Finisteride / Post Finisteride Society

[Fahri]

Hi All,

Please could I trouble you for some advice/pointers?

I had my consultation with Farjo and was about to start Finisteride as it gives a well known result thats 'almost' guaranteed (from what Ive read)

Only as I went to purchase, this was a link on the page before checkout & its really thrown doubt into my mind now https://www.pfsfoundation.org/what-doctors-scientists-are-saying/

I appreciate the side effects arent happening to everyone, but dont always go away once the medication is stopped, hence the site.

How did you all get on with taking it, to overcome the fear and if you havent how do you maintain your hair?

For info Im probably just coming up to a norwood 4

[Curious25]

It's a very subjective and personal decision, when choosing to take any form of life long medication - so this is why it is imperative to be as well informed as possible before making your mind up. 

From my experience, there is no doubt in my mind that severe consequences that can occur from this medication, and at a lot higher percentage rate than 'studies' suggest. 

Whats important to one man, may not be so to another - and for me, as much as I love my hair, my health is, and always will be the most important factor to me. So I didn't and don't feel the 'potential' ill side effects, are worth the trade off for the 'potential' positive side effects. 

I don't recommend to take it, or not to take it - just that people inform themselves as best they can, to make sure they make the right decision for them. 

[Fahri]

Thank you, that makes a lot of sense. I would be sad to see my hair fade much more, but it would be much, much worse to lose my fitness & overall health and well-being as I have read happens to others. A big shame something so efficient in the hair department has such detrimental effects.

[giegnosiganoe]

You'll probably regret not trying finasteride, just saying. Most people do not get side effects, and out of those who do, even less claim to have persistent side effects. I don't think the persistent side effects have been proven through studies either.

[Fahri]

Thank you, thats my long term fear & why Im currently sat on the fence pondering it. I know how good it could be for me, 'if' I dont have any of the side effects. Do you personally use it, if you dont mind my asking? (And how do you find it if so)

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

You can try the medication and see if you feel it suits you or not. If you feel otherwise then you can leave it. It is true that you will progress into greater levels of baldness if you don't take the medication. In that case, you will have to be prepared for multiple transplant procedures if you go for any.

[giegnosiganoe]

4 hours ago, Fahri said:

Thank you, thats my long term fear & why Im currently sat on the fence pondering it. I know how good it could be for me, 'if' I dont have any of the side effects. Do you personally use it, if you dont mind my asking? (And how do you find it if so)

Yes and no side effects like the large majority of users. There are literally tens of millions of people who take this drug, most who take it at the 5mg dosage for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

[Fahri]

Thank you, thats very true also, which is the bugbear for me. I could get off the fence and see a huge change.

The other I have seen and Im reading up on is the topical finisteride, seems to be ok and have less impact on the internal workings of the body. I dont know that much about it tho, at this stage.

[Maz_a]

Hi Fahri, what you've written about is the same thought that goes round and round in the heads of most men with a desire to preserve their hair using Finasteride and a connection to the internet! I started taking Finasteride last year and had some side effects and so I stopped the medication. Was this just because of all of the horror stories I'd read, or did I really react to the drug? I have no clue. In a way, the result is kind of the same. And I would never stop worrying about it, because that's just how my mind works.

I put this question to my wife; If you were losing your hair (arguably much worse as a female) and a drug was released that worked in almost all cases, but had a 1% chance of causing you lifelong fertility issues (i.e. possibly you couldn't conceive), would you take it? And she said absolutely not. No matter how insignificant the risk statistically, the risk is still there.

And so taking Finasteride is a very personal decision and hugely influenced by your state of mind. Sadly, most peoples' state of mind is understandably influenced by what they've read online. How could it not be? Perhaps it would have been better for all of us if we'd need never had the chance to read about the side effects! No doubt it would have been.

So the facts are this: The overwhelming majority of people do not experience side effects with Finasteride and almost all who do can simply come off the medication and the effects dissipate. But you know that already. 

Good luck in whatever you choose to do Fahri and don't feel bad about "sitting on the fence". You're just human.

Maz

 

[ciaus]

I've been taking it for about 14 years never had any issues. Its been around for decades, taken by millions, including in higher dosages for prostate issues.

The more dramatic you make your approach the more likely you are to psychologically manufacture symptoms that have nothing to do with the actual drug.

 

The internet is overflowing with garbage and paranoid musings, use it to research and self-diagnose at your peril. Best place for medical advise is still your doctor. Best approach is to step back and relax, then take it day by day, pop a pill in the morning or whenever, and get on with living your life instead of trying to detect any hint of a potental side effect.

