What if you can't take Propecia?

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

Hi - I'm 31 been thinning for about five years, realtively stable and slow however. I've been using Rogaine Foam for a little over a year and it's helped. I tried Propecia and got horrible side effects (brain fog). I even tried tricking myself by doing a blind test where I bought gelatin capsules and filled five with Propecia and five with aspirin. I put them in different bottles and took one set of five without knowing which was which. Then I waited a few days and took the other five. Sure enough, I got sides with Propecia and nothing with aspirin. So now I know it wasn't the nocebo effect. So I can't take Propecia. I still have a lot of hair. But I can definitely see the future in the thinning. I had an appointment for a hair transplant but I postponed it.

 

What are my options here? So many people say getting a hair transplant without Propecia is idiotic. But, if that's the case, what can I do other than just give up?

[Spring15]

A Transplant without propecia would benefit you for a few years, but then you'd have noticeable thinning behind. Ideally you want to stabilise your hair loss, Without propecia that doesn't really happen. Up to you what you want to do.

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

So then what? I'd just get another hair transplant? If money was no object, is this a worthwhile pursuit? Or will I just end up with an unfinished art project?

[Mick50]

One of the benefits of being of being a NW 5 as I was before my transplant is that all the hair on the top of my head is now pretty much transplanted hair also I was 52 when I had it so hair loss was pretty stable .

unfortunately for anyone younger with more hair to potentially lose there's always going to be the need

to have more than one transplant ,and from looking at your pics I would imagine you're going to

lose all the hair on top so you ned to plan accordingly. Plenty of guys don't take Propecia, OK it's recommended but by no means an

absolute necessity.

[ussoccerfan1990]

Propecia has to be looked at as the ultimate option if possible. When searching into hair transplants, it's easy to think I'll dish out the money and screw the meds but it's flawed thinking. I have had two transplants and am very pleased but native hair is always more dense even with excellent work. If possible, take propecia and I have am confident hair transplant is excellent option.

[Lyubo93]

What kind of side effcets you're talking about?

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

What kind of side effcets you're talking about?

 

If felt like I had a concussion. I had trouble thinking, I wasn't sharp, I couldn't remember words. One telling feature of the side effects was I locked myself out of my apartment which I had never done in the two years I had been living there. I was slow and I felt dumb.

 

Since the response was so extreme I was convinced this was the nocebo effect. So that's why I did the experiment. But the side effects still came. And I had no idea I was taking the Propecia, in fact, I guessed wrong when I guessed which one I had taken.

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

What if I just focus on restoring my hairline? I don't mind too much having a bald spot. Is it possible, without Propecia, with donor hair, to give myself a solid front half and then a just keep the crown to look like its thinning?

 

I went for a consultation with Dr. Mohebi and he says my donor hair is above average density at a 2.3.

[Louisjams]

If you cannot take propecia it is not the end of the world. Just recognize if you get HT #1 you are also likely to need HT#2 and maybe even HT#3 at some point.

[1978matt]

You could try taking less propecia.

 

I have similar side effects but I only take one tablet a week. I take it at night and the side effects are more or less gone by the following morning. Ideally I'd try to take 0.5mg 3 times a week, or maybe 0.25mg. Failing that, just do what I do and take 1mg.

 

Some may say it won't help taking such a small does. They may be right but I don't seem to be losing much if any hair and I've been taking small weekly amounts for over 3 years.

 

There's a chart online showing how dht drops and takes 7 days to recover after one dose of 0.5, 1.5 and 5 mg.

 

You could maybe consider doing FUE and plan it in a way which takes into account for future loss. Mohebi is a good dr

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

You could try taking less propecia.

 

I have similar side effects but I only take one tablet a week. I take it at night and the side effects are more or less gone by the following morning. Ideally I'd try to take 0.5mg 3 times a week, or maybe 0.25mg. Failing that, just do what I do and take 1mg.

 

Some may say it won't help taking such a small does. They may be right but I don't seem to be losing much if any hair and I've been taking small weekly amounts for over 3 years.

 

There's a chart online showing how dht drops and takes 7 days to recover after one dose of 0.5, 1.5 and 5 mg.

 

You could maybe consider doing FUE and plan it in a way which takes into account for future loss. Mohebi is a good dr

 

That's a good idea. I wonder if taking a bunch of Saw Palmetto every day would achieve the same result as Propecia once per week. It's something I will explore.

