My experience with going bald, be careful lads

Thesomersarms

Hi lads,

I've decided to write this to warn guys who are going bald and are concerned about it. I've been going bald for a while and it bothered me, Researched and found some clinics here that treat it.

Visited a reputable clinic, doc told me that only truly effective treatment was medication which should halt or stall hairloss, he mentioned Side Effects such as lowered libido but assured me they are rare and would pass in a couple of weeks if I stopped taking it.

Off I went took the medication for four days and then got numbness in the privates a horrific feeling, googled and to my horror many men report same thing, I contacted clinic went back to them and doc was like yes this can happen and was astoundingly indifferent, I was never told it can cause numbness, basically sorry about you and no info given on what I could do to improve sensation. Now over three months off and have had little recovery not as bad as was but not back to normal by a long shot, it's had a hugely negative effect on my life in many ways.

If I could go back I would shave it or look for non drug treatments to deal with it, it's just not worth it, I've read so many reports now of this from men so likelihood of sides is much higher than is documented in my opinion and many others.

Again it's a word of warning for men not happy about losing your hair and wouldn't like to see anyone else going through what I have.

Cheers

dave98

Really appreciate this. I had filled out a form on a website for a clinic in Dublin requesting an appointment. I was going to go down this avenue. And to be honest, I haven't researched it at all. I wont be taking these meds. Thanks for the heads up.

Thesomersarms

dave98 wrote: »

Really appreciate this. I had filled out a form on a website for a clinic in Dublin requesting an appointment. I was going to go down this avenue. And to be honest, I haven't researched it at all. I wont be taking these meds. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah mate, trust me it's not worth it if it goes wrong, they have no idea as to who will get Side Effects from it it's playing Russian roulette with your health. I was bothered about hairloss but when something like this happens it's just not worth it, stay a mile away from it.

dave98

Thesomersarms wrote: »

Yeah mate, trust me it's not worth it if it goes wrong, they have no idea as to who will get Side Effects from it it's playing Russian roulette with your health. I was bothered about hairloss but when something like this happens it's just not worth it, stay a mile away from it.

Much appreciated man. Got a present of an electric razor for Christmas, might stick with that. Cheers for taking the time to post this. Hope things work out for you man.

fergus1001

Would you go down the transplant route instead ? I'm concider in it myself to be honest

pillphil

I'm not speaking from experience, but the issue with transplants is that you generally still need the medication.
The transplanted hairs will remain, but if you are still in the process of going bald, you will continue to lose the surrounding non-transplanted hairs.

Dial Hard

I'm finding it very hard to believe the medication you were prescribed didn't come with a *very* detailed leaflet describing possible side effects and contraindications.

fergus1001

pillphil wrote:

I'm not speaking from experience, but the issue with transplants is that you generally still need the medication. The transplanted hairs will remain, but if you are still in the process of going bald, you will continue to lose the surrounding non-transplanted hairs.

I'm my own case I'm diffuse thinning and can clearly see the affected area so I'd just go for the entire, well that's what I think anyway do it once and forget about it !

Morris Moss

pillphil wrote: »

I'm not speaking from experience, but the issue with transplants is that you generally still need the medication.
The transplanted hairs will remain, but if you are still in the process of going bald, you will continue to lose the surrounding non-transplanted hairs.

A friend of mine had a hair transplant a few years ago and he was completely bald, at first it looked fairly good and he was happy enough, fast forward 2 years and it's all falling out again, I didn't ask him what was the cause of it but after spending the best part of 20 grand you'd like to think you'd have hair.

professore

I get more interest now from women with no hair than I ever did with hair. Get fit, get a life and develop a don't give a **** attitude and it will outweigh baldness 100 times. Lots of hot women have bald dads and find bald men attractive.

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sky88

professore wrote: »

I get more interest now from women with no hair than I ever did with hair. Get fit, get a life and develop a don't give a **** attitude and it will outweigh baldness 100 times. Lots of hot women have bald dads and find bald men attractive.

i think people miss the point sometimes with shaving there head. im sure the bald head suits you i can speak for myself and lots of other men and say it does not suit me one bit and has killed my confidence. ive tried to develop a dont give **** attitude but its not that easy.

rcilin

Check out coconut oil and also stop using normal shampoo they full of chemicals

rcilin

Check out coconut oil and stop using normal shampoo, they are full of chemicals

Thesomersarms

....... wrote: »

Was this prescribed medication - ie, you got a prescription from a doctor and when to a pharmacy and got the medicine?

