Finasteride... I think I'm gonna try it..

[follically challenged]

- not the most important announcement you'll hear all week I'm sure, lol, but i figure why not write a post about it, and maybe i can hear from you guys too...

I was out last night and heard another 'jokey' comment from a friend about my hair again, *sigh* and i just thought....'screw it, it may be time to give it a go.'

I have always held off from trying Fin for two reasons: 1. The fear of sides and 2. If i jump on it, I'm on it for life...which is something of a commitment even without sides...

But now I'm kind of coming around to the thought of 'Well, if i try it and it thickens up my hair / stabilises it, then maybe i at least won't worry about it so much and get just be able to get on with my life knowing I'm doing what i can to preserve it'

So, some questions if you guys would be so kind:

1. How should i go about getting it here in the UK? Must i visit the doctor for it...? 
2. What brand should i go for? I often hear of people cutting Proscar up into quarters...which i guess is because it is cheaper?
3. How did you guys do on it? Did any of you who are currently on it notice sides and push through, or quit? Looking back...how bad were the sides?...could it have just been the nocebo thing?
4. Did any of you guys stop taking it a few years after being on it? How bad was the shed?

Thanks dudes, appreciate it!

[Gokuhairline]

congrats on your decision....what about getting a HT ?

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@follically challenged

It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into it so it sounds like getting on finasteride is a good decision for you. Keep in mind that it is typically far better at slowing down and even possibly stopping the progression of male pattern baldness rather than actually regrowing hair. Only hair transplant surgery is proven to grow hair in completely bald areas.

Now, finasteride can in some ways reverse the miniaturization  process making your hair appear thicker in some areas. And even a very small percentage of men experience some significant regrowth from the drug. But, that’s not typical.

I don’t recall seeing photos of your scalp so I can’t really make any specific suggestions however, I suggest if you’re going to try finasteride, to try it for at least a year before deciding whether or not it’s something that’s working for you. It’s not a magic pill by any means however, it certainly can help and can’t even be the foundation for hair transplant surgery if it’s something that you want or feel you need later down the road. 

best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[Yoo]

I’m in the UK.

I think you’re making a sensible step, it’s worth a go for sure.

There’s a user on here called @JDEE0 imo he’s the most knowledgable and unbiased when it comes to finasteride, it’s worth going through his posts on the subject, no hysteria just backed up research. 

You could try going to your GP and get a prescription but it’d be easier to get it from a website like Dr Fox (google it) 

I get the generic type in a 6 month supply, you could try a month supply to start of with, it’s relatively cheap. They’re 1mg a tablet, so just take one a day, no cutting etc.

I’m not a medical professional but id suggest starting by taking it Monday Wednesday Friday, if after a couple of weeks there’s no bad sides, go up to 1 a day. Take consistent photos (same lighting/camera etc) every month and track your progress on it.

I’m rooting for you man, we all empathise how rubbish you can feel when losing hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Yoo

[Mike10]

It is a personal decision. I never recommend Fin to anybody

[ciaus]

Easiest way is to use one of the online mail delivery subscription services. I use one in the US called Keeps. There's a few other popular ones, one of them services the UK too at the link below. Just fill out an online medical survey about your current health and submit some photos of your hair situation. They'll assign one of their doctors to review it and within a few days you'll know if you're approved. 

 

https://hair.forhims.co.uk/our-treatments/

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by ciaus

[follically challenged]

4 hours ago, Gokuhairline said:

congrats on your decision....what about getting a HT ?

certainly considered it, but perhaps best to try with fin first and see how i do

[follically challenged]

3 hours ago, Yoo said:

I’m in the UK.

I think you’re making a sensible step, it’s worth a go for sure.

There’s a user on here called @JDEE0 imo he’s the most knowledgable and unbiased when it comes to finasteride, it’s worth going through his posts on the subject, no hysteria just backed up research. 

