Does anyone else HATE the thought of taking a pill everyday for the rest of your life

[Spanker]

It just really hit me today that I absolutely hate the thought of this, and it really got me down today for some reason.

[Dutch]

No. Never. Only kidding, I have thought about that too.

 

But it's a minor issue don't you think? So many people take medication in bucket loads all their lives or at least when they age. I have people in the family who eat an entire pharmacy for breakfast & dinner everyday.

 

I wouldn't feel down if I were you. Much more worse things out there.

 

I can't wait to add some grafts on my head soon

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Don't really bother me. I guess it would be much easier if it were a complete cure. Also, I'm not bothered at all by the sides. One more thing, even though it may not be true, I tell myself that finasteride may have the ability to prevent prostate cancer. It makes it easier!

[mattj]

No. Never. Only kidding, I have thought about that too.

 

But it's a minor issue don't you think? So many people take medication in bucket loads all their lives or at least when they age. I have people in the family who eat an entire pharmacy for breakfast & dinner everyday.

 

This made me think of my mother. She has a massive amount of pills to take daily. Taking one (with no potential to start feeling bad if you skip just a single dose) seems like nothing in comparison.

 

The thought of taking a pill daily for the rest of my life isn't nice, but the reality is it's easy.

[Sigildark]

Look at the bright side, if you are taking Propecia for life then that means it's effective and the side effects are non-existant to tolerable. That's a good thing for someone seeking to address hair loss

 

Also, i would say foreseable future instead of for the rest of your life. After all, hopefully, newer more effective solutions will eventually surface.

 

Additionally, perhaps when you get old enough you can say fuck it, i'm 70, i don't care about my hair anymore.

[aseda1979]

Its just like drinking water, you get used to it... you can always do The MWF deal instead of everyday

[TakingThePlunge]

I take mine MWF. It's not really a bother but, of course, it would be nice to not have to do it. Lots of guys complain about applying Rogaine twice a day also but I don't find that to be much of a burden either.

 

My dad takes loads of pills each day. That will probably become a reality for many of us as we age. And, as Sigildark has already stated, I also like to think that I'll only be taking finasteride until a better solution becomes available.

[Tonycc]

It sounds worse than it is. I will have to eat food every day for the rest of my life, shower every day for the rest of my life, brush my teeth twice every day for the rest of my life ... saying it sounds like a real burden, but it's hardly noticeable when you take things one day at a time.

[Tao]

Hopefully, they'll come up with something better eventually so you don't have to take propecia the rest of your life. I'm one of the few on here who has never taken propecia and never intend to. After two HTs, I'm at a stable enough point now where I don't have to. Not having to mess with propecia or minoxidil were definitely part of my hair restoration goals.

[rich91403]

Gentlemen,

 

I'm very grateful that a simple, once a day pill (I'm off it Sat/Sun) can be so effective. It is a reflex to take the medication upon rising in the morning. I usually take about 4 different vitamins/nutritional supplements anyway, so what's another pill.

I've been utilizing finasteride for about 15 years with one interval of 6 months discontinued use. I noticed a very negative change in my hair density and I resumed the medication protocol re-establishing the previous decent maintenance density.

I'M SIGNED UP FOR LIFE (I just dread the breaking the pills into quarters!)

[alix]

not really,

these days millions of healthy people take at least 1 pill a day for various reasons..vitamins,aspirin,body buillding supplements,mild anti depressants,weight loss,etc etc and these are just healthy people not even mentioning those taking meds due illness.

so I don't care about it at all.I've been taking finasteride for 10 years now and had this thought maybe 2-3 times only.

what I hate is the fact that it's 2011 and medical science still unable to come up with a medicine that actually works on this devastating condition.

[standbyme]

Why on earth would taking a tablet that takes seconds and could help to save your help be anything but a positive thing?

[SkinUpPinUp]

Not at all. For various reasons, I've been on medication and dietary supplementation for most of my life, so this really just fits in with my normal pattern of life.

 

And even if you don't take medication normally, the cost (price, inconvenience) to benefit (keeping your hair!) ratio is substantially weighted to the benefit side of things.

 

Besides, if you want to put it into perspective, look how many pills cancer patients have to take just to continue living. With this in mind, I really, really don't find taking pills electively a problem at all.

 

Now cutting them up into fifths...well, that's a pain in the ass.

[67mph]

You must have known the type of responses you were going to get from your question and surely that is - who the hells going to mind two seconds out their day to pop a pill that quite possibly maintains the remainder of the hair on top of their head?

