I’m 19 and have been experiencing hair loss for about 4 months now and been on Propecia for about 2 and a half months. Since going on Propecia I feel like I’ve been shedding more (which I’ve read may be an indicator that its working, and may not). I’ve yet to get my scalp mapped for miniaturization and my hairline is not receding, just overall very noticable thinning. I’ve been told, the effects of Propecia won’t become noticable for 3 to 6 months, but its a pretty helpless feeling not knowing if its actually working. Are there any blood tests to measure your body’s DHT level to see if the Propecia is infact blocking it well enough to stop hair loss?
There are no blood tests that will tell you that it is working. At 19, I am sure that you expect everything to happen on command, but patience is a virtue and you have no choice but to wait. If you want to know for sure if it is working, you should have your hair mapped out for miniaturization and then take readings 8 months apart. If you do not establish the metrics, then just wait patiently for the 8th month and you should see the shedding slow down or the hair loss stopped (other than the normal 100 hairs or so everyone loses each and every day).