# Men's Hair Loss > Coping with Hair Loss in Everyday Life >  I'm Scared.

## clandestine

Regarding the progression of my hair loss, and considering getting on propecia. I'm 20 years old, and by all means would like to be proactive in fighting against hair loss.

I've had sexual side effects in the past when I was taking SSRI's for anxiety and depression. I've also encountered performance anxiety previously in my sex life, something I've had to conquer. Dealing with hair loss at a young age, this gives me less incentive to want take hormone-altering drugs.

For these reasons, I am decidedly cautious when considering taking medication with potential sexual sides. Regarding fin, it's more of a cost (read: potential risk) vs benefit debate in my mind at this point.

Don't know what I'm looking for. Advice, perhaps. Objectively, I realize that fin is the only thing that can't halt further progression of hair loss. But, were I to encounter any change to my sexual function, I would likely be devastated.

Regards,
clandestine

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## 2020

why the hell would a 20 year old take anti-depression drugs?? What can you possibly be depressed about?


yes, taking fin is the best way to fight hair loss. side effects are very rare. try it and see if you can tolerate it

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## DAVE52

Everyoen is different 

We don't know what's going on in his life that would neccistate that need for antidepressant drugs 

As for Propecia , only way to know if you'll get the side effects is to try it

I did , and I was one of the lucky 2 &#37; who couldn't get it up no matter hard hard ( no pun intended ) I tried

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## mattj

I was on the anti-d's at much younger than 20. It's not uncommon. They seem to hand them out like candy.

Clandestine, I took SSRIs for a while. They didn't do me any good and the sexual side effects were terrible. Only the fact that the withdrawal effects were _even worse_ kept me on them.

Sexual side effects are much more common and severe with SSRIs than they are with Finasteride (propecia). I've personally been fine while taking the Fin, so I'm one example of how experiencing side effects on SSRIs doesn't necessarily mean that other drugs will have the same effect.

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## NotBelievingIt

> why the hell would a 20 year old take anti-depression drugs?? What can you possibly be depressed about?


 Ooof, thats rough dude.  Think before writing.

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## DAVE52

> Objectively, I realize that fin is the only thing that can't halt further progression of hair loss. But, were I to encounter any change to my sexual function, I would likely be devastated.
> 
> Regards,
> clandestine


 Only way to find out is to try
If you do experience sides then you can always stop taking the meds

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## Jcm800

Thing is, I've read countless times that the shit really hits the fan when men QUIT the drug, weeks after - they think they're in the clear and BAM their systems crash. Now I've only read about this on Propeciahelp for instance, but it's a big reason for me to always think twice about using this medication.

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## yeahyeahyeah

> Thing is, I've read countless times that the shit really hits the fan when men QUIT the drug, weeks after - they think they're in the clear and BAM their systems crash. Now I've only read about this on Propeciahelp for instance, but it's a big reason for me to always think twice about using this medication.


 Sounds awful.

I can't believe they haven't released anything better. In 50 years time, when better treatments are out, I bet people will look back at this and realise how barbaric treating hairloss was.

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## Jcm800

Yeah it's a crap hand hairloss sufferers have been dealt. Jeez, no option other than to risk screwing yourself up with Finasteride or accept impending baldness. (not everyone can afford a HT) and Minox in my experience is rubbish.

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## DepressedByHairLoss

> Sounds awful.
> 
> I can't believe they haven't released anything better. In 50 years time, when better treatments are out, I bet people will look back at this and realise how barbaric treating hairloss was.


 I'm with you man, it's just downright pitiful that we only have these shit options to treat hair loss.  We really should have much better options than two drugs that weren't even developed to treat hair loss in the first place.  That's what really drives me crazy, that we all want to fight our hair loss so bad (and would pay significant money to do so) yet we're given such shit options to do so.  You're right man, minoxidil is utter garbage; to call minoxidil a hair growth stimulant is an absolute joke.

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## sausage

I am about to chuck £285 on 6 months worth of Propecia tablets, is it worth it?

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## Still-Researching

Sausage,
That sounds extremely expensive. Why don't you use Proscar cut in 4 ?
It will give you 2 years supply or more for that price.

Its been worth it for me and many others to halt your hair loss and if you are lucky some regrowth - I had my crown hair significantly thickened by proscar.

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## gmonasco

> Objectively, I realize that fin is the only thing that can't halt further progression of hair loss. But, were I to encounter any change to my sexual function, I would likely be devastated.


 If you're worried that taking finasteride will affect your sexual performance, it probably will, whether or not the drug actually causes that result.

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## sausage

> Sausage,
> That sounds extremely expensive. Why don't you use Proscar cut in 4 ?
> It will give you 2 years supply or more for that price.
> 
> Its been worth it for me and many others to halt your hair loss and if you are lucky some regrowth - I had my crown hair significantly thickened by proscar.


