Current Events > I take finasteride for hair loss prevention, AMA

(+) Yeah! (+)

i've made this thread before, but wanted to make another.

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Does it work?
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Do you wear a toupee?

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teepan95 posted...

Does it work?

i havent seen any regrowth, but to me thats fine. i started taking it to maintain my hair.

SkittyOnWailord posted...

Do you wear a toupee?

no i dont

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Did you require a prescription for it?
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I wish I would have started taking it way back when I started losing. But it's too far gone with bother with it now.

Does it help re-grow/maintain beard hair?

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teepan95 posted...

Did you require a prescription for it?

yes, i saw a dermatologist and he prescribed it to me. very easy. appointment was no longer than 20 minutes. now they have services like keeps/hims/etc where you dont even have to leave your house to get an appointment and precription.

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Does it make you impotent like propecia?

I used to do rogaine along with some pills and products just to keep the hair I had, but after a while it was cumbersome and expensive.


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Does it affect your mood at all? Ive always been kind of curious hearing from cis guys taking this route for hair regrowth, since it seems to gaining some popularity.

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NOM posted...

I wish I would have started taking it way back when I started losing. But it's too far gone with bother with it now.

Does it help re-grow/maintain beard hair?

i dont blame you man. before i started losing, i was very uneducated on hair loss and treatment options. a lot of people don't think about it at first. it was not until i noticed mild temple recession did i think "oh shit" and started doing lots of research

just remember man, dont let other dictate your life. yes you can shave your head, nothing wrong with that - but there's nothing wrong with a toupee, a transplant or whatnot.

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JuanCarlos1 posted...

Does it make you impotent like propecia?

I used to do rogaine along with some pills and products just to keep the hair I had, but after a while it was cumbersome and expensive.

finasteride is just generic propecia, just so you know

with that said, yes that is one of the side affects. if you look up the side affects, yes they are scary. but ive done lots of research on the subject, and noticed that the chances of side affects are very low. its up to you if you want to take that plunge - but for me it was definitely worth the rick. then again, i also eat shitty fast food and i dont know what that does to me lmao.

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Pus_N_Pecans posted...

Does it affect your mood at all? Ive always been kind of curious hearing from cis guys taking this route for hair regrowth, since it seems to gaining some popularity.

hasnt affected my mood at all. i may not be the best person to ask, because i have depression and i take anti-depressants, but finasteride has not worsened or helped my depression in any way.

i agree that it has gained ppularity, and im glad that finasteride has gained popularity because most people dont even know it exists. most people i ask have heard of rogaine but not finasteride. that's a little scary because rogaine on its own doesnt do very much and does not actually target the problem of hair loss.

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pojr posted...

hasnt affected my mood at all. i may not be the best person to ask, because i have depression and i take anti-depressants, but finasteride has not worsened or helped my depression in any way.

i agree that it has gained ppularity, and im glad that finasteride has gained popularity because most people dont even know it exists. most people i ask have heard of rogaine but not finasteride. that's a little scary because rogaine on its own doesnt do very much and does not actually target the problem of hair loss.

Thats interesting. Im mostly aware of it because Im trans. Ive never taken finasteride myself, but I used to take something similar when my body still made testosterone. It made me terribly constipated, but I dont think finasteride has that side effect.


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I thought I was beginning to lose hair 10+ years ago. I decided a lifetime of finasteride was too expensive. My hair looks almost the same now. The temples are probably a little thinner.

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Pus_N_Pecans posted...

Thats interesting. Im mostly aware of it because Im trans. Ive never taken finasteride myself, but I used to take something similar when my body still made testosterone. It made me terribly constipated, but I dont think finasteride has that side effect.

oh gotcha. i personally havent noticed any changes while taking finasteride, but some people do. i commend you for doing whats right for you. ive personally had lots of people tell me "just shave it dude" and "finasteride will make you impotent" but i did what i knew i wanted to do and decided it was worth it for me.

