30 y/o, 6 months using minoxidil now trying fin intro/status thread

Pics Here for those inclined: http://imgur.com/a/pWhk4 A few caveats (not that it really matters):

1. Just after washing my face, so hair is a little wet
2. Minoxidil, which I'm still going forward with, seems to make hair clump at the scalp a bit… I feel like when I don't apply it, I feel less sparse.

So, the moment I was hoping to avoid or at least postpone is finally here it seems. My (already genetically high) hairline has been receding the last few years, but its really been the last year or so that the rate with which my hair falls out has seemingly accelerated… so here I find myself with the rest of you trying to do whatever it takes to hold on to it.

I'm sure I've been going through what many of you have, counting hairs in the shower, probably 30-50 per shower on average for the last 6 months. Likely a habit I started when I bought minoxidil as my 30th birthday present hoping it'd be enough (protip: buy yourself another more awesome birthday present when going along with this "I'm going to do something about it, dammit!" strategy).

To be fair, there is definitely hair growing from minox, but it doesn't seem like it's enough to overcome the rate which it falls out as I think I've still lost ground since starting it. I feel like the whole "it sheds really badly for a few weeks!" has… been going on for all 6 months now. Also just in the process of applying it, I probably lose another ~20 hairs… so that and whatever falls when I'm exercising or not looking closely during the day probably puts me over the whole "150 lost/day average" thing, and the loss seems fairly concentrated to the top of my head. Side note: using Keto shampoo I feel like my head is the Cape Canaveral of hair… does anyone avoid it?

I first went to my GP doctor after starting minoxidil, and then maybe a month or two later to a dermatologist and both told me that I needed to give it time to see how it goes. Applying it, especially with long hair, generally sucks. My strategy has been Rogaine foam in the morning, Kirkland liquid at night. Anecdotally I feel like way more falls out in the morning after a night of the Kirkland. Not sure if its because more hits the scalp or perhaps I got scammed on Amazon and it's fake "hair fall out liquid". The shorter hairs also kind of stick up a bit all over my head, but I guess when I get my next haircut it'll alleviate. I sometimes can't tell if the same hair growing is the hair falling out fastest or not.

Anyway, going fight the good fight to document my progress/experience for all you guys. I sure went through all the anxiety everyone reading about finasteride does I'm sure. Ironically, my mom encouraged me to take it as she said its worth trying if it will help the stress of hair falling out go away in the "at least you're trying to do something" sense, and she knows a close friend who takes it. My dermatologist prescribes it to 2-3 other guys my age, and amusingly I agreed to let a nurse practitioner sit in on the meeting not thinking of how vain I will sound. As I'm clearly going in mental circles she chimes in that her 31 year old husband has been taking it for two years and things are going well.

At that point, not much else to do but bite the bullet and give it a shot! My dermatologist wrote me two prescriptions. One for 1 MG, and one for 5 MG. Freaking ridiculous that 30 pills of 5 MG are $85, and 30 pills of 1 MG are $90 but that's price discrimination for ya! Ends up that the pharmacist was able to get my insurance to cover 15 5MG pills for $5, and I have 5 refills so one pill cutter and a night to sleep on it later - the grand experiment begins.

My main fear, is that I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and while I don't usually have any ED problems outside of nerves… going to try not to psych myself out of things. I metabolize drugs pretty quickly in general I think, so hopefully that doesn't mean the first hit makes my dick fly off overnight.

So far, two pills later, still getting somewhat random erections at times of varying public-area inconvenience (I'll take it?) but also some testicular discomfort that seems a lot of people have that goes away. We'll see, probably far too early to make any calls either way. Is there a sense of when most people are kind of "in the clear" in regards to being over the hump as one's body adjusts?

TL; DR: 6 months of minox w/ middling results, hopping on the fin train. 2 days in still hitting random boners but some testicle discomfort that hopefully just goes away. Keto seems to make my hair rocket off my scalp. What's the general break in period? Will keep everyone updated on my progress, wish me luck.