Hello! Blessed day to you guys and hoping that you could help me out.
Apologies if this is REALLY lengthy. But basically, I’m scared. And as I tried to make sure all information are here to give out a better context and perspective to be able to gauge a more opinionated advice from you, but I’ll try to be concise as much as I can.
I had AGA that QUICKLY developed. There was no signs of any AGA at all during my past years, but come maybe last quarter of 2024 there was tons of hair loss experienced, like shedding and tons. Then come March 2025, from a normal crown area, to an almost bald spot that you can definitely see a good chunk of scalp. Almost bald and a few hairs. All in JUST 6 MONTHS (possible reason I am looking at is seen below).
Naturally I panicked. Went to a handful of doctors, 4 or 5 of them from April to May 2025. All said it was early AGA. I mean what else is there. All of them prescribed just minoxidil. Every single one of them. Having read tons and tons and tons of subreddits here, I am well informed with the usage of blockers like Finasteride and Minoxidil hand in hand.
So with that, I started taking immediately Fin and Min both oral on May 2025. My dosage is
1. Finasteride – 1.25mg only (5mg cut to 4 pieces) – Only on M, W, F (lowest dose needed based on intensive stories here and renowned doctors)
2. Minoxidil – 1.25mg (5mg cut to 4 pieces) – Every single day
Now fast forward to July 2025. I had experienced a MIRACLE. In just a matter of 2 months, my hair grew INTENSIVELY! To the point that it did not just cover the bald spot on my crown area, it regrew hair on my temples, and have very very thick hair. I was a hyper responder.
Now fast forward to present time, I guess my now 3rd month of taking the drugs. I am, in no doubt, in no isolated way, and had accounted so many external factors aside before coming to conclusions, I have erectile dysfunction or some mild form of it.
I always had high libido and great erections. Always. I had so many random erections every day. My morning wood is perfect to the point that I always have a hard time urinating on the bowl with my very erect penis in the morning. Masturbation and sex is above normal. Erection is good. Not always perfect, like a normal person, but everything is I can say very very normal or slightly above it. I am always horny. I can make myself erect perfectly even with just looking at stuff that turns me on.
Now with that introduction, here I am right now:
- Penis still erects, but it takes SO MUCH EFFORT like 10/10 difficulty scale from a 3/10 difficulty scale
- VERY WEAK erections
- Cannot maintain erection, literally after 5 or 10 seconds it softens
- Watery semen
- NON EXISTENT morning wood, coming from morning woods for 30 years, to the point that I am fully bladdered and want to urinate so much, but dick is soft
- No more random erections
- I am still very horny, libido is still quite high. Or if it indeed lessened, I wouldn’t know right now as I am still wanting sex
- For the first time in my life, I masturbated and ejaculated, but my dick did not erect
- Not isolated in my mind, as even my girlfriend NOTICED that there was something wrong and her assumptions were exactly the experience I am somehow in denial of. Basically, she even noticed this issue even if I did not tell her any thing
To make sure, as I myself would want to be very sure and not to add to any wrong conclusions or eliminate other factors, as I am so happy with the miracle Fin and Min gave to me, here are some facts about me or my current situation:
- 36 year old, workouts 5-6 times a week, that’s heavy lifting, cardio, and the likes, from 1.5 to 2 hours a day
- Not stressed, no anxieties, no depression. I’m actually happy especially after the regrowth of my hair
- Never have I experienced the above erection issues. Don’t get me wrong, every now and then we all lose erections with certain factors as all men do. Like if very tired, or thinking about problems during sex, or not too aroused or the likes. But never the above “unprovoked” scenarios
- Takes multivitamins for a number of years, GNC, Vit C, B, E, D3, Zinc, Horny Goat, Maca, Tongkat Ali, Biotin, Lutein, Gingko Biloba, Arginine & Ornithine
- This is important. I have used topical minoxidil before, way before all these happened. Like maybe 2023. Both on my scalp and beard area. I had no major thinning back then, just slight on the temples. I just wanted to grow a full beard. This info is very important, because looking back, though I know AGA is genetics, but in a way I kind of had a what if moment. These thinning and extreme hair loss ALL STARTED right after I quit using topical minoxidil. And minoxidil is known to help you grow hair and strengthen hair, but it is a double edged sword, as minoxidil is known to make your condition way worse before you started once you stop it. Now thinking that I should not have started this in the first place. Thinking this was the trigger to my 6 months extreme AGA when I stopped using this.
