Severe shed on fin + min, density worse at 4 months — will it come back?

Hey everyone, looking for real experiences and honest answers.

I’ve been on oral finasteride + oral minoxidil for almost 4 months now (in 2 days it’ll officially hit month 4). I started because of long-term anxiety around male pattern baldness, even though my hairline had been pretty stable for 1–2 years before treatment but I did confirmed my hairline has receded from a transplant surgeon.

The issue is that my hair honestly looks worse than before I started. The first 3 months I experienced pretty severe shedding, a lot more than normal. The shedding has slowed down a bit, but my overall density still feels weaker than baseline and it’s stressing me out.

So I’m wondering:

Is this just a classic shed that eventually grows back stronger?
Did anyone else look worse around month 3–5 and then recover later?
Or is this a sign that the meds just aren’t working for me?

Family hair history (for context): My dad has a full head of hair
My older brothers also have full heads of hair
My mom’s side is more unclear, but I believe there is some level of hair loss there

This brings me to another genuine question: Does hair loss only follow one side of the family (mom or dad), or can it be influenced by both? I’ve heard mixed things about the “maternal side” rule and want clarity from people with real experience.

Main question for long-term users: Can finasteride completely stop hair loss as long as you keep taking it, or does it usually just slow it down? I’m not expecting crazy regrowth — I just want to hold the line and keep what I have.

If you’ve been through the ugly shedding phase or have a similar family setup, I’d really appreciate hearing how your journey turned out. I can share pics in DMs if needed.