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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[–] Schal330@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Been on it for about 7 months now. I started taking it as I noticed thinning at the front, the crown was already thinning, but I can't see it so I don't care. I feel happier in my hair, I have less than I did when I was in my 20's but it has stopped the loss and allowed for some recovery.

I really had to think hard about going on it. My family has a history of depression, and I've been able to escape it. My biggest worry is that it would trigger some kind of depression. I've not had any issues in this area thankfully!

My willy still functions perfectly too, so I'm not aware of any side effects, and I've seen hair retention and regrowth. The first couple of months I did experience some shedding, but it wasn't bad. It's satisfying seeing some little sprouts of hair reappear.

[–] Tess@piefed.blahaj.zone 3 points 7 hours ago

I’ve been on it for about 3.5 months now and I think I can see it starting to have effect. Though that could be wishful thinking on my part :)

There’s not been any effect down there. Though in my case I was warned that finasteride could cause somber thoughts and was thoroughly questioned on whether or not I had suicidal thoughts before. But that might just be an extra precaution because of me being trans. Thankfully I haven’t noticed any mood changes, though I asked my partner to keep an eye out.
Also finasteride could have an impact on your liver, so I had to get my blood tested as a precaution.
My GP was hesitant on prescribing due to these effects, but allowed it to due to gender dysphoria.

[–] ski11erboi@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago (1 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!

[–] dlsloop@lemmy.zip 4 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

I was on it in pill form for about 6 months but developed "down there" problems and decided to come off. Happy to say the effects were not permanent as some people say they can be. Instead I opted for a topical solution and so far that has worked very well with no side effects. I would recommend getting the combined finasteride/minoxidil topical treatment.

[–] solrize@lemmy.ml 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Nothing yet, but it's a few weeks til the next full moon. /joke

[–] SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

Sadly, I'm not a descendant of the Beast Men

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 0 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Then why are you worried about hair loss?

[–] SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 11 hours ago

Didn't realize the grammatical mistake. Fixed it.