You could try going to your GP and get a prescription but it’d be easier to get it from a website like Dr Fox (google it) 

I get the generic type in a 6 month supply, you could try a month supply to start of with, it’s relatively cheap. They’re 1mg a tablet, so just take one a day, no cutting etc.

I’m not a medical professional but id suggest starting by taking it Monday Wednesday Friday, if after a couple of weeks there’s no bad sides, go up to 1 a day. Take consistent photos (same lighting/camera etc) every month and track your progress on it.

I’m rooting for you man, we all empathise how rubbish you can feel when losing hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. How long have you been on it...? Have you ever experienced any sides whatsoever? 

[follically challenged]

3 hours ago, Mike10 said:

It is a personal decision. I never recommend Fin to anybody

That's ok. Not looking for a recommendation per se, more interested in your experience in it..? Are you on it, or have you tried it and didn't get on well with it?

[Yoo]

7 minutes ago, follically challenged said:

Thanks for the feedback. How long have you been on it...? Have you ever experienced any sides whatsoever? 

Since January 2020, I haven’t had any sides. 
 

 

[HappyMan2021]

It's sad seeing so many guys fall victim to the false propaganda of the anti-Fin crowd. 

For 99% of guys it is a non psycho-active pill with zero side effects. 

I'm not going to give you a Like or brownie points for taking a medication tens of millions of guys have taken with zero side effects. I don't consider it to be a brave or courageous endeavor tbh. 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by SadMan2021

[follically challenged]

5 minutes ago, SadMan2021 said:

It's sad seeing so many guys fall victim to the false propaganda of the anti-Fin crowd. 

For 99% of guys it is a non psycho-active pill with zero side effects. 

 

I would really, really love to believe this! (And just to be clear, i'm not saying you're lying)

But I just see soooo many people claiming to have had weaker erections, less semen, lower libido etc... Can it all just be placebo...? I dunno man, I'm sure some of it is, but going with my gut instinct it seems a fair amount of people definitely don't do that well on it...

As a healthy 30-something, fingers crossed I do ok with it...

[Mike10]

7 hours ago, George Clooney said:

I would be very cautious of advocating this -- this should not be an advertising forum. A large reason HRN has any integrity is because part of its purpose is to increase transparency in the hair transplant industry. Censoring opinion in the guise of "maintaining a positive environment" comes across as being profoundly commercially motivated.

We can't provide constructive criticism in threads? The entire forum is *filled* with threads discussing the quality of hair transplant outcomes. You're singling me out unfairly because you have a bias towards this clinic. Essentially doing the same thing you did with Diep back in the day.

I'm not going to censor my opinion if I can provide constructive feedback. If you'd like to ban me, feel free. It's you forum, if you want to turn it into an advertising platform that's your choice but I can assure you will come back and bite you.

99% I do not think so, certainly not in the long term. 

[Mike10]

40 minutes ago, follically challenged said:

Thanks for the feedback. How long have you been on it...? Have you ever experienced any sides whatsoever? 

Took it a long term ago, got sides. But I am not bitter I do not really need it. 

[follically challenged]

24 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

99% I do not think so, certainly not in the long term. 

Sorry, I'm a bit confused by this response. The George Clooney post you quoted has nothing to do with finasteride, right? And you '..99% do not think so..' Do not think what?

Also, may I ask why you took it if you don't really need it? Thanks!

[HappyMan2021]

1 hour ago, follically challenged said:

But I just see soooo many people claiming to have had weaker erections, less semen, lower libido etc... Can it all just be placebo...?

Yes, yes it can be placebo. 

Also consider that as you age your libido naturally gets less as you age. As a 32 yr old my libido is certainly not what it was when I was 21. It's not even what it was when I was 25. Am I blaming this on Fin? Hell no, I'm blaming it on human biology. 

Also its really not uncommon for guys in their late 20s and early 30s to experience ED. This is also the age - coincidentally -  when a ton of guys start taking anti-hair loss drugs. 

