vocor1

Jenn: I agree with Futzy and the others completely. Don't change what is good in you due to the bad in others. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

My1stHT: Best of luck to you. Exciting and nerve-racking, I know. It would be great if you can post your periodic results for other people. More pictures is always helpful to people trying to decide if an HT is right for them. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

jj250: I would try lowering the dosage. It is possible that you'll get the same benefits and avoid those crappy side effects. That's what I would try first. NW experimented with changing his dosages and has some really good posts on his experiences. He didn't have libido issue as I recall, though. I'd ask a doctor about Viagra. I hear it is a very safe drug, so that tells me that it doesn't interact with other drugs. But a doctor would know for sure. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

JRod: It is no problem at all. Fill out the NW number that you are at right now. It is impossible to predict your exact hairloss and when it will happen, so the current state is appropriate. Best of luck. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

HotCreek: Flame off. Calm down. It is an anonymous forum. Anyone else: Take the post for what it is -- my opinion on suicide and that it is. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I stand by my comments that suicide is the coward's way out. If you have a confidence problem and your way of dealing with it is to hurt everyone who loves you by ending your life, then you are a coward. Is it a generalization? Yes. The same way I'd generalize someone with a 500 credit score as someone who is completely unable to manage money. There is always a better solution. If you cannot find the basic strength to call any of a number of FREE, CONFIDENTIAL help-line and support groups, then what you are telling me is that you are too lazy or self-absorbed to seek help when all you have to do is take very basic action. Folks, its not even hard. What is hard is Exorcising the demons within you that makes you put up walls around you. I venture to say that many who post here have dealt with what I'm talking about -- yet they still live, contribute, and pass on strength to others. Yeah, suicide is a MUCH better option than earning the respect of others by display your strengths, whatever they might be, and using those strengths to make others feel good about themselves and YOU. Yes, it takes work, patience, and perserverence. But I venture to say that people who display those characteristics are some of the people I respect most. Yeah, that sure sucks: a young bald man who is able to earn the respect of others. Yeah, suicide is a much more noble and preferred solution. And this shit about "you can't get girls with bad hair" is shit. What you are really saying is, "I can't get the girls I PERSONALLY desire". I will agree completely that getting the Average woman to take an interest in you is easier without crappy hair. That is clearly true. But "I can't get any girls and it's completely my hair's fault" is an exaggeration. I dated with NW-sucksville hair. No, not as much as I liked and certainly not the type of woman I want to marry. But you know what, the ones I was serious with I venture to say accepted my hair because they liked other things about me. In my life, I know that pre-HT, there were two times that if I had pursued the issue a way a man should, I could have been married and in that long-term, stable relationship. But I chose not to. And it was my choice. Listen, clearly I can't speak for everyone. If you are a miserable, self-centered, lout who complains about everything, then yes, I'm having a hard time accepting your arguments about your dissatisfaction with your life. However, I know that people who succeed do so because 1) they knew their strengths and utilized them whenever possible, 2) they dealt with setbacks in their lives and moved on. Do you ever get the feeling that most of the problems we create, we actually create on our own? Certainly, society has an effect on an individual. That effect can make a life more difficult. But I tend to believe that no setback is insurmountable as long as I understand what I can achieve and realize that I am in control of the impending result as much as I possibly can be. I made the decisions in this. And I will accept the consequences. That is how I think. That's why I will never commit suicide. That is one of the reason I post and one of the reasons that my bad days are always followed by good days. I wish others could see that, or feel that way. Because once you do, you realize that you've got EVERYTHING to live for, and nothing to lose by living your life as you see fit. Lenghty post. I realize this is a sensitive and polarizing thread. Clearly, I too have strong opinions on this. And now you know them. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I'm glad we are getting some really candid responses on Proscar/Propecia. Again, this shows what playing with the hormones in you can do. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Regrown hair, higher sex drive, no ED, better ejac volume. But clearly, others have had effects that are NOT worth the hope of extra hair. Without libido, I'm hardly a man. I wouldn't give up my manhood for the hopes of a better pelt of hair. Thankfully for me, I didn't have to. But each case is clearly different. But here's the beauty of at least trying Propecia/Proscar: The half life of the drug is a short two weeks. If a DHT blocker like Proscar is giving you problems, get off it, and in a couple of weeks or a month, you'll be back to your old self again. To me, that is a risk worth taking. And you might not have any side effects. Avodart is much more risky, IMO, because I believe its half life is 6 months. I consider it a "stronger form" of Proscar, and essentially, it is. It is riskier but has greater potential for benefits. Avodart is also much more expensive than Proscar. I've considered adding Avodart to my routine. I would just substitute it once in a while for Proscar. I believe the chances are good that I'll respond well to it b/c of my response to the DHT blocker Proscar. But it is still a risk, and I'm hesitant because what I'm on now is working with no side effects. Just throwing some of my thoughts on this out there. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

