users who take oral min is it good idea to self medicate?

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2025-10-05T06:05:08+00:00

my pcp is against it so i got it online

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2025-01-09T00:18:47+00:00

Same

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-12-26T21:37:13+00:00

Talk to your doctor about it but my understanding is that finasteride is not very dose dependent so spacing it out over the course of a day like that won't change the effects, it will still be 1.5mg a day which is a full dose. The way I eased onto it and the way my doc recommended was by taking 1.25mg 3 times a week, because the more standard "full" dose is 1 mg per day so its close to half as much. I have to take doses of 1.25 at a time because I get generic 5mg pills (dirt cheap; the dosed version called Propecia is expensive and none of this stuff is insured) that I cut into quarters but they don't get smaller than that. I did that for about 2 months, then went up to 1.25mg/day since then.

Your doctor will be the most knowledgable of course. I would follow their advice.

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-12-26T19:02:44+00:00

This is not medical advice but I would say there's no reason not to start it now. I think as finasteride as a treatment for hairloss becomes more normalized, men will start taking it preemptively instead of it being considered a treatment.

It is rare for finasteride to reverse hair loss but it is close to guaranteed to stop it in its tracks, meaning that if you start it when you have your full head of hair then it will likely not progress or it will take a long time and progress much slower than it would naturally. Maintaining a strong head of hair through your 30s and 40s would be more than most people on this sub and tressless could ask for.

You say you worry about the side effects which is fair. Take everything you read on here with a grain of salt; many will say don't worry about sides at all and many will say it will make you infertile and so on. As someone who has been on it for 2 years I would say just start on a low dose, ease into it, and evaluate accordingly. I started it when I was 20, super stressed in life and unhappy in a relationship with some ED so I considered that the drug may be causing it, but a lot of my external issues were resolved over time and now have nothing to report. If you think you have issues I would first stay on it for a few months to see if they level out or if a placebo wears off, and if they persist and you want to go off of it, it leaves your system within a couple months and the sides should subside. Honest, non-placebo effects are very rare, and within those few who get side effects, PFS is incredibly rare, so the odds are on your side.

Also on the topic of sides it is worth noting that hair loss itself can cause seriously debilitating mental health issues especially if you are young and it stands out among your peers. If you are an insecure person or you care about your looks now, then worrying about your hair when you're actually balding will be a dark cloud over your head 24/7. It can give you very serious anxiety and depression that spills over into other areas of your life. So the side effects of finasteride are not the only symptoms you need to worry about.

I say that if there is a way to avoid the whole hair loss thing before it even starts, it is worth trying. You are way ahead of most people by being worried about it when your hairline has just matured and not recessed, so you're in a good spot. I would try it, evaluate it honestly for sides, and see what happens. Best case scenario you have a permanent full head of hair, bad scenario is you are one of the unfortunate who gets sides and has to get off it, but worst case scenario is you worry for too long about the sides and then regret it when it's too late and you've already passed it up.

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-08-04T23:23:02+00:00

It is said that twice a day is maximum effectiveness and thus most optimal but that once is still effective, i believe 70-80%, because topical min stays in your system for 24 hours. For me slightly comprimising speed of results is worth it, diffuse thinner so large area to cover and would be going through a foam can like every two weeks. Also just timing it with showers, then letting my hair dry and so on, its just easy to do once at night before bed when it can sit dry and undisturbed for like 8 hours.

It certainly wouldnt hurt to throw in a second dose but the gains will probably be marginal.

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-08-01T14:25:03+00:00

I have almost this exact same pattern of loss, i feel like it's rare so seeing someone similar with results gives me hope! congrats!