It's much easier to blame ED on a pill than just accepting that a guy in his 30s will not have the same natural sexual stamina he did as a teenager. 

Edited February 18, 2022 by SadMan2021

[NARMAK]

7 hours ago, follically challenged said:

- not the most important announcement you'll hear all week I'm sure, lol, but i figure why not write a post about it, and maybe i can hear from you guys too...

I was out last night and heard another 'jokey' comment from a friend about my hair again, *sigh* and i just thought....'screw it, it may be time to give it a go.'

I have always held off from trying Fin for two reasons: 1. The fear of sides and 2. If i jump on it, I'm on it for life...which is something of a commitment even without sides...

But now I'm kind of coming around to the thought of 'Well, if i try it and it thickens up my hair / stabilises it, then maybe i at least won't worry about it so much and get just be able to get on with my life knowing I'm doing what i can to preserve it'

So, some questions if you guys would be so kind:

1. How should i go about getting it here in the UK? Must i visit the doctor for it...? 
2. What brand should i go for? I often hear of people cutting Proscar up into quarters...which i guess is because it is cheaper?
3. How did you guys do on it? Did any of you who are currently on it notice sides and push through, or quit? Looking back...how bad were the sides?...could it have just been the nocebo thing?
4. Did any of you guys stop taking it a few years after being on it? How bad was the shed?

Thanks dudes, appreciate it!

Firstly, i'm really glad you have considered it and are giving it a go. That's literally the most important thing and believe me, i was in your very shoes like even say 10+ years ago when i came across Finasteride and all these BS exaggerated horror stories that your penis would stop functioning and you'd have hair, but good luck with a relationship and all this other fearmongering. 

The best decision i made was starting the medication and i think i definitely have seen an improvement in my own situation but you need to understand. Hair loss slowing/stopping is the main goal of Finasteride. Regrowth is actually a rare and massive bonus from it. That's why the combination treatments recommended are Finasteride and Minoxidil but personally i don't think you should mix the two the first 12 months. You should start with Finasteride and see what your results end up like, then re-evaluate about what Minoxidil might do for you and whether it might be worth the effort. 

Just bear in mind, there's a 3rd option or 2nd depending on how you look at it you can safely do alongside Finasteride in that 12 months. Microneedling 1x a week at 1-1.5mm. 

This is probably not the most recommended method at all, and i wanna share a bit of my own story. I was visiting my brother during those weird times of restrictions and because barbers weren't open i let him cut my hair. He commented how it looked like it was thinning and looked a mess because i had a bad case of dandruff/seb derm going on i think. 

After that because i had a feeling my hair had been thinning out near the crown over the last year or so, comments from family members that saw that whorl area, it made me step up my research. Get the facts. The research i did showing that like 98% of guys do perfectly fine on Finasteride, 2% experience side affects that once they stop, the sides go away. Now, my brother actually had been using Dutasteride and i didn't have a clue about that. I looked into it, and realise it's literally the Scorched Earth method of DHT blocking. So, i basically went nuclear off the bat. Never tried Finasteride but figured because my brother was on it for like a year without issue and had a decent result, i would respond similar. 

I would say getting my blood tests done and identifying issues with my Vitamin D levels, which have now been addressed and are managed actively by taking a pill every few days. I also started Nizoral and for a bit  i think it semi helped but the biggest game changer for my dandruff was combining with T-Gel. My heads significantly less flaky, inflamed and i think i've stopped further hair loss and managed to even probably claw some ground back by addressing the issues that were affecting me. That said, the crown area and midscalp feel a little different in density but visually probably has it where it needs to be and that's probably the most important. I'm also only at present 9 months into my Dutasteride. Unlike a hair transplant, long term Finasteride studies show improvement continues for many more years after too even if the results taper off. 

[NARMAK]

1 hour ago, follically challenged said:

I would really, really love to believe this! (And just to be clear, i'm not saying you're lying)

But I just see soooo many people claiming to have had weaker erections, less semen, lower libido etc... Can it all just be placebo...? I dunno man, I'm sure some of it is, but going with my gut instinct it seems a fair amount of people definitely don't do that well on it...

