Finasteride Questions

I am a 25-year-old male that started on Proscar three weeks ago (I split the pills into fifths). My hairline has is receding, and over the past couple of years, the hair on the top of my head has gradually become noticeably thinner than the hair on the sides and back, although people that look at my hair think it is thick. It obvious the top is thinning when you run your hands through it though.

I have three questions:

1.) In just these three weeks on Proscar, I think I have noticed my hairline retreating a little more. Is this most likely the normal accelerated shedding process that takes place at first, to be replaced by newer, thicker hair?

2.) Given my age, what are the prospects that the hair on top will thicken up like the sides?

3.) I am a little concerned about the hormonal implications of the drug. In a previous post you mentioned that there is a spike in testosterone and estrogen when starting the drug, but the body adapts. My question is first, how soon for the body to adapt, and secondly, with respect to the adaptation, do the horomone levels return to normal or does the body merely adjust. I am worried about the sexual side effects, and also about having unnatural hormone levels in my body for who knows how many years.

Thank you.

Finasteride should not produce accelerated loss, though it has been reported by some of the readers of this site. When it works, it works better at restoring hair in the back of the head than on the front, but I believe that it sill slow down hair loss everywhere it is occuring in most men. Hormone changes (based upon patient reports only) usually return to normal levels in just a couple of months. If you do not develop sexual side effects in the first few weeks, I would expect none over time.