Hello, I have been following this platform on Reddit for a long time, and now I finally had the opportunity to register on the site. Due to the noticeable thinning in my hair, I started using Avodart (Dutasteride) 0.5 mg in June 2023. My battle against hair loss began when I started using Avodart. In the beginning, or rather in the first years, I experienced some sexual side effects, but after that, my body got used to it. I did not develop any gynecomastia in my chest. The initial phase could be troublesome, but currently, there is no issue.
As for my hair, I did not have much of a problem with Norwood classification, but my hair hasn’t increased significantly either; the thinning is still there. I also completed about six months of military service, which I believe had an effect, but I was still using Avodart during that time. Due to a cutting mistake (because of some inexperienced barbers), I noticed a gap forming on the left middle top of my head for the first time. After returning home from the military, I went and shaved my head. I continue to use Avodart. I think my left temple is Norwood 1.5, while the other temple is just 1. When my hair is shaved and short, I can clearly see the thinning.
I still have no idea how long I will use Avodart or how effective it will be. Maybe for two years, it has only maintained my existing hair, and things could have been worse without it, but thanks to Avodart, I have preserved my hair. I continue using it. I am looking for suggestions on what I can do to further improve or thicken my hair.
minoxidil 5% (or low-dose-oral-minoxidil 2.5mg)+supplements (eg. biotin) is probably what you need, though consult a doctor first before taking any medications or supplements. you can fix your bald temples with a small hair transplant if meds don’t do the trick, but they will probably do the trick in thickening your hair.
Do I need to use all of these things you mentioned? Which ones should I take? Biotin or Minoxidil?
if your hair loss is due to AGA and perhaps CTE yeah you need to take minoxidil to recover lost hairs. if it is some other TEMPORARY reason eg. TE then no. Biotin won’t do much alone by itself but it will be a nice supplement to support your hair growth in my opinion. I did not mention any other medicines, so ending this answer here. You can find my current stack in my profile. Bye!
Do you think starting Minoxidil is a good idea? Because if I start, I won’t be able to stop and I’ll have to keep using it—how will that work?
you need to FIRST AND FOREMOST determine whether you have AGA, for which you probably need to see a derm first only then with derm’s advice I would advise you to take a minoxidil. For legal and ethical reasons I cannot give medical advices but topical minoxidil is the gold standard for regrowing lost hairs especially when combined with tretinoin or in liposomal (although liposomal is far more expensive) form. There is also an oral form of minoxidil but oral minoxidil used for AGA is off-label and is sometimes shortened to LDOM (low dose oral minoxidil). LDOM is typically 2.5mg-5mg for men and said to be more effective than that of topical, but since it is a hypertension medicine in higher doses eg 10-40mg, be careful using it. Conduct blood pressure, heartbeat and ecg, heart checks etc routinely.
Did you have any issues while using oral minoxidil? Also, you mentioned you’re using Avodart — what Norwood stage were you when you started using both?
1)I had no problem with oral minoxidil at 2.5mg, though keep in mind that I had obtained it from a compounding pharmacy in Istanbul locally in Turkey as there exists NO original oral minoxidil (loniten/lonolox etc.) in Turkey. You have to refer to an institution known as TEB (Turkish Pharmacists Association) and with relevant prescription (which is practically hard to do even if you got the papers) to bring it from Germany, which is crazy expensive even if all else is left aside due to exchange rates and the price per pill (1.25 euro per pill roughly for lonolox), expensive even for Germans who earn euros let alone for Turks. 2)I have no norwood-hamilton classification, I am a textbook diffuse thinner though my back scalp is unaffected so not DUPA but very probably diffuse thinning variant of AGA. I am NW0 but diffuse as hell. I began using avodart 32 (±1), and the LDOM (low-dose-ora-minoxidil) 30 (±2) days ago. So I am a month in roughly. I could not use topical as it was and still is crazy expensive and ran for only a week for diffuse thinning variants, the foam versions of topical (topical minoxidil) that run for a lot longer is not easy to find here unfortunately.
ps: I don’t trust indian versions of loniten/lonolox, you can obtain them but a)legal issues b)trust issues are the reasons I do not.
I also want to start oral minoxidil soon.
Have you noticed any effects?
Did you see an increase in hair?
And how long have you been taking oral minoxidil?