Regular Member Fincarred Posted December 5, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted December 5, 2011 Just a quick question really, as it says in the title... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted December 5, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 5, 2011 Yes, I am, but there are a lot of people on here with straight transplants and no medication, you probably will find a lot of varying answers on this subject. Newhairplease!! Dr Rahal in January 19, 2012:) 4808 FUT grafts- 941 singles, 2809 doubles, 1031 triples, 27 quads My Hairloss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foSteve Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I just had my second and maybe final hair transplant and I have not been on any meds for over three years. I have however used it in the past with success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Radius Posted December 9, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 (edited) I started with finasteride 2 years prior to my FUT procedure, because I wanted to be sure my hairloss had stabilised before i underwent a hair transplant. Later I noticed my crown was getting thinner, so I switched to dutasteride. Since then my crown has thickened again and I notice no further hairloss. I'm staying on dutasteride, because all my hair falling out except my transplants would be my worst nightmare! Edited December 9, 2011 by Radius Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member richie48 Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 I started on minoxadil cream and 1mgs propecia ( brand name of finasteride ) in 2006 . By 2007 I had ditched the minoxadil cream , it didn't seem to help any regrowth and occasionally irrritated my scalp . I also switched to 5mgs of generic finasteride ( proscar )in 2007 , I cut these into 4 pieces and took 1.25mgs daily . By 2009 I started to cut the 5mgs of finasteride into 5 pieces and took 1mg daily . In 2010 I started to cut the finasteride into 6 pieces and I now take only 0.8mgs daily , I did this with no noticable loss of hair . I have suffered no side effects , no drop in libido or loss of erections , I do however believe I have become more of a calmer and more focused person , my girlfriend has noticed this also , is it the finasteride , I don't really know but it coinsided with me starting on them meds . However I did notice my seamen become more watery after I started using the meds . Due to wanting to start a family I have recently had my testosterone , thyroid and sperm count checked , my testosterone levels where higher than average , my thyriod is fine and my sperm count was also higher than the average , on average most men have between 20-200 million sperm per edjuculation , I had 140 million . I used to buy proscar and minoxadil from a well know London hair clinic , hahaha , the one advertised on channel four in the early morning ! Now I buy generic finasteride from the same uk doctor whose details can be found on spex's website , this doctor is always available for questions and supplies lots of men with finasteride . Generic simply means another company has made it but can't call it propecia for legal reasons . I have included a link below to one of my older posts showing pics of my improvement from meds only ..... DR FELLER UK PATIENT /RICHIE48 THEN AND NOW TWO YEAR TRIP ! From meds and a 9 month HT I hope that answers your questions bud richie 2100 crown grafts Dr Feller nov 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mahhong Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 I reckon the majority of men who have transplants will be taking drugs to support that transplant, but a fair minority do not. If you haven't tried the drugs it's always best to give them a go (after being prescribed by a doctor, of course!). There are however quite a few men that either can't or won't take them; especially finasteride. I am one of them as I experienced pretty bad side effects both the times I tries fin and wasn't comfortable with the idea of continuing to take the drug long term (just to note, all the side effects have gone now I have stopped taking the meds). Hair transplantation without meds is inherently riskier because of the higher likelihood of future loss - but there are a fair few stories of guys on here having success without meds. Luck and judgement do need to be on your side though; if you have an advanced hairloss pattern that can be a problem, although in reality these days even some NW6 patients are getting excellent results from transplantation, but NW7 is still pretty much a definite no-no especially without meds! The other aspect is that you'll be chasing your HT if you're off meds. Unless you're older and your balding might have stabilised, chances are you'll get an HT and without meds, 2 or 3 or 4 years later you'll need another one to fill in the areas of continued thinning. You may need to have 3+ procedures before you can really fill in all the loss. And of course, density is an issue. The guys who hold on to their native hair have more hair, to put it bluntly, than the guys who don't. Density can still potentially be excellent even if you lose your hair or don't take meds, but clearly any extra native hair is only going to add to the effect! The meds are still the cheapest and easiest way to restore and maintain your hair and can pave the way for a stable HT procedure that will stand the test of time. Doctors are ethically obliged to come up with the safest, least intrusive and most stable plan for you that they can, so it makes sense to advise taking FDA approved drugs and have as small a procedure as possible to combat your hairloss instead of advising you not to take drugs and end up needing multiple, costly procedures to deal with the consequences. Doctors plan every procedure to look natural and be effective on its own, and stabilising your hair with meds is a huge part of that plan. But ultimately, it is possible to restore your hair without drugs if you meet the criteria for doing so; mainly having a more limited pattern of hairloss, committing to multiple procedures over several or more years and being fully aware that nobody can know where your hairloss will truly end up, despite all best guesses. In short, there's always a risk you could be sailing into the unknown, especially without the meds, and doctors are ethically bound not to let you do this is if there is a better plan on the table. But if you have the donor required to meet your eventual balding pattern and the time, patience, money and dedication to pay for the transplants you need, then there are guys out there that go the HT without meds route and do just great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 I started with finasteride 2 years prior to my FUT procedure, because I wanted to be sure my hairloss had stabilised before i underwent a hair transplant. Later I noticed my crown was getting thinner, so I switched to dutasteride. Since then my crown has thickened again and I notice no further hairloss. I'm staying on dutasteride, because all my hair falling out except my transplants would be my worst nightmare! How was your switch over to Dutasteride? What is your dosage? Any sides? Just curious, thanks! I've been on fin for over five years now. Would be a NW 6 without it. Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 Aaron I just glanced at your pictures on your website. Man your hair looks great in your latest pictures! What a transformation!! Newhairplease!! Dr Rahal in January 19, 2012:) 4808 FUT grafts- 941 singles, 2809 doubles, 1031 triples, 27 quads My Hairloss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Radius Posted December 9, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 How was your switch over to Dutasteride? What is your dosage? Any sides? Just curious, thanks! I've been on fin for over five years now. Would be a NW 6 without it. I took my last finasteride pill and then my first dutasteride pill the day after. I experienced no shedding and no side effects that I know off. With finasteride I had no side effects either. I take one pill (0,5 milligram of dutasteride) daily, but I forget to take it once or twice a week (usually in the weekends). After about six months of taking dutasteride, I noticed that my crown area had started thickening. But as long as finasteride is working for you, you should stay with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Radius Posted December 9, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 AaronI just glanced at your pictures on your website. Man your hair looks great in your latest pictures! What a transformation!! Whoa yeah! Huge improvement between May 2006 and now. Congrats dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 Just a quick question really, as it says in the title... Yes most guys are using effective hairloss drugs in order to maintain their look. Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Radius Posted December 9, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 Yes most guys are using effective hairloss drugs in order to maintain their look. Yes, because we're vain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aseda1979 Posted December 9, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 9, 2011 Yes it helps to give the HT a fuller look by thickening miniaturized hair http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=1989 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted December 10, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 10, 2011 Thanks for the props Newhair and Radius. Things are coming along now and it is quite something to look back to where I was in 2006. It's been such a long journey that sometimes I forget where I've come from. Thanks Radius for the Dut info. Yes, Fin has worked for well me in the past and continues to work for me now. It's hard for me to say if it has completely halted my hair loss but I haven't noticed any ridiculous sheds. If I've had any additional loss it has been minimal at best. I thank God every day for that drug! Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Tao Posted December 10, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 10, 2011 I used minoxidil for awhile and that likely delayed some hair loss for me, but it wasn't totally stopping it. Then got sick of it and went off it and lost a bunch of hair fairly quickly. Was advised to get on propecia but didn't want to. I either wanted to just accept my hairloss and move on (I was in my later 30s by that time) or have hair without meds or foam or fuss. In my case, the latter was possible as I my hair loss pattern, certainly extensive, was pretty much set. Two HTs later and I achieved my goal. No meds for me. Due to hair greed, I could see going back one more time to add a bit more density to my crown area but it's totally not necessary. As I had lost most of what I was going to lose before my HTs, propecia wasn't and still isn't going to do much for me and isn't worth the risk for me. Everyone's situation is different though. I could have started taking propecia in my 20s and certainly kept my native hair for a lot longer than I did. It certainly would have been a lot cheaper than 2 HTs. In the end, the way I chose worked out for me. My Hairloss/Transplant Website: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=1772 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RCWest Posted December 11, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 11, 2011 Finasteride has a flat dose-response curve. Once you get past 1 mg. anything extra is doing nothing for you. Dutasteride on the other hand responds to higher doses. With 0.5 mg. a day inhibits 92% serum DHT and 55% scalp DHT, whereas 2.5 mg. a day inhibits 95% serum DHT and 80% scalp DHT. You can drink 100% white grapefruit juice and get more out of the Dutasteride. Your body will see a higher dose out of it. Finasteride 1.25 mg. daily Avodart 0.5 mg. daily Spironolactone 50 mg twice daily 5 mg. oral Minoxidil twice daily Biotin 1000 mcg daily Multi Vitamin daily Damn, with all the stuff you put in your hair are you like a negative NW1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Levrais Posted December 11, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 11, 2011 I am using only rogaine and some nutritional supps like MSM and Biotin but not propecia/fin. 5700 FUE in 3 procedures with Dr. Bisanga View my patient website: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=1874 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted December 22, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted December 22, 2011 We all have our own individual reasons why we will or will not use finasteride whether in the form of Propecia or guys that cut Proscar. And we all have to make those decisions individually. Still, out of all of the hairloss drugs to use, finasteride is the only one that deals with the cause our hairloss. Yes Dutasteride too, but Propecia was developed specifically to inhibit DHT at a very low daily dosage. That's my honest observation and opinion compared to all of the other options to save our hair. Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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