this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2026
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I know that some of you are going to comment about going to see a doctor before taking such a medication but don't worry. I will very much go see a doctor before I take it. Now for the main post...

I'm in my late 20s but I'm one of those that suffer from early hair loss. Think Patrick Stewart and Jason Statham. I've taken Minoxidil before with some results but not that total restoration that I'm looking for. After some thought and hesitation, I've decided to take finasteride. I want to know, if you've taken finasteride before, what was your experience? I've heard that it might give you "down there" troubles. From the little research that I've done, it only affects about 2-3% causes if on the standard 1mg dosage.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm a cishet man and (I might be wrong but) most of the replies are probably going to be from other cishet men. However, I also know that many trans women also take finasteride to combat alopecia so, if you're a trans woman, don't hesitate to leave a comment about your experience.

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[โ€“] ski11erboi@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I've been on it for almost 10 years now. It's the most effective way to regrow hair but needs to be started before the hair follicle dies. The science speaks for itself. 90 percent of guys stop losing their hair after they start it. 75 actually regrow hair. I was in the 75%.

Also the whole "down there" problems is a myth also proven by statistics. If you'll look into the studies where they show a low percentage of guys have ED issues you'll also see that the control groups that received a placebo also reported ED issues less than a percent lower than the group that received finasteride. I honestly don't understand why some doctors will list it as a side effect other than there was technically a fraction of a percent increase. As you know most ED issues in young healthy men simply come from their own minds and the fact that a placebo yielded very similar results suggests this is the case with finasteride.

Now there is proof that finasteride can lower sperm count (not semen volume) which could lead to issues having children but studies have shown stopping finasteride reverses the decrease. I remember seeing an interview with Ashton Kutcher years ago where we was talking about his hair thinning but that it was only because he went off finasteride while he and Mila had been trying to have a second child and that his hair would be thickening back up soon since he was back on the pill.

I've met many men on finasteride over the last decade and only one of them complained about side effects and he was an anxiety ridden hypochondriac. If you don't want to have ED issues just don't worry about it. It's all in your head.

You should start to see phases of shedding followed by regrowth starting around 4 to 6 months. Don't worry about it, it's just the new thicker hair pushing out the old finer hair. It will probably happen several times. Year 1 to year 2 is where you'll start to see true results. Good luck with the hair growth!