercise, and I don't WORRY.

I also use 5% Minox once daily, again I never experienced any shed when I added Minox. I would have to say my crown has just about complete coverage now and I'm gaining monthly, I believe this is from the Fin Minox combo.

I've been asked (from business clients) I see probably every 3-4 months "What did you do to your hair"? Looks different.

[Buster]

I started taking Proscar (cut into 4ths) in January 2011 to treat what I felt was the beginnings of a receding hairline. 8 months in and all I have experienced is even more diffused and thinning of my front hairline, temples, and now even vertex. It's been a nightmare but I'm committed to see it through to the 12-month mark to see if the shed hair will grow back. At this point, I'd be thrilled if I regrew hair to the point where I was before I even started taking proscar. Everyday I shed more hair while taking showers and when I check to see if new hair follicles are growing in, all i notice is more scalp and balding patches. My hair volume looks noticeably thinner under direct light, much more so now than when in January. Taking proscar has definitely accelerated my hair loss so far and I am just hoping and praying that during these next 4 months, something will change.

This is exactly what happened with me. I have lost a lot of hair since I started Propecia, not in terms of receding, but more of a diffuse pattern all over the top of my head. My hair loss has been really slow since I noticed it starting- started at 18, am now 37 with most of my hair still here- so I find it rather odd that it would all of a sudden kick into high gear once I started taking Fin. I just want to get back to where I was when I started taking it, which will be a year in March.

I'm finding more and more of these stories, I would have probably thought twice about starting Fin if I read these before.

[Stressed]

Hi guys
I just came across this thread and was wondering what the outcome of some of your scenarios regarding fin was? Ive been on propecia for 3,5 months now and my hair has thinned out alot particularly in my hairline.. If any of you could give me some advice that would be great!

[Buster]

My situation is the same and I'm still taking Fin.

[Stressed]

Would you recommend stopping propecia? I dont see how it could possibly cause further hairloss

[Buster]

Would you recommend stopping propecia? I dont see how it could possibly cause further hairloss

Believe me, I've thought about it, but when I saw my doctor a while back he said that for all we know the Fin could be helping in some way. That's the problem with hair loss meds, you read posts from people saying to try something and if it doesn't work then you can stop taking it, but there is no way to be able to tell for certain that something has had a positive or negative impact on your hair given the recommended time frame. Unless of course, it's really dramatic. I've searched far and wide and I have yet to find a post from someone claiming that they quit Fin and everything got better.

[Jeff934]

After reading you and some others and my own experience I decided against finasteride and discontinued after massive shedding. I'm currently using this book http://www.hairgrowthcure.com to see if its better