As a healthy 30-something, fingers crossed I do ok with it...

I'm gonna be straight with you. 

I tanked my body DHT levels and that's by taking 0.5mg/day of Dutasteride. For maybe the first 2 months i did push through sides because they were imo acceptable. Weaker erections are definitely something that can happen during that phase because your body is trying to recalibrate. I also would say my libido was lower too. Again, something that equalised and imo has rebounded just like the former. 

As you age, and you said you're in your 30s. These things naturally will become affected. To mitigate them a good diet and being in shape probably help. Personally i need to drop some weight and improve my diet, but i can 100% say that my side affects reduced. I did i would say also have a slight case of brain fog but after a couple months, i was imo through the rough patch of my body rebalancing itself. 

If you can push through the sides sometimes, your body should equalise but that's why people also say to start at like 1mg for 3x a week to begin. Get your body slowly used to reduced DHT, and then reducing it further by going to 4x, 5x, 6x and 7x a week. 

I actually decided to get 3 months worth of Dutasteride to start with. Best decision i made imo and wish i had started 5+ years ago. Hell, wish i started around 21.

[TorontoMan]

1 hour ago, NARMAK said:

I'm gonna be straight with you. 

I tanked my body DHT levels and that's by taking 0.5mg/day of Dutasteride. For maybe the first 2 months i did push through sides because they were imo acceptable. Weaker erections are definitely something that can happen during that phase because your body is trying to recalibrate. I also would say my libido was lower too. Again, something that equalised and imo has rebounded just like the former. 

As you age, and you said you're in your 30s. These things naturally will become affected. To mitigate them a good diet and being in shape probably help. Personally i need to drop some weight and improve my diet, but i can 100% say that my side affects reduced. I did i would say also have a slight case of brain fog but after a couple months, i was imo through the rough patch of my body rebalancing itself. 

If you can push through the sides sometimes, your body should equalise but that's why people also say to start at like 1mg for 3x a week to begin. Get your body slowly used to reduced DHT, and then reducing it further by going to 4x, 5x, 6x and 7x a week. 

I actually decided to get 3 months worth of Dutasteride to start with. Best decision i made imo and wish i had started 5+ years ago. Hell, wish i started around 21.

Thinking of making the switch from fin to dut soon as well. Do you take dut every day?

Edited February 19, 2022 by TorontoMan

[Melvin- Admin]

I suggest Dr. Mwamba’s formula from FUEclinic.com, better to go topical IMO. 

[Curious25]

Topical Dut for me too. 
 

Mwamba has claimed evidence of only 10% systemic reduction in DHT, in which Hasson claimed in Melvins interview that this was also showing to be the case with his formula of topical Dut, so the fact that two respected clinics on the other side of the world are both reporting similar findings, suggests to me that there must be some element of truth to it.
 

Derek from MPMD has also spoken on numerous occasions in various videos that he is perplexed by the bloodworks that he has seen of people on topical Dut formulations, as the systemic reduction just isn’t there. 
 

RE topical finasteride - hairliciously (not that he’s the greatest source of info generally speaking) has recently uploaded a video looking into a European conducted study comparing topical fin with oral fin and placebo, and the systemic reduction in DHT of the topical was roughly 30% compared to 55% of oral, yet very similar efficacy data between both. 
 

This is also comparable to Hasson’s reports that his topical fin reduces systemic dht on average by 30%. 
 

From a reduction in DHT perspective, I would naturally lean towards -10% from topical DUT, however there is clearly not enough evidence yet to be sure about this.
Equally from a practical perspective, I would choose topical DUT over topical FIN, as I believe you could get away with a once a week/maybe even two weeks application protocol, compared to daily of the topical fin. 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Curious25

[NARMAK]

6 hours ago, TorontoMan said:

Thinking of making the switch from fin to dut soon as well. Do you take dut every day?