 

It doesn't bother me in the slightest and i was thinking recently that if this was all there was to it then that's fine and dandy by me, people suffer far far worse troubles than popping a single pill each day.

 

...and hopfully i'm not about to stop this ritual anytime soon either, on all accounts!

 

57mph

Edited September 11, 2011 by 57mph
spelling

[galtsglutch]

It freaks me out because what if I'm one of the few that has sides!

 

But taking the pill each day isn't such a big deal to me.

[zenmunk]

Don't like taking it at all. I'd love to stop, but I don't, because the pros of taking it outweigh the cons so far. The recent info regarding fin and prostate cancer was alarming to say the least. Yeah, experts disagree about what the results actually mean, and the study used 5mg, not 1mg, but still not pleasant.

 

I've gotten blood tests every 6 months for 13 yrs to monitor my liver for any abnormalities which may be attributable to the fin. So far, so good. Don't know what else I can do to gauge if the meds are hurting me. A recent full body scan (for something unrelated) turned up nothing as well, so knock on wood. However, just because the blood work and the scan hasn't uncovered anything doesn't mean there isn't a problem brewing.

 

Bottom line is you never know what the long-term effects may be; it's a crap shoot.

 

The thought of being a slave to meds for the rest of my life (for something that is not medically necessary) is one of things that's keeping me from getting a HT. I like having the option to discontinue use for any reason and not have to worry about my native hair falling out behind my transplanted hairline leaving an unnatural pattern. Even if I resolved to take the meds forever (or until a better option came along), what if they just stopped working? 13 years is a good chunk of time, but that doesn't guarantee another 13+ years.

 

I'd love to restore my hairline, but I don't want to chase my hair loss for the rest of my life with surgery after surgery. The plan has been to get one FUE procedure and, if necessary, a 2nd to address poor growth areas and then stop. If the hair loss continues despite the meds, then just shave down. I wonder if that plan is feasible or if I'm just not being realistic... Any thoughts?

 

All this just makes my head spin.

Edited September 20, 2011 by zenmunk

[mahhong]

I tried finasteride twice and unfortunately had side effects both times. The first time I was on it for about 8 weeks I think, and I reckon I did start seeing some slow down of hairloss.

 

On balance though, if I could take it, I'd still be concerned about doing so over the long term. I don't by any means think finasteride is "poison" and I'm not against it (it seems to be great for many men!), but I do see the negative in taking it for the rest of your life.

 

It's a financial commitment and it's something that absolutely has to be done. You can't have a break for too long a period of time and if you want to stop at any point (something I think a lot of young men will do at some point if they want kids, just to be on the safe side) then you have to say bye bye to the progress you've made. You can't just re-start again and get back to where you were.

 

Many people take medications every day for their entire lives and manage just fine, so I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with it per se. But I do see permanent medication as a last resort and it is a struggle to truly justify the thought of having to take finasteride for what could end up being 40 or 50 years - just for hair.

 

In addition, as much as it's ruled a safe drug and millions of men take it just fine, there are lots of reported anecdotal side effects and of course, no matter how safe it is, it is a case of artificially altering the balance of your hormones.. There's a good chance you never see any problems with it, but if at any point you get ED or impotence, whether it's fin related or not you'll be worried. In addition, with all the other hormonal changes going on in your lifetime, it just seems a little like riskiness to go taking the drug long-term to me.

 

On a speculative note, I also think most men will, over perhaps years or decades, see the effectiveness of fin wear off. I honestly just can't believe that these men starting it as 22 or 23 will still have rock solid heads of hair at 42 or 43. They might have a hell of a lot more hair than the guy who isn't on fin, but I still think in the end if you want a good head of hair, you got to commit to several HTs in your lifetime, possibly more, to get it. And if you end up with fin keeping a few wispy hairs on your head, is it really worth it?

 

These are just my personal opinions, and I'm not trying to put anybody off! But after I found I couldn't tolerate it I thought long and hard and just felt it was ultimately not worth it anyway - not over the course of my lifetime. What if I wanted kids and felt it best to stop? What if I couldn't afford it anymore? What if it plain just seemed to stop being as effective? What if I got ED or some other problem? Even if it wasn't fin related (it likely wouldn't be), I'd be worrying and probably mucking about with dosage and so forth.

