jim1973

Did you ever try oral Finasteride or only topical? I'm on oral with no sides but also not stabilized. I'm considering topical to ensure the medication gets to my follicles. If I didn't have negative sides on oral, I feel less likely to get sides from topical but not sure. I just want to stabilize badly so considering trying everything.

I've been on oral Dut for almost a year and similar to others, never measured my DHT before (was in oral Fin for 7-8 years). After 6 months, I measured my serum DHT and it was much lower than normal (see pic). Having said that, I still gym every day, keep muscle, no lost libido and my Testosterone has actually increased. I'm also on oral Minoxidil which causes some water weight gain. My only issue is that I'm still losing hair and haven't stabilized. I wonder if there is a chance that I'm only lowering DHT in my blood but not as much in my scalp. I was actually thinking of switching both oral Dut and Min into a compounded topical product to ensure everything works as well as possible for my scalp (to avoid the scenario I'm in, which is its affecting serum but unsure how much in scalp). I feel like my scalp Testosterone must still be high if I'm still losing hair with this level of serum DHT but not sure how to correct it or what else I can do. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately the pharmacy is in Indiana and I live in AZ. The package was definitely exposed to the heat elements for several days before reaching me. The downside is that there really is no real way to know for sure.

I just received my first dose of topical combo (Finasteride, Dutasteride and Minoxidil) from a compounding pharmacy. I live in a very hot state and the package was not climate controlled. When I opened up the envelope, it was hot to the touch. Question for the group....do you think the heat ruined the active ingredients? Or do you think as long as I put it back in a room temperature environment, the active ingredients will still work? (I called the pharmacy and of course, they told me everything will be fine but easy for them to say). I've seen posts where it states to keep at room temp and others state to refrigerate. I'm now worried that the product is ruined no matter which I do. Does anyone know for sure if this batch should work properly or not?

I have heard that if you don't see results in 4-6 months, then it isn't working. I've also seen what you recommend (wait 12 months). Its just tough to wait out the daily shedding without an end in sight. I feel as though some are better responders to topical than oral but I may still wait a little longer.

I'm actually on .5mg/day of oral Dutasteride for as long as I've been taking oral Minoxidil

I took 2.5mg of oral Min for 6 months (and .5/mg of Dut) with no side effects (positive or negative). I increased my dose of oral Min to 5mg/day since April. I see increased body hair (arms and legs, not back or anywhere else) so I just simply trim it down. Unfortunately, I'm still shedding at a rapid rate and not seeing much in the way of new growth on my scalp. Thinking of switching to a topical application (for both Min and either Fin or Dut).

This is exactly my concern. I switched from oral Fin (after many years) to oral Dut once I felt Fin was no longer holding ground for me. Unfortunately, I'm still no longer holding and losing more on Dut than I did on Fin. I'm wondering if my workouts are causing my testosterone to rise and cause more scalp T than in the rest of my body.

Are you stating that topical or oral Dutasteride doesn't work well for frontal hair loss? (A little confused on your statement related to what you've seen over and over related to DHT and "Test")

I have seen the studies where .01% (or similar) can work just as well as larger doses without risking systemic side effects. That said, it seems most commercialized products from the big brands (Hims, Keeps, Roman, Happy Head, and others), always have a dose of .25% or .30%. I wonder why they want to increase the dose so much if a lower dose would work for most. Any thoughts on this subject?

I'm interested in this answer also. I've read that the liposomal formulation takes longer to absorb but causes less irritation and the opposites for Trichosol but I can't confirm.

Can you summarize what amount (and product with quantities) taken at each of the 4 timeframes listed above? (Which gave you scores of 28, 15, 50 and 38?)