- Topical finasteride is not available in our country
- Dutasteride, well yeah, it seems like an alternative, but considering that this is about 10x more expensive in my country, I’m kind of making this my last resort, right after my number 1 question below has been answered.
- There are no blood tests in my country that I see of what is being posted here. Maybe some basic blood tests of course, but nothing on detailed hormones that usually what people do here on this subreddit
So with all these said, obviously I am in a dilemma. Seems that as a lot of people who had the same experience, always stoops to the idea and endpoint of choosing either hair or dick, I read. That is really dreadful. But right now, trying to be optimistic, I’m trying to save both, especially that this is still in the early phases.
And this is kind of where you amazing people come in. I hope you can indulge me with my questions. Basically with the questions listed below, if YOU WERE IN MY POSITION right now, what would you do with the following questions? I pray that may you advise me in the context that what if you were in my position. And hair and erection are so precious to you that you would want to carefully consider all possibilities.
1. Should I stop finasteride immediately?
a. A lot of medical articles state that to stop if side effects arise. Some people here say well, just stay for it for a while and maybe things will change. Some say stay until 3 months. Stay until 6. Maybe a year. It is so varied that you don’t know if up to what timeline is even acceptable.
b. I am kind of curious what will happen if I only take oral minoxidil. I know the importance of the two. On basic terms, min grows hair, fin holds the hair. But as read above.I always had a positive result with minoxidil only before. I see people posting here that from a bald crown, with only min, they were able to grow intensively. Holding them off is another story I know, but what if, what if min only can give me a few years. It makes me think that this is worth it. That I should not have started Fin immediately as Min worked so much for me during my early years. I guess I just panicked and took both immediately. As this ED caused by fin is intensely miserable. I really am leaning to try this option.
c. Best scenario, I stop fin, ED stops. Min still regrows my hair until the day comes that my genetic AGA overpowers min and may finally need a blocker. As also seen with the success of the others here. Am I wrong in this experiment?
2. Should I lower the dosage of fin? Even with how low fin already is based on my above intake?
a. Right now this makes no sense to me, but put it here as an option. As let’s say that if I lower my already low dose to maybe a half. Even if it becomes successful of keeping my hair, it also means that this is still enough to persist my ED as the blocker is good and enough to hold my hair, that it will most probably sustain my ED as well? Considering how fin is so effective in me with both the hair retention, and dick suppression? So, for me, this doesn’t make sense for me to consider given the circumstances? What do you think?
3. Power through with the fin and just take it until you see if the side effects will be gone
a. I’ve been on this for 3 months. Yes, it is not long compared to others. But still in a way, maybe it’s worse in that context. As already, I have seen the horrible side effect of Fin on me at this early stage. Maybe even on the first month I already had this, it is just I was maybe not consciously trying to notice this as I honestly didn’t think that I wouldn’t have any side effects (clearly, I am on the side of the people debunking the 1-2% side effect rate on a number of articles. I am somehow certain that studies or purposeful reports are not just being reported, and a lot more are experiencing problems than what is reported).
b. I know PFS is still so debatable right now. Some believe it, experienced it, read on them on this very subreddit. But MOST debunks it and almost insults its existence as Fin is such a miracle drug that they have no place of nocebo in their hearts. With that, I want to say, I’m just really scared. What if I had the chance to correct this early on. Especially that the side effects are this problematic and obvious in just a few months of my using this. Then what now, I should power through to 6 months? 8? 1 year? And by the time I quit fin, I would be one of the people I read here that their erections never came back? Would you take that risk if you were in my place? Especially that some medical advice also say that to quit as soon as ED side effects are seen?
4. Anything that I am not able to think of that you amazing people can advise me?
On that note, regardless of how specific, or generic of your response may be, believe me, I am in deep gratitude with you guys. All I’m asking is what if you are on my position, in a situation where saving your erection and hair is at stake on an immediate basis, what would you guys be doing. Will you swallow the fin tomorrow morning.
God Bless you!