Pepys Monster posted...

I thought I was beginning to lose hair 10+ years ago. I decided a lifetime of finasteride was too expensive. My hair looks almost the same now. The temples are probably a little thinner.

glad it has mostly stayed the same man. tbh I pay $12 to refill my prescription. the prices have gone down a lot for finasteride

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pojr posted...

oh gotcha. i personally havent noticed any changes while taking finasteride, but some people do. i commend you for doing whats right for you. ive personally had lots of people tell me "just shave it dude" and "finasteride will make you impotent" but i did what i knew i wanted to do and decided it was worth it for me.

I cant imagine it would make any major changes on its own, especially if its a relatively low dose. Still, yeah, Ive just been always been curious with guys experiences in taking it. Thanks!

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What's the last thing you drank?

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What's your least favorite song from your favorite musical artist's latest release?

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Cool man.

Since I have been working home this summer, I took the opportunity to get a hair transplant. The new hair is coming in and looking pretty good. They guaranteed that the new transplant hair will live through the rest of my life.

Now I need to decide in a treatment to keep the rest of my hair from falling late on.

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I've toyed with the idea of getting the drug you're talking about in addition to another that actually aids in regrowth but the cost and dependence factors skeeve me out a bit

Did you have a similar conundrum before you took the plunge? Because I'd love my pre-lymphoma hair back but at the same point the idea of having to take meds to maintain my hair for the rest of my life bums me out

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BlingBling22947 posted...

What's the last thing you drank?

Seltzer water and coffee

sabin017 posted...

What's your least favorite song from your favorite musical artist's latest release?

I don't really listen to modern music. I mostly just go on YouTube and pull up '80s and '90s songs that I like, and video game tracks. Example: https://youtu.be/Im1eknx45T0

Zanzenburger posted...

Cool man.

Since I have been working home this summer, I took the opportunity to get a hair transplant. The new hair is coming in and looking pretty good. They guaranteed that the new transplant hair will live through the rest of my life.

Now I need to decide in a treatment to keep the rest of my hair from falling late on.

Good job man, must have been a tough decision for you to make. Were people in your life against it? Also just curious, where did you get your transplant? I hear people on Reddit talking about Turkey and South Korea being common places to get hair transplants.

According to the research I've done, any hair that that is transplanted will stay and will never recede. but a lot of hair transplant doctors will prescribe you finasteride in order for you to keep the remaining hair, as that is still susceptible to miniaturization.

Doom_Art posted...

I've toyed with the idea of getting the drug you're talking about in addition to another that actually aids in regrowth but the cost and dependence factors skeeve me out a bit

Did you have a similar conundrum before you took the plunge? Because I'd love my pre-lymphoma hair back but at the same point the idea of having to take meds to maintain my hair for the rest of my life bums me out

I've never heard of this other drug. There's finasteride, minoxidil and there's some talk about Breezula which is on its way to become FDA approved. This other thing you're talking about might just be snake oil.

Yeah I did go through the same conundrum as you did. I didn't like the idea of taking a pill for the rest of my life. But that quickly went away because it's no different than brushing your teeth twice a day. If you don't brush your teeth they will rot and you won't have your teeth ever again.

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pojr posted...

Good job man, must have been a tough decision for you to make. Were people in your life against it? Also just curious, where did you get your transplant? I hear people on Reddit talking about Turkey and South Korea being common places to get hair transplants.

According to the research I've done, any hair that that is transplanted will stay and will never recede. but a lot of hair transplant doctors will prescribe you finasteride in order for you to keep the remaining hair, as that is still susceptible to miniaturization.

I did it at a reputable clinic in Florida. No one had issues with it. My wife actually looked forward to seeing me with a full head of hair again. We had the money for it so why not? My parents were like "oh cool". Had no real opinion either way.

Yeah, I got that same prescription from the doc. Waiting to take it as I know it will be a lifelong commitment once I do.

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Zanzenburger posted...

