Will Propecia be of any use?

[amanrakkar]

I would first like to congratulate Dr Rassman and the rest of you for the hearty contributions you have made through these forums. I am a 22 year old student living in london, so you should take great value in the global appeal of your work. I must also point out, that i believe the UK is miles behind the US with regards to hair retention advice. I am finding it so difficult to find a reliable avenue to place my trust in.

I was experiencing moderate hair loss last year when i decided to act, and i did so by taking rogaine 5%. But after the subsequent irritations and nasty reactions i discontinued use after one month. Now a full 6/7 months down the line, i am shedding thin lifeless hairs, and I am questingion whether my hair became minoxidil dependent. But is one month long enough to really build up a dependency? The thinning of my hair and general hair loss is distinctly in the pattern of the areas to which the minox was applied (over the entire crown and foreward region). I am not necessarily saying stopping Minox is the cause of my hair loss, but i believe it has definitely accelerated it. I have read countless articles on the notion of shrinking capillaries when minox is discontinued, but I live in hope that my hair will return to some form of baseline. Do you think this is a reality? I regret ever touching the stuff!

Furthermore, Propecia is something which is becoming more appealing to me as an option. However, do you think that it could provide any success to me if my hair trully has been damaged by the discontinuation of minoxidil. I recognise both products to have different mechanisms, so blocking DHT would not be of any help if blood supply to hair has been reduced?

Hmm, i apologise for rambling, but I am definitely in need of some reliable, expertise on this issue. i have visited my GP on this issue and was told to alter my attitudes towards losing my hair, ie. to get over it. Consulted a Hair Retention Programme over here, but i got the impression i was schooled better on the issue of hair loss than they were. And as you guys are well aware, this hair loss nightmare can be earth shattering.

Thanks for reading
Aman

[Mark]

I would first like to congratulate Dr Rassman and the rest of you for the hearty contributions you have made through these forums. I am a 22 year old student living in london, so you should take great value in the global appeal of your work. I must also point out, that i believe the UK is miles behind the US with regards to hair retention advice. I am finding it so difficult to find a reliable avenue to place my trust in.

I was experiencing moderate hair loss last year when i decided to act, and i did so by taking rogaine 5%. But after the subsequent irritations and nasty reactions i discontinued use after one month. Now a full 6/7 months down the line, i am shedding thin lifeless hairs, and I am questingion whether my hair became minoxidil dependent. But is one month long enough to really build up a dependency? The thinning of my hair and general hair loss is distinctly in the pattern of the areas to which the minox was applied (over the entire crown and foreward region). I am not necessarily saying stopping Minox is the cause of my hair loss, but i believe it has definitely accelerated it. I have read countless articles on the notion of shrinking capillaries when minox is discontinued, but I live in hope that my hair will return to some form of baseline. Do you think this is a reality? I regret ever touching the stuff!

Typically when you stop taking something for your hair loss, you can end up losing all the hair that you were retaining over the period of time that you were taking it. For example, if you took propecia for 10 years and everything was ok, but then you stopped taking it, you can end up losing all the hair that you had retained over that 10 year period. The same thing can happen with minoxidil.

The only thing is that this usually happens if you've been taking it over an extended period of time, months, years, etc. For it to happen after just a month doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. I'm guessing that this hair loss may just be coinciding with you discontinuing rogaine and can quite possibly be unrelated.

Furthermore, Propecia is something which is becoming more appealing to me as an option. However, do you think that it could provide any success to me if my hair trully has been damaged by the discontinuation of minoxidil. I recognise both products to have different mechanisms, so blocking DHT would not be of any help if blood supply to hair has been reduced?

Hmm, i apologise for rambling, but I am definitely in need of some reliable, expertise on this issue. i have visited my GP on this issue and was told to alter my attitudes towards losing my hair, ie. to get over it. Consulted a Hair Retention Programme over here, but i got the impression i was schooled better on the issue of hair loss than they were. And as you guys are well aware, this hair loss nightmare can be earth shattering.

Thanks for reading
Aman

Yeah, we see people in here everyday who are losing their hair and I know it can be a pretty tough thing to go through.

There are side-effects that can happen if you take propecia (http://www.propecia.com/finasteride/propecia/hcp/prescribing_propecia/ppi/sideeffects.jsp) although they happen in only about 2% of men who take it and frequently go away. It's really up to you to determine whether you'd be ok if you potentially experienced those side effects.

[amanrakkar]

hey mark,
cheers for taking the time to reply.
Yes as a result of this hair loss situation i've taken an obsessive interest in the issue, so I am aware of propecia side effects. To say they scare the **** out of me is an understatement. But i am encouraged by reports of reducing dosage to over come them, ie. taking propecia every other day, if this was to be the case.

With regards to losing all the benefits gained from minoxidil, I do strongly believe it has gone beyond that. My hair was being lost in the first place, but after stopping minoxidil, i am left with dead, fine, lifeless hair, in a very distinct pattern to where minox was applied. I mean it's to the extent that if i run my fingers through my hair, hair will surely fall out. I was diagnosed with as having low iron levels which i am in the process of remedying, but i am waiting (hopelessly?) for any form of results.

Propecia i guess will be my next avenue, but I again query if minox has done any permanent damage to my hair?

Regards

aman

[Mark]

hey mark,
cheers for taking the time to reply.
Yes as a result of this hair loss situation i've taken an obsessive interest in the issue, so I am aware of propecia side effects. To say they scare the **** out of me is an understatement. But i am encouraged by reports of reducing dosage to over come them, ie. taking propecia every other day, if this was to be the case.

