May 2008 – Page 6 – Balding Blog

May 20, 2008

How Long Does Propecia Take to Dissolve in the Body? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Upon taking propecia, how long before it dissolves and enters the bloodstream? Better yet, how long will it be before it is safe from urination or involuntary regurgitation of food?

Thanks doc

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Propecia (finasteride 1mg) will go through an empty stomach in under an hour, but if the stomach is full of food, well that relates to the emptying time of the stomach which will vary based upon so many factors that there is no real answer to that part of your question. It will last about 24 hours in your body, dropping blood levels at about 50% for every 4-6 hours after it is absorbed. If you were to vomit, it would depend upon what you had in your stomach when you took it. An empty stomach will absorb it very quickly.

I don’t quite understand the uriniation part of your question, but you will not pass it through your kidneys as finasteride, but rather as the metabolites of that drug. Wikipedia says the excretion of finasteride is feces (57%) and urine (39%) as metabolites, but I do not how accurate that is, nor do I quite know what that means, since the drug is metabolized on its pass through the liver if it does not get absorbed as finasteride directly from the blood stream. Long story short, I don’t believe you should worry about passing it through your bladder if that was your concern.

May 20, 2008

I’m Afraid I’d Sweat Out the Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Mr. Rassman,

I am a loyal reader on your blog and would like to revert a question.

I am 26 years old using propecia since 1 year and I would say I am having good results from it, meaning my hair loss came to a stop. So far I still have most of my hair, but hairline (temple area) is still receding and I would like to tried out Minox 5% topical solution which I would rub in on my temples. Since I am Caucasian and living in a tropical country I am sweating quiet often and therefor would be afraid of sweating out all the topical solution which I would rub in.

Do you think my fears are appropriate or will Minoxidil be absorb by my scalp after a few minutes?

Thanking you in advance for your answer

best regards

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I suppose your concern is valid, but after you apply the medication to your scalp it should be absorbed fairly quickly. I don’t know exactly how sweat will affect its efficacy, but I suppose it would depend on how much you are sweating. You may consider applying it mostly at night before you sleep when the temperature is cool (assuming you’re not sweating at nights also) and in the morning after a shower.

May 20, 2008

Will Blocking DHT Make Me More Feminine? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If MPB is not about blood flow and DHT blocking blood flow causing hair loss, then what the hell is Minoxidil for? Isn’t it a vasodilator, which has to do with blood flow?

Regarding DHT…if I’m taking Propecia and/or Saw Palmetto, and DHT is essential for men and to differentiate between men and women, by blocking DHT will this cause me to have more feminine characteristics? Also, I’ve read DHT may (emphasis) affect facial and body hair growth if taken at a young age (I’m 20), but will it affect height growth, muscle growth (bodybuilding), or any other hormone related things?

Thanks, I appreciate it!

A side effect of minoxidil is that it causes hair growth. When the drug was originally released, it was an oral antihypertensive drug that did not work well, but they noticed that women grew mustaches and beards from systemic use. The connection between being a vasodilator has nothing to do with its hair growth side effect.
Blocking DHT will not make you more feminine. Propecia will not make you feminine. You are asking questions about your medication management and I can not take those questions on without being your doctor. Discuss these with your prescribing physician.

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May 20, 2008

Propecia Has Halted My Hair Loss Since 1997 – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Just wanted to let you know been on propecia since 1997 and it has totally halted my hairloss. So you are right get on it right away and stay on it.

Thank you for the sharing of information. It seems from all the emails I receive patients are so focused on the small possibility of the side effects of Propecia that they often lose sight of why they are taking the medication. Only about one to two percent of men will have a negative sex drive side effect.

May 20, 2008

Has Propecia Turned My Semen Brown? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr Rassman

Your site is a fantastic resource for men suffering from ongoing hair loss. Based on your advice and other research I have conducted, I have been using a combination regimen of Propecia and Minoxidil with some success over the last year, and as yet have noticed no significant side effects.

But recently I have experienced two instances of discoloured semen on Propecia. Rather than the usual milky white colour, on two occasions in the last 6 months my semen has turned a dark brown colour. On both occasions I stopped the Propecia and the colour returned to normal after about 2 weeks. I then started the regimen again but the same thing happened after around 6 months. Again I stopped the medication and the discoloration stopped.

Could you give me some advice on this? It would seem that the Propecia is having some effect on the prostate and causing bleeding of some kind to discolor the semen. Is this a common side-effect of Propecia or Finasteride, and most importantly, is it safe for me to continue taking the drug?

Many thanks

I do not know why your semen is changing colors. You need to go to your doctor or a urologist for a good history and examination. The issues is not about how safe it is to take Propecia. The issue is about finding an underlying, undiagnosed medical problem you are now aware of. Please see your doctor.