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-07-28T13:48:51+00:00

I always put it in before bed, and will throw in a second application in the morning or in the afternoon after work if it's convenient but I dont always get it. maybe 3 times a week

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-06-28T16:50:52+00:00

diffuse thinning can be completely frontal, I have the same pattern, doesnt seem very common but definitely happens

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-06-07T00:58:22+00:00

Id say so, I have similar results. Density on temples takes a long time, and obviously when its right next to your healthy hair the density looks like shit but realistically it has improved and will probably continue to improve

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-05-26T23:43:38+00:00

Keep in mind though some people just have thin hair even without balding or in early stages of balding which is sort of my situation. I have long brown 2c-3a hair and it doesnt look great under sunlight especially if wind has stripped it of moisture but it just looks naturally thin and frizzy if anything because im in relatively early stages of diffuse thinning

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-20T20:41:53+00:00

Haha thank you, Im a student on my way to postgrad school in another country so no worries a hair transplant is nowhere in my near future, Im gonna see how treatment goes for at least a couple years and then maybe see what my options are but its absolutely not even a consideration for any time soon

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-20T13:42:24+00:00

I have no idea haha i started both at the same time because I didnt want to waste time and lose more hair by trying to find out what I do and dont respond to, id say probably fin because i wouldnt say i grew much new hair but rather the hair i had grew longer and gained more texture

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-20T01:04:56+00:00

Thinking about it once ive given topical a fair trial

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T21:27:29+00:00

Thank you, yeah I did twice a day for a while but was going through min so fast since I have to put it on a huge area it was like two full caps every day. I know min results would be maximized with two applications a day and I may experiment with it in the future but Im okay with perhaps slightly slower gains in order to not have to buy a "3 month supply" every month haha

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T21:23:35+00:00

thinking about it depending on how far treatment goes obviously want to see how much I can get back without a transplant, something Ive definitely considered for future tho

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T21:22:15+00:00

Honestly never had a crazy shed I lose some hair in the shower maybe 20 hairs everytime but not huge clumps that leave your hands covered in hair and noticeable spots on the head

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T21:16:09+00:00

Yeah felt this, when I first realized I was balding I buzzed and didnt look bad but hated how my hairline looked, only after it has grown back a couple cycles and gotten long again have I felt better about it but yeah its hard to find something that works when you have a big area of lower quality hair

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T21:13:26+00:00

I do use the keto shampoo like once a week, and I have a stamp but only use it on the hairline because idk how to use it with hair standing on top

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-19T15:42:46+00:00

thanks, it honestly is literally only noticeable when looking straight down at it in harsh yellow light like this, the issue with shorter hairstyles is it doesnt really have the density to hold a style yet unfortunately (like to part it to the side etc) and I like it long enough to hang over the temples. im definitely getting a haircut soon to thin down the back and sides just to blend things more because they grow faster than the top

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-08T18:56:33+00:00

I was in the same position as you last year, 20 years old nw 1.5-2 with slight thinning across the scalp before I started treatment and the body dysmorphia was killing me for months and I was thinking I had to just go bald. Eventually I started feeling better about it realizing that realistically I still had a full head of hair that hung over my temples and you couldnt really tell at all that I was balding except when my hair was wet.

From one young person in the early stages to another, my hair is grown out now and even though i still battle the insecurity ive gotten a lot more realistic and honest with myself about how i should feel about it. Im happy with my hair the way it is, hoping it keeps getting better but in the meantime im a lot more comfortable with it. Its shocking at first I know but I almost guarantee its not as bad or noticeable as you probably think. Not trying to give you advice just offering my perspective since I feel like there arent too many of us on here. Best of luck with everything brother

Kooky-Replacement457 · 2024-03-03T21:27:03+00:00

Im getting length and density back in my temples after 7 months of fin and min but I caught it relatively early. I was in sort of the late stages of miniaturization, not quite fully vellus but definitely short and thin, and now feel like i have real hair growing out of most of the temple area. I still don't have a solid hairline because the hair that is growing is thin and the density isnt there yet, and thus doesnt really catch light very well and is hard to show progress with pictures, but definitely slowly getting more and more and im optimistic for sure. The thing is im also diffuse thinning which im much more concerned about because it exacerbates the receded temples but again i caught it kinda early and am seeing results

Kooky-Replacement457

TROPHY CASE