I'm ready to try a topical product to stop my hair loss. There are so many topical products available that contain the key ingredients (Minoxidil along with Finasteride or Dutasteride) and I was hoping to get real opinions on the versions that you all use that you feel work best for you. Whether its from a hair loss doctor that performed your transplant procedure or a big company such as Hims, Keeps, Roman, Happy Head, etc., I'm interested in your experiences (good or bad). Some people state they work but get bad sides, while others state they get no sides but aren't sure if they actually work. If you have a specific product that you currently use or have used and you don't mind sharing your experience with it, whether positive or negative, I'd appreciate it. Thank you in advance from someone who seems to be a non-responder to oral medications. Thanks!

Do you recommend 17a-Estradiol taken orally or applied topically? Is there a company that already makes and sense either Fin or Dut with 17a-estradiol already that you know of or do people simply get it compounded?

Current: .5mg oral Dutasteride daily (never took topically) and 5mg oral Minoxidil daily. When I started each one is in my last thread. I started losing hair at 18. I'm now 50. My hair loss stopped in my late 20s, early 30s then picked up so I began oral Finasteride and topical Minoxidil. That combo worked for me for roughly 7 years before it no longer worked (from 2020-2022 I thought it was temporary but that combo really did stop working), which is why I started the new regimen in 2022. I'm prob a NW4a right now but quickly moving to 5 category.

I started oral Dut (1.25mg) in Aug 2022, moved up to 2.5mg in Dec and onto 5mg in April of this year. I get my blood tests done every 6 months and I was low on Ferritin in 2021 so I began taking a Ferritin supplement to bring that into normal range since then. Everything else has been normal. I feel like I'm a non-responder to oral Dutasteride for some reason. My libido is much higher on Dut than it was in Fin many years ago. I'm now in a position where I may need to try a topical anti-androgen such as Breezula or Pyralutamide. The only downside is that these products are not yet FDA approved so I'd need to obtain from a grey market if I proceed, which is not ideal.

I'm on oral Dutasteride (.5mg/day) and oral Minoxidil (5mg/day). Hair is still falling more rapidly than the previous year.

Unfortunately only my body hair is becoming thicker. My scalp hairs are all miniaturizing still. Every day, I lose more hair and even the hair on my head have become noticeably thinner over the last year.

Thanks for sharing this update. Its a good reminder for us to not just purchase from anyone selling due to poor quality control. For where you obtain your RU, is it a place that the general public can order from? If so, can you share the company/lab?

I started at 1.25mg. I noticed chest tight within first week or two (only once or twice). I thought about stopping due to the potential heart risks but I pushed through. Those chest pains went away. After 2 months, I titrated up to 2.5mg and had no sides. I stayed on that dose for 6 months before moving up to 5mg/day (2.5 in am and then 2.5 in pm). No negative sides other than water retention around mid-section. Body hair and beard hair see the most benefit as that all grows very fast now. Unfortunately even though my scalp hair is growing faster, I'm not seeing any positive results (no new hair and no thickening that I can tell). I'm actually still losing hair.

Thanks for documenting your journey. For those of us that don't respond well to the standard, recommended products, this gives some of us hope. I've not heard of Anagenic before this post but will certainly take a look at them. Can you clarify if you are spreading the product all over scalp or just in specific areas? And do you think this regimen would work as well if you weren't micro-needling?

It seems that unless Minoxidil converts to Minoxidil Sulfate, that it won't work. That said, it seems that there used to be products in early and mid-2000s, that sold as Minoxidil Sulfate products but I don't see those advertised anymore. If Minoxidil only works for those who have the needed enzyme to convert to Minoxidil Sulvate, why not just purchase and apply Minoxidil Sulfate directly to avoid the need for a specific enzyme that only 50% of people have? Are there no existing products selling Minoxidil Sulfate?

I don't think there are any issues with posting brand names, especially if they are positive reviews. I'd appreciate learning of where to purchase Min Sulfate. Regular Min isn't working for me (topical or oral). Looking forward to your reply, thanks..

Are you still using Min Sulfate and if so, where do you purchase from?

I feel I'm in the same boat. I've been on 5mg of oral Minoxidil and .5mg of oral Dutasteride for a year and still losing ground. I feel I'm a non-responder to everything also. Have you tried anything else such as a topical antiandrogen or something similar?