 

When I took Propecia I definitely noticed my hair stopped falling out and the horrible itchiness had also gone away completely. It was a miracle. But along with it came the debilitating brain fog. It was truly debilitating. And it didn't go away fully for about 7-8 days.

 

As much as I really want to use this medication because I know it will work, I just can't justify dealing with any amount of brain fog.

 

I don't have an issue with doing multiple hair transplants. I also wonder if I can get one now, and that buys me 3-5 years....maybe something else will come out by 2022? Replicel? Cloning? IF not, then Hair transplant #2 can be done to hold me off for another 3-5 years. Then maybe by 2030 something will come out?

 

Either way, if I can't take Propecia due to persistent debilitating side effects (that were verified with a blind test), getting a hair transplant is surely better than just balding, no? Am I missing something here?

[1978matt]

You need a Doc who can give you an appropriate hairline that will look good even if you carry on balding. You'll have to accept some compromises like a high hairline and very thin crown, most probably.

 

Plus the fact you will never be able to buzz your hair extremely short, whether it is FUT or FUE. If you can get over that then you're good to go.

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

You need a Doc who can give you an appropriate hairline that will look good even if you carry on balding. You'll have to accept some compromises like a high hairline and very thin crown, most probably.

 

Plus the fact you will never be able to buzz your hair extremely short, whether it is FUT or FUE. If you can get over that then you're good to go.

 

Framing the face and my receding temple points are what's most important for me. The doctor drew what he considered a conservative hairline and I asked to go even more conservative. I pretty much asked to just keep my hairline where it currently is. Just make it A HAIRLINE. And not a bunch of HAIR - DASHES.

 

I fine with the crown being thin. I would like it to not be shiny though. But I hope that something comes out in the next 15 years that could fix that as I maintain with 1-2 HTs.

 

But another thing that got me worried on these forums was SHOCK LOSS. Since you weren't on Propecia during your HT did you experience shock loss? I don't want to lose what I currently have and just fast-forward 2 years.

 

That guy, Dr. Rassmussun or whatever his name is scares the sh** out of me on RealSelf.com. He's always saying things like, 'You're a fool if you don't take Propecia and get an HT. Your head will fall off and you will die.'

[1978matt]

Framing the face and my receding temple points are what's most important for me. The doctor drew what he considered a conservative hairline and I asked to go even more conservative. I pretty much asked to just keep my hairline where it currently is. Just make it A HAIRLINE. And not a bunch of HAIR - DASHES.

 

I fine with the crown being thin. I would like it to not be shiny though. But I hope that something comes out in the next 15 years that could fix that as I maintain with 1-2 HTs.

 

But another thing that got me worried on these forums was SHOCK LOSS. Since you weren't on Propecia during your HT did you experience shock loss? I don't want to lose what I currently have and just fast-forward 2 years.

 

That guy, Dr. Rassmussun or whatever his name is scares the sh** out of me on RealSelf.com. He's always saying things like, 'You're a fool if you don't take Propecia and get an HT. Your head will fall off and you will die.'

 

I was on my low dose during my HT. My HT served to replace my miniaturised hair rather than attempt to implant between them. No point wasting time trying to save what was offering no cosmetic benefit.

 

In some ways I feel I was lucky in the sense that the front half of my head was essentially a blank canvas.

 

With all the anaesthetic injected into the scalp I think other balding areas might get accelerated hairloss aka shockloss so that is a risk. The only real solution is to get another HT.

[1978matt]

You should also be able to have some hair in your crown, not amazingly thick, but some hair.

 

It sounds like your expectations are all very reasonable.

 

I'd look around your older male relatives to see how things might process and try to think how it might look if you end up the same, you might need to allow for some touch ups here or there.

[HairThereAndEverywhere]

You should also be able to have some hair in your crown, not amazingly thick, but some hair.

 

It sounds like your expectations are all very reasonable.

 

I'd look around your older male relatives to see how things might process and try to think how it might look if you end up the same, you might need to allow for some touch ups here or there.

 

It's really hard to tell but my dad had decent hair into his 50s. He's still got a tiny bit left. My uncle is totally bald. But my dad held strong without treatment. His crown was the first to go however.