Posrex

Yeah, I am pretty angry but I'm pretty sure that Merck, the manufacturers of propecia, as well as the manufacturers of proscar and other generic forms of fin have their asses pretty much covered from potential lawsuits. And at some point, I think we do have to take some responsibility. I think that I should have done more research into the consequences and uncertainties of taking finasteride from the beginning. I think I was naivein thinking that the positive opinions and results from people who had success with the drug on these forums, and other forums, would directly correlate with my own experience. In the end, it was our decision to start taking it and it sucks like crazy that we responded with such adverse effects but there's not much we can do at this point. I am angry, but more than angry I'm just really down and depressed and just confused. Should I go back on proscar and just keep hoping that the worst is over and that by giving it another 4 months (making a complete year) I would have at least the peace of mind knowing that I gave the drug it's full course? I feel like by stopping here at month 8 I'd be wondering "what if I had stayed on a little longer? would the shedding have stopped?" I guess since you've been on it 9 1/2 months with further exacerbated results has really discouraged me from continuing...especially since we've had the exact same experience. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck man. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one out there who's been suffering this fate.

sjones23, Keep in mind that everyone responds to the drug differently. I, for instance, had been taking fin for 8 months (proscar tablets cut into 1/4's) but experienced nothing but a prolonged period of shedding that has accelerated diffuse thinning all over my scalp and frontal region. Every day I would shed 50+ hairs while showering while experiencing no regrowth, at all. I know that people are supposed to naturally shed up to 100 hair follicles per day but what bothered me was that the shedding didn't stop, nor did I grow any of the shed back. The result is that I am much worse than I was before I started taking fin, 8 months ago. I've decided to take a break from the medication at this point and reassess what I should do. I have read some cases where people who have gone off of fin actually regrow the hair that had been shed while on fin. And then there are those who claim that all the regrown hair will eventually fall out and you will be further worse off then you were when stopping fin. This has been such a nightmare for me and I don't know what to do at this point. Just wanted to share my troubles and heed word of caution to you before you start your own battle against hair loss. Hope you have better luck than me!

auteur55, Sorry to hear you're having the same bad luck. I was determined to give it the full year but have stopped taking proscar three days ago with hopes that the shedding will stop. I am convinced that I started taking proscar/fin too early. I was, and still am, far from being completely bald but had noticed my front hairline and temples starting to thin. Scared out of my mind, i jumped on fin and all it's done is accelerate the thinning all over my scalp. I kept waiting and waiting for the shedding to stop and for the shed hair to regrow but it didn't. I kept losing more and more volume to the point where my scalp is now clearly visible even in weak lighting. Despite people keep pushing that you need to give it a full year, I feel that i've given the drug enough time to see that it's doing more harm to me than good. You sharing similar results even after having been on it a month and half longer with no positive results, only reaffirms my decision to call it quits. Best of luck to you.

You're back on DUT? I thought the shedding had stopped a week after quitting fin and dut. Did the shedding resume even after you stopped taking them?

I've been on fin for 8 months and have been experienced nothing but ongoing phases of shed and even more accelerated hair loss. I'm determined to give it the full 12 months but at this point, I am very disappointed with the results. I started taking fin with the misconception that it would help stop the diffuse thinning that i was noticing in my temples and front hairline. 8 months in and those areas, as well as the top of my scalp have experienced even further diffuse thinning.

miklaw, you said you had been on fin and dut for 2 years, right? during that time, all you experienced was shedding and more thinning? how many hairs did you shed on average?

Hi Kaliber, I'm experiencing the same thing in terms of continued shedding after 7+ months of being on fin. All I have noticed during that time is that my hair has gotten a lot thinner all over and I've been losing a lot of hair on this particular spot in the front of my hairline which is causing my hair to part in a way that never used to. I have short thin hair and my front hair just used to grow straight out. Now that I've been losing volume and thickness, the front no longer holds together well. I haven't added minox to my regimen yet because i feel like the added shedding to be induced by starting rogaine would make things worse. As people have responded, i hope that this is the beginning stages and that the hair will grow back...but it's been a while now and i haven't noticed a halt in hair loss (rather an acceleration) nor any signs of regrowth. My diffused thinning has just gotten progressively worse... anyways, i feel for you man and hope for the best for you...us.

Will do! Thank you for the advice and best of luck to you. Hope to hear more positive updates from you.

Thanks for the advice. Would you be able to recommend any good HT docs?

Yep, i have like 3 on my profile. Not the best pics in the world, and my hair is kind of long in the first one I took in January which is when I started fin. My hair now in the month of July is cut shorter and it's more visible that the volume has taken a bit more of a hit in front and on top which has made me more self conscious. I'll post current pics of my hair by tomorrow. Do you have pics of your own progress?

Right. Which is why I'm growing more concerned that by month 7, I have yet to notice any regrowth, or at least maintaining of the volume and thickness I had originally when starting fin. I have not experienced a lapse in shed either, as I've been shedding constantly to the point where my hair volume has become noticeably more diffused than before. My hope is that I'm a late responder and I want to commit to giving it a full year, but I've read about the experiences of others who have gone on fin for over a year, only to have experienced an accelerated diffuse and thinning after starting fin. It's enough to the point where I know the drug is causing the diffuse thinning. I'm happy that rogaine/minox has supplemented your results in a positive way and will probably add that to my desperate fight against hair loss, sooner or later.

