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Propecia / Finasteride / other MPB prescription MEGA THREAD

Satorialist

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If your hair is your identity and you either are currently on or are thinking of geting on, Propecia, then this is the one-stop thread for you. [Disclaimer: I'm not yet on Propecia, but I'm this close to getting on it]

It's difficult to get a clear picture when it comes to Propecia, evidence of its effectiveness is scattered.

Thus, it would be enormously beneficial if those who have real first hand experience with these prescription's (Propecia, Finasteride, generic, Proscar, other) could answer questions and report directly here on their experience:

  1. Your Norwood-Hamilton stage when first beginning Propecia vs your Norwood-Hamilton Stage today (*include number of years you've been taking it):
  2. Are you taking Propecia or some other form of generic, Finasteride, Proscar, etc.:
  3. Did it take immediate effect or was there a six-month lag time?
  4. Did the pill cause excess shedding early-on and when did it stop?
  5. Any noticeable adverse effects such as harder to keep weight off, gynomastia, ED, other (explain):
  6. Any hair regrowth?
  7. Has hair-loss /shedding totally stopped?
  8. Would you recommend it?
  9. Your question for other Propecia users:

Side question: My Doctor told me that Propecia isn't effective for hair-loss in the frontal lobe (the area on either side of your brow, directly above above the eyes). Anyone confirm/debunk this myth?
 

Satorialist

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picture_3_2.png
 

enjoiii

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Your Norwood-Hamilton stage when first beginning Propecia vs your Norwood-Hamilton Stage today (*include number of years you've been taking it):

Started taking about 15 months ago. Was at a stage 2 at that time, still at a stage 2 but a little thicker than before.

Are you taking Propecia or some other form of generic, Finasteride, Proscar, etc.: I am taking 5 mg generic finasteride which I cut into quarters.

Did it take immediate effect or was there a six-month lag time? Took about 4-5 months before it took effect.

Did the pill cause excess shedding early-on and when did it stop? No

Any noticeable adverse effects such as harder to keep weight off, gynomastia, ED, other (explain): I've got huge ***** **** now. jk, no side effects at all.

Any hair regrowth? Yes, a decent amount.

Has hair-loss /shedding totally stopped? Yes

Would you recommend it? Yes
 

heartworm

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I almost started on it when my friend told me about it (I'm only at stage 2 but would like to stay there), but then I read about the recently discovered side effects on potency and libido that apparently can be permanent. I decided that I'd rather keep my boner and lose my hair. Please read this before you decide to start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finaste...l_side_effects If you do decide to start on finasteride, it's cheaper to buy the generic 5 mg pills for enlarged prostate and split them in 4 (take 1/4 a day.)
 

mensimageconsultant

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All hair loss prescription medication is less effective in the frontal region (for the average user). Better than nothing, though.
 

Reggs

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When I was 23, I started lifting weights, and I think the testosterone boost kind of sparked some early shedding in my crown. It might also have been coincidental, but I doubt it. I just noticed hair coming out when I would wash my hair. I was panic stricken and started using generic Rogaine about 4 weeks after I first noticed it. Another 3 weeks after that I began taking generic Propecia and it stopped completely. After a week of taking Propecia daily, my hair was no longer shedding. I was extremely thankful that I started taking it so early. I'm hesitant to say I've regrown hair there, but it's very possible. My hair does not look or feel thin in that area, even if my hair is wet.

I'm 26 now and have been taking it continuously since then. I still have not had one bit of shedding from my crown. I've lost some around my temples, but it's nothing, 3-4mm at most has been lost there. I no longer use Rogaine on my crown, but I do use it in the front. Rogaine was not able to make any claims about protecting the front when it first hit the market because there have not been enough studies done at the time. Since then, they have found that Rogaine will halt or slow hair loss in the front, but it cant claim to regrow hair in the front.

I never experienced any side effects. I would recommend it to anyone. I would also recommend using Rogaine as well. Both are very inexpensive if you buy generic. I get my Propecia from this site:
http://www.inhousepharmacy.biz/generics/finpecia.html
It takes 3 weeks to ship the US. The site has good customer service. When I get my package I empty a bunch of the strips into a very small thimble like cup and keep it next to my vitamins/supplements. I also carry a strip in my bag and dopp kit just encase I forget to pack any for travel, or take one in the morning.

I look at other guys my age and notice that I'm defiantly doing better than average as far as hair loss goes. I'm very glad I started as early as possible.
 

Erlendsen

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Originally Posted by Satorialist
  1. Your Norwood-Hamilton stage when first beginning Propecia vs your Norwood-Hamilton Stage today (*include number of years you've been taking it):
  2. Are you taking Propecia or some other form of generic, Finasteride, Proscar, etc.:
  3. Did it take immediate effect or was there a six-month lag time?
  4. Did the pill cause excess shedding early-on and when did it stop?
  5. Any noticeable adverse effects such as harder to keep weight off, gynomastia, ED, other (explain):
  6. Any hair regrowth?
  7. Has hair-loss /shedding totally stopped?
  8. Would you recommend it?
  9. Your question for other Propecia users:

1. I guess I was between stage 1 and 2. I noticed that my fringe was becoming gradually thinner and thinner. Since my forehead is rather large, I feel the demand for hair to manipulate it smaller :)

2. I am taking Propecia.

3. I don't know the exact lag time, as I started with it when I found out that my hair line was on a recession. I've been on it for 10 months now, and my hair line is gradually becoming thicker and fuller. I still have fine thin hairs on the most outer parts of my hair line, but near the center my hair looks normal now.

4. Maybe it caused some excess shedding in the beginning. I got more conscious about my hair whe n I started than I was before starting, so it's hard to tell, and the eventual shedding was not visually noticeable.