 
I just want to pay this as I know 100% that I am getting it from a trusted source and I don't have to go through the stress of cutting pills up.

Did you get your Proscar online? if so which website do u use?

Thanks.

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## Still-Researching

There is really no stress - you get a pill cutter from the pharmacy at 3 GBP and it takes 2 min to cut for a weeks supply and the cutter is also a container for the cut pills. 

I buy at the local pharmacy and believe I paid something like 50 EUR for a years supply, last time, I usually buy for 18 months or so - when I stock up.

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## UK_

> why the hell would a 20 year old take anti-depression drugs?? What can you possibly be depressed about?
> 
> 
> yes, taking fin is the best way to fight hair loss. side effects are very rare. try it and see if you can tolerate it


 So I take it life doesnt get better as you age?  ****.

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## Jcm800

> So I take it life doesnt get better as you age?  ****.


 Hell no, it gets worse. Life begins at 40? I dont think so.

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## sausage

> There is really no stress - you get a pill cutter from the pharmacy at 3 GBP and it takes 2 min to cut for a weeks supply and the cutter is also a container for the cut pills. 
> 
> I buy at the local pharmacy and believe I paid something like 50 EUR for a years supply, last time, I usually buy for 18 months or so - when I stock up.


 50 Euros, bloomin hell, u get a bargain right there.

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## clandestine

Considering fin more seriously these days.. might cave.

If one were to experience sides, do they oftentimes resolve after stopping the medication?

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## Maradona

> Considering fin more seriously these days.. might cave.
> 
> If one were to experience sides, do they oftentimes resolve after stopping the medication?


 you can always take .5mg of fin, that's what i'll be doing. 
I took .5mg for almost a month and had no sides at all, when I bump it up to 1mg I started to have erection problems (I started going paranoid on 1mg, I thought I was going crazy).

Now I'll stick with .5mg I feel safe with it and psycologically it will help me.
I think I just want to slow down my hair loss, not stop it, so that future treatments can be useful to me.

If I were you I'd try .5mg. See if you develop sides with it, if you do, chances are your DHT levels hasn't dropped too low therefore you won't develop permanent sides. Maybe .5mg everyday will be enough for you, you never know.

The reason why some experience sides is because their DHT drops to almost zero.

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## mpb47

> Considering fin more seriously these days.. might cave.
> 
> If one were to experience sides, do they oftentimes resolve after stopping the medication?


 If you start getting sides, get off of it right away. I procrastinated because I was having such good results and I actually though it was something else was causing my issues. My sides got better but did not completely go back to normal. Anxiety/depression was one of the sides. I used welbutrin but after a year I did not need it anymore as long as I exercised 2-3 times a week.

Oh and to the other poster wondering if 40 sucked. Well it depends...if you exercise you will be fine, but if you don't you will start falling apart and get old people problems....

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## 25 going on 65

clandestine: For what it's worth, I had sexual side effects on SSRI's also, but not on finasteride. (Same thing goes for others on this forum.)
Most people's sides resolve after quitting fin, but there does seem to be a very small % of men who are predisposed to long-term problems from using it. I'm not convinced these are "irreversible" like some think (hormone drugs can take a very long time to fully recover from, longer than six months in some cases), but I'm also not sure they aren't.

I'm using 1.25 mg per day. I was aware of side effect risks but decided to try the drug because, for me, it was a matter of the 2-5% risk of sides vs. the 100% chance of continued hair loss. 
It has helped a lot with my mental/emotional well-being, because I no longer have to readjust to a new (ie less hairy) self-image every year or so. That was one of the more exhausting aspects of MPB to me.

In the end you'll want to bring all your concerns and questions to a doctor, which you already know. Best of luck to you.

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## VictimOfDHT

> What can a 20 year old be depressed about?
> 
> Okay, I will name a couple of reasons:
> 1) Having parents murdered;
> 2) Losing legs in a car crash;
> 3) Being born ugly;
> 4) Having AIDS;
> 5) Balding.
> 
> ...


 No kidding. Some people assume because they're enjoying their lives every body else is. I really find it hard to believe that most people think this way. Depression is NOT limited to a certain age group. A lot of teens suffer from depression and I think today's teens are more depressed than ever before. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and more than 90&#37; of those who commit suicide have psychological disorders ( mainly depression).
Buddy, take a trip to one of those less fortunate places and see what a typical 20 year old's life is like. Don't judge life based on your own experience with it.

