Son using hair loss products

[SonHairLoss]

Hi,
I'm a bit worried.
Accidentally opened nearly 19 year old son's package but glad I did.
He has received- from an online pharmacy- shampoo/conditioner minoxidil (I presume- too packaged for me to see properly!!)
But the thing that's worried me most is the pack of tablets in the package- dutasteride/minoxidil/biotin combo.
I know it's for hair loss, I also assume that dutasteride is some sort of diuretic which I don't like the idea of for a physically healthy youth!
I've done a bit of googling and found that dutasteride can lessen DHT (testosterone derivative) production and also found evidence that it can therefore inhibit sex drive- thanks reddit!
I admit I haven't looked into it loads before posting on here- but just wondered if anyone had experience of this.
What worries me is that he's 18, a late bloomer and I really don't think he should be taking something that inhibits any form of testosterone, especially as I don't think he's fully through puberty.
Even if he was fully developed I wouldn't like it!!
When does a "patient" stop taking it?- the thought of him taking it long term is very worrying
There's also stuff about raised cholesterol and general buggering up of basic bloods.
I can't say I've noticed his hair loss but I guess I don't much examine his hairline.
His dad's bald- no getting away from it- I'd say it became more noticeable for him in his mid-30s which isn't so terrible (not to undermine male pattern baldness but I feel it's so early for my son to be worrying and taking stuff which could be so much worse for him).
I guess some aspect of this is prevention and no doubt that's pushed by the drug companies- get 'em in early!
So, I'm worried from a medical damage point of view and I'm also sad that it's something that's on his mind- my poor boy!!
I have read that finasteride is probably less potent than dutasteride but it's still an inhibitor of DHT.
The men in my own family have excellent heads of hair!!- I wonder how that would impact my son's chances of not going bald? problem is you just don't know, I guess, and the drug companies will push not leaving it to chance.
I've posted on AIBU for traffic- hope that's ok.

Bloody hell!
Definitely quoting this to my son
Thank you

Oh yes I’d forgotten about that!

It's used to shrink the prostate. It messed him up a fair bit actually.

@PulchritudinousLycanthrope Thank you again- I'm so sorry to hear that, I hope he's ok now. Believe me I'll be telling my son all this. I know people say ah loads of people take it without issue- but I know how very long it takes for the side effects of drugs to be recognised by the medical profession
Also you might not realise something's amiss eg a low level of depression that you believe to be your baseline, which is actually attributable to finasteride or whatever.

Would you mind expanding on those long term side effects pls?

My other son just shaved his head and he looks great. The older guy was hanging on to his and looked a mess, but one day got it cut short and looks fantastic.
They both had gorgeous curls which I think they failed to appreciate until they were gone.

Emotionally it is very hard and you would feel for them.
Accepting it can take time.

Biotin is helpful but iron more so.
So make sure his iron levels are good.

I find bald men extremely attractive so it certainly didn't affect my choice of husband.

I am so glad your son is happier since the chat and you are relieved too.

Hi @Stilllifes
thanks for the lovely message
I'm not sure what the long term side effects are for certain- I think one poster mentioned ED but that it was getting much better over time.
I honestly think that if your son took it for 8 weeks, I wouldn't worry about long term (obvs I'm speaking as a lay person). It's not a very long time to be taking a medication in the scheme of things.
Hmm wonder what my son would look like with a shaved head- it's so good that it suits your sons.
What you said about your son desperately holding on to his hair resonates: I saw a picture of my partner when he was perhaps mid/late 20s and his hair was a mess!! It was that 90s curtains/bob thing but oh my god so stringy. He looks way better shaved/bald.
Yes, I felt quite emotional re my son- just that it was on his radar enough to buy the medication. He spends a long time in the bathroom- always has- but I bet loads of that time is spent examining his hairline :(
He eats loads of iron via red meat so let's hope tik tok doesn't persuade him to become a vegetarian
When I met my partner it was clear his hair was on the way out- and, like you, it didn't bother me.
my son's totally over the whole thing now- looked a bit bored when I told him some more finasteride side effects "yeah, yeah, I get it"
my other teen's a girl so at least I don't have to worry about this issue with her :)
thanks again x

You are right to be very concerned. Read up on PFS - post finasteride syndrome. My husband has it as it's devastating. Lots of men are fine on these products until they stop.

There are many reports of men using Minoxidil, Finasteride etc for very short periods (far less than 8 weeks) and still having massive, long term issues when they stop. Check out all the PFS boards on Reddit and elsewhere if you want a really depressing read.

OP. You do NOT sound judgemental and overbearing at all. Ignore some of these crazy responses.

@newbie202020
Oh goodness, thank you for that.
I will definitely look up PFS and try to drill it into my son
I'm so sorry about your husband. Is he getting slowly better? I really hope so.
Can I ask how soon after he stopped did his symptoms develop?
Wishing you all the best x

thank you, I know, right?!
when I dig into whoever writes these posts it usually softens the blow, as I'll find that they're habitually unpleasant and/or unqualified to comment (invariably both)
But it bloody hurts at the time- and when you post worries about your kids, you're generally in a wobbly place.

also @newbie202020 I didn't realise that minoxidil could also be problematic- will look into that tonight, thanks

My son has been taking finesteride, minoxidil for several years and recently having durasteride mesotherapy injections. It's completely stopped any hair loss and the injections have helped the corners fill in a bit. He doesn't have any side effects and intends to stay on it forever. He doesn't want children (gay) so I don't see why he shouldn't stay on it, it's up to him anyway. We researched a lot and go to a dermatologist in London.