I did it at a reputable clinic in Florida. No one had issues with it. My wife actually looked forward to seeing me with a full head of hair again. We had the money for it so why not? My parents were like "oh cool". Had no real opinion either way.

Yeah, I got that same prescription from the doc. Waiting to take it as I know it will be a lifelong commitment once I do.

Nice man. if you don't mind me asking, when did you first notice that you were losing your hair? Did it take a mental tool on you?

For me, I was 25 when I first noticed it. But the first time, I was like "oh shit, that's weird" and just brushed it off. Didn't think much of it. A few weeks later I started to come the terms with what was actually going on.

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pojr posted...

Nice man. if you don't mind me asking, when did you first notice that you were losing your hair? Did it take a mental tool on you?

For me, I was 25 when I first noticed it. But the first time, I was like "oh shit, that's weird" and just brushed it off. Didn't think much of it. A few weeks later I started to come the terms with what was actually going on.

Sometime between age 25-27. I always had a high hairline naturally, so I wasn't sure if it was just me judging myself harshly.

By age 28 I could definitely tell my hairline was receding. It really hit me mentally around age 30 as I knew I was still too young to be losing as much hair as I was. I'm 32 now and got the treatment earlier this month. The doctor said my case was actually very mild compared to the people that normally showed up at his office. He says that was good for me as it saved me thousands on my procedure. Most men who show up have lost the whole top of hair. I just had the receding hairline along the sides.

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I just took my first ever dose (1 mg) of finasteride, which I intend to take three times a week. I would have taken it sooner if it weren't for stories about side effects, but their actual frequency seems pretty rare, and I'm taking a lower dose, anyway. How much are you taking, and how long ago did you start?

Decided to hop on just now because I've been experiencing both new thinning and new body hair over the last year or so. I hope I'm wrong that blocking 5-reductase activity will halt or reverse the body hair development, but it seems likely. Have you noticed any changes in body hair since going on fin?

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groom your hair daily as well, such as using a hair dryer after shower. You want to stimulate your hair follicles to get the blood flowing

Zanzenburger posted...

Sometime between age 25-27. I always had a high hairline naturally, so I wasn't sure if it was just me judging myself harshly.

By age 28 I could definitely tell my hairline was receding. It really hit me mentally around age 30 as I knew I was still too young to be losing as much hair as I was. I'm 32 now and got the treatment earlier this month. The doctor said my case was actually very mild compared to the people that normally showed up at his office. He says that was good for me as it saved me thousands on my procedure. Most men who show up have lost the whole top of hair. I just had the receding hairline along the sides.

Nice. The earlier you catch it the more rewarding it will be for you. A lot of people get to hair transplants because one of them didn't cover them all the way.

rivers posted...

I just took my first ever dose (1 mg) of finasteride, which I intend to take three times a week. I would have taken it sooner if it weren't for stories about side effects, but their actual frequency seems pretty rare, and I'm taking a lower dose, anyway. How much are you taking, and how long ago did you start?

Decided to hop on just now because I've been experiencing both new thinning and new body hair over the last year or so. I hope I'm wrong that blocking 5-reductase activity will halt or reverse the body hair development, but it seems likely. Have you noticed any changes in body hair since going on fin?

Me personally I have not noticed any changes in my body hair. I've never had a lot of body hair anyway. To my understanding, since body and facial hair are DHT resistant, finasteride would not affect any hairs besides what is on the scalp.

Edit: I forgot to answer your other question. I take 1 mg per day. Never had any side effects. I understand where you're coming from, I procrastinated on taking it from months because I was worried about side effects.

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I took Propecia for about 5 years and it probably did a good job in reducing hair loss, but I saw no regrowth, once I graduated I decided I was tried of paying for it and staving off the inevitable.

My hair is definitely much thinner now but oh well.

