Hello Dr.Rassman,
I am a 28 year old person who is balding and reads your blog with great interest. I’m not very bald though as yet and I have been taking finasteride for 4 months now. I am going to again ask you a question which has been previously answered by you.
Do you think finasteride causes increase in shedding in the frontal and the temporal region?
I am experiencing very heavy shedding since last one month. I believe I have become more bald in last one to one and half months than I would have become in 2 years had I not gone on this medication. I am more bald and more sad. I know you have previously stated that in your experience finasteride should not cause increased shedding, but after extensive search on the internet I have come to a conclusion that once your are on this drug, increased shedding in the front and side is a fact experienced by numerous people who emphasize earnestly that its just not their regular shedding which is coincident with the start of medication. I am not sure if you can understand them. I can because I am going through it.
There is guy who claims to be a physician and is planning to sue the company as this shedding is not mentioned as a side effect in the official drug literature. I hope this gives you an idea of the gravity of the situation. As for my case, please tell me what do you think. Should I continue the medication? I am in catch 22. As an aside, to the people who are experiencing sexual side effects I would like to recommend taking some time out and working out. I perform better sexually during the period I workout.
I have answered your question in the past and this answer was based upon the large number of people who have been prescribed Propecia by me. I do not remember anyone who has had your complaint, but an internet group of doctors collectively have reported some cases of shedding of hair on the drug. Frankly, it makes no sense to me in that 5 alpha reductase blockade should not impact shedding. There are two comments worth making:
- 1. If you are having concerns about a drug side-effect, then stop the drug and take the alternative risks. This is not a life saving process, just a hair saving process which may be thought analogous to life saving by some people.
2. Hair loss is a progressive process that comes on in spurts, of periods of accelerated loss and periods of less loss or stability. What you are going through may be one of your normal cycles, coincident with your taking Propecia. Everything you are observing may not be Cause / Effect.
Frankly, I am only a clinician with a great deal of experience with this drug prescribing it to many young and older men. I am only reporting what I know, but I will pass this question to Merck and see what they say about it.
I will publish their answer when I get it from them.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
“increased shedding in the front and side is a fact experienced by numerous people who emphasize earnestly that its just not their regular shedding”
absolutely. at 20 years old i took propecia and noticed more shedding immediately. thinking it was the initial shed before regrowth, i kept going until the common yet unofficially reported “brain fog” side effect became too much. so only 4 months within a 6 month period i had to quit. now at 21 its only gotten worse mainly in the frontal region from that first propcia induced shed. i’m starting on rogaine but fear nothing can be done since rogaine claims not to be for the frontal areas.
i sure hope theres some good lawsuits brewing against those propecia bastards.
i hear a lot of people complain about shedding and losing hair from head and shoulders shampoo etc., aren’t they just shedding form their androgenic alopecia or other cause and just blaming it on this stuff (never hear women or hair stylist say head and shoulders makes lose hair, and some Dematologist recommend), and shedding with Propecia just doesn’t make sense, since just only blocks (helps) stop andorgenic DHT hormone hair loss (not like Rogaine, which may increase as Dr. R says and speed up hair growth cycles, causing shedding and regrowth of new hair), are these people taking other supplements (herbal or vitamins at same time), sometimes overdosages of such untested things (which have not gone through clinical trials for effects at high dosages can actually make hair loss worse-high dosages of some minerals [selenium, vit A, etc. as Dr. R has stated] ), i’m sure Propecia would have stateda “side-effect” if observed, but as in the ongoing current FDA trials, very strict as to what clinical volunteers can take or have taken before can be in test… i am glad i saw this post with Dr. R, disagreeing with shedding because i have not experienced on Propecia, but i obtain my medication from a reputable national chain local drug store and not off the “internet”, and usually give me the original bottles even…i was getting ready to ask Dr. R how in the heck Propecia can cause shedding, no basis for like Minox or Rogaine, as Bio and Pre-Med was very confusing to me for people on Propecia to say “shedding”, like a cat, i know i was started to “shed” before Propecia, i noticed i don’t see any more hair loss after been on a year, i think just like the prostate takes a while before scalp follicles respond and stop shedding from DHT, that Propecia blocks