[Fahri]

Thank you, @ciaus some good points there, and yes the mind can conjure up many things and make them seem real. This ties in with your thoughts too @Maz_a, I appreciate the human reflection, its extremely valid. I hate sitting on the fence, as Im usually quite a decision maker but the potential health aspect has slowed down the process somewhat.

I was about to buy some finisteride a while back when it showed a few links to do research before buying and thats when the doubt set in. There are many shady sites peddling fear I agree, but these two seem pretty solid and I would say aimed at the minority. https://www.propeciahelp.com/ & https://www.pfsfoundation.org/  The facts and case studies are an eyeopener, and not what I wanted to read in a way. 

[Maz_a]

Hi Fahri,

I likewise hate sitting on the fence, which is what I have also done with Finasteride.

I am also usually quite a decision maker and don't follow hyperbole & unsubstantiated claims on internet forums. If it were only that, I think I would have less of an issue. I think what has irked me is the fact that there are quite a few medical doctors who speak out against the use of Propecia/Finasteride. That is what unnerves me, not forum users.

Again, it isn't about the 99% of people who have no issue, like Ciaus, it is about your state of mind and ability to deal with some uncertainty, no matter how statistically insignificant.

Only a decision we can make ourselves.

Maz

[Fahri]

Im with you completely @Maz_a, you have summarised it all very well. 

To have the benefit of the medication without the worry of a side effect is the holy grail, for many medications I guess.

I'll have to accept fate soon, or take the leap. Eugenix do seem to be able to work a degree of magic with less of a donor area which is impressive, seeing some of the examples on here has given me hope. One of the chaps isnt using finisteride either, and has added images of a great procedure. Food for thought.

[Maz_a]

I have put the question of "Is it worth having a transplant without Finasteride?" to many surgeons and most say it is, provided you have a good enough donor and are willing to make some sacrifices.

I read this the other week:

https://www.iahrs.org/q-a/is-it-worth-having-a-hair-transplant-if-i-dont-take-propecia

It's such a minefield of differing opinion, because some people would say don't touch a transplant until your hair has stabilised, which, if you're not taking medication, is something that would otherwise be most likely to come with age. But then do I want to be unhappy with my appearance for 10 years (I'm 33) to see how things stabilise? In that case, I might as well just cut my hair short, work on my self-confidence / coming to terms with hair loss and move on.

That's why it's so important to go with the very best in the business, no matter what the cost (within reason). Because £5k extra or whatever it may be should seem like finding some loose change in your pocket when it comes to changing your appearance for life. And if you're told by enough credible surgeons (not ones just looking to make £££, and always get multiple opinions!) that it just isn't the right thing to do, I'd say take them seriously. I remember one surgeon saying "A bad/inappropriate transplant is several multiples worse aesthetically than thinning hair".

Keep me updated with how you get on Fahri. Good to chat with you.

Maz

 

 

 

 

[Maz_a]

Oh and Melvin who moderates this forum is someone who has had a superb result without Finasteride. I'm not saying it will be like that for all, but it isn't a foregone conclusion.

[Taken4Granted]

Took finasteride for years, suffered severe side effects. It’s true that the internet is full of BS subjective “musings”, but the drug companies are not that reliable either. It’s tricky. The risks with this drug are real, but so are the benefits. @Curious25 said it right. It’s a personal choice every man has to make for himself. Just inform yourself. I went through a lot, but I don’t regret the years I spent on finasteride. It gave me continuity.

[Curious25]

First of all - go get checked out by your GP, and try get referred to a urologist consultant, or even better an endocrinologist/hrt specialist to assess your current state of play. Might turn out that you are flying sky high, and a subtle suppression of your 5AR enzymes isn't likely going to do you too much damage - on the flip side however, you may be slapped around the cheeks a couple of times, and told you are a bit on the low side of the hormones cards as it is, so let nature be nature and come back to me in a few years when we may need to start looking at giving you a boost, not taking it away, who knows - its not a one size fits all prescription, which is why its hilarious yet frightening reading so many non medic forum posters yell from the high hills that every hair loss sufferer in the land should gobble up 1mg of finasteride a day until their days are over. That goes for hair restoration surgeons as well. 

Then, armed with this new data - why don't you write out a good old fashioned pro's and con's list of whats important to you, or maybe even a few scenarios of how you could play things out without going down the medical route? 

Brad pitt hair, but with a nice set of growing BB's? Zac Efron locks, but once you get into the bedroom, you're as capable as your grandad is at impressing your lady between the sheets? Solid NW1 but your lovely beard now struggles to get going past a bit of bum fluff? 

