I was impressed with the product used in this study. I don’t know if it is available in the US
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hirotaka_Suga/publication/274396959_Hair_Regeneration_Treatment_Using_Adipose-Derived_Stem_Cell_Conditioned_Medium_Follow-up_With_Trichograms/links/56a5630208ae1b6511329ed1/Hair-Regeneration-Treatment-Using-Adipose-Derived-Stem-Cell-Conditioned-Medium-Follow-up-With-Trichograms.pdf?origin=publication_detail
Sir I have male pattern baldness. I m currently taking finisteride and applying minoxidil 5%. Sir what are your views on mesotherapy with dermaheal HL. Does it halts hairloss and stimulates regrowth?
There is no drug or treatment that “halts” hair loss. Male Pattern Balding (MPB) is a genetic trait. The only two medications that is approved or proven is Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine. Even these proven medications do not halt hair loss completely. In the end genes win out.
I have ulcerative colitis and have experienced Telogen effluvium a couple of times. I recently had a very small flare up and my Dr. put me on mesamaline enemas. I have been on them for about a month and noticed that my hair is falling out….this can’t be because of extreme blood loss or anything because I haven’t had that with the UC. Does mesamaline enemas cause hair loss. Secondly, with TE, the hair loss happens for about 5 months, when a med causes hair loss will the hair loss stop immediately when i quit the drug? Thank you
There is a remote connection between mesalamine and hair loss. “Slight hair loss” is listed as a rare side effect from this medication. See the full list of possible side effects here. Looking at the potency of this medication in impacting rapidly growing cells, I am not surprised to expect such a relationship. Your ulcerative colitis in itself will cause hair loss when it is active in the form of telogen effluvium.
Hey Doc,
I came across a interesting article recently related to Merck, I thought I would pass it your way. It’s about Merck creating a doctor “hit list” for doctors who were against prescribing there medications.
Vioxx maker Merck and Co drew up doctor hit list
I wanted to get your thoughts. Thanks
Clearly, the facts that will be presented at trial will reflect the truth of any claims. I’d like to see the outcome before I render an opinion.
2009-05-13 08:34:152009-05-12 11:42:41Merck’s Vioxx Doctor Hit List
Hi from England.
It was mentioned on this blog that no reputable company would infringe on the patent Merck has for 1mg finasteride. However, this is irrelevant because if the drug is made abroad (e.g. by Cipla in India)the patent only applies to the process used to make the drug.
1mg Finasteride is 1mg Finasteride. Truth be told, Merck are ripping people off, and all for a brand name. I’m currently taking a reputable “generic” and my hair is improving after 5 months. Ah the wonders of the free global market.
Like I said, 1mg Finasteride is 1mg Finasteride.
I allowed the comments about Merck, because they reflect a view that may or may not be correct. Patents generally extend to the markets where the patented products are sold. I can not comment on the finasteride patent, for I don’t have an answer for you. As representatives from Merck do read this blog regularly, maybe someone from within the company would send me an email and I would either post it or reflect upon the content in it without posting the full communication.
I am not a lawyer and would have to review all of their documents in detail to render a layman’s opinion, something that will not add value to you or your question.
Dear Dr Rassman,
According a study done on behalf of Merck, patients treated with 0.2 mg finasteride showed approximately an increase of 61 hairs versus an increase of 77 hairs in 1 inch square treated with 1 mg of finasteride over the 6 month period. So can we say that taking 0.5 mg of finasteride may yield nearly the same results with 1 mg treatment
You are correct. We have known about this for many years (and have reported it here), though the standard dose is 1mg. For those who have unwanted side effects, taking 1/2 of the standard dose of Propecia should be considered, which we have been advising for many years.* Some of the original studies suggest that 1/2 the dose can be 80% as effective as the full dose and 1/4 of the dose could be half as effective as the full dose.
The original Merck study wanted to know the best and most effective dose, and the statistical data suggested 1mg. This was across a large population and if you assume that there is a bell curve, there is a wide range of responses. That also may mean that as many people as impacted by 1/2 the dose with 80% effectiveness, one might see that a sizable proportion of the population may require a higher dose than 1mg. When we see the response fall off, or a poor response, we are now recommending doubling the dose provided that the side effects do not appear.
*As always, discuss any changes to your prescription medication dosing with your prescribing doctor.
I know you guys know about the MEP-90 laser and its manufacturer MidwestRF, I was looking around on the internet and I found something rather interesting.I found a page that goes somewhat in depth about the methodology as to how the MEP-90 received its clearance.
Apparently the MEP-90 study wasn’t double blinded and the the only explanation that the report gave was this: “However, a sham/placebo study is not applicable to the long term required treatment of female androgenic alopecia because too many variations exist that would make it unfeasible to run a large number of experiments and it would constitute unethical treatment of the subjects.”