5. I haven't noticed any noticeable adverse effects. My chest seems bigger, but not ***** **** bigger. I work out regurarly, and I don't think the effect is related to the drug. Concerning libido, I wouldn't say it has changed. Maybe I'm even more *************** now, as I've had a confidence boost seeing as my hair is growing back.

6. Yes, as mentioned, I've had lots of regrowth on my fringe. My crown or whatever it is called back there was good when I started, and my dad's crown is nice aswell, so I didn't care about any change there.

7. Yeah, my personal experience is positive. However, I've been lucky regarding those nasty side effects. If I couldn't get a hard on, I probably would've stopped using the medication.
 

Pinhas

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Originally Posted by Erlendsen
my dad's crown is nice aswell, so I didn't care about any change there

genetically MPB transfers from the mom's side, so the best bet for seeing where you are headed is actually to look at your mother's dad, not your dad.
 

mensimageconsultant

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Research shows it comes from both sides, probably slightly more from the female lineage.
 

Jsoftz

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I'm considering taking it myself- the problem is my hair loss bears no resemblance to the scale there. I'm balding right behind my hair line in a weird patch there- started about 5 years ago when I was a junior in college and has been thin and gradually thinner since then. It's still thin there and I started taking generic minoxidil (5%) for the hell of it- I haven't been super consistent with the two-a-day formula but thought I was seeing some results, and but feel like i've been losing the past week or two... maybe it's just me being paranoid. Not sure if Propecia or anything can help me and those side effects sound vicious.
 

blondejonny

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I don't really have the minerals to start Propecia. The side-effects don't seem worth it.

I've been on Saw Palmetto for about two years. Slows it down I guess, but not by much. Feels like a waste of money in retrospect.

I had a instance of using Creatine that I thought made me shed quite a bit, can't tell if I was being paranoid
 

mensimageconsultant

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I'm considering taking it myself- the problem is my hair loss bears no resemblance to the scale there. I'm balding right behind my hair line in a weird patch there- started about 5 years ago when I was a junior in college and has been thin and gradually thinner since then. It's still thin there and I started taking generic minoxidil (5%) for the hell of it- I haven't been super consistent with the two-a-day formula but thought I was seeing some results, and but feel like i've been losing the past week or two... maybe it's just me being paranoid. Not sure if Propecia or anything can help me and those side effects sound vicious.


That sounds like alopecia areata or another condition that is not male-pattern baldness. The only way to know is to consult a good dermatologist. Minoxil often happens to be a treatment for such conditions, though more effective treatments might be available from a doctor.
 

Satorialist

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My theory on side-effects of these drugs is based on two points:

(1) Everyone's body is composed differently with different genetics and will therefore respond differently to any given drug, sometimes the response is extreme;
(2) All too often people are taking multiple prescription drugs that conflict in unknown ways causing a whole host of unintended consequences within the body; the pharmacist or doctor may declare "there's no conflict, it's 100% safe" but I'm skeptical. Numerous trial studies conflict with drug companies "safe" claims.... the side-effects are insidious and hard to source, no one has any answers...

Having said that, if you live a healthy lifestyle and a hair-loss drug is the only prescription drug you're taking, I believe the chances of side effects lower significantly. Still though, if you take anything long enough weird things will start to happen, it's only a matter of time....

Here's a gallery of Gynecomastia in men. See halfway down for photos, appears all body-types are susceptible: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynecomastia
 

Satorialist

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For those of you who obtain your propecia or equivalent substitute from a non-prescription source (not from a pharmacy), where do you get it? And if it comes from a different country, how do you trust it? It could be made with anything....
 

D Yizz

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My theory on side-effects of these drugs is based on two points:

(1) Everyone's body is composed differently with different genetics and will therefore respond differently to any given drug, sometimes the response is extreme;
(2) All too often people are taking multiple prescription drugs that conflict in unknown ways causing a whole host of unintended consequences within the body; the pharmacist or doctor may declare "there's no conflict, it's 100% safe" but I'm skeptical. Numerous trial studies conflict with drug companies "safe" claims.... the side-effects are insidious and hard to source, no one has any answers...

Having said that, if you live a healthy lifestyle and a hair-loss drug is the only prescription drug you're taking, I believe the chances of side effects lower significantly. Still though, if you take anything long enough weird things will start to happen, it's only a matter of time....

Here's a gallery of Gynecomastia in men. See halfway down for photos, appears all body-types are susceptible: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gynecomastia


I also believe my hairloss was boosted by increased testo production from lifting weights (no anabolic steroids) Thankfully my shedding was very mild. I began using Propecia in '98 and the shedding stopped completely after several months. I used it consistently for about 4-5 years and since then, I have been on and off, having lost only part of the extra growth I achieved when I used it consistently.



I have not read nor seen evidence of the gyno side effects claim, but since the beginning of Propecia, Merck advertised decreased libido and ED as possible side effects. Personally, I have never experienced any side effects. However, from what I've read, all decreased libido or Ed side effects subside after getting off the pill.

For those of you who obtain your propecia or equivalent substitute from a non-prescription source (not from a pharmacy), where do you get it? And if it comes from a different country, how do you trust it? It could be made with anything....


I buy from www.unitedpharmacies.com At first I ordered finpecia, (generic for propecia) but my last order was for fincar, (generic of proscar) beacuse the 5mg pill can be cut in quarters and each dose is even cheaper than finpecia. I trust them because when I decided Propecia had become blatantly expensive, I did a thorough search for substitutes and found out several hair loss blogs/ forums where people had done good research and had even sent several pills for chemical testing. From those tests, Finpecia/Fincar came out as a legit substitute with the active ingredient in the advertised dose. They also recommended united pharmacies as a legit business who dont sell counterfeits.
 

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