Alternative to Spironolactone?

[dazzleca]

Has anyone tried a DHT blocker other than spiro? I started on it last week and I'm having side effects that I'm pretty sure are going to mean I can't take it (numbness). I've quit taking it for now and have a call into my doctor but numbess is on the list of 'serious side effects'. I was so hopeful that I could take it to slow down the shedding :(

[VictoriaG]

I'm looking trough Dr Redmond's book, trying to find some info for a friend, and he mentions Yasmin, saying it's progesterin is similar to spiro. I'm not sure how you feel about BC pills, but I remembered seeing this thread and just wanted to let you know!

[dazzleca]

Thanks, Vicki. I'm on HRT so am not sure if I can even take a BCP at this point (52 and menopausal) but I'll talk to my doctor about it if I have to go off the spiro. I was excited to find my order of Nizoral 2% on my doorstep when I got home yesterday (had to order it from Canada)! My doctor says that I should try the spiro again but only 100mcg a day (I started at 200 so maybe it was just too much of a shock to my body - I hope so anyways.)
I will get Dr. Redmond's book too ... I've visited his web site and sure wish I could actually go to NY to see him but living in Northern California, I don't think that is going to happen :(

[VictoriaG]

I am only on 25mg spiro - my BP is too low, my doctor won't let me take more. I also use the 1% Nizoral, but not every time I shampoo. 200mg of spiro does seem like a high beginning dosage - I hope you don't have problems with 100mg.

The Dr Redmond book I have is "The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman". I bought it on ebay, it was cheaper!!

Good luck, I hope you feel good and see positive results.

[dazzleca]

Do you think the 25mg of spiro is helping? I'd sure rather take a pill then have to put minoxidil on my hair twice a day for the rest of my life. Although my hair is still just thinning (my friends all say they can't tell), I want to attack this NOW before it becomes to noticeable.
Thanks for your help. This site has been a godsend ... it just helps to know that I'm not alone in this struggle.

[VictoriaG]

Everything I use or have tried, I discovered here and on the network. It really is a godsend.
I'm really not sure if the spiro is helping, but it's not hurting. After I started taking it, we found that my testosterone is low and my estrogen is high, so my diagnosis of AGA is questionable. Which also means I'm not sure if the spiro will help! Some days I feel the shedding is less than it used to be. On hairwash days, forget it. But the supplements (biotin, iron, lysine) are good for me anyway, so I'm keeping this regimen. Like you, my thinning is not noticeable to others - yet. I had very thick hair to start, and my shedding is not nearly as bad as so many others here, so I'm lucky (or so I'm told). You are very smart to try to stop it in it's tracks now!

[dazzleca]

I've read about both 'estrogen dominant' and 'estrogen deficient' AGA ... I am assuming at this point that mine is caused by estrogen deficiency ... my sudden hair loss started three months after my periods stopped. I'm on HRT (progestrone and estrogen) .. so at least I'm not dealing with hot flashes and night sweats any more. I've also read that burning/itchy scalp (which I have) is more common with estrogen deficient AGA ... but then again, there is so much information and mis-information out there. I'm definitely going to get Dr Redmond's book :)