The focus here is on possibly less than 1% of the population taking finasteride.The majority of the people I have prescribed the drug for, tell me it is a miracle drug. Some of the posters on Reddit also comment positively about it and show fantastic results with a full return of their original hair. So there is a Yin and a Yang, the Yin is high satisfaction and Yang is PFS or for some small percentage or sexual side effects that requiring stopping the drug. I try to tell everyone the story both good and bad so of the hour I spend with each new patient in my office, a good 10-15 minutes is presenting the balance between finasteride good and bad in the appropriate new patient. My PATIENTS make the decision to take it and I do not influence them or intimidate them in any way. I try to tell the facts and offer alternatives as well. That is what being a good doctor is. Every medication in the world has had negative effects, even Aspirin has killed people, so you can live a sheltered life and never venture into the world of any drugs, or you can be a smart, educated buyer when you need some medication, whatever it is and take the drug for the benefits it offers, but be sure to understand the down side.
I’m curious, If someone has a low sperm count and low libido, is it safe to take Finasteride with family backround of low fertility? Thanks! I’m too embarrassed to ask my doctor.
You shouldn’t be embarrassed to speak with your doctor. One of my son’s had a low sperm count while on finasteride but he conceived after trying for a few months. I don’t know the answer to your question but you elect to take finasteride then get a sperm count before and one and two months later to find out if there is a connection for you.
The blood levels for finasteride are not important. The fact that this drugs stays in the hair follicles for up to a week or more, is what brings on the benefits of finasteride as a competitive inhibitor, so if you take a half dose twice a day or a single dose once a day of 1mg, the results will be the same.
The picture says it all
I always look to the highest crease of the furrowed brow. The mature hairline is a gentle V-shaped hairline where the middle is usually about 1/2 inch above the highest crease unless there is a persistent forelock. I can’t see your corner hairline so I don’t know if it is a normal hairline or you have recession in the corners. I need more photos
This is a nice return to almost normal with the two staple drugs finasteride and minoxidil in 16 months, Congrats!
I’m 19, have been experiencing hair loss for 1 year now, diffused thinning, mainly at crown, slight temple thinning is noticeable now. Today I went to a dermatologist in hopes to be prescribed Fin. Worst consolation I have experienced, I was at the practice for 2.5 hours, and the dr only spoke to me for 10 minutes! He didn’t let me talk, left the office multiple times to see other patients while seeing me! Very very frustrating! He honestly wasted 2.5 hours of my life!
He says he would be hesitant to put me on fin due to my age , but was happy to put me on his very very expensive monoxidil and dutasteride mixture. He says I must try it for 3 months and I should experience drastic regrow this. But then I should stop it for 6 month and see how it goes. This goes against all research on anti androgens and MPB treatments I have researched. Obviously I am very hesitant to purchase as it is very expensive, and dutasteride is rather scary to me. He claims no sides from this mixture.
I am so confused, I don’t know what to do. Depression has hit me. I just want to be pointed in the right direction. I want to keep my hair, and think Fin might be my only option… Should I try find another Dr to get prescribed fin? Should I try the way overpriced Min +Dutasteride mixture? This hair loss stuff is becoming too much for me to handle. I feel like I’m stripped of my youth. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
What a terrible experience. When I see a patient I spend between 30-60 minutes with them and listen to their complaints, do a thorough examination and then develop a Personalized Master Plan for all of them because hair loss is a progressive process. Dutasteride is stronger than finasteride and has the same sexual side effects, possibly more. Going on it and then stopping it is insane because 100% of such men will lose hair GUARANTEED. Get a good doctor who can develop a Personalized Master Plan for you short and long term.
Based on all the available evidence (with 1-4% of people getting PFS who take finasteride), the most likely etiology of PFS is that the gene for 5a-reductase type 2, SRD5A2, is epigenetically silenced in key tissues responsible for sexual function, including in the brain, through DNA methylation. Gene methylation is a well-described process that is known to occur with many genes and with this particular gene as well. If the right conditions are met, methylation can happen in seconds in millions of cells throughout the body. A single pill of finasteride can definitely trigger such a reaction.
The reality is that men complain of PFS, so vaid or not, it is real to those men who experience it; however, since neither I nor many of my colleagues have seen it, the frequency seems less than the 1-4% that you have referenced. If you think about it, why would I continue to prescribe finasteride as I don’t make any money from doing it and if I didn’t more of my patients would become surgical candidates and I would make more money from doing their surgeries. The answer is obvious, that the drug works for many men with minimal or no side effects and I care about the patient’s welfare. Impotence is common in men without finasteride on-board, about 20% in men in their 20s, 30% of men in their 30s, 40% of men in the 40% and so on. I appreciate the time you took to write this post to me, but although I believe that PFS does occur, but it may not be as prevalent as you state.
You should use the liquid not the foam and then apply it to your scalp by separating your hair as you apply it. Best to do it at night after a hot shower when the skin will absorb more of the medications. You can wash it off in the morning.
This is an interesting abstract with a link to an article on the subject: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23766606/
Hair systems work, but they will kill off all of your hair. That is why men who wear hair systems rarely take them off. Hair is lost from clips, glues and other attachment modalities. Hair systems must be removed and washed often, or they smell from your sweat, Washing causes them to wear out quickly, so replacement costs are how these companies make their money. This is a well kept secret.
This is a depleted donor area in a person who has fine hair so the missing donor hair stands out very well. We call this over-harvesting even though he had less than 2400 grafts removed. If you look below the area that was harvested, you can almost see through the normal untouched donor area. This man should not have had as many grafts taken out as he now has a new balding problem or he should have been told ahead of time that this would be a problem.
Also, the harvesting extended beyond the permanent zone so if this man should develop a more advanced balding pattern, he will lose many of the grafts down the road. SMP is a good treatment for both problems.
I am using Fin for past 5 month with no sides. I had usual shedding phase for a month which stopped after that. But the problem is, I am losing my hairline fast after starting Fin. My hairline has been constant for past 3 -4 years. But in these 5 months my temples became easily visible as my hairline went high. Is this expected? Why is this happening?
Finasteride will not always stop a receding hairline