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Should I start taking Propecia?


anonym1234

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Hello everyone

I am a 20-year-old young man from Denmark who has started to experience some recession in the temple areas. Unfortunately I am not certain when this began but I think it started when I was 18 years old.

Therefore I went to have a consultation with one of the few hair transplant doctors in Denmark, dr. Zontos, who told me that I do indeed suffer from antrogenic alopecia (MPB). He told me that it would not be ideal to have a hair transplant surgery as I would probably just lose more hair and it would not look normal. I totally agree with this.

He told me that I should have a consultation with my doctor and make him prescribe me Propecia. However I am very scared of possible side effects but I have also read that only 1.5 % do suffer from any side effects.

I am not sure what to do :( 

Please give me some advice :(

Kind regards

Mathias 

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Having been in your position, I would strongly suggest you try finasteride, even a micro dose cutting a `1mg tablet into quarters (the efficacy at that level is actually very similar anyway) .

 

Simplest way to look at it is such that male pattern baldness tends to occur in a linear fashion, so consider how much hair you've lost now and if you're thinning throughout the entire scalp you could be slick bald in not so long at all considering how aggressive your hairloss is for your age. The option is you can not take finasteride and potentially in 5 years you'll be virtually bald, or you can try it, see how it goes with likely a 95% chance of no side effects. If you do get any, just ease off the drug and at least you can know you didn't let yourself go bald without even giving it a chance. For me being completely bald before I hit 25 was a significantly scarier thought than trying a pill for which only 2-5% of people had side effects on.

 

Transplants are definitely an option in your present state but a poor idea unless you're taking finasteride and further losses have ceased. If you don't take the drug and go slick bald, also consider that its significantly harder to get good results out of transplants working on a fully bald scalp than just filling in a hairline.

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Hello Jean


Thank you for your comment.

In my family history balding is not something my father and uncle started to experience before they turned 40. No one in my family has even been totally bald.

My older brother (36 years old) does not suffer from any hair loss at all. 

I probably will lose more hair if I dont do anything but I never think that I would be completely bald.

Is it possible, as you mention, to lower the dose by cutting the pill in quaters/halves? 

Thank you very much

Kind regards 

Mathias 

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Just now, anonym1234 said:

Hello Jean


Thank you for your comment.

In my family history balding is not something my father and uncle started to experience before they turned 40. No one in my family has even been totally bald.

My older brother (36 years old) does not suffer from any hair loss at all. 

I probably will lose more hair if I dont do anything but I never think that I would be completely bald.

Is it possible, as you mention, to lower the dose by cutting the pill in quaters/halves? 

Thank you very much

Kind regards 

Mathias 

It's definitely possible it wouldn't progress further but at the same time family history is tricky in that something from far up the chain can be passed down that isn't immediately obvious. The cause of age of hairloss isn't well known either, for example almost everyone in my  family is a Norwood 5 like myself but they started balding 30+, I started around 18. Probably a warning sign if you can't recognise your situation in the experiences of other family members to assume for the worst. To be honest your crown looks like it might have a bit of loss also but it would be easiest to tell when its wet.

If there are competent transplant surgeons in your vicinity you could contact them and see if they could test the area behind the hairline for miniatursation, and see how far back it goes  to get an idea  of how the loss was likely to progress. 

Personally I've been taking 0.25mg which quarter from a 1mg tablet for 2 years and think its safe to say at this point hairloss ceased.  Also some minor improvement in the first 5 months of use (after a big shed for the first 2). 

You're about a NW2.

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Just now, anonym1234 said:

Hello again Jean

In regards to my crown I am not sure whether it is balding or not. My hair dresser always tell me that i have heavy swirl in the crown area. 

Could it be a swirl and not thinning?

Thank you :) 

It could definitely be the nature of the whorl in the crown, to be sure you'd have to get it analysed by a doctor or hair transplant surgeon with the ability to check for miniaturisation. Easiest way to get an idea is to take a pic when the hair is wet.

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I would certainly give finasteride and minoxidil a try, if you get side effects simply stop taking it, but at least you’ll know for sure. Furthermore, just because your brother isn’t balding doesn’t mean you won’t.

Here’s a picture of me my 41 year old brother and 61 year old dad, neither of them have ever used hair loss medication much less have three transplants like me. The balding gene can skip siblings and even generations. 

FE8CE123-6CA3-4AF1-99D0-5CE9D202E6CA.jpeg


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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Please do investigate taking Propecia, I think it can really help you from losing more hair.

Hair loss patient and transplant veteran. Once a Norwood 3A.

Received 2,700 grafts with coalition doctor on 8/13/2010

Received 2,380 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 9/30/2011

Received 1,820 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 7/28/2016

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Hello everyone

Thank you.

In regards to my crown I have taken a picture right after I showed and one after I blowdryed my hair.

Does it show any sign of thinning?

And in regards to taking Propecia what would be the most ideal to do? 1 mg (one pill) every day or divide it into quaters/halves?

Thank you very much.

wet hair.jpg

blowdryed hair.jpg

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Looks like its thinning, especially at 20. I would recommend trying .5mg every other day and slowly build up to 1mg everyday.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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I would start at the lowest dose possible maybe .25 every other day, see if you experience any side effects for a month, then move to .5mg, a month is enough time to know whether you’re experiencing sides or not. Keep going up until you reach 1mg a day. 


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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Hello everyone

As of today I have started taking Propecia and hopefully I do not experience any side effects.

Futhermore it is also very cheap compared to what I thought it would be.  Around 27 $ which is nothing compared to if I were to have a hair system

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Finasteride is effective for most men, be patient with it, give it at least six months, take pictures every month to see if thinning has stopped.

I've been on it since I was 21 and am now 34, still works.

Hair loss patient and transplant veteran. Once a Norwood 3A.

Received 2,700 grafts with coalition doctor on 8/13/2010

Received 2,380 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 9/30/2011

Received 1,820 grafts with Dr. Steven Gabel on 7/28/2016

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On 9/24/2018 at 1:32 PM, Speegs said:

Finasteride is effective for most men, be patient with it, give it at least six months, take pictures every month to see if thinning has stopped.

I've been on it since I was 21 and am now 34, still works.

With zero side effects after 13 years? 

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