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I started Rogaine last month. My hair started thinning at a spot at the top of my head due to medication I was taking, I stopped immediately. Now I use a dermaroller, take DHT blockers, vitamins and biotin supplements. I began to use hot oil treatments with Jamaican black castor oil too, it helps the hair follicles and scalp. I can see new growth in the place where I started the Rogaine.

I'm 34 and my hairline is still going strong, you can't really see that my hair was suddenly thinning but I can feel it. I wanted to jump on it before it got worse. I heard about people using Propecia and Rogaine at the same time. I had my concerns with Propecia but I guess the side effects aren't that common?

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Compsognathus posted...

I took Propecia for about 5 years and it probably did a good job in reducing hair loss, but I saw no regrowth, once I graduated I decided I was tried of paying for it and staving off the inevitable.

My hair is definitely much thinner now but oh well.

I get what you're saying, why invest in something that is only temporary?

Finasteride is definitely not perfect, but it's currently the best way to learn fight hair loss. Like all drugs, it affects people differently. Some people do keep their hair very long term on finasteride. I'm not sure how long ago it was when you were taking it, but I pay $12 a month to refill my prescription. To me, that's nothing.

Taharqa_ posted...

I started Rogaine last month. My hair started thinning at a spot at the top of my head due to medication I was taking, I stopped immediately. Now I use a dermaroller, take DHT blockers, vitamins and biotin supplements. I began to use hot oil treatments with Jamaican black castor oil too, it helps the hair follicles and scalp. I can see new growth in the place where I started the Rogaine.

I'm 34 and my hairline is still going strong, you can't really see that my hair was suddenly thinning but I can feel it. I wanted to jump on it before it got worse. I heard about people using Propecia and Rogaine at the same time. I had my concerns with Propecia but I guess the side effects aren't that common?

Be careful with natural remedies. Although I'm not 100% familiar with them, I always hear things like biotin have little to no benefit when it comes to hair growth, unless your hair loss is not caused by androgenic alopecia (99% of people's hair loss is caused by androgenic alopecia). Pharmaceuticals are proven to help with hair loss. I forget the number off the top of my head, but I want to say the chances of side effects on finasteride is about 2%. For me the risk was worth it.

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My hair is thinning in the front and back. Not super noticeable yet but itll probably start to be noticeable sometime in my 30s (late 20s now).

Really dont think the side effects of any of the hair loss prevention medicines are worth it. Some Of them actually have pretty severe side effects. Rogaine fucks with your heart and cardiovascular system and has been known to cause or worsen heart attacks.

To each their own. I weighed my desire to keep my hair with the potential very negative side effects and decided to live with it should it actually become noticeable sooner rather than later.

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Min. Fin. Niz. Biotin. Dermaroll.

It works and you will see regrowth.
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Ive been balding since my 20s. I look good with a shaved head though, so its no big deal. I kind of wish I would just go bald faster so I dont have to shave as often.

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Yeah I was taking full blown Propecia and not the generic so it was like $100 a month. And while I never dealt with the side-effects there aspects to it like being unable to donate blood and the like that I just didn't enjoy.

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pojr posted...

Edit: I forgot to answer your other question. I take 1 mg per day. Never had any side effects. I understand where you're coming from, I procrastinated on taking it from months because I was worried about side effects.

cool

even though I could have more hair now if I had started earlier, I'll be happy if this halts progression and reverses the new thinning I've noticed. I like my hairline. just got my first haircut in five months today also, feeling fresh

Compsognathus posted...

And while I never dealt with the side-effects there aspects to it like being unable to donate blood and the like that I just didn't enjoy.

yeah that does suck... I really enjoy donating blood.
as I understand it, and maybe I don't, taking off a month or two isn't the end of the world once you've built up a certain amount of stores, and the deferral period for donating with finasteride is one month. maybe once yearly donations after a certain period of reducing serum levels

more likely I'll just need to find an alternative means of doing something nice. the harder part will be finding a way to safely lose the occasional blood

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Have you tried rogaine before? Does that not work?

are your hands hairy from applying it?