If so - are you saying that there was no leaflet with the medication that explained the various possible side effects, contra-indications etc?

Yes this was prescribed medication and yes the leaflet mentioned what doctor said as in lowered libido, reduced ejaculate, watery semen, nowhere did it mention numbness as in like when you get an anisthethic shot. I got burned and I took a chance with it that I regret and that's on me, the reason I posted is that I wanted to warn other men that it can have serious persistent side effects, that wasn't emphasised during my consultation, it's a game of roulette with far too high a price to pay if it goes wrong.

murpho999

[QUOTE=rcilin;102138152]Check out coconut oil and stop using normal shampoo, they are full of chemicals[/QUOTE]

What sort of advice is this?

All shampoos are full of chemicals.

Are you really trying to say that male baldness is caused by shampoo?

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Thesomersarms

....... wrote: »

And what is the doctor saying now with regards to the numbness? Is it permanent?

What is the name of the medication?

You say that when you google it many men report the same thing - so its not a secret side effect?

Well I went to a different doctor after my bad experience as I wasn't getting anything from where it was prescribed, he believed it will go in time but no definite answers as to when, advised to do eat healthy, light exercise and give it time, it has improved slightly and am confident it will come back as it has in many guys I've spoken to.

It's not a secret side effect but it's not listed in the documented studies of the drug, however there are sites with thousands of men suffering long term effects and the numbness is common amongst them, it's called finasteride, most men don't appear to have bad effects from it but some do and there's no quick fix docs are at a loss I don't know if you are considering it but just be careful if you are.

GreenFolder2

Endocrine (hormone) systems are incredibly complex. You tweak one thing and it can have a totally unpredictable effect on something else you didn't even realise was connected to it.

That's why I would be very careful about anything that involves playing with hormones for what is basically a cosmetic issue.

If it doesn't go away consider talking to a urologist with experience of dealing with that drug. It is or was commonly used in the treatment of prostate cancer. So, I'm sure there's studies on side effects

Alun

murpho999 wrote: »

All shampoos are full of chemicals.

True, in fact if you want to be pedantic, everything in the whole universe is "chemicals" including you and I:D

GreenFolder2

There's a huge difference between a shampoo and a hormone modification medication. Yes the whole world is made out of chemicals but generally not ones that are designed to interact with your body's systems - those are usually called drugs .

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Thesomersarms

....... wrote: »

Himself investigated it before. It was the other (listed) side effects that put him off. That and the fact that you have to stay on it.

There was a long thread on here about someone who had a hair transplant and was on the meds after it - (i think it was here, may have been reddit) but he had even had surgery due to breast tissue development from the drugs.

The drugs are pretty heavy duty to combat baldness.

I think what I would take from your experience is that you should do the research first.

Hopefully it all comes back good for you.

Thanks, and yes the lesson from this is do your own research no matter what a doctor tells you.

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Yakuza

Alun wrote: »

True, in fact if you want to be pedantic, everything in the whole universe is "chemicals" including you and I:D

Make sure not to wash with dihydrogen monoxide, awfully lethal that stuff

I've read and heard so many scare stories about the side-effects of any such drugs, I'd run a mile from them. I use Head and Shoulders that claims to retard hair loss (bought in Spain, I've not seen the equivalent here), but I still notice hairs in the bath after washing.

The effectiveness of these shampoos are impossible to prove, mind. Who's to say I wouldn't undergo the same loss whether I'd used it or not?

midnight city

Its a bit of a losing battle. Unless you get a transplant the hair will likely go if that's what your genetics are programmed to do.

mrcheez

Any chance you could post up the name of the medication pls? (I didn't spot it elsewhere in the thread)

Thesomersarms

mrcheez wrote: »

Any chance you could post up the name of the medication pls? (I didn't spot it elsewhere in the thread)

It's called finasteride

ongarboy

professore wrote: »

I get more interest now from women with no hair than I ever did with hair.

