Regular Member nightowll Posted February 7, 2021 Regular Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a great 2021. I started losing hair since I was 15 and I am currently 27. The current status of my hair loss on the Norwood scale would probably be between 4 and 5, so I've been thinking about getting HT for quite a while now. I started taking Finasteride 1mg and minoxidil every day about 4 months ago in order to stop my hair loss as much as I can before going ahead with any surgery. However, I am one of the unlucky few people who is experiencing sexual side effects after taking finasteride -- difficulty getting erection, reduced sex drive and reduced ejaculation. These effects went away a couple of weeks after I stopped taking fin and minoxidil. This brings me to my main question: am I not a good candidate for hair transplant? From what I have read on this forum and elsewhere about the hair transplant process, taking fin is a necessity in order to keep the native hair from falling out. If I am not willing to risk any sexual side effects from taking fin, would getting a hair transplant be pointless for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Future Hair Doc Posted February 7, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 Great question. Stay on the minoxidil and use topical finasteride as well. There are topical finasteride/minoxidil combos you can get and peer reviewed research has shown it's effective and the side effect profile is basically nil. I personally use Morr F and it works well for me. Forum members use a variety of brands and they can chime in as well. 2 My advice does not constitute a patient-physician relationship nor as medical advice and all medical questions/concerns should be addressed to your medical provider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted February 7, 2021 Valued Contributor Share Posted February 7, 2021 6 hours ago, nightowll said: Hi guys! I hope everyone is having a great 2021. I started losing hair since I was 15 and I am currently 27. The current status of my hair loss on the Norwood scale would probably be between 4 and 5, so I've been thinking about getting HT for quite a while now. I started taking Finasteride 1mg and minoxidil every day about 4 months ago in order to stop my hair loss as much as I can before going ahead with any surgery. However, I am one of the unlucky few people who is experiencing sexual side effects after taking finasteride -- difficulty getting erection, reduced sex drive and reduced ejaculation. These effects went away a couple of weeks after I stopped taking fin and minoxidil. This brings me to my main question: am I not a good candidate for hair transplant? From what I have read on this forum and elsewhere about the hair transplant process, taking fin is a necessity in order to keep the native hair from falling out. If I am not willing to risk any sexual side effects from taking fin, would getting a hair transplant be pointless for me? nightowll thanks for posting and sharing your experience with finasteride. Can I ask how long were you taking finasteride before the side effects you experienced started? 1 GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BLE123 Posted February 7, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 No, it just means you'll likely need more transplants than someone who is on fin and you may need to compromise in some areas - more conservative hairline, less crown coverage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TommyLucchese Posted February 7, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 Try topical fin or a reduced dose - like taking half a pill on monday wednesday friday. 1 2,000 grafts FUT Dr. Feller, July 27th 2012. 23 years old at the time. Excellent result. Need crown sorted eventually but concealer works well for now. Propecia and minoxidil since 2010. Fine for 8 years - bad sides after switching to Aindeem in 2018. Switched to topical fin/minox combo from Minoxidil Max in October 2020, along with dermarolling 1x a week. Wrote a book for newbies called Beating Hair Loss, available on Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member nightowll Posted February 7, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 9 hours ago, Gatsby said: nightowll thanks for posting and sharing your experience with finasteride. Can I ask how long were you taking finasteride before the side effects you experienced started? Hi Gatsby. I started noticing the side effects 1.5 months after I began taking fin and minoxidil. I continued for 4 months despite the side effects hoping that they would go away, but unfortunately I didn’t see any improvement. However, it did stop my hair loss during that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member nightowll Posted February 7, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 I agree that topical fin, in smaller doses, might be what I should be using. I’ll definitely give that a shot. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TorontoMan Posted February 7, 2021 Senior Member Share Posted February 7, 2021 You started too strong too fast, cut the dose way down or try topical fin, and build up slow if it’s necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member nightowll Posted February 8, 2021 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 8, 2021 Yeah, I’m realizing that now. Will be taking it slower next time for sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted February 9, 2021 Valued Contributor Share Posted February 9, 2021 On 2/8/2021 at 7:29 AM, nightowll said: Hi Gatsby. I started noticing the side effects 1.5 months after I began taking fin and minoxidil. I continued for 4 months despite the side effects hoping that they would go away, but unfortunately I didn’t see any improvement. However, it did stop my hair loss during that time. Yes this is why I would recommend anyone who is considering having a hair transplant to trial finasteride 'before' the surgery for some time. Unlike many other medications (where side effects usually commence once you begin the medication) finasteride can take some time before any side effects appear (if they do at all). All the best and take on board the recommendations others have suggested re: lower dosing, topical, etc. 1 GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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