Okay sorry I know this has probably gotten asked before but I find it more helpful to ask again for my specific experiences than to scour the sub for some other post that might be close enough to what I'm wondering 🙏 it's also easier to turn to reddit than it is to pay planned parenthood out of pocket for an appointment lmfao
I'm about 4 months on T (.2ml subq weekly), and have been taking 1mg of daily oral finasteride mostly consistently alongside it because I have worries with hair thinning and balding - which is not *horrible*, but is still prevalent in the men in my family. I'm 20 now so I don't know for sure how long I'd have before the genes go after my hair, but my oldest brother is 32 and I've noticed his developing bald spot for a few years now. It's hard for me to tell with my other brother because they both sport freaking buzzcuts like losers but yk, my dad and uncles and grandfathers on both sides don't have the greatest heads of hair.
However! I've been seeing more stuff about how it can mess with bottom growth and possibly also vocal changes? I want pretty much every change that comes with taking T *apart* from losing my head hair, but the thought of losing the effectiveness of the T in the other areas worries me :/
I am taking it orally because I have a cat and had concerns for it spreading to him, but also really because I am very bad at routines and consistency (unmedicated ADHD) and am unsure if I'd be able to stick to applying a topical treatment daily LOL
So my questions basically are:
- is my fin dose enough to truly impact other effects of T?
- if yes, how much work is it to instead keep up with a topical treatment while having pets?
- what is the difference between finasteride & minoxidil? and is oral minoxidil an option/helpful/have the same negatives as the fin, etc etc
- I assume that topical stuff costs more (goodrx is not the most helpful in trying to figure this out), but does it last as long? I understand that this can vary.
if you have any other related insight / advice I will very gladly take it!!
I really don't want to lose my hair but I'd like to do the not losing it in the most effective way for my transition lol 🙏