Post: #1

i didn't see a thread specifically about propecia, so i thought i would start one.

simple, it works for me, it has been working for me for almost ten years. i am 37 and still got pretty damn good hair. i am convinced that without propecia i would have to shave my head and go krauser style.

knock on wood, no side effects that i have noticed, except maybe dry mouth.

feel free to ask me any questions.

Post: #2

Iv had a few comments in the last few weeks that I'm starting to thin out. I was thinking of going for one of the drugs or treatments, but don't want to risk major side effects. Why'd you go for propecia, and what were the side effects listed on the bottle?

Post: #3

Does it help hair grow back or only stop you losing more? If it's the latter it's too late for me,I'm already shaving it down.

Post: #4

I have used 1mg of finasteride for a couple of years. It does the job but I found that it fucked a lot with my libido and stopped using it when I was traveling in Russia.

Post: #5

I am for my sins, an expert on this topic - I even have a full head of hair at 32 despite dad and uncle fully bald far before.

DO NOT USE FINISTERIDE - Read up carefully about it first on male HRT forums. It may fuck up your hormonal profile and especially your libido as Neil mentions.

USE MINOXIDIL twice a day and KETACONAZOLE shampoo regularly. Thats it.

Post: #6

(09-29-2012 05:31 AM)BigAlexBoss Wrote:  I am for my sins, an expert on this topic - I even have a full head of hair at 32 despite dad and uncle fully bald far before.

DO NOT USE FINISTERIDE - Read up carefully about it first on male HRT forums. It may fuck up your hormonal profile and especially your libido as Neil mentions.

USE MINOXIDIL twice a day and KETACONAZOLE shampoo regularly. Thats it.

I have used the "Holy three" for a long time but stopped using them alltogether. I still have some minox and i'm thinking of starting to use that again.

Post: #7

some great comments. my thoughts:

@Havver
"Why'd you go for propecia, and what were the side effects listed on the bottle?"

first i tried rogaine but it was a bitch to use. i had to massage it into my scalp, and it flaked, and it looked like it gave me dandruff, it was a mess. and i just didn't believe that a liquid could do the trick. this was before the foam came out, btw.

for me, i believed it had to be a pill. and then i discovered propecia, and read how it was discovered "by accident" when studying prostate cancer or something, and it was expensive, and it was hormonal, so i thought, this is the answer.

now that i think about it, i am going to try using rogaine foam as well, and good point by BigAlexBoss and Neil, i do use nizoral shampoo (with ketoconazole), i was forgetting that.

as for the side effects, i researched them some, and the main one was loss of sex drive, but i have always been super horny, and still am super horny.

@Vorkuta
"Does it help hair grow back or only stop you losing more?"

it only stops you from losing more hair.

@Neil
"I found that it fucked a lot with my libido"

i have heard that a lot. it probably does fuck with my testosterone somewhat. i am still super horny, but probably does other shit like "slow me down" or something. that's a good point. that's why i need to exercise more, start juicing, take zinc and fish oil -- stuff i am not doing enough of.

but frankly, hair is really really important to me, so i am fine with all that.

@BigAlexBoss
"It may fuck up your hormonal profile and especially your libido"

yes, possibly or even probably.

"USE MINOXIDIL twice a day and KETACONAZOLE shampoo regularly. Thats it."

i am never going to give up my propecia. in the states it was almost $80 a month, here in spain it is i think 60E a month, or 50E, something like that, but it is my little magic pill.

like i said, i do use nizoral too, and i am thinking of getting back on rogaine, especially now that the foam is easier to use than the liquid.

btw, here's a link on nizoral shampoo:
http://www.hairsci.com/ketoconazole-nizo...hair-loss/

Post: #8

(09-29-2012 01:50 AM)Havver Wrote:  Iv had a few comments in the last few weeks that I'm starting to thin out. I was thinking of going for one of the drugs or treatments, but don't want to risk major side effects. Why'd you go for Propecia, and what were the side effects listed on the bottle?

I was taking it for about 5 years and had no visible side effects (The main ones are erectile dysfunction, impotence, low libido). I had great results with it and maintained all of my hair and even grew a decent amount back.

