Shedding After 6 Months on Finasteride, Considering Dutasteride Switch

General
1

Started minoxidil about a year and a half ago and noticed some regrowth. Decided to start on finasteride 6 months ago after thinning/receding started catching up again. After reading some posts here I expected some shedding after starting fin, and I definitely started shedding more. I’ve been waiting for the shedding to stop or at least slow down but after 6 months it hasn’t and my hair is noticeably thinner, particularly in the front half of my scalp (my crown is fine). My current routine is topical minoxidil 5% morning/night, oral finasteride 1mg every morning, and keto 1% shampoo every 2-3 days as I’ve had issues with dandruff for a long time. My biggest concern is that before starting fin I noticed zero signs of diffuse thinning whatsoever, and was only just starting to recede at my temples. I was trying to be proactive by starting fin before it progressed further and I can’t help but feel like it’s made my hair situation worse than it would be if I never started.

I know a lot of people will say to trust to process, but I’ll see posts after 3 months with comments saying “just wait till 6 months bro” and posts after 6 months saying to give it 12-18 months, but I can’t help but feel like if I’m not noticing any signs of shedding at least slowing down after 6 months, what’s going to change in another 6? I’m thinking about seeing a dermatologist and making the switch to dut but I wanted to hear some thoughts first.

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hey, so what you’re experiencing isn’t unheard of with fin, but shedding should ideally stabilize after a few months. it might be worth waiting a bit longer since some people do see results closer to the 12-month mark. adding dut could help as it’s more potent in DHT suppression than fin. the keto shampoo is good for dandruff and might help with inflammation, which can also cause shedding. make sure you’re consistent with treatments. if it still doesn’t stabilize, you could look into dut. also, have you tried microneedling? it can enhance min results. keep at it and see how things go for the next few months.

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I haven’t tried microneedling (yet), mostly because I’ve been too worried about the shedding. I guess I could try it but I’m not sure what it would do if I’m still thinning. I will add that I’ve been using the keto shampoo for ~4 months now as well and I still have noticeable dandruff if I run my hands through my hair which makes me wonder if something else is going on. I’ve been extremely consistent with fin and only missed a couple mornings of minox.