 

It doesn't seem to have much effect on the hairline either, so if you want to keep a decent head of hair that frames your face properly, HTs are still likely to become a consideration. Again, there's no doubt most men on fin will have more options with their hair, certainly in the short and probably mid-term - but over their lifetime? I still think you'll find by the time you're in your fifties or sixties (assuming you start it in your twenties or thirties), you're likely to see most of your hair gone. And people who talk about "not caring" at that age are probably not that age yet! It's an assumption to believe you won't care about your hair once you get old, and one I'd rather not make!

 

And, ultimately, I realised I probably wouldn't be any happier, any less worried about my hair. There'd still be the hairline to worry about, there'd still be the slow erosion of my natural hair. There'd still be the daily mirror checks and research into the future of hair restoration. There'd probably still be serious consideration about HTs and concealers and all of that.

 

I'm not on a total downer about fin (even though my post probably seems like it!), but since I can't take it anyway, when I thought about it pragmatically over the course of my lifetime, I think it'd be not worth it overall. No doubt it'd make things easier, certainly in the short term. I'd love to stop seeing my hair fall out and not worry about it so much and fin can potentially offer that. But it brings about a lot of other concerns and responsibilities with it and, as much as it's "just" popping a pill each day, it's really not that simple. It's a commitment and, truth be told, a commitment most men ultimately wouldn't really want to make unless they felt they had to. I didn't feel I had to ultimately and, even if I did, my side effects were bad enough to make that impossible.

 

These are just my opinions, so take them as such! It's as much conjecture as reality, so if you're on fin or seriously considering it, just bear that in mind. I don't know much about the drug in the broad scheme of things, but my honest opinion is that I'm personally better off without it whether I can tolerate it or not.

[recedingboy]

the thought of taking a medication for the rest of my life does bother me. sometimes i think i'll just get an fue procedure and keep my hair buzzed real short and get off the meds.

[newby1234]

It's surely worth the minute it takes to pop the pill in vhe morning. We all spend longer than that each day checking our hair lines anyway? And not to mention the thousands of pounds people spend on needless vitamins that they probably get from their diet anyway.

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

I don't mind it, as I also take a multi. It is a decision you have to make.

 

I have taken finasteride since it became available and, in sum, it has stopped my hairloss.

 

Enough said for me

[Sparky]

It is daunting I must admit, but don't think of it as a lifetime thing, just take one day at a time.

At some point there will be something better released onto the market.

 

What annoys me is, I don't even know if I need to take it or not!

[michaeljames]

Hey Mate,

If its any consolation, you are not the only one who has felt this way. I have met many patients who share the same grief. The reality is, from a medical science point of view, there are really no alternatives at the moment. There are a number of lotions and potions on the market which have great claims, but lack proper science. If keeping your existing hair from thinning and balding, this is currently the best option, but that doesn't mean it will always be the best option. Hair Restoration is a great way of restoring hair to the bald areas, but the existing hair may fall out while the transplanted hair remains, but with lesser density. In the end it is up to each individual to make a decision as to what their goals are. If they are to keep the existing hair from falling out, then I highly suggest following your doctors suggestions and keeping the hair by using medication as directed.

[Shampoo]

Does anyone else HATE the thought of taking a pill everyday for the rest of your life

 

Not at all.

 

No more than I hate brushing my teeth everyday for the rest of my life, or taking my multi-vitamin everyday for the rest of my life, or wearing shoes everyday for the rest of my life, or buckling my seatbelt everyday for the rest of my life. We do things everyday that in some way provides something we want and don't think twice about it. People with high blood pressure or acid reflux take a pill everyday..a lot of people take an aspirin everyday...whats the big deal about taking a pill everyday for hairloss? I've never quite understood the "oh my you mean I've got to take Propecia the rest of my life"?

Edited May 19, 2012 by Shampoo

[Tao]

It's not the physical act of taking a pill everyday that bothers me. That's easy. I brush my teeth every morning, so popping a pill is not biggie. I just didn't like the idea of messing with my body's hormones just for vanity reasons. Plus, once you start, you're committed unless you want to lose everything you gained. I just didn't like it. So I opted against it. I did use Rogaine for several years and though it didn't really grow more hair, I believe it did buy me some time. I wasn't sure it was doing anything though so after awhile, I quit using it. And boy did my hair loss accelerate after that! I imagine it's the same with Propecia. Still, I can totally understand men using Propecia. We all weigh the risks and benefits in life and make the choice that we're comfortable with. Balding sucks, no doubt, and it has a huge negative impact on people. So for many, Propecia is surely worth the risks.