I understand how you feel OP. I hate drugs and don't take anything unless I really really have to. So often side effects are there but subtle or the drug causes irreversible issues that weren't know about. By the nature of pharma, we are all 'guinea pigs' with good and ...not so good results, with a lot of it only benefitting future generations.

DH is improved now and has gone on to have different health issues and he is now on testosterone gel. He's lost most of his hair but baldness in men doesn't register with me as a detracting factor and that is true of a lot of women I know.

@Dogaredabomb thanks for this. I do appreciate that there is the other side to all this. I'm glad it's working well for your son without side effects. I know there's still a good chance that my son will take it in a few years- just not yet- so it's reassuring to hear your son's experience.

@SonHairLosshe's been unwell for over 10 years now, a little better in the last year or so but still unable to work due to a whole range of symptoms. He said that he felt a little out of sorts taking Finasteride and then very shortly after he stopped he started to develop loads of different symptoms. There's actually been some mainstream press articles on PFS and other associated conditions in the last few years so it's definitely getting noticed, especially as more and much younger men are on it. I shudder when I see it so freely advertised. The debate around these meds online can be quite devisive, but once you look into it, it's really quite scary.

There are class actions taking place in the US plus some new warning labels have been added so the pharmaceutical companies and starting to cover their backs a bit now - but there's so much money for them to make

I agree that it was possibly an impulsive buy after reading stuff. My son is 24 and bought Finasteride from an online pharmacy about 5 years ago. It’s out of date now and he hasn’t taken it. Might just be worth saying to him you’ll respect his decision but would like him to look into possible side effects so he can make an informed decision.

@PulchritudinousLycanthrope thanks again- glad that your husband's improved re the finasteride- though hope his current health issues also improve.
Yes, we are essentially guinea pigs and what is considered safe or side effect-free today will fall out of favour 20/30 years hence.
I'm a prime example- stuck on medication that I'm desperate to get off but the withdrawal of even fractions of it is brutal and taking literally years!! The medication- SSRI- no longer works in the way it did and of course has side effects which have become ever more pronounced
I'm also guilty of buying copious amounts supplements but no more- I just want to try life neat!

Oh I'm the same with an ssri, citalopram. I just cannot get off it! There's nothing wrong with me (now) but I'm stuck on it and have tried my best to get below 20mg to 10mg and it was awful, terrible brain zaps and dizziness.

@Susieblue18
same with my son in that he says he didn't really put much thought into- these things just appear on their radars and are viewed as no big deal.

Oh god, feel your pain!
I was on venlafaxine first about ten years ago, started decreasing about 5 years ago- then tried to whittle down using prozac as supposed to be easier but it's taking forever..
I want to feel normal- I know I feel way more sluggish than I should- so many side effects- a really pronounced tremor as well which is only gonna get worse- my step father has a very debilitating tremor due to psych meds- both hands- can't eat/hold cups etc.
You've done really well so far.
I now realise that my timescale is still several years- I'm on prozac 10mg and I have to have ever smaller fractions the lower I go.
I will do it though and I cannot wait to be off the stuff! Sooo many people stuck on it- then misinterpreting withdrawal for a depression return.
Best of luck to you x

thank you @newbie202020
I've copied and pasted your message into my emails- really informative.
I'm glad to hear that your husband is feeling slowly better but sorry it's taken so very long.

The thing that got me off antidepressants was massively increasing my animal fat intake. Slices of beef fat and fatty cuts of meat made so much difference, it was like a drug in it's own right.

Hi there,
I totally understand your concern—it’s natural to worry when your 18-year-old is ordering strong medication online, especially without talking to you first. Dutasteride isn’t a diuretic, as you guessed—it’s a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor that blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is the hormone linked to male pattern baldness.
You're right that it’s very potent, often more so than finasteride, and the concern around potential side effects like lowered libido, hormonal changes, and other things like changes in cholesterol isn’t unfounded—though for many people, those effects are rare or mild. Still, it’s definitely not something you want a teenager taking lightly, especially someone still developing hormonally.
That said, I completely understand his desperation too. I started losing hair young myself and it’s something that affects confidence more than people often realize. In my case, I didn’t want to mess with oral medications for similar reasons. Instead, I’ve had good results using topical finasteride combined with minoxidil, which seems to significantly reduce the risk of systemic side effects. I’ve been using a solution from this site:
https://minoxidilmax.com/product/6-minox
It combines both in a topical form and has worked well for me without the downsides that can come from taking oral pills.
Maybe something like that could be a middle ground—he still feels like he’s taking action to prevent hair loss, but without jumping into the strongest oral meds right away. And perhaps more importantly, he stays open with you about it, which gives you the chance to guide him and help monitor things.
If it helps, I’d be happy to share what worked for me or what signs to watch out for if he does go ahead with anything stronger.