I hope anyone can help me out. I have been on 125mg flutamide 2 x a day for almost three months and no regrowth. In fact the hairline looks worse. Why isn't this working for me? This is supposed to be the strongest antiandrogen drug for hairloss out there. I suffer from AGA and very low estrogen and progesterone levels, testosterone levels normal of course. I am also on ocella- generic form of yasmin, which sucks! There is definately a difference btwn name brand and generic, the scale and my hair know. I have more loss on ocella than when on yasmin. I think I'm doomed!
How is everyone elses experiences on this drug going so far? I am so down today I am seriously thinking about getting a topper. Sorry I think I needed to rant.
How often do you wash your hair? WHen I was taking flutamide, I washed my hair everyday to keep my scalp as dht free as possible.
Also, do you have issues with excess weight? strength traning and cardio while on Flutamide can go a LONG way towards putting a damper on excess androgens.
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Hey, SoulCysters! Need to eat more veggies, but can't find recipes??
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I take Flutamide 250 g / day for about 9 months, and been on Yasmin for about a year. Truth is I noticed a decrease on the shed about 3 months after I started the Flutamide, but right now, I loose 'but 20-30 strands a day (is it normal...I don't know...). I went to the hairdresser and she said I had *so* much new hair, looked so surprised, but I don't know if it's the Flutamide or not.. I also use Nizoral... I think I will keep the flutamide for one more year just to see where it goes...? Du'know... :S
I'm also pretty desperate, and some days I just want to quit all the pills and treatments and wear a head scarf all day...it just sucks. :/
Well weight has always been a struggle with me but my doctors said I am at a good weight 138lb and almost 5'8. I have been doing cardio for 1 hour every day for the last seven years. I cut back on my weekend walks in a addition to my cardio so i am 5lbs heavier than I was last year at this time. At one time I was 40lbs heavier. I watch what I eat too.
I shampoo my hair with 2% nizoral everyday. I was on spironolactone 100mg for close to three years but the doctor took me off when I switched to flutamide. I also stopped metformin after a year of being on it when I switched endos. My new endo doesn't think I have PCOS.
My top has always been thin but it looked like it was improving somewhat with the yasmin but back In Feb I noticed my crown starting to get a bald spot so I freaked out about it being from the bcp. I went off the pill and had a horrible dred shed from April to July. I went back on YAsmin in June after my estrogen and progesterone dropped significantly. I have hypothalamic amenorrhea. Basically my brain doesn't talk to my ovaries and tell them to ovulate. I am waiting for MRI results to rule out a mass. I do have some regrowth from the shed b/c there are new hairs popping up but I still feel like it is continuing to thin. I have see through hair now. There is a family history of androgenetic alopecia, my Mom and Grandmother and me of course. This hair loss thing started 12 years ago for me, while I was in my early twenties. Over the years I have tried rogaine, crinagen, emu oil, msm and many other products. I got the dred shed from rogaine, 400 hairs plus lost and no regrowth. I really have no more answers I am cursed and doomed. So that is my story in a nutshell. Thanks for listening.
I had a baby a year ago so my hormones have been all over the place.
It initially helped curb the shedding for me and I had regrowth. (i had this pattern after the first child when not on anything though)
Then I had a summer shed about 6 - 8 months in. My hair got really thin (still is) but I also am noticing a ton of regrowth now. My front hairline is growing a whole new set of bangs and my temples have new hair. I reeeeally need it behind the hairline because my hair is a bit see through for the first time ever (very distressing btw).
So I have a lot going on that maybe skewed my results. I'm also not on a bcp which would help to lower testosterone levels. I'm also not sure why this shed had such an impact on my overall density where other sheds I've had didn't. BUT I'm now seeing regrowth. For me it took about 10 months out to start seeing it. If I pull my bangs up it looks silly because of all the new growth. I also am seeing a lot of little hairs sticking up now. I don't know what is recovery from the shed or what the Flutamide might be responsible for. I just hope I can get enough to recover some of my density.
Sooo I guess my point is, that it could take some time to actually see regrowth. Don't worry if you don't see it right away. I think sometimes it takes a little while before you really start to see it.
BTW I did freak out when I saw how thin my hair got and did buy a topper. I've only worn it twice so far, (to a wedding) but it did feel nice to have a fuller head of hair when I needed it. It's sitting in my closet now because I'm in desperate need of a cut and color (salons are now hugely stressful for me) but then I plan on wearing it out to dinner and special occasions. It does help me to know that it's there if I need it.