Ok, back to business - and obviously this isn't necessarily going to be the case if you did respond well to the drug, however you are already aware the risks are there. In all seriousness - these are trade offs some men may be willing to make for their hair, and that is entirely THEIR decision.

Measurements I think you need to consider would be your rate of hair loss, family history, developing pattern, facial hair strength, and donor strength. If all your family get to as far as a NW4 and you have a donor denisty of +80FU - do you really need to put yourself through the worry of potential risks of preventative medication, especially if you are in a financial position to budget for further surgeries as and when required? Ok - if you're early 20's and you are destined for a higher NW - preventative procedures maybe needed to be looked at with a little more weight, however again, its not one size fits all. Case by case. 

If donor hair was unlimited, I wonder how many people would still take the drug? 

The development and advances in procedures day by day, and utilisation of hair from other areas of the body is getting better and better - look no further than some of the recent NW6/7 transitions on these boards from clinics such as Eugenix, Hattingen, H&W - its not fake, these are real results that people wouldn't have believed could be done 20yrs ago, and trends suggest techniques and results are just going to get better and better. 

If you are having doubts about whether you will be able to live with taking it - start asking yourself, do you actually need to take it? 

The standard logic applied to taking the drug is in a nutshell; cling on to whatever you've got left, transplant whats gone, and hope to god that you'l get a decent run of it. It makes sense. Financially, and logistically. But remember, it doesn't stop hairloss - it slows it, it delays the inevitable - those who have more sensitive dht receptors in their follicles will need larger doses, than those who aren't as sensitive.

If you can be content with a decent framing of your face, multiple procedures, and a strategically placed homogenous coverage across your scalp up to a NW 6 pattern, and really don't want to commit to using it - don't bother. Get saving, find a great surgeon who will develop a long term strategy with you, acknowledge and make peace with the limitations that there will inevitably be (you won't ever be Brad Pitt . .  but you will sleep well without worry or concern about whatever the hell you may be doing to your insides), and go enjoy your life being the decision maker you truly are  😉



 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Curious25

[Fahri]

Thanks for the link @Maz_a, good to chat for sure. A good read & train of thought in the link there too, cheers. Even though not as advantageous perhaps, it is safer long term which appeals to me greatly.

This seems like the most likely route at this time, I don't want to tread water for too long as I know time is of the essence. Its definitely one of the toughest decisions any of us could make.

I've added a few pictures of my hairline, its not the worst but it could be a lot better, when I look back to how thick it was when I was younger. I'm like you, and cutting it short. Regarding self confidence, I think this is linked even though life's knocks can affect this on its own. I think its more the weight and realisation that we're ageing and leaving behind perceived 'youth'. Some are cool with this, and many like ourselves have a bit more trouble accepting it. I agree that I'd rather have a clean balding look than patches of 'procedure' hair around my hairline, consistency is important. 

My donor area isn't too bad, not intense but there's some mileage in it as I'm told in my consultations. Its how it performs over the years if I press on with a procedure without medication. I appreciate nobody can answer this one.

Interesting that @Melvin-Moderator, has had a procedure and isn't using finisteride, I didn't know this, thanks for highlighting. That sounds promising, Ill check the site for any write ups he may have done. Keen to learn more.

Thank you @Taken4Granted, I appreciate your honesty there, Im sorry to hear that you experienced some adverse effects in your journey from the medication. Its trial and potential error in the small minority, Im stood on the precipice. 

Thank you @Curious25, I think a medical viewpoint is the way forward. At least then I'll know, or have a little more information. Ill give the docs a call Monday morning. You've given me a bit to think about there, additionally/frustratingly the best hair I have is facial hair. Give it a week and I've got the makings of a great beard, its ridiculous. Its exciting to see what clinics like Eugenix are doing for people with much less hair than I have, and from what I can gather (anyone correct me if Im wrong) does transplanted hair from the donor region stay strong and not shed long term as was the case with the hair it is replacing? (genetic programming). On your ending note, sleeping well and knowing Im not potentially screwing myself up inside or in my head/positive mindset is so important.

 

 

[ciaus]

Man you are still in the sweet spot for jumping on the meds to see if you are a responder.

Check out this guy's long thread history of using meds -not saying you should expect his results but it's remarkable how much he re-gained.

https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/52518-growing-hair-back-the-big-3-journey/

 

[Fahri]

Thank you @ciaus, thats reassuring to hear! Im going to check the thread, read and absorb.

I appreciate you flagging it. I do need to get a reassessment at the clinic with the zero meds stance, and gauge opinion.