new guy looking for help! propecia - good or bad?

[whymewhy]

Hello my fellow balding brother's!

 

I just joined this forum & feels so nice to know that I am doing all the right things!! I am a 25 year old diffuse thinner & have been on propecia & rogaine for almost 2 years now. Weirdly enough only my mom has signs of thinning where as my dad has a full head of hair. I am already a NW 5 kinda guy.

 

My main concern is i have slight thinning on the sides of my scalp which is not as bad as the top of my scalp where as the back of my head is pretty thick. What makes me even more confused is that my hairline is completely intact with the diffuse thinning happening behind the hairline. In fact the thickest portion of hair on my scalp is the hairline & the back of my head. This is very similar to my Mom's thinning. A few of the doctors I consulted said although it was weird to have this kind of pattern I do qualify for a HT. Most of the Doc's told me that people who have thinning in the sides generally have the same kind of thinning in the back of their head. Since, the hair at the back of my head is pretty thick I am confused!

 

My 2nd concern is with the drug propecia. I have had very good benefits from propecia with slight regrowth in the vertex region. Never had any side effects regarding libo! After being on the drug for almost 1.5 years I started to develop dark circles under my eyes. Also, I have been going to the Gym regularly since i was 18 with little or no muscle build up. But ever since i started propecia I have had some nice muscle build up although I work out the same! Now I dont know if this is good or bad for my body! A derm whom I consulted said that since propecia reduces DHT, my body has increased testosterone which has helped in the muscle build up. Not sure why this would happen after 1.5 years of use? I am scared to stop propecia since it has given me benefits but it has changed my face for sure! The main question here is since my balding pattern is similar to my Mother's is DHT still the main cause of my thinning?

 

Nice site by the way, I would be doing a lot of reading on this site for the next few days!

[whymewhy]

Hello my fellow balding brother's!

 

I just joined this forum & feels so nice to know that I am doing all the right things!! I am a 25 year old diffuse thinner & have been on propecia & rogaine for almost 2 years now. Weirdly enough only my mom has signs of thinning where as my dad has a full head of hair. I am already a NW 5 kinda guy.

 

My main concern is i have slight thinning on the sides of my scalp which is not as bad as the top of my scalp where as the back of my head is pretty thick. What makes me even more confused is that my hairline is completely intact with the diffuse thinning happening behind the hairline. In fact the thickest portion of hair on my scalp is the hairline & the back of my head. This is very similar to my Mom's thinning. A few of the doctors I consulted said although it was weird to have this kind of pattern I do qualify for a HT. Most of the Doc's told me that people who have thinning in the sides generally have the same kind of thinning in the back of their head. Since, the hair at the back of my head is pretty thick I am confused!

 

My 2nd concern is with the drug propecia. I have had very good benefits from propecia with slight regrowth in the vertex region. Never had any side effects regarding libo! After being on the drug for almost 1.5 years I started to develop dark circles under my eyes. Also, I have been going to the Gym regularly since i was 18 with little or no muscle build up. But ever since i started propecia I have had some nice muscle build up although I work out the same! Now I dont know if this is good or bad for my body! A derm whom I consulted said that since propecia reduces DHT, my body has increased testosterone which has helped in the muscle build up. Not sure why this would happen after 1.5 years of use? I am scared to stop propecia since it has given me benefits but it has changed my face for sure! The main question here is since my balding pattern is similar to my Mother's is DHT still the main cause of my thinning?

 

Nice site by the way, I would be doing a lot of reading on this site for the next few days!

[repo-man]

I'm actually in the same boat regarding the sides of my head. If you look at my pre-HT pictures, you can tell the sides are noticeably thinner than the back is. I'd be interested in understanding why this is so as well.

 

Good to hear that propecia has been doing its thing for you. Why would you need to stop Propecia if you are not experiencing any of the negatives?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Whymewhy,

 

Welcome to our community.

 

It's quite possible that you are experiencing female pattern baldness, which can occur in men. I am however, glad to hear Propecia and Rogaine is working for you.

 

Feel free to post some pictures if you'd like us to have a look at your hair loss situation.

 

Your muscle build up has nothing to do with propecia, if anything blocking DHT decreases muscle. You are just getting old er and your metabolism is slowing so you are gaining weight now.

 

I would hardly call 25 old, and I wouldn't think his metabolism is slowing down at this point. Gosh, I'm 31 and I think only just now my metabolism is starting to slow a bit. 25 is pretty much a "peak" time for weight lifters.

 

Nonetheless, HT55 is right. Propecia wouldn't be preventing you from getting gaining muscle mass. Sometimes we have to revise our work out and diet in order to see additional results.

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

HT55,

 

Thanks for your insight. I suppose for the dedicated bodybuilder who competes, differences may become obvious, but for the average Joe, I doubt there will be any noticeable difference.

 

Additionally, I'm not so sure that blocking DHT would impact muscle mass. I could see if Propecia blocked testosterone, but since it inhibits type II 5-alpha-reductase which in turn prevents testosterone from converting to DHT, it almost makes logical sense to assume the opposite.

 

I am not a biologist or nutritionist however, so I could be wrong.

 

Bill

[John5527]

I am considering going on propecia. I know that it is not really a new drug anymore. Are there any new, more effective hairloss medicines or is propecia still the only FDA approved one? Sorry for asking so many questions, but I would like to hear from people who have actually tried it not a website trying to sell it. How long have most people taken it before they see any results. Is it more for maintenance or does it result in regrowth? I not there are side effects, which is why I wonder if it is worth it. What experiences have you guys had with it. I am in my early thirties and would like to keep the hair that I have now. Maintenance would keep me happy at this point.