If you're feeling bad it might help to consider one. It's not giving up. I'm fighting this to the death. (not literally)
Also, a concealer like Toppik or Dermatch might be worth considering too. My part bothers me because I feel like it's too wide and it's a tad thin to either side. I just put a little bit of concealer in and it fills in the thinner areas just enough to where I don't cringe if I'm sitting under an overhead light. I'm really hoping the flutamide continues to work and I'll soon be able to go without it.
Sorry, I forgot to mention...since starting the flutamide I lost even more weight (I'm already a 'thin' cyster..), and it seems that no matter what I do or what I eat, I do not gain 1 pound... And I especially lost weight in my tummy!which is rare because I have very thin limbs, but a 'large' torso...
I *did* gain weight 7 years ago when I started Diane-35...won like 10 kg in 6 months...I do believe it was because of that bcp.
I don't know if it helps or if happened to someone else...:S
Thank you all for the support and words of encouragement.
I know that my iron has always been on the low side but I am not anemic. But my mother and sister are always slightly on the anemic side. I have started to take a multi vitamin this week. Iron pills kill my stomach so I might go back to Florax-liquid iron, not as harsh on the digestive system.
I figured I will give flutamide one more year and ask my pharmacy to switch me back to yasmin. I know that I have a bundle of things contributing to this hair loss- genetics-basically follicular testosterone sensitivity, abnormally low estrogen, progesterone, low iron. I have been researching this for twelve years.
I am going to my endo this week. Should I ask him to up my flutamide dosage? Right now I am on 125mg 2x a day. What is everyone else on?
I'm at my thinnest ever now. I'm not sure if it's attributed to the Flutamide, my changing body, or just stress!
I did also just recently really commit to eating low carb and low sugar. This cut out a lot of late night Cheezit binges, so that might have something to do with it too!!
I'm pretty sure it is just plain old, friggin AGA causing this hair loss mess. Believe me I wish it were anything else. I am afraid that this AGA diagnosis from years ago has just put so much emotional stress on me that I now have physical ramifications- no periods. They think that my pituitary gland is producing an excess of prolactin and in response shuts off my estrogen and progesterone. It is all stress from this AGA. I feel like I have no control over this situation. I am extremely frustrated that there is no cure for AGA. I feel ugly all of the time.
Kimm-
How much weight have you lost since starting flutamide? It could be that you cut out the sugar and carbs. Have you had any stomach upsets lately? About 2months into flutamide I couldn't stop running to the bathroom with stomach issues, but that seems to have subsided for me now. I don't know if it was a virus or the fact the drug store switched me from Yasmin to Ocella. This all occured around the same time. I didn't lose any wt though, damn!
You know I've had a lot going on lately too. It's hard to say what the weight loss is from. I actually think in my case my androgens have something to do with it too. I've also been under a ton of stress from this hair crap, and going on a thyroid med that I think made me hyperthyroid for a bit. After each of my two babies my weight got a little lower than the norm. Lately though I'm 108 pounds and I'm usually around 118. I'm 5'2" but have a medium build and carry a lot of muscle. I work out but mostly cardio, so I can't explain the amount of muscle I have other than the higher testosterone. My levels are supposedly normal according to the labs. But poking around hear I think the consensus is that it's too high.
I"m thinking about trying metformin to get the levels down. I just needed to let my body settle down after trying that thyroid med that I'm not sure I really needed.
No real stomach issues on flutamide. I do have some at times but I think it's stress and where I am in my cycle. I also was just informed I may have a wheat intolerance. I do great during most of the day but sometimes after dinner, if there is bread involved I notice I'm gassier. I still need to explore how vital it is that I go on a gluten free diet though. It sounds super extreme.
I've heard about stomach upsets on Ocella. You may want to see if you can go back to Yasmin if it still bothers you and you don't mind paying extra.
I will say that even though I just suffered some thinning and two sheds that were/are stress related, I'm seeing a lot of regrowth now. I have about a quarter inch of hairline that I can see trying to come back in. This blows me away since I didn't even realise it went back that far. I don't know how much I'll have luck in regaining but will take what I can get.
So don't give up hope yet. I know how hard this is. I've been dealing with it for 8 years now. It's by far the worst symptom I've had to deal with.
Nearly a year on Flutamide ... no improvement on the hairline or temples at all in fact they are progressively getting worse ... I have noticed dramatic reduction in the shedding however I dont hold out ANY hope of this reversing ... this conditinos sucks and what with the credit crunch now hitting hard I am struggling to affoard my meds
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Calling All Flutamide Useres 
