Need advice on minoxidil and finasteride

I am 23 years old, and have been losing my hair since I was around 19-20. At the start of the year, I got onto oral minoxidil 2.5mg and finasteride 1mg, and saw very good results. My bald spot on the top of my head was covered, and my M-shaped hairline started to come back as well. It took at least 6 months of use to achieve the results.

I stopped roughly 1-2 months ago. I wasn't feeling myself since it affected my sex drive, and the amount of hair growing all around my face and body was a bit too much, since I'm on oral minoxidil, and topical is way more expensive.

Since I stopped, I am losing hair like crazy, which was expected, but damn it hurts seeing it slowly go away. The lifelong commitment to minoxidil and finasteride seems too much at a young age, but I'm not sure what else to do. I didn't really experience any other major side effects, but I'm scared of how it would affect me in terms of long-term use.

Should I just go back on minoxidil and finasteride, or are there other ways I can preserve my hair?