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## yeahyeahyeah

> No kidding. Some people assume because they're enjoying their lives every body else is. I really find it hard to believe that most people think this way. Depression is NOT limited to a certain age group. A lot of teens suffer from depression and I think today's teens are more depressed than ever before. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and more than 90&#37; of those who commit suicide have psychological disorders ( mainly depression).
> Buddy, take a trip to one of those less fortunate places and see what a typical 20 year old's life is like. Don't judge life based on your own experience with it.


 Sigh, hairloss really needs to be solved.

So sad that it hasnt yet.

I was looking at old pics of myself, god I looked so photogenic.

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## Stiles

> why the hell would a 20 year old take anti-depression drugs?? What can you possibly be depressed about?


 
One of the most ignorant statements I've ever read.

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## mpb47

> No kidding. Some people assume because they're enjoying their lives every body else is. I really find it hard to believe that most people think this way. Depression is NOT limited to a certain age group. A lot of teens suffer from depression and I think today's teens are more depressed than ever before. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 15- to 24-year-olds (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and more than 90% of those who commit suicide have psychological disorders ( mainly depression).
> Buddy, take a trip to one of those less fortunate places and see what a typical 20 year old's life is like. Don't judge life based on your own experience with it.


 And you may have inherited it from the same person who gave you your mpb genes. I have experienced it 2 times now and thought it was FIN leftover sides. That may have triggered it but I recently found out it runs pretty deep on my moms side. Her brother,who I got my mpb from, also has had it really bad and he just told me  recently that all 3 of his daughters have it bad and are on medication. All these years and I just found out. My sister has it too and it's causing her some problems esp since she quit taking her meds.
For me fixing my t levels made mine go away. So if you have it, have your t levels checked.

Oh and do not feel like it is your fault. It's your genes just like mpb.

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## clandestine

> And you may have inherited it from the same person who gave you your mpb genes. I have experienced it 2 times now and thought it was FIN leftover sides. That may have triggered it but I recently found out it runs pretty deep on my moms side. Her brother,who I got my mpb from, also has had it really bad and he just told me  recently that all 3 of his daughters have it bad and are on medication. All these years and I just found out. My sister has it too and it's causing her some problems esp since she quit taking her meds.
> For me fixing my t levels made mine go away. So if you have it, have your t levels checked.
> 
> Oh and do not feel like it is your fault. It's your genes just like mpb.


 It runs in my genes, no doubt. Moreso regarding anxiety, on my fathers side, which depression can oftentimes follow closely after, if one is not careful. My sibling and I are definitely in some sense predisposed, this I have no doubt. My father is a wreck, haha. Love him though.

mpb47; More on topic, how long were you on propecia /after having quit propecia did you develop sides? Did the sides only appear post-propecia use? I remember you saying you needed T therapy; what were the nature of your sides again?

Sorry if these are personal questions, just trying to get a better understanding of what some people go through after having took this drug for many years.

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## mpb47

> It runs in my genes, no doubt. Moreso regarding anxiety, on my fathers side, which depression can oftentimes follow closely after, if one is not careful. My sibling and I are definitely in some sense predisposed, this I have no doubt. My father is a wreck, haha. Love him though.
> 
> mpb47; More on topic, how long were you on propecia /after having quit propecia did you develop sides? Did the sides only appear post-propecia use? I remember you saying you needed T therapy; what were the nature of your sides again?
> 
> Sorry if these are personal questions, just trying to get a better understanding of what some people go through after having took this drug for many years.


 I was FIN for about 3 years when I got the sides, however I did not quit it right away because I thought something else had caused it and I had great results and did not want to give it up. So no I got the sides while I was on it.
I had loss of sex drive, anxiety/depression and 2 WEIRD ones. The skin on the back of my hands looked aged The skin got very dry and the skin between my fingers shriveled up. And back of hands got cracks. It was a milder form of what happens to middle age women. One site says it is caused by high estrogen. My eyelids got droopy too. After awhile my hands went back to normal and my eyelids did to a lessor degree. Since I have been on T I have seen improvements to the skin on my face so it must have been low t/high e or something like that. After about a year my depression was lifted but still not gone 100%. Same with anxiety but both would stay away as long as i exercised. later my life got super busy - stopped exercising , ate too much and gained weight.  About a year ago the axiety/depression came back along with new symtoms. No energy, brain fog. I tried to solve it myself at first but things just kept getting worse and worse till I had to go to the DR. Low T plus some other issues.  It actually was not that low but the stuff really made me feel much better. It also made me start losing my weight which had become very very hard to do.   I have often wondered if my original problems were a mixture of things coming together at a bad time. Believe it or not the site that explained the hands problem said grapefruit greatly increases FIN sides. At that time I was doing heavy exercise and practically got addicted to grapefruit juice-I was going through a couple of bottles a week. I was also turning 40 so wondering if all that together cause my problems. Not sure what to think just glad I am getting better....

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