Susan's Place Transgender Resources

It's used to treat male pattern baldness which is now starting to show it's ugly head at the Crown.

If I catch it now before it gets bad how successful is it likely to be?
I've also heard it has side affects like impotence  (don't care) and decreased sex drive (mine is low anyway) but also depression.
I don't want depression but then I desperately need my hair.

Since my hair is now long (about 7 or 8 inches) will I have to shave my head to not have weird thing bits on the Crown?

Thanks :)

Assuming that your hair loss is actually from MPB then finasteride may help to stop it. Finasteride stop two trypes of alpha5-reductase enzyme production with a 100x less effect on the type 1. This tends to stop DHT levels in the skin and prostate. It may cause depression as it will lower levels of a5-reductase in the whole body by around 60%. Alpha5-reductase is needed to produce several other hormones including allopregnanalone from progesterone. This is an important neural regulator. It seems however that some antidepression drugs can help to nullify this effect. Sertraline (Zoloft) in particular triggers an increase in the precursor productions and seem to help to mitigate the reduced enzyme blood levels. Also having progesterone (bioidentical) greatly decreases the risk of having low enzyme levels as it provides the primary building block of those other hormones.

No medication is without risk. See a doctor. Also mpb can only be the cause if you have at least average female levels of testosterone as DHT is made from it. So in women mpb is usually much much slower to show up. There are other causes of hair loss such as hypothyroidism. Again check with a doctor.

Quote from: CallMeKatie on February 21, 2018, 04:08:37 AM
It's used to treat male pattern baldness which is now starting to show it's ugly head at the Crown.

If I catch it now before it gets bad how successful is it likely to be?
I've also heard it has side affects like impotence  (don't care) and decreased sex drive (mine is low anyway) but also depression.
I don't want depression but then I desperately need my hair.

Since my hair is now long (about 7 or 8 inches) will I have to shave my head to not have weird thing bits on the Crown?

Thanks :)

I have used it for over ten years now. It has stopped my hair loss (along with Minoxidil). Thankfully I never really lost much to begin with. It has caused no changes for me concerning sex drive or ability.

Finasteride probably won't do anything negative HRT doesn't and is sometimes used for it even. I've had no negative side effects and great effect as well with it and minox combo, along with biotin and now castor oil.

I have been on Finasteride for over 3 years now.

I am not depressed. In fact, I feel better now than I ever have.

Finasteride works quite well, but the newer hairs that regrow from a bare patch seem to be more fine and not as thick as the established hairs. I expect that in a few years these newer hairs will be just as thick and strong as the established hairs. There is no need to shave anything as any stray hairs just blend in with the other thicker hairs.

       I have been on Finaseride and minoxidil for 18 months when I started I was between a norwood 3 and 4 I now have only a small patch that is still thin and it is getting smaller and is easily styled over now I am very happy with the results I have no depression I could link to Finasteride 

     bobbisue :)

Quote from: CallMeKatie on February 21, 2018, 04:08:37 AM
If I catch it now before it gets bad how successful is it likely to be?
I've also heard it has side affects like impotence  (don't care) and decreased sex drive (mine is low anyway) but also depression.

I'd been on HT for about a year when I asked for and got a prescription for finasteride. I've been taking it about five months now. There's all kinds of possible side effects listed including those that you mentioned but I've not experienced any of them with the possible exception of some light shedding after I first started. I'm not even sure that happened. I did stop taking it for about a week when I developed mild tachycardia. I'm pretty sure that turned out to be the topical minoxidil that I'd been using for about a month.

Quote from: CallMeKatie on February 21, 2018, 04:08:37 AM
Since my hair is now long (about 7 or 8 inches) will I have to shave my head to not have weird thing bits on the Crown?

I'm not sure I understand your question but I think, on the whole, my results have been positive. My hair is quite long; no "weird thing bits" here. :) In the last month or so, I get a lot less shedding when I shower or comb/brush my hair. There may be some controversy about using finasteride while on HT since the latter reduces T levels which in turn should reduce DHT levels. In my case, I'm glad I did start and would do it again.

All the best,
Ashley

Quote from: AshleyP on February 24, 2018, 02:00:39 PM
There may be some controversy about using finasteride while on HT since the latter reduces T levels which in turn should reduce DHT levels. In my case, I'm glad I did start and would do it again.

It's not simply there and then gone though, it's a build up and removal over time. It takes a while for testosterone to come down enough so that there is no DHT metabolizing, and even then you aren't necessarily reversing the DHT on scalp just by being on HRT. Essentially, the typical spiro type HRT would be preventative, but it has shown no signs of being restorative like finasteride has, as what DHT was already there bonded to scalp is still there. Of course in conjunction with Spiro, you are suppressing production of DHT at the same time you are clearing it from the scalp (that's not really technically what it is, but easy analog). In a cis male, the DHT on scalp fight would be never ending with DHT constantly replenishing and causing at least some effect(the "slowing" not no growth result), and finasteride might not even gain the amount of ground you would want to make it worth side effects that cis men care more about. In a trans woman on HRT however, it should theoretically have a much larger effect, as without actual DHT production overcoming the existing DHT is a much easier task, resulting in a halt (not just slowing) or greater regrowth.

I was told to stay on Finasteride for the time being until my testosterone was completely suppressed and then some.

I started fin before HRT and it caused some gonad pain of a few weeks. I had major depression and suicidal ideation prior to fin and HRT so I do not think it fueled any additional depression. I went on a SSRI just prior to coming out and stopped after GCS. I just did not need the SSRI's anymore.

I was on fin for years and stopped just before coming out. My depression was spiking and I did not need any potential increased depression from fin. At that time I stopped fin I did not have any detectable T in my system for I guess a year and before that it was 20 to 30 NG/DL.

I did not notice any increase in depression from fin. HRT, fin and minoxidil stopped and helped to reverse some MPB. I had 2 sessions of hair grafts ( 6000 grafts) which has made a huge difference in my life. 

Fin (dutasterid is better), minoxidil and HRT are the best resources to combat MPB. I am just on E presently and have no way to make T. My hair is pretty good and getting better as the grafts get longer :)