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What's the last thing you ate?

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pojr posted...

Finasteride is definitely not perfect, but it's currently the best way to learn fight hair loss. Like all drugs, it affects people differently. Some people do keep their hair very long term on finasteride. I'm not sure how long ago it was when you were taking it, but I pay $12 a month to refill my prescription. To me, that's nothing.

Where do you pay $12 a month for it? Walgreens was wanting to charge me $85 for a 30 day supply.

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Zanzenburger posted...

Cool man.

Since I have been working home this summer, I took the opportunity to get a hair transplant. The new hair is coming in and looking pretty good. They guaranteed that the new transplant hair will live through the rest of my life.

Now I need to decide in a treatment to keep the rest of my hair from falling late on.

@Zanzenburger what kind of transplant? is there visible scarring?

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berlyman101 posted...

@Zanzenburger what kind of transplant? is there visible scarring?

Not sure if there's a name for it. Just took some hair from the back of my head and put it in the front.

No scarring after it healed. Just some scabs that fell off after about 2 weeks. It is still a bit sensitive about a month later but they said that will go away over time.

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about how much did it cost?

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berlyman101 posted...

about how much did it cost?

$6500 to cover the receding hairline along the sides. That was with a 25% discount special they had going on that month. Signed up for a payment plan for it.

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i took it for about 15 years

stopped recently

not much difference in mood but I have noticed I'm not quite as snippy with people.

maybe it raised my anger levels or something.

@Poop2 how much were you taking?

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rivers posted...

@Poop2 how much were you taking?

1mg day. docs said anything more is a waste as your body can only process that much daily apparently.

i used to get cheaper 5mg tabs and break them up so it was a little more than 1 mg

_Marka_Ragnos_ posted...

Rogaine fucks with your heart and cardiovascular system and has been known to cause or worsen heart attacks.

you sure about that? never heard that even once

Son Of Spam posted...

Ive been balding since my 20s. I look good with a shaved head though, so its no big deal. I kind of wish I would just go bald faster so I dont have to shave as often.

seems like you have a good attitude about it, which is good. some people have a good head shape for it. some people like Joe Rogan think they have a good head shape, but they do not. I don't like the way Joe Rogan looks bald lol.

Zanzenburger posted...

Where do you pay $12 a month for it? Walgreens was wanting to charge me $85 for a 30 day supply.

Wegmans. I used GoodRx to drop the price. You should get similar pricing at Walgreens if you use GoodRx.

LameFAQs posted...

Have you tried rogaine before? Does that not work?

I used Rogaine for two years, saw no regrowth. The problem with Rogaine is that it does nothing to stop male pattern baldness. You may see regrowth, but once your balding continues, your Rogaine benefits will disappear. All benefits from Rogaine have to be maintained with Rogaine too, so you can't switch from Rogaine to Finasteride and expect your Rogaine benefits to remain. So I always recommend to try Finasteride first and only use Rogaine if you're not happy with your results from Finasteride.

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Poop2 posted...

1mg day. docs said anything more is a waste as your body can only process that much daily apparently.

yeah the studies i've looked at suggest a single 1 mg dose will keep dht down for several days, which is why 1 mg every other day, and potentially even every third day, may be just fine. even a .2 mg daily dose might be sufficient: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190962299800516

why'd you stop taking it?

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Zanzenburger posted...

Not sure if there's a name for it. Just took some hair from the back of my head and put it in the front.

No scarring after it healed. Just some scabs that fell off after about 2 weeks. It is still a bit sensitive about a month later but they said that will go away over time.

There's FUT and FUE. FUT is an older method of performing hair transplants where they basically take a chunk of meat from the back of your head. Usually you have to take a week off from work to recover from it. FUE takes the follicles one-by-one, and is always more expensive than FUT, but a much better way to do hair transplants. FUT is usually only performed if you lost a LOT of hair, and FUE is done if your simply restoring a hairline or whatnot.

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