They really scare you that bad? I mean, it's not fun if you have a decreased libido and all that, but it's not like it might cause a heart attack or something.

You know, we see guys here in the office all the time who I think are a lot like you. They're smart, so they do their own research on issues without simply trusting everything that a doctor tells them. But at the same time, when you're on the internet all the time looking up all the side effects of drugs and all that stuff you can really psyche yourself out a lot. The stress of it can even cause you to lose more hair.

It's always a good idea to take a step back, take a breather, and really look at what you can change and what you really can't and accept those things. Losing your hair can certainly be no fun, but be glad that you live in a time where you can get a really natural looking hair transplant if necessary. Be glad that you have the option of taking a pill that can help you stop your hair loss or even reverse some of it. Look on the bright side!

Hopefully that little pep-talk made you feel a little better. ;)


With regards to losing all the benefits gained from minoxidil, I do strongly believe it has gone beyond that. My hair was being lost in the first place, but after stopping minoxidil, i am left with dead, fine, lifeless hair, in a very distinct pattern to where minox was applied. I mean it's to the extent that if i run my fingers through my hair, hair will surely fall out. I was diagnosed with as having low iron levels which i am in the process of remedying, but i am waiting (hopelessly?) for any form of results.

Propecia i guess will be my next avenue, but I again query if minox has done any permanent damage to my hair?

Regards

aman

Without being able to look at your scalp in person it's going to be hard for the doctors here to give you a precise answer, but I'll forward it to them right now and see if they've got any ideas.

-Mark

[Dr. Jae Pak]

With regards to losing all the benefits gained from minoxidil, I do strongly believe it has gone beyond that. My hair was being lost in the first place, but after stopping minoxidil, i am left with dead, fine, lifeless hair, in a very distinct pattern to where minox was applied. I mean it's to the extent that if i run my fingers through my hair, hair will surely fall out. I was diagnosed with as having low iron levels which i am in the process of remedying, but i am waiting (hopelessly?) for any form of results.

Propecia i guess will be my next avenue, but I again query if minox has done any permanent damage to my hair?

Regards

aman


Aman,

I've heard about this pretty frequently from my patients. Nobody knows exactly why this happens, but the theory is that the Minoxidil puts the hair into a new growth cycle and so you get a lot of hair falling out all at once. This doesn't happen to everyone who takes it, but I have seen it happen in quite a few of my patients.

Usually when this happens, they tend to get very alarmed and immediatly stop taking the Minoxidil, which I don't advise. Usually if you keep using it through the shedding period, you should see the hair grow back, and grow back thicker and stronger.

Now in your case, you say that you also experienced irritation and "nasty reactions" from the Minoxidil. In that case, it would be a good idea to discontinue the use of minoxidil, but solely because of those reactions, not because you were experiencing more hair loss.

Also, you say that this hair loss started 6-7 months after you stopped taking the Minoxidil, so I don't think that it would be related. Normally when people experience hair loss after taking minoxidil, it takes place when they're actually using it, not months down the line.

At this juncture, I think it would be a good idea to start taking some form of finasteride and find some way to relax more. Stress is not going to help your situation any more.

Dr. Jae Pak.

[amanrakkar]

You know what, i must send my deepest thanks for both of your input. Mark you are a noble intermediate between us laymen and the pro's. ;)

i shall be reconsulting my gp, hopefully with a redirection to a dermatologist. finasteride seems the right approach to take. I very much like the idea of scalp mapping for miniaturisation, i will ask to see if that service is offered. if not then i will lend some serious thought to carrying out the mapping myself.

While im here, can i ask you guys what your opinion is on taking propecia every other day? or halfing the pill per day? my reasons for asking are partly financially motivated, but also, as highlighted previously, to prevent any potential sides.

keep up the good work guys
peace

Aman

ps. happy new year! (im not sure whether u guys are ahead of us or behind)

[Mark]

You know what, i must send my deepest thanks for both of your input. Mark you are a noble intermediate between us laymen and the pro's. ;)

i shall be reconsulting my gp, hopefully with a redirection to a dermatologist. finasteride seems the right approach to take. I very much like the idea of scalp mapping for miniaturisation, i will ask to see if that service is offered. if not then i will lend some serious thought to carrying out the mapping myself.

While im here, can i ask you guys what your opinion is on taking propecia every other day? or halfing the pill per day? my reasons for asking are partly financially motivated, but also, as highlighted previously, to prevent any potential sides.

keep up the good work guys
peace

Aman

ps. happy new year! (im not sure whether u guys are ahead of us or behind)

Hi Aman,

The risk of side effects are pretty low with finasteride, only about 2 percent of people taking them get them. So I think altering the dose before you even know if you're going to experience side effects is a bit premature. Also, if you do experience side effects, they go away when you stop taking the drug. Literally within about a day or so. So there really isn't any risk of long term issues with it.

If you're concerned about cost, you can always get Proscar (or a generic alternative to it) and cut the pills. That's something that a lot of our patients do and it works well for them.

From what I've read, it's best to reduce your daily dose rather than take the same dose but skip days. Finasteride has a very low half life so it goes through your system pretty quickly.


Thanks for the new years wishes. We'll be celebrating tomorrow evening. Hope you have a good one yourself.

-Mark