That being said the thought a few years ago was if you started displaying signs of side effects you could discontinue use and you would return back to normal. But a few months ago a new study was released saying that some suffers of the side effects have been experiencing them even with discontinuation of the Propecia. This scared me and I'm planning on switching to rogain now.

http://www.propecia-help.com/2012/07/new...e-effects/

Post: #9

I take finastride as well. The libido does change at times, but it's not that detrimental to your sex life. Yes, there were times I couldn't te it up.....,maybe it was something else? Who knows. I think each person responds differently to this drug.

Its big business..... Hopefully there is something better on the horizon.

Post: #10

yeah, just like the pill screws around with women's hormones, i am sure propecia screws around with male hormones.

basically, i am wiling to take that chance -- because it works.

that's really the only point i am making here. this stuff works. and i am sure the "holy three" works even better. so if you are wondering whether it's all just marketing bullshit, it's not.

as for side effects, that's when stuff gets more complicated.

BUT IT WORKS.

Post: #11

This is good news... I want my hair back!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/health...years.html

Post: #12

Guys, I want to give you a warning story about propecia.

Around 2005 or so, one of my very best friends in the world started using propecia. Guy was in his early 20's. He was very happy with the results, as it slowed his hair loss and if I remember correctly, maybe he even grew a little back. In the beginning, he experienced no side effects. Around 2007-2008, all of a sudden, he started feeling a loss in libido and overall lack of will to do anything related to girls.

Then it got even worse. He couldn't maintain an erection. He stopped propecia immediately, and for the next two years, he battled this thing, going to doctors, endocrinologists, researching countless of hundreds of hours on the internet. The guy could barely hold an erection and basically had to force himself to masturbate once every 10 days or so just out of fear, for verifying that he could still ejaculate.

Being one of his very best friends, I was one of the few people he confided in about this issues, and it pretty much dominated our conversations from week to week. Guys, this issue put his life on HOLD. He told me many many times one variation or another of the following line: "Technics, I don't give a SHIT about my hair anymore. I just want my dick back. When your dick doesn't work, you don't give a shit about your hair. You don't give a shit about ANYTHING ELSE."

My buddy had a girlfriend at the time, which he ended up breaking up with, in part because of this issue. I saw the poor guy completely embarased, terrified and depressed that this issue possibly would be something he had to live with for the rest of his life. In addition to all the doctors, he ended up even going too therapy because he was so distressed about the issue. Goes without saying: the sex life was dead for those two years.

Make the long story short, around 2009-2010 (memory is hazy on the dates), he started getting his hard-ons agains. It was one of the biggest reliefs for him, his close family, and me as one of his best friends.

Basically because of what I saw with my buddy and this drug, I tell this story to anyone (making my friend anonymous, of course) whenever I even hear the word "propecia." Just remember guys, the chances of these side-effects are supposedly very low, BUT the consequences can be devastating if you end up being one of those few percent who react poorly to the drug.

Seeing my friend's situation up-close made me realize that for me personally, even the smallest chance that my sexual function would be impaired is not worth a full head of hair, even if the pharmaceutical company proves that I'll look like David Beckham, Brett Michaels, and Bon Jovi all rolled into one together.

Guys, do your research and think very carefully before you use propecia.

Post: #13

(09-29-2012 11:18 AM)Technics Wrote:  Guys, I want to give you a warning story about propecia.

Around 2005 or so, one of my very best friends in the world started using propecia. Guy was in his early 20's. He was very happy with the results, as it slowed his hair loss and if I remember correctly, maybe he even grew a little back. In the beginning, he experienced no side effects. Around 2007-2008, all of a sudden, he started feeling a loss in libido and overall lack of will to do anything related to girls.

Then it got even worse. He couldn't maintain an erection. He stopped propecia immediately, and for the next two years, he battled this thing, going to doctors, endocrinologists, researching countless of hundreds of hours on the internet. The guy could barely hold an erection and basically had to force himself to masturbate once every 10 days or so just out of fear, for verifying that he could still ejaculate.