But how often do you see a bald woman?

rcilin

murpho999 did u actually read what I said

Timmyr

I was taking this for a while too, works pretty well and I actually had some regrowth

But about 4 months in I started to develop gynecomastia. I stopped taking them and thankfully it seems to have reversed but I have also lost a lot more hair since I stopped taking them

secondrowgal

I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you, and your doctor should have reported this when you reported it. He has a legal obligation to do so. You can also report this side effect directly:

Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly (see details below). By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
HPRA Pharmacovigilance
Earlsfort Terrace
IRL - Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 6764971
Fax: +353 1 6762517
Website: www.hpra.ie
e-mail: medsafety@hpra.ie


There is an online form here:

https://www.hpra.ie/homepage/about-us/report-an-issue/human-adverse-reaction-form


I would really recommend that you do so. HPRA and all the government agencies throughout the world monitor these reports, and add this information to the leaflet. If it is not in the leaflet now, but you are finding it online, then I can only assume that it isn't being reported. This will really help other people in the future, sorry that it's not much help to you now

Big Nasty

sky88 wrote: »

i think people miss the point sometimes with shaving there head. im sure the bald head suits you i can speak for myself and lots of other men and say it does not suit me one bit and has killed my confidence. ive tried to develop a dont give **** attitude but its not that easy.

A shaved head is a lot better than the Friar Tuck look IMO

Thoie

Was just coming on to say the same thing. Reported side effects are taken very seriously by the HPRA and manufacturers. If they're not being reported, they can't do anything about it (like at least warn people it's a possibility if nothing else).

Thesomersarms

secondrowgal wrote: »

I am so sorry to hear that this happened to you, and your doctor should have reported this when you reported it. He has a legal obligation to do so. You can also report this side effect directly:

Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly (see details below). By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
HPRA Pharmacovigilance
Earlsfort Terrace
IRL - Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 6764971
Fax: +353 1 6762517
Website: www.hpra.ie
e-mail: medsafety@hpra.ie


There is an online form here:

https://www.hpra.ie/homepage/about-us/report-an-issue/human-adverse-reaction-form


I would really recommend that you do so. HPRA and all the government agencies throughout the world monitor these reports, and add this information to the leaflet. If it is not in the leaflet now, but you are finding it online, then I can only assume that it isn't being reported. This will really help other people in the future, sorry that it's not much help to you now

Thanks for this information, I will definitely report it

rcilin

Check out curezone and search Post Finasteride Syndrome

NomadicGray

dave98 wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up.

Man, poor choice of words.

rcilin

????????????

TheRiverman

Have you ever seen a bald Traveller or a Professor with hair?

BorneTobyWilde

http://www.nisim.com/Normal-to-Oily-Shampoo-No-Sulfates-33-oz-1-liter-p/su2202.htm

Will stop your hair falling out within a week.

Doctors best Saw Palmetto , take two a day

Drink more water

Problem solved

rcilin

Nope not a good idea, links with cancer etc Check for urself

Full Marx

So you might grow breasts and your privates may go numb.


I'll stick with going bald, thanks.

People have been bald for millennia. Men are in severe danger of letting ourselves end up like a lot of women, with the culture of unrealistic body expectations. Being bald is natural, embrace it!

If it knocks your confidence hit the gym. Would women prefer a fat guy with hair or a bald guy in good shape?

BorneTobyWilde

rcilin wrote: »

Nope not a good idea, links with cancer etc Check for urself

What has links
Saw Palmetto is a natural product ,and great for blocking cancer cells ?

brandnewaward

Finasteride seems to be working well for me , hair is thicker , crown is regrowing back and defo no mickey issues. .....

Permabear

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GreenFolder2

A mate of mine is in his late 20s and went bald frankly he's far better looking bald than he was with hair. He just owns it and it works.

I think, to be frank, a lot of companies and quasi medical professionals are turning what is a natural process into a pathology and selling people expensive and potentially dangerous solutions to it. They are making tons of money out of making guys feel bad about being bald.

I know guys who have gone really odd the deep end over losing hair and it is something that is being driven by society and media pressure not by them.

It's every bit as destructive as the fashion magazines demanding unrealistic body sizes for women.

If you want to restore your hair, good luck to you, but we have to stop makeing men feel bad about going bald. A lot of us do and it's just part of being male.

mrcheez

GreenFolder2 wrote: »

A lot of us do and it's just part of being male.

Odd that beard hair or underarm hair doesn't go bald in a similar fashion, so it must have an evolutionary purpose

hmmm

Book a 2 week sun holiday, go to a barber the day before and ask for it be shaved off - it'll have largely grown back by the time you return if you don't like it. Just be warned that it's going to look really odd for a while as the shaved area is never going to have had sun on it.

GreenFolder2

mrcheez wrote: »

Odd that beard hair or underarm hair doesn't go bald in a similar fashion, so it must have an evolutionary purpose

And ear hair ....

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midnight city

....... wrote: »

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Some people are so bothered by their hair loss they begin to develop what seems like body dysmorphia. They think they look hideous when they actually don't.