Hi aseda1979, Thanks for sharing. I cut my proscar tabs into quarters, as well. I'm glad you are experiencing positive results, as I have yet to see any improvements, myself. I know everyone responds differently and am trying to ride it out for a year but am wondering if there is anyone who can share that they've experienced regrowth of initially shed hair. Should I have taken fin to treat, or I guess halt, gradual thinning and hair loss for the front/hairline/temples? I fear I may have started fin too early and that it's accelerating the hair loss in those regions that would have fallen out eventually in later years.

I have experienced similar results in terms of experiencing no positive signs of halted hair loss, nor any regrowth of shed hair. On the contrary, it's apparent that I have had further diffuse thinning all over my scalp after being on fin (proscar) for 7+ months. I'm far from being completely bald (...yet) and initially started taking fin to stop and deter hair loss that started to show in my hairline and temples. But after 7 months, I am disappointed that I have experienced a prolonged period of shedding and an accelerated diffuse and thinning not just in those particular areas, but over the top of my scalp as well. In the last two weeks, it has gotten noticeably worse where I have this weird balding patch/hairline in the front that's making my hair part in a way I can't control... Was it a mistake to hop on fin to target initial hair loss for the frontal and temple regions? Anyone have better experiences? Would taking rogaine be the next step?

Thank you for the reassuring reply. I will stick with it through another 5 more months but at this point, I'd be happy if I had the volume of hair that I had had before I started taking the proscar. I feel like I keep reading about negative experiences of those who have given it a year, only to have experienced an increased amount of hair loss, which is really discouraging. As you advise, I will definitely meet with a specialist to receive further consultation after the one year mark. I will keep you all updated.

Thanks for the response 25guy, I was under the same impression that in theory, fin should do more good than harm. However it's been a battle keeping a positive attitude when I'm noticing more and more thinning and shedding at the areas where I wanted to protect from hair loss. From my experience, I have noticed the majority of the thinning and shed in the vertex, hairline, and temples. Again, I am far from going bald in the front, but the thinning in that region is fairly noticeable when there is light shining directly in that area of my scalp. My crown, sides, and back have not been affected. I have been noticing a slight reduction in the amount of hairs that I'm shedding, so maybe that's a good sign, but nevertheless, I seem to keep losing a significant amount each day. This is what really concerns me. Whereas others have gone through cycles of shed and come out of it, I feel like over these 7 months, I have experienced a continuous, prolonged shed that has well surpassed 6 week intervals with no replaced, thicker hair growing back. To your case, I also started shedding early at around the 3 week, one month period...and it pretty much hasn't stopped. Hope you have a much better reaction to the drug than I am having!

Just wanted to share my experiences with Proscar, thus far. I am a diffuse thinner, far from being completely bald but had noticed thinning at the temples and hairline. I have been taking quartered doses of proscar for 7 months now and have experienced prolonged shedding that has caused even more diffuse and thinning that has spread to the top of my head. I am afraid that I may have started Proscar earlier than I should have. I have read that the hair loss inhibiting effects of Proscar only benefit the crown on top areas of the scalp and so taking Proscar can actually accelerate the eventual hair loss of the frontal regions. I'm conflicted with whether or not to give the drug a full year. It's been 7 months now and I have been shedding hair ever since the first few weeks I started the drug with no signs of new hair growing back. People keep posting that only a full year will tell whether or not the drug will be effective, but I have also read posts from people who've given it that full year, only to be worse off than from when they started. At this point, like many others, I would be happy if my hair grew back at least to the thickness and volume that it was before I even started taking it. Anyone else in the same boat?

Thanks for the reply auteur55. Looks like we're in the same sinking boat. I feel like I keep giving myself false hope by telling myself that today is the day the shedding will stop and that the hair will grow back... Have you thought about minox or rogaine? At the end of last year, before I started taking proscar, I actually did experience some minimal growth at the temples and front hairline when I was using rogaine foam for about 3 months. But I decided to stop because it was such a hassle. I'm considering picking back up again with it but feel like that would induce more shedding which would make it hard to determine which of the two (the proscar or the rogaine) would be causing the shed. Anyways, just thought you may want to consider rogaine yourself. Keep me updated if anything changes for you. I sincerely hope it does. -Posrex

I am in a similar situation as auteur55, except that I've been taking quartered pillls of proscar. I am 6.5 months in and I am continuing to experience shedding and diffuse, particularly along m front hairline (which is where I was hoping to protect from recession by taking proscar in the first place). I've been reading posts and threads and I know the shedding is normal, but what concerns me is that it seems like I've been experiencing it regularly since about the first month of being on proscar. Six and half months from taking the medication and my hair is noticeably thinner in front than when I first started taking the medication. I am committed to riding it out the full year but am wondering if anyone has experienced a similar elongated period of shed while on finasteride. I am hoping and praying that the hair will grow back... I would appreciate an update from the original poster regarding his situation now. Thanks, -posrex