Treatments for hair loss, including finasteride, dutasteride, minoxidil, ketoconazole, microneedling, and low level laser light therapy, which aim to reduce DHT production, increase cell absorption and blood flow, and stimulate epidermal stem cells. It also stresses the importance of patience when using these treatments.
Blocking the Mitochondrial pyruvate carrier and using aldose reductase inhibitors like Indian gooseberry and berberine may help with hair growth. Magnesium can also be added to increase NADPH.
A transgender individual is starting spironolactone and estradiol for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and is considering adding finasteride to help with hair loss. They are also planning to use minoxidil and microneedle, but are unsure if they need to use another anti-androgen or more aggressive treatments. A respondent advises against using pyri and suggests waiting to see if the HRT alone is sufficient before becoming dependent on minoxidil.
The side effects of taking finasteride as a treatment for hair loss, with particular focus on its sexual and psychiatric side effects; research has indicated that there are high and low outliers in terms of prevalence of sexual side effects, but it is usually between 3-5%, while evidence of lasting sexual side effects comes from lower quality sources.
Finasteride may take over two years to show results and can cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and emotional changes. Alternatives such as dutasteride and minoxidil are discussed, with varying effectiveness and side effects.