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May 20, 2008

Does Propecia Block 100% of DHT? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My question is if Propecia blocks DHT, does it block 100% of DHT?

Thanks.

No. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) blocks around 60-70% of DHT at the hair level. The varying numbers depend on the source.

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May 19, 2008

Hair Loss InformationHair Loss After Using Lye Hair Relaxer – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello,

I am a 26 year old black male and I recently put an s-curl in my hair. I have since cut it out, but now they are patches that aren’t growing as fast as others and some are even bald. Will these go away with time? Or should I see a doctor?

No more LYE for me!

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S-curl I’d never heard of this “S-curl” style, so I had to look it up. Assuming I’m not the only one that didn’t know what it is, here’s a description from Wikipedia —
Depending upon the strength of the application, an “S-curl” hairstyle has hair texture either only slightly less kinky than natural tightly coiled African hair. Similar to a woman’s permanent, an S-curl is applied using relaxers containing lye, and, like a jheri curl, requires continued use of specialized shampoos and conditioners to keep the chemically altered hair from becoming dry, hard, and brittle.

The relaxer contains lye, which is known to kill hair if it gets below the skin edge into the hair follicle. However, even if you use a “no lye” relaxer, you still need to use it with caution (see FDA warning). The products that soften the stiff and kinky nature of African hair often have significant limitations on their applications, so be sure to read the insert and the warnings on the packaging. Patches of balding areas may signify damage caused below the skin edge into the hair follicle itself. This type of damage may not disappear. See a good doctor!

May 19, 2008

Reader Wants Everyone to Know That People Do Lie! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a firm believer that Finasteride works, and works well! I always question people on these forums who say otherwise. An analogous case in point. I was looking at this bodybuilding forum recently talking about this Arnold Schwarzenegger Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, and people were saying some negative things about it. I use it as my bible so to speak, and I can promise it works, regardless of people who says it didn’t help them gain any muscle — they didn’t try hard enough. That said, people reading this should know that other people say all sorts of crazy stuff and lie, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Sorting through all of the BS on the Internet can be a difficult task. Sometimes it just comes down to plain old common sense. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you think a secret “miracle hair cure” is going to be available off the Internet for the low, low price of $100, you’ve most likely just flushed that $100 down the toilet. Look for proof, not for fantasy.

And to add to the point you were making, people need to also remember that many claims found on the Internet are unsubstantiated. For example, just because Joe Schmo says that a medication made his hair fall out and his fingertips turn black doesn’t mean it really even happened!

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May 19, 2008

People Who Start Balding Will Go Bald Within 7-10 Years? – Balding Blog

I am currently in St.Kitts (caribbean) and I take proscar for my hair loss problem. Because it is hot here, I don’t want to leave the tablets in my room because I fear that they will get too hot and possibly go bad. Is it ok to put the pills in the fridge and keep them cool or will they also go bad?

Another thing, I have been losing hair since I was 18/19 and I am 25 now and I have relatively thick hair still. I am of East Indian decent but have lived my whole life in the USA, My temples have receded, but in pictures they still look good and it looks as if I still have a straight hairline. The crown is thikcker than the front but a little bit of thinning. My question is, I usually notice that people who have started balding, on average, if they are not taking any medication or doing anything about their baldness they tend to go bald within 7-10 yrs. So, around the 6 yr mark (which I am at) a person who is balding and not taking any propecia/rogain they should be noticeable bald and have a distinct balding pattern. As for me I am not at that stage yet so does that mean that I will not get completely bald and that propecia will let me keep my hair for a longer period?

Thank-you for your time and keep up the good work. Take Care Dr.

The official FDA recommendation is that finasteride (Propecia or Proscar) be stored at room temperature, between 59-86 degrees F (15-30 degrees C). Be sure that they are kept in a sealed, airtight container as the humidity where you live can get into the bottle. If you are cutting up the Proscar, do not cut more than one pill at a time or the humidity will damage the cut pills if they sit out too long without the protective coating.

As for your other question, the 7-10 years that you see is just a coincidence, as everyone balds at a different rate according to their genetic code (which can not be read). I can’t tell you what your future will be with regard to balding.

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May 19, 2008

My Husband Hit His Head on a Concrete Floor and Now Has a Bald Spot – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

In mid-feb, my husband was wrestling with a friend in our living room. His friend picked him up and accidently slammed him on the concete floor. My husband’s head hit the floor and he had a huge bump on his head. The swealling went down but he still has a bald spot there. Will his hair ever grow back?

I would expect that the hair will grow back within 6 months (or less) from time of the injury.

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