JRod: I can tell you what I did. It was pretty easy. I just went to prescriptionskeywest.com and filled out some paperwork (online), paid them, and got my script in a couple of days via Fedex. Completely painless. Good prices for US made Proscar. I've ordered from them twice. That's my experience in all this. I've seen mild regrowth and no additional loss since Proscar. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I do understand how people can get so down as to think suicide is the answer -- certainly death has to be easier than life is what they are thinking. And they've missed the point of life altogether. The struggles, the challenges, the failures and the successes -- that is what define's a life and it's worth. Not being happy every single moment of your life or looking at others and wishing you had as few problems as they do. I'm sorry, but to me, suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness and cowardice. You leave the people who love you to suffer because you weren't smart enough to understand that YOUR life is about more than just YOU. You got sucky hair? So what? It's just a setback. Deal with it. Be happy that you have all your teeth and are healthy or whatever. That doesn't mean you should just "accept" things. By all means, be proactive. But committing suicide? There is ALWAYS a better answer. Be strong enough to find it. I've dealt with people who have contemplated suicide. I've held back my feelings on suicide and helped to direct them to a better source of therapy and support. But still I always think, "Why did you put your friends and family through all this? HOW COULD YOU BE SO SELFISH TOWARDS THE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU? Are we truly worth nothing to you? You willing to throw us away as quickly as you are to throw your life away?" I know this comes across harsh. Possibly unfeeling. But it couldn't be farther from the truth. You (who are reading this post, and may deal with a suicidal person) tell that person in no uncertain times that their life has worth because you said it has worth. And life is about more than looks or status -- it's about who you affect and how they in turn affect the other people in their life. You are 18 and a NW7? Shave the shit, tan your skin, and me and you will hit the town and pick up on women like there is no tomorrow. At least you'll know you lived before you made a decision on the worth of your life. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

Stanley: I can't speak for Micro, but I think I know what he is getting at. Arfy has said it too: people think they'll get an HT and all their hair problems and self-confidence issues are gone. That is generally not true. There are some cases, where the improvement is so great compared to the before case, that in a matter of speaking, your life is changed unmistakenly for the better. Many hope and pray for that, but do not get it. Why? Either substandard work by the doctor or unrealistic expectations by the patient. You get an HT at 17 and at 20 and 24 and 28 when you need more work, will you be as will to go into the chair knowing that your supply is dwindling? These are difficult questions to answer. I sure as hell couldn't answer them at 22 more or less 17 and still struggle with them at 29. In my case, the HT changed my life. I could write a 100 pages on it and still couldn't explain it all. And still, I would like a little more work. Catch my drift? You'll still be self-conscious of your hair, but still, at least in my case, the new hair is so much better. HT isn't a problem solver. It can, however, help some people achieve some of their goals. Perfect hair should NOT be one of those goals. Much better hair certainly can be. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

With FUE, you can also take some hair from the sides. This is good for us with "bozo hair". My sides are so thick, that I always have to tell the barber to cut more off with respect to the length in back. My sides look "puffy". Anyway, decreasing the density on my sides would actually be doing me a favor. Interesting but true. I kind of agree with the strip then FUE, maybe because I'm in that boat. I needed the strip to harvest a lot of FUs quickly to cover a large bald area. That area is now covered with decent density, but I can now see that I want a little "fine tuning". I'll use FUE to accomplish that, because I don't need very many more FUs and we can pull just the 1 and 2 hair FUs I'll mostly need. Yes, it costs more, but at this stage, I think it is the right approach for me. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

This Tulsa Hair Clinic seems to appear again on this board from time to time. And they always seem to produce a poster or two to "defend" them. It is a pretty pathetic process of PR, in my opinion. TheVictim, who was basically sued not to post here by that Tulsa clinic, had a very bad experience. Maybe others had good ones, but those guys ONLY appear when negative posts on that place appear on this site. It is completely a reactionary process on that place. My thoughts/opinions: I would not have an HT there. There are better choices. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I eyeball it. Mr T is right on with the idea of "dose averaging". vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I would say my libido stabilized, but is still quite high. It was always pretty high, I think, but I'll say that sometimes it borders on ridiculous. I won't "share any stories" on that one. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

The fact of the matter is that the best dose for each individual varies. You just have to experiment a bit. The half life of Propecia (finasteride) is two weeks. I usually take 1.25mg of finasteride a day. Occasionally I miss a dose, and I'm fine. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