Interesting considering that the Hairmax lasercomb recently recently received clearance for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in females by use of a double blinded study. This report also stated that Midwest RF has been manufacturing hair lasers since 1999 but all records I could find indicate that the only thing they manufactured were MRI components. It’s also interesting to note that for some reason this company received stimulus funds why I have no idea. Here is a link to the report: here.
tell me what you or someone familiar with clinical trials thinks about it.
I generally do not trust clinical studies that are not double blinded, or have researchers with something to gain from the results. Most studies in the low level light area have failed to prove that there is a scientific result that is clearly positive.
I’m not a laser expert by any means, so I’ll defer to our readers that have more experience with this.
Basically it’s all in my head and I’m really struggling with it. I’ve been on 0.5mg of Finasteride for about 7 months, I have my ups and downs but it’s worked wonders for my hair.
When I started I couldn’t get a hard on during sex, id wake up with morning wood so I know it’s not a physical issue but a mental one. that led me to stop taking fin for about 10 days.
I hopped back on, and I had a great mentality I just took it on got on with my day no sexual problems at all. But then I started to overthink things and my brain got the better off me, now I’m back to square one, I wake up with morning wood, and I even get hard during sex but it can never stay because it’s constantly on my mind during sex I can’t think of anything else apart from if I’m not going to be able to get it up.
Is this anxiety? And has anyone suffered from this?
It’s getting to the point where I’m thinking of coming off Finasteride, but I really like what it’s done for my hair. Any advice would be great.
It sounds like your physiology is working well; however, psychologically, you can talk yourself into anything. I always tell my patients that if I told then that if they breathed the air in my office and I told them that they would be impotent that night, they would be. Young men are easily influenced by much of what is published on these forums and it can be significant enough that they may not be candidates for finasteride.
2020-06-22 03:04:152020-06-23 15:22:38Mental and libido issues with finasteride, are they real?
Hello,
I recently purchased an issue of mens health and they were discussing shampoos for various hair types. They listed Bosley Professional Strength Nourishing shampoo as their shampoo of choice for thinning hair. The website for Bosley describes the shampoo as saying:Gentle, sulfate-free cleanser that helps to recondition hair and rejuvenate the scalp. Cleanses and removes toxins such as DHT, a primary cause of thinning hair and hair loss, from the hair and scalp. LifeXtend complex contains Saw Palmetto extract to help promote healthy follicles. Pentapeptides help stimulate production of root-strengthening Keratin Protein. Soy Amino Acids help restore strength, thickness and volume. Vegetable Protein helps fortify hair shafts. Plankton Extract helps protect from photo-aging, frequent washing & damage from brushing.
Is there any benefit to purchasing this shampoo for around 20 bucks a bottle or is everything claimed false. Thanks!
The claims are extensive and suggestive, and the various elements in the shampoo have never been proven to treat thinning hair any better than other shampoos. If Men’s Health feels that the Bosley Pro is a good shampoo, it may be worth a try… but I truly doubt that it will treat hair loss in the way that balding men may hope.
Also, I have no idea if this was just a paid product placement or if there is some study the magazine conducted that lead them to the conclusion they made.
Okay, so let’s face it, hair loss sucks, hair loss does make a man less attractive by a noticiable amount. There’s no avoiding it. Propecia is an effective medication at stopping hair loss and regrowing hair. Is it really safe though? I have my doubts. One could say that anti propecia blogs are full of men who had problems in the first place and that most normal men wouldn’t be on these blogs in the first place. But the other day, I stumbled upon this article written by none other then Men’s Health magazine. Here is the link.
The full article is not available online but the first page does a good job of describing what the article will talk about. Now Men’s Health is no subtle underground publication it is read by millions of men. I’m no doctor but when you block DHT by using Finasteride which also happens to alter how your endocrine system functions, things probably won’t go well, hormones are emotional regulators and DHT is a powerful male androgen. Obviously hair loss is slighty devestating at worse and dissapointing at best but is it worth sucking out the life of an increasing number of men just for hair? Men want hair to appear as if they are full of life and virility so isn’t it ironic that propecia kills that motivation for many men?
The basis for the article in Men’s Health seems to be the tale of a guy with side effects from Propecia. Then it references a study that says sexual side effects occurred in men 45 to 78 years old when taking 5mg of finasteride (to treat their prostate problems). That is 5 times the dose for treating hair loss, and the prostate problems themselves can lead to libido issues without any medication involved. The article fails to mention that.
The rest of the article is a story about a man named “Charles K”. There isn’t much science here, but rather, a story about an unknown man.
