starting to lose hair, need your help.............

[willie]

i'm 31 and started to lose some of my frontal hair line when i was 22. i got on propecia within 2 years (started september 1999) and it has done great. however, within the last month i have started to notice thinning again (in the front and on top of the head) for the first time since i got on propecia. so i have a few questions that i would greatly appreciate your help with. thanks in advance.

 

1) does propecia lose its effectiveness after a certain period? in my case, it would be 7 years (sept. '99 to october '06)

2) i have a prescription for avodart from my family physician. should i try it? i know it's not FDA approved and it stays in your system longer, but i think it's worth a shot. any serious side effects? is it safe to try? would insurance cover avodart?

3) i've started taking nizoral 1% shampoo once every 3 days. i understand the 2% is by prescription only. is it that much of a difference in the 2% to get it?

4) what other shampoo's should i use? is nioxin good and over the counter?

5) what are copper peptides and do they really work?

6) what could be the reasons i've all of a sudden started losing hair after being so successful with propecia for 7 years? there has been no change in my diet, no extra stress. could i have a decrease in testosterone levels that could help cause this hair loss?

7) my current regime is propecia once a day (most likely soon to be avodart), rogaine foam twice a day (just started), and nizoral 1% shampoo once every 3 days. what else should i be doing?

 

seriously, what else works? am i doing the right things? what else should i be doing?

 

thank you for any help/responses you can give me.

[willie]

i'm 31 and started to lose some of my frontal hair line when i was 22. i got on propecia within 2 years (started september 1999) and it has done great. however, within the last month i have started to notice thinning again (in the front and on top of the head) for the first time since i got on propecia. so i have a few questions that i would greatly appreciate your help with. thanks in advance.

 

1) does propecia lose its effectiveness after a certain period? in my case, it would be 7 years (sept. '99 to october '06)

2) i have a prescription for avodart from my family physician. should i try it? i know it's not FDA approved and it stays in your system longer, but i think it's worth a shot. any serious side effects? is it safe to try? would insurance cover avodart?

3) i've started taking nizoral 1% shampoo once every 3 days. i understand the 2% is by prescription only. is it that much of a difference in the 2% to get it?

4) what other shampoo's should i use? is nioxin good and over the counter?

5) what are copper peptides and do they really work?

6) what could be the reasons i've all of a sudden started losing hair after being so successful with propecia for 7 years? there has been no change in my diet, no extra stress. could i have a decrease in testosterone levels that could help cause this hair loss?

7) my current regime is propecia once a day (most likely soon to be avodart), rogaine foam twice a day (just started), and nizoral 1% shampoo once every 3 days. what else should i be doing?

 

seriously, what else works? am i doing the right things? what else should i be doing?

 

thank you for any help/responses you can give me.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hello Willie,

 

Welcome to the forums. Allow me to try to help answer your questions:

 

1. I believe this is possible, I would read through Propecia's website if I were you too...I believe over time and after certain ages it can begin to lose some of it's effectiveness.

 

2. I would consult a doctor about this one. I have no experience with Avodart, but I know some people have switched to it from Propecia...though I'm honestly not sure how much success they are having. Just like any medication, I believe there are risks of side effects, maybe even moreso with Avodart than Propecia because the medication is stronger.

 

3. I'm not sure what you mean by much of a difference...do you mean effectiveness or cost? I don't know the cost differential. 2% is more potent, therefore potentially more effective. Just don't use it too much because it can dry out your hair and irritate your scalp. 3 times a week should be enough and just monitor your hair with pictures and all that...also feeling for texture differences. My hair actually had a thinner appearance when I used it after a couple months

 

4. When it comes to shampoo, there is no "should" use...however, I personally like Nioxin shampoo and conditioner...only for the fact that it feels soothing on the scalp and makes my hair feel good.

 

5. check out the below link which is a detailed discussion about copper peptides

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=150611

 

6. See number 1. It could be due to a slight loss of effectiveness of the drug. Unfortunately both Propecia and Minoxodil have been more well known to work in the crown area than the hairline.

 

7. Sounds like a good routine. There's not much else you can be doing medically. You could always consider getting a hair transplant, cutting your hair a different way so the thinning is less obvious, using some kind of cover up like Toppik or Dermatch. The one I chose was to get a hair transplant as you can see by my below links.

 

I hope this helps you as you do more research.

 

Bill