Yes. 

I went Scorched Earth and nuclear in my attempt to save my hair by going straight to Dutasteride and taking 0.5mg every day. 

In terms of making the switch, the usual advice i come across seems to be to replacing a day here and there from Fin to Dut and see how you get on slowly. 

I think Finasteride blocks like 60-70% of body serum DHT, and around 41% scalp DHT.

Dutasteride blocks like 90%+ body DHT and then 51% of scalp DHT as well as Type 1 & 2 of 5AR. I don't think the effects are fully studied as Finasteride but that's the reason why the sides are usually more likely and high with Dutasteride. 

I would say for most people, starting Finasteride at 1mg 3x a week as a preventative and then switching to more times per week till you hit a full week depending on your hair loss is more encouraged. Then introducing Dutasteride into the mix. It just helps your body level out in the reduction of DHT. 

[Mike10]

3 hours ago, Curious25 said:

Topical Dut for me too. 
 

Mwamba has claimed evidence of only 10% systemic reduction in DHT, in which Hasson claimed in Melvins interview that this was also showing to be the case with his formula of topical Dut, so the fact that two respected clinics on the other side of the world are both reporting similar findings, suggests to me that there must be some element of truth to it.
 

Derek from MPMD has also spoken on numerous occasions in various videos that he is perplexed by the bloodworks that he has seen of people on topical Dut formulations, as the systemic reduction just isn’t there. 
 

RE topical finasteride - hairliciously (not that he’s the greatest source of info generally speaking) has recently uploaded a video looking into a European conducted study comparing topical fin with oral fin and placebo, and the systemic reduction in DHT of the topical was roughly 30% compared to 55% of oral, yet very similar efficacy data between both. 
 

This is also comparable to Hasson’s reports that his topical fin reduces systemic dht on average by 30%. 
 

From a reduction in DHT perspective, I would naturally lean towards -10% from topical DUT, however there is clearly not enough evidence yet to be sure about this.
Equally from a practical perspective, I would choose topical DUT over topical FIN, as I believe you could get away with a once a week/maybe even two weeks application protocol, compared to daily of the topical fin. 

I believe the 10%  has credibility. For me personally, it is still too much though

[Curious25]

1 hour ago, NARMAK said:

I went Scorched Earth and nuclear in my attempt to save my hair

How's it working out for you? 

 

7 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

I believe the 10%  has credibility

Based on what? 

[NARMAK]

16 hours ago, follically challenged said:

- not the most important announcement you'll hear all week I'm sure, lol, but i figure why not write a post about it, and maybe i can hear from you guys too...

I was out last night and heard another 'jokey' comment from a friend about my hair again, *sigh* and i just thought....'screw it, it may be time to give it a go.'

I have always held off from trying Fin for two reasons: 1. The fear of sides and 2. If i jump on it, I'm on it for life...which is something of a commitment even without sides...

But now I'm kind of coming around to the thought of 'Well, if i try it and it thickens up my hair / stabilises it, then maybe i at least won't worry about it so much and get just be able to get on with my life knowing I'm doing what i can to preserve it'

So, some questions if you guys would be so kind:

1. How should i go about getting it here in the UK? Must i visit the doctor for it...? 
2. What brand should i go for? I often hear of people cutting Proscar up into quarters...which i guess is because it is cheaper?
3. How did you guys do on it? Did any of you who are currently on it notice sides and push through, or quit? Looking back...how bad were the sides?...could it have just been the nocebo thing?
4. Did any of you guys stop taking it a few years after being on it? How bad was the shed?

Thanks dudes, appreciate it!

I totally forgot to add OP, in the UK i used Oxford Online Pharmacy and got their doctor to do me an online consultation and prescription. It's easy and Finasteride for 28 generic pills is like £14 + £3 delivery if you don't order like £40 worth but you can more than likely find a free delivery code or something. 

Others in the UK apparently use Dr Fox.