djb Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Hello Im 23, noticed my hair thinning late last year but didnt really know about it until I saw a photo of the back of my head in late janaury this year. I was kinda shocked and had all these plans to see medical hair centres but im paranoid they will use scare tactics on me to make me sign up to expensive treatments that you can do yourself, for far cheaper. Anyway, I went to see a doctor here and he agreed im showing signs of alopecia and prescribed me a blood test to make sure nothing was wrong with regards to deficiencies, and minoxidil. After a few days of reading I went back and asked him why he didnt prescribe propecia, since it seems to be very popular according to forums such as these. He said that he would rather have me on minoxidil for 6 months, then if that doesnt work, go on finasteride, since its entirely possible minoxidil will be all I need. being my paranoid self, i went on about how propecia and minoxidil is a sort of 'cover all your options' approach and that i really wanted to go on it from what I read, and he quite reluctantly gave me the prescription, warning me of all the side effects and stuff. so i went and bought some but im really hesitant on using it. I dont know if i should stay with minoxidil only like the doctor suggested, since that runs the risk of the loss simply continuing at a slower rate and being harder to reverse, but finasteride has these potential side effects which have me quite worried, not helped in the least by the manufacturers website removed pending a class action lawsuit against them... I just dont know, I was 100% focused on getting on the finasteride but now im questioning whether I should just go with the minoxidil only and wait it out to see what happens, with 0 risk of side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted February 6, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 6, 2012 I would certainly do both!! Get aggressive with it!! 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...
Senior Member NEWHAIRPLEASE Posted February 6, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 6, 2012 Heres the deal....Im a HUGE believer in taking both!!! Also, Im a huge believer in using NIzoral shampoo two or three times a week( its an anti fungal shampoo that has some DHT blocking properties in it)...most everyone on here is gonna give you the same advice.. Heres where I agree with your doctor...if you take rogaine for 6-12 months without using propecia, well then you will know if it worked or didn't work..if you start both at the same time, and you see an improvement then you want know which drug is doing the improvement...thats why some people stagger start the drugs....however, after saying all that, If it were me...I would start them both and get really aggressive with treating my hair loss!!! 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 TeacherNJ Posted February 7, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted February 7, 2012 I am still using propecia but think Rogaine works better for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member littlemink Posted February 8, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 I think hes asking mainly about the side effects of Finasteride. I didnt know about taking any drug at all when I'd decided on FUT (still waiting on price from Dr.Feriduni) and now when i calculate the risk factor and "possible" side effects from Finasteride, it just made my heart sink. Frommy own research over the last 36 hours, it seems that people taking the 5mg Finasteride tables in the studies had more of the side effects we hear about. On the 1MG cases, the percentage is around the 1-3% mark and thats not taking into account the patients who were given placebos who were also very close to 1-3% with side effects. To me, thats worth taking the chance but from what i hear the effects (should they become an issue) are reversible. As you're so young too, they say you have to wear protection during intercourse to protect your partner and to stop using the drug a few months before you plan to have a kid. Other than that, I'm going for the 5 month dose of 5mg Fin adn cutting it up into 0.8 chunks. ps..i also heard that between 0.2mg and 1mg of Fin, there was little to no added affect and also i read a few places that you only have to take it two or three times per week and not every day as most people say. I'm still unsure about this (but I've read 3 independant reviews onit so far) and will continue to look into it because I'd rather take less drug, less often for less side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member StaggerLee123 Posted February 8, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 littlemink how in the world are you cutting you 5mg finasteride tabs into .8mg chunks?? You're cutting one pill into 6 pieces? I cut the 5mg tabs into 1.25mg quarters and one quarter of a tab is teeny tiny!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member littlemink Posted February 8, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 I don't have the tablets yet but the advice was from someone who answered a post the other day. I'm not sure yet how to measure or cut these things into specific mg but I live in a town full of drug dealers so getting advice on accurately cutting up pills is on my doorstep:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member StaggerLee123 Posted February 8, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 I don't have the tablets yet but the advice was from someone who answered a post the other day. I'm not sure yet how to measure or cut these things into specific mg but I live in a town full of drug dealers so getting advice on accurately cutting up pills is on my doorstep:) You're not going to be able to cut them into sixths. You'll end up with crumbs and dust but give it a try, nothing like firsthand experience. You've mentioned some studies that you said indicated that a 3 times a week regiment was found to be nearly as effective as the daily dose. Can you provide a link? I would like to read them as I have just started Finasteride and the side effect potential is creeping me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member littlemink Posted February 8, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 Its 3:30am but I found this link on another forum. Hair Loss Help Forums - 0.2mg fin every third day as effevtive as 1mg daily?? I'll try and back it up with legitimate research tomorrow:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member littlemink Posted February 8, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 Ok, sO far I have these links for you to look at. Plasma DHT levels 7 days after various Finasteride dosages • PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum And this link has a few guys who have DHT levels taken between days... Hair Loss Help Forums - Taking finasteride every day than everyother more effective? Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member richie48 Posted February 8, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 (edited) Hi staggerlee123 It was me who adviced that 5mg finasteride tablets can be cut into six pieces and used as 0.8mgs daily . Below have provided photographic evidence to back up my claims . This is my kit , nothing out of the ordinary , standard pill cutter , standard daily pill box , 5mg finsateride , and cut neatly into 6 pieces , easy , without fuss and far from just dust left over . This is a standard , bladed pill cutter which can be purchased from any high street chemist for 2.99 UK pounds . This is a scaled close up of my 5mg finasteride tablets cut in 6 pieces , with an uncut finasteride tablet on the right of the picture . I buy my finasteride from a very respectable online source , spex also uses the same place as do many other finasteride users , they sell propecia , proscar and finasteride , so there is a wide range of hairloss medication to chose from , and to suit all pockets . UKfinsateride.info I hope this healps clear up any confusion richie Edited February 9, 2012 by Unregistered 2100 crown grafts Dr Feller nov 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gasto Posted February 8, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 Read this article to understand why many people keep denying the finasteride side-effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member richie48 Posted February 8, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 8, 2012 Sam Harris is an controversial anti-religion writer , this article you have supplied is about faith and religion , even if you're trying to simplify it and say that the point is people will only see what they want to see , this can go for anything in life , from what car to buy , to which toothpaste to use , it's all subjective and open to opinion and honesty . Finasteride can have side effects and some people can be effected by them , just as some people feel nausea when taking paracetomol and some peoples don't , I for one am not denying this fact , however I do use finasteride with sucess and I'm not in some sort of self denial like you seem to be implying , I guess I'm lucky as the only side effect I have is watery seaman and a less hairy back , I can honestly say , hand on heart , that I can live with that . Now that being said , maybe , just maybe it's you who are in self denial , and having taken finasteride and suffered a psychological erection failure due to your own insecurities with women , then having failed to be completely honest with yourself , you sir blamed the side effects on finasteride , maybe , just maybe this has left you bitter and unable to accept other men having success with a dht reducing tablet . You see what I did there ? twisted it round , not dissimilar from Sam Harris's writing . It really boils down to this , try finasteride to help with hairloss , if you are unfortinate enough to be in th 1% who suffer from side effects , then you , and you alone have to make the choice whether to manage these side efffects or to discontinue the drug . I guess I can only speak for myself , I take finasteride , it has helped me keep and even regrow some hair , I am lucky but I can't force you to believe me when I tell you the only side effects I have had is watery seaman and the discontinued growth of hairs on my back . You will just have to take it , or not , and find out for yourselves , or you could buy into the shameless self promoting rambling of a writer who has made alot of money from simply being controversial and sometime even insulting to people who chose to follow a faith . Oh and right at the top of that page you so kindly linked are the words ....... Free will . Good night richie 2100 crown grafts Dr Feller nov 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gasto Posted February 9, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 9, 2012 (edited) Blah blah blah, more denial, and justification, blah blah blah... Now that being said , maybe , just maybe it's you who are in self denial , and having taken finasteride and suffered a psychological erection failure due to your own insecurities with women , then having failed to be completely honest with yourself , you sir blamed the side effects on finasteride , maybe , just maybe this has left you bitter and unable to accept other men having success with a dht reducing tablet . Blah blah blah, more Sam Harris disgust. More denial. More irrealistic statistics about side-effects affected individuals ingesting finasteride, blah blah blah. richie See djb, this is a perfect example of a man in denial. Rambling in disgust towards a very reasonable man that created the article, boasting how he is the fortunate one not suffering from serious side-effects(although any sane person would consider infertility a serious problem if predisposed for having offspring), and worst of all, misinforming just like those corrupt Merk studies on side-effects. I mean when you have BREAST CANCER as a possible side-effect in the manual for Propecia, you have to ask yourself, who in his sane mind would go through such a treatment. Edited February 9, 2012 by gasto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JayWalker Posted February 9, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 9, 2012 Hi staggerlee123 It was me who adviced that 5mg finasteride tablets can be cut into six pieces and used as 0.8mgs daily . Below have provided photographic evidence to back up my claims . This is my kit , nothing out of the ordinary , standard pill cutter , standard daily pill box , 5mg finsateride , and cut neatly into 6 pieces , easy , without fuss and far from just dust left over . This is a standard , bladed pill cutter which can be purchased from any high street chemist for 2.99 UK pounds . This is a scaled close up of my 5mg finasteride tablets cut in 6 pieces , with an uncut finasteride tablet on the right of the picture . I buy my finasteride from a very respectable online source , spex also uses the same place as do many other finasteride users , they sell propecia , proscar and finasteride , so there is a wide range of hairloss medication to chose from , and to suit all pockets . UKfinsateride.com I hope this healps clear up any confusion richie And its very expensive. I must have said this about 100 times now, but you can purchase this stuff much cheaper from alldaychemist.com A 13 month supply of the 1mg tablets (finpecia) is ?229 from ukfinasteride. A years supply from that online chemist is $89.75 shipped!!!!! I am in no way associated with that site, but have used many many times, as have my friends and the service is spot on. People are paying far far too much for these drugs. http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/journal.asp?CopyID=10024&WebID=2832 October 2011 - 1647 FUT - Dr Dorin January 2014 - 1580 FUT - Dr Dorin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dingdong12 Posted February 9, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted February 9, 2012 i would hasve thought if personal doctor recommended only minoxidil for 6 months he should follow his instructions, he is the professional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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