Rossybop

Any update?

I might go to Sikos myself. Did he put you on finasteride or dutasteride?

I might go to Sikos myself. Did he put you on finasteride or dutasteride?

I was on 1.25mg almost every day for 3 years. In July 2023 I stopped fin and immediately started taking dut 0.5mg about 5 days a week. I got side effects almost immediately, and the side effects worsened over time. In October 2023 I stopped taking dut because the sides were too dangerous and disruptive. Since then I have not taken any medication. Thankfully the side effects have been fading and I'm over the worst of them now, but I'm still not back to 100% and I believe it takes dut 6 months to wash out. On fin I always had sexual sides but they were tolerable. Since quitting dutasteride, the improvement I made on dut has been lost and I'm now at a stage where my hair loss is and appearance is very annoying to me again.

I am thinking of going back on fin and min but I think I should wait a while for the rest of the dut to leave my system before I consider taking another 5AR again. 5AR sides can be devastating and irreversible.

I can style my hair where it looks ok and generally not too bad but the thinning bald spots are frustrating and I know that eventually things will be very transparent. I'm now very limited in my styles.

I had 2,040 FUE grafts with Dr Saifi in December 2020, then aged 30. That story is elsewhere here on this forum. I started finasteride in July 2020 and Regaine in January 2023. At first my results with Saifi's transplant were great, and I got amazing benefits from fin and min; thicker hair, hair loss slowed etc. However about 18 months into fin treatment I was losing more hair again. It seemed to lose its efficacy. But I kept taking it. The first transplant was never perfect, but it initially seemed very good. 4 months ago I was so worried about my hair. I felt my first transplant didn't look as good and I knew fin was losing efficacy, so I started on dutatseride daily. Dutasteride thickened my hair and stopped my hair loss fast, it was amazing, I was in great shape with it, but the side effects were unbearable and they worsened to a state of crippling severity so I came off dutasteride and I would never touch it again. However I've been shedding and my hair loss is definitely visible again. (Thankfully I've been recovering from dut sides). I'm now on no meds at all. I'm now 33 years old. I can do a second transplant with Saifi in February 2024. What should I do? Go for a second transplant now or wait another 1 - 2 years to see how my hair loss develops before having another HT? Maybe I am not a good candidate for a second transplant and I should forget about it? If I chase more transplants, how many grafts will I need for my second procedure and how dense can I go? I know I can use 3's and 4's to transplant into the mid scalp. Its behind the hairline/mid scalp that seems to be getting attacked hard lately. Pictures of what my hair is like are attached. Thanks.

I might just hop back on fin and minox then.

@BurnieBurnsI had sides on fin but they were mild - moderate. They were tolerable sides. The usual suspects; runmy semen and lowered libido. I actually didn't mind the lower libido because I've never had a partner before so a high libido is frustrating for me. But at the same time I don't want to castrate myself, I need the relief of an escort every once in a while. @ThePerseverantWarrior 1) I was on 0.5mg capsules, I took them on average appx 5 days a week. 2) I noticed my reduced libido and weaker erections within a week. The week I decided to stop, my erection capacity was very weak, libido very low and orgasmic sensation was weak too. I did not feel comfortable experiencing these effects.

Most days yes, on average I suppose about 5 days a week (0.5mg capsules).

I found plenty of reputable looking sources that suggest dut has high risks of sides. Even the warning in the Avodart Package says "Side effects may persist after stopping usage." PFS victims seem rare but they may be more plentiful than we think. Men often suffer in silence. Penile dysfunction, penile shrinkage and infertility are subjects that many men will not speak of openly. Male sperm levels are apparently plummeting. I met people online who claimed to be suffering from PFS and I don't believe they are delusional, whereas big pharma have good reason to brush it under the carpet. My own experience of finasteride was of tolerable sides, sides that weren't awfully disruptive. However my experience of dut was immensely terrifying and highly disruptive. If you experienced what I experienced on it, you would now know that these drugs are potentially very powerful.

The sides are certainly not nocebo. They are very real. A massive proportion of fin and dut users have watery semen - myself included. I had mild sides on fin for 3 years. Dut was another level altogether. Total impotence and genitals shrivelling up for no reason, and I am not the type of person that psyches myself into side effects.

I've pretty much recovered which is great. But defo not going back on dut. Wondering now should I just go back on fin and minox. Took 13 days to heal and I had to train my mind to stay positive and focused on healing when suffering from the dut sides.

I came off dutasteride because of horrendous sides. I have now recovered from the sides but won't touch dut again. Fin lost a lot of efficacy on me after 18 months or so. Should I go back on finasteride and minoxidil? If so when? Should I give my body a rest seen as I've only recovered from dut sides having stopped 2-3 weeks ago? Am I now more at risk to getting sides from fin? When will new treatments hit Europe and what will they be?

Not for the time being its not a priority. I'm just focused on getting this part of my life back to normal first and then I will see how I feel about a second transplant. For now this problem has taken precedence.