Being one of his very best friends, I was one of the few people he confided in about this issues, and it pretty much dominated our conversations from week to week. Guys, this issue put his life on HOLD. He told me many many times one variation or another of the following line: "Technics, I don't give a SHIT about my hair anymore. I just want my dick back. When your dick doesn't work, you don't give a shit about your hair. You don't give a shit about ANYTHING ELSE."

My buddy had a girlfriend at the time, which he ended up breaking up with, in part because of this issue. I saw the poor guy completely embarased, terrified and depressed that this issue possibly would be something he had to live with for the rest of his life. In addition to all the doctors, he ended up even going too therapy because he was so distressed about the issue. Goes without saying: the sex life was dead for those two years.

Make the long story short, around 2009-2010 (memory is hazy on the dates), he started getting his hard-ons agains. It was one of the biggest reliefs for him, his close family, and me as one of his best friends.

Basically because of what I saw with my buddy and this drug, I tell this story to anyone (making my friend anonymous, of course) whenever I even hear the word "propecia." Just remember guys, the chances of these side-effects are supposedly very low, BUT the consequences can be devastating if you end up being one of those few percent who react poorly to the drug.

Seeing my friend's situation up-close made me realize that for me personally, even the smallest chance that my sexual function would be impaired is not worth a full head of hair, even if the pharmaceutical company proves that I'll look like David Beckham, Brett Michaels, and Bon Jovi all rolled into one together.

Guys, do your research and think very carefully before you use propecia.

Was he continuing to use the drug after it started affecting his libido? Usually, side effects go away when you stop taking the offending agent.

Post: #14

He stopped about 2 weeks after he noticed the problem.

Post: #15

delete

Post: #16

(09-29-2012 11:51 AM)Technics Wrote:  He stopped about 2 weeks after he noticed the problem.

After looking into this further it seems like persistent sexual dysfunction despite stopping finasteride has been reported, but it appears to be very rare (<1% of users). Most of the time, side effects will resolve if you discontinue the medication. Like you said, though, it's important to be aware of stuff like this before starting any medication because if you're unlucky enough to fall into that small percentage the consequences can be pretty devastating.

Post: #17

a friend of mine, he bought this car, and at first, it drove really fast, and the girls loved it.

but then, he drove it too fast, and he crashed into a pole, and he killed himself.

a warning story about cars.

Post: #18

i don't mean to be flippant, but everything has risks associated with it.

again, my only point is that PROPECIA WORKS.

at least, IT WORKED FOR ME.

and I STILL GET BONERS.

REALLY GOOD ONES.

it is good to hear both sides to every story, though.

Post: #19

Rivelino,

Not sure why you would respond like that when I'm simply sharing a story of someone I know closely. I don't mean to rain on your propecia parade--I know a lot of us don't like to hear the potential negatives when something is working well for us.

Not sure if you read what I wrote closely, but I acknowledge the reported chances of this happening as being low. As you said, just trying to share the other side of the story.

Post: #20

rogaine and propecia are good for halting the progression of male pattern baldness. less data for hair growth

always safer to take a lotion than swallow a pill

transient sexual side effects with propecia are well known...whether they can cause long term effects is debatable but hard to argue with the story above. anything is possible.

Post: #21

nettle root is good for keeping your hair and new growth.

Post: #22

@technics

"Not sure why you would respond like that when I'm simply sharing a story of someone I know closely."

yeah i was in a pissy mood, my fault man.

Post: #23

No problem rivelino.

Post: #24

I take finasteride. When I first started taking it, my libido was pretty damn high. It's still pretty healthy, and I can't really attribute any variation to the finasteride. It costs about $2 a month from Target.

I believe it works for 80% of men. I didn't lose much hair for a while, but I've been shedding a lot in the last couple months.

Shit, I can't believe I didn't know about Nizoral. The fucking docs only mention finasteride and minoxidil. I'm going to do a little more research, and probably pick some up.

Post: #25

"Shit, I can't believe I didn't know about Nizoral."

yeah, i heard about it randomly when bill simmons was interviewing that "smartest dude" who lost at who wants to be a millioniare or something. that guy mentioned it.

found it, his name is rick rosner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_G._Rosner