18M Experiencing Shedding and Side Effects on Finasteride 0.25mg ED

General
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Age 18. Been on minoxidil since March 2024 with good results. Tried Morr F (topical fin) for hairline ~10 days in late May 2025, got sexual sides (no erections), stopped on 4 June → sides went away in 2 weeks. After that, huge shedding started in June/July, way worse than before. Started oral finasteride on 21 July (0.5 mg EOD, stopped after 3 doses due to weak erections/no morning wood). Restarted 0.25 mg daily around 3–4 Aug, now ~15 doses in.

  • Current issue: No morning wood, erections softer but still can masturbate/orgasm. Libido is prolly same . Hair still shedding heavily, lots of white bulbs on shed hairs**(chatgpt says i triggered telogen effluvium by using morr f)**, hairline looks receded. Mentally very stressed.My whole process of continuing fin is based on utube channel guy haircafe’s idea of muscling thru fin for few time he says sides go away on their own as body adjusts.

Questions:

  1. Are these early fin sides (no morning wood, softer erections) normal and do they usually fade and after what time?

  2. Can fin itself cause an initial shed on top of my telogen effluvium shed?

  3. Do white bulb hairs regrow?

  4. If I stop fin now, will it cause a rebound shed and make things worse?

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  1. Softer erections can be an early side effect of fin and might improve over a few weeks to months. 2. Yes, fin can cause an initial shed as your hair cycle adjusts. 3. Hairs with white bulbs usually regrow, as they indicate shedding from the resting phase. 4. Stopping fin can lead to a rebound shed, potentially worsening hair loss temporarily.
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so i have been on fin for arnd 15-17 days so what do u suggest ?