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Hey - I just wondered as I know long hair means so much to some of us on this board do some members use Propecia to maintain the hair that they've got ?
As my dad went bald in his late 20's I'm thinking of starting on it now (I'm 24) to hopefully avoid or atleast postpone me following his fait.
Has anyone who has used it found it beneficial , eg has it made the hair you have any thicker and what not ?
I'd like to hear you're experiences of it !
Thanks
Luc
Luc,
I am using Rogain. Some hair seems to have grown back and what I have had is still there. My bangs don't really grow anymore. They are at about chin length at the longest. The rest of my hair is aproaching mid back. I am thin on top and my scalp does show thru.
Hope this helps,
ESDI
Hi Luc,
I am gradually getting thinner on top over a period of several years (I'm 32)
I don't use propecia, I tried a commonly available preperation of minoxydil on two seperate occasions about a year apart for a few months each time but on both occasions got strange chest pains so I stopped (this is reported as a rare side effect-I like being alive so I stopped).
I have been taking saw palmetto for around 18 months and seem to have as much hair as when I started taking it at one stage was losing a lot before I started. Saw Palmetto is commonly used by guys with prostate problems as it helps block DHT which causes an enlarged prostate, AND is a factor in male pattern baldness too. Good thing is you can buy it at the supermarket in most places and it's only about the cost of a good multivitamin! Just watch out it is a diuretic, (makes you urinate a lot) although no worse than coffee or tea. So drink lots of water, I find myself getting thirsty a lot taking it.
I use propecia, though I get it in the form of finestaride which comes in 5 mg, which I break into quarters which is slightly higher that the recoomended dose of 1. mg po q d.
Here is the scientific problem. It is not causing any diminished sexual desire nor pleasure. I cannot know if it is helping my hair growth for in this experiment I am what is known in the scientific world as N = 1. That is, the only way to determine if it is helping me is to stop it, and since in the form I am taking it it is cheap, and since it is doing no harm, and probably on an actuarial basis some good, I intend to keep taking it.
Within the last year I depended for a while on a supply of generic I bought in China, and subjectively it appeared to me that I had excessive hair loss after ruturning from China, but I have no proof of this either since I quickly got back on a standard international dose, and I have no objective proof that I actually lost more hair in or subsequent to the visit in China, for I was not isolating every day's loss, keeping it separate in a different bag, awaiting measurement on arrival at home.
However, I cannot take Minoxidil. I makes the skin of my scalp thin, and if I continue it actually destroys the skin. I know it does not do that for everyoone, so for those who want it used as a substitute for vermouth in your evening Martini, feel free. It just does not work for me, I regeret.
Caledonian
For the longest time I was certain that the frequent comment of my (hairdresser) mother that my hair was thinning was simply a tactic to get me to cut my hair.
However who knos if it was the repetition of this claim but about 4 months ago I began to fear that maybe she was perhaps slightly right.
Well once that doubt crept in it was all over. I decided to take no chances despite essentially thinking that I'm not balding or thinning.
As a result I have been taking Propecia for about 3 months now and have thankfully (!) experienced no side effects.
By the way I wouldn't get something like proscar etc and just divide into 4 yourself. Why? Well you're breaking the protective seal of the tablet, which could lead to premature digestion of it before it can be properly and effectively released into the body.
I don't think the saving (in Australia, not a huge amount anyway) is worth it personally.
Interesting posts so far.... is there any users on here who have used it for 6 months + as the manufacturer's website seems to state this time period before you start to see the benefits of Propecia.... ?
Remember that that timeframe can vary depending on which dermatologist you see and which hairloss site you go to. e.g. some say 3 months, others 8 and a lot say 12 too. All seem to be within a 1 year range though