Month: May 2009

I am anaphylactic to dairy, and I noticed that in the ingredients of Propecia and Proscar it contains Lactose. Is it safe for me to take this medication, or should it be avoided at all costs? I have had other medications in the past that contained Lactose. All of my research indicates that medication in the form of the pill is usually unlikely to lead to an allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock.

But if I am unable to to take this medication would you have any other recomendations as to what I could possibly due in order to prevent my receding hairline, or slow down the process.

Thanks.

I have never heard of anaphylaxis in association with Propecia, but if you are concerned about it, I found the following site which might educate you in the symptoms of this life emergency — common causes of anaphylaxis

I am not your doctor so I will not be able to make recommendations as I have not examined you, and it would be a blind process for me to get directly involved in your health.

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Just a quick question. I read on a previous post that a rare known side effect of Propecia is the reduction of body hair. Will this hair grow back after Propecia has been stopped?

If Propecia caused a loss of body hair, when you stop the medication the body hair should return.

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Greetings
I’m a bit confused as I’m planning to start using Proscar ( cut into 4 parts) to treat my male pattern hairloss. I’ve read that some people cuz they can’t cut the pill in the same size let’s say (1.25, 1.50…etc) so there’s no stability in the size of the pills, they said they faced shedding… is that right? and what to do in that case

There is no real scientific way to answer this question. My opinion is that the small daily variations should not make a difference if you cut a 5mg finasteride pill (Proscar) into 4 parts compared to the 1mg pre-made finasteride pill (Propecia).

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are rogaine and propecia chemical based or herbal? will long term exposure to these oils have drastic effect on one’s kidneys? kindly let me know if these oils will stop hairfall or enhance growth,or the efeect will be only as long as one continues its use? i am just 24 years old, and a male. i am afraid i am shedding hair.i just want to be forearmed. that is all. thank you in advance for your advice.

Nope. Neither minoxidil nor Propecia are herbal medications, although finasteride (Propecia) was discovered in the Amazon rainforest amongst natives who showed problems with penis development and hermaphroditism. Yes, strange but true.

I don’t know of any link between Rogaine (minoxidil), Propecia (finasteride), and kidney problems. The benefits of either medication will disappear if you discontinue use. The reports of shedding are highly overrated by a small number of individuals on the internet and the shedding is not reported to last more than a couple of months. It should not produce any significant balding (just increased cycling of the hair).

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First I want to thank you for this wonderful site which is really interesting and a genuine source of information about androgenetic alopecia. I am from latinoamerica and its really difficult here to find any good information about this.

I have read that you have a lot of patients who have been taking Finasteride for over a decade and succeeded in maintaining most of their hair. My question is: do these people still (today) maintain their hair, almost 12 years later?

There are many men who have been taking Propecia (finasteride) and have maintained their hair for the 12 years it has been on the market. And some for even longer than that. Propecia itself has been available since 1997, but the drug finasteride was being prescribed for off-label use (it was a prostate treatment initially) for years prior to that to treat hair loss… much in the same way Avodart (dutasteride) has been.

It’s really unique for each patient, though. Will you retain all of your results for the next dozen years if you take the medication? I have no idea.

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i’m a norwood 2ish 28yr old wondering is propecia would work for me. i’m perfectly ok with where my hairline is at currently, but don’t want my widows peak going any deeper. my dermatologist gave a script for propecia without much of an examination. i’ve read several things about shedding, and propecia not working on the hairline that have scared me away from actually getting my script filled. i guess my two questions are, can propecia keep my hairline where it is at if i’m a good responder? and if i experience a shed, is it something that can be cosmetically significant?

Propecia is not known to work on the hairline or reverse hair loss on the hairline (it happens in extremely rare cases). Without an examination (especially a miniaturization study) I really cannot tell you that if you are even a candidate for Propecia, as we need a diagnosis. You may not be balding! Do not let your fear of balding dictate your treatment.

With regard to Propecia shedding, I have only rarely seen or heard about this, mostly on comments here on the BaldingBlog and on other hair forums. I am virtually certain that this phenomenon is blown out of proportion and I would doubt that when it appears, it would be cosmetically significant.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Your blog has been an absolutely indispensable resource for me in the last month, and I can’t thank you enough!

I am a 30 year-old male, and I recently noticed that my hairline in the front and sides has receded about a centimeter or two past what is considered the normal hairline (according to one of your previous posts). I went to a dermatologist and she confirmed that there was in fact some slight recession at the temples (beyond what is the mature hairline), and also some very slight thinning on top. She did this all by sight, and did not have a densitometer in her office (nor did she claim to use one). She then prescribed Propecia, and I have been taking it religiously for the past month.

I also had my hair mapped out during a free consultation at the Philadelphia Hair Club. The woman who examined my scalp pointed out that I had some very early miniaturization at different points on my head (top, crown), and even some in the permanent zone on the back of my head (which she said was probably due to stress). I honestly can’t remember if she noticed any miniaturization beyond my front hairline and temple prominences.

My father is 60 years old and is somewhere between a 5 & 6 on the Norwood scale. (Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about my paternal grandfather as my father was adopted.) My maternal grandfather was somewhere between a Norwood 6/7 when he passed away at age 85, and my maternal uncle is currently at about a Norwood 3 (vertex) at the age of 50. I don’t know if this is important, but I do resemble my uncle quite a bit in terms of appearance and body type.

If I am a good responder to Propecia, how long do you think I will be able to cheat mother nature and keep most of what I have right now (which is still a hell of a lot)?

Thank you.

If you’re a good responder, Propecia (or perhaps a future medication somewhere down the line) could help retain the hair you have for as long as you take it. The potential is there. Some men report seeing their hair loss pick up around the 5 year mark, but I’ve got patients that have taken it for well beyond that and their hair still looks great. It’s really not something I could guess about, but if you keep your fingers crossed…