Jenn-24: Sorry those people bashed you on the women's forum. Very uncool. Just know this -- people who consistently bash are only exposing their own insecurities or pettiness. In general, I find them good to laugh at because their "bashing" shows how truly pathetic human beings they are. My opinion on all that. About not getting married, c'mon Jenn, that's horse manure! There are plenty of men that would love to be loved by an intelligent, active woman with less than profuse and overflowing hair. You can still be a wonderful woman to a wonderful man with less than perfect hair. That's a matter of fact. Please don't destroy your future happiness for what you see today. Don't risk it. I'd hate to see a great spirit fade away due to a rash decision. What a shame that would be! If you have to sell your personality now more because of how you feel about your hair, then go ahead and do just that. You want to be loved for those reasons, I'm sure. And you certainly deserve that. I know it isn't an easy road. But imagine how hard the journey will be if you choose to take your options away now? Please don't do that. I'm trying to ask very, very nicely here. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

deadcactus: Interesting case study. You have a twin who didn't use steroids. You probably represent what he will eventually lose. Steroids, like Propecia, alter the hormonal system. Just in different ways. Stir the hormonal pot and things can get weird. Good luck with all of this. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I agree with what others are saying here: give it some time. The fact of the matter is that Bosley CAN do acceptable HTs. I just don't believe that they are the best choice out there for a good HT and their marketing practices are repugnant. If your result is not satisfactory to you, well, there still are many things that can be done. Hope is not lost in all this. If you have a setback, then the only course to take is to bounce back from that setback. The forum will be here for your success or your setback. We've all been through it, and we know what it is like. But let's see what comes of this before the next step or action becomes clear. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

may take up to a year. Merck said that on propecia.com, I believe. Some men don't see regrowth. Even hair count maintenance is a big plus in my book. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I personally will go with FUE for "touch up" work. I only think I need 500 FUs. For small sessions, I'd go with FUE. Megasessions is a tougher choice because of cost and other factors. That would be a tough decision. I think I'd like to be done with the strip just because I had a pain in the butt with some infections on the scar. My personal experiences on that one. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

Sounds like Propecia wasn't in the cards for you. Sorry to hear about the truly shxtty side effects. I'd quit it too if I was in your shoes. My effects have been quite the opposite. Increased libido and no problems raising the flagpole. Just goes to show the VASTLY varied responses you might get while taking Propecia and essentially tampering the hormonal cocktail within you. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

Stick with Proscar and split it. MUCH cheaper than Propecia and equally effective, I'd say. Tray is right, over the long term, the "placebo effect" is not a concern. Your dosing will even it out. I read a LOT of posts about people so concerned about exact dosing. My word to each and every one of them: DON'T SWEAT THE DETAILS! You miss a dose or don't get exact dosing every day: Don't worry, it isn't a concern. Stick with it. If it doesn't work after some month's time, then it wasn't meant to be for you with this drug. Move on and it isn't because of missed dosing of uneven dosing -- let me assure you of that. I personally recommend US made Proscar. That is simply because it has worked so well for me. Others have gambled with overseas stuff with mixed results: some very good and others quite dissatisfied. You'll save money but that is your opportunity cost as well. Best of luck with your Proscar decision. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

homer was just kidding. But do yourself a favor and don't click on the URL. In fact, forget you ever heard about Bosley. Even better. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

I simply think that a well-done HT can work a small miracle for some people. Others are certainly better off shaving their heads. I shaved my head too, and it looked bad with my face and people let me know it. Once again: not every man looks good shaved, while others look quite good. You've got to try shaving, IMO, before surgery. If you go into surgery, realize that you are not the victim in all this. You are the survivor who figured out what was right for you. You don't go out of fear, but because you are making an honest effort to "right a wrong" after all else failed. I continue to be very, very happy with my HT result. I don't regret my decision for a second, nor the choices I made. I still recognize, however, that my choices are just that: mine. They may not be right for others. Though I can say in no uncertain fashion that I feel my life is better now, I still have problems and challenges to tackle. I just now feel that I will tackle them -- that they will never overwhelm me. Maybe the HT just gave me a little edge. Others may gain that edge by shaving their heads: more power to them! I hope it works because I wish it had worked for me. It is funny that while I had crappy hair, I'd get teased once in a while about it, but in general, people don't confront you about it or speak openly nor honestly about it. Don't kid yourself, that is because they feel badly for you. Fun, huh? Recently, and I can hardly believe that this is coincidence, I have been engaged in several conversations (that I didn't start) of the topic "some people/faces just need hair". Yep, just what I thought. Doesn't mean that if you "need hair" for your looks, you MUST get an HT. Do what you want, but certainly, an HT benefits some quite greatly. To each his own. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

Very promising. I felt bad for that guy, though. Those scars are terrible. What a wreck. He benefitted from tons of hair. Hrrm, in my case, my arm and leg hair is the same color as my scalp hair, but the chest hair, tummy hair, and so forth is NOT the same color. Those latter areas are quite a bit darker. I'm not very hairy at all -- and happy about that honestly. Well, save the noggin, of course. I'd be interested in hearing a doc's opinion on my case. I'll do that as I get closer to my FUE decision-making time in a few months. vocor1 Knowledge is Power If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.