KeepingWhatIHave

They say you should stick with it to see full results in about one year's time... since you're only a little more than halfway there, I'd stick with it for the rest of the year just to see the results then. Keep us posted!

Exact same boat as you, same age and everything... I'm starting Propecia and plan to get an HT in a year or so, too. You can ask Hasson and Wong for an opinion on what to do. I know they can point you in the right direction, or at least give you some great advice.

After looking at your blog photos, it seems you've gone through an amazing change, and your most recent picture (May 18th, 2009) looks like you still have a strong head of hair. I'm certainly no expert, so take what I say with a grain of salt; though I'm not sure you should be losing any hair in the front or mid scalp, judging by your pre-op pics, since that's where the transplanted hair is now. It'd be easier if you could explain how it has lost some of its effectiveness. Does your hair appear to be getting thinner? Or have you noticed it just falling out? Personally if I were you, I would stick with Propecia (or switch to the generic if you so desire) and monitor every little change. If you really notice a difference, take pictures showing exactly where you see changes.

You need to continue taking Propecia for the hair to remain in that state. If you stop taking the drug for good, you'll continue to lose hair, I'm afraid.

Apparently finasteride has a 72 hour half-life, but taking the pill three times a week (like PGP does) should be just as effective, only cheaper in the long run, and the side effects are known to be slightly decreased since you're not overloading your body with it. Of course, ask your doctor or dermatologist before changing your current dose. Good luck!

As long as I stay on a very low dose for as long as I can (until there may be an alternative within the next 5-10 years...) I'm hoping the sides won't be too bad... and there is prostate cancer in my family history, but I've read that though it may prevent prostate cancer, it can cause cancer in other parts of the body. I'm not sure if there's truth to that, but that's just what I've read. Also I plan on coming out to my family within the next month or so, there's no way I can handle keeping it inside for another year. I've been keeping that to myself for well over a decade. Thanks for the reply, though! I appreciate it. This community is very helpful, I'm lucky I found this place!

More or less, that's basically it... I hope that doesn't freak out everyone here, haha. Sex is a rarity since I'm not "out" to everyone yet.

Thanks so much for sharing, T.C! That's good to know, for sure. I really appreciate your response

Thanks for the quick response! Just out of curiosity, have the side effects been rough on you? Or is the low dosage side effects not as bad as you thought?

Hey everybody, Is anyone taking Propecia three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)? Hasson and Wong recommended this dosage for me since I'm young (21) and will be getting some frontal/temple/side work done sometime next year. I know I don't want to take the full dosage of Propecia, since my body type, and the side effects that will occur. I'm only 110 pounds and 5'3! I'm not so much worried about erectile dysfunction since I'm gay, but the whole cancer risk after using this drug for a while really worries me. It makes sense that a low dose would be easier on my body, but if anyone here is taking a small dose, could you tell me if you've been able to maintain your hair even a little? I see my derm in three days to get my first prescription. Eep! Thanks! EDIT on June 1 2009: Here's my hairline, and how I hide it. I know I still have most of my hair, but the very mild thinning in the crown, and receding hairline is worrying me. Before I knew about Propecia I was pretty much flipping out for a week about possibly losing my hair. Best to stop it before it gets bad. Here's the hairline. Mind the acne! And one I just took today