Category: Drugs (Cause Hair Loss)

As a young man I value my hair very much, both scalp and facial hair. My facial hair hasn’t yet become a full out beard but I see new hairs sprouting on my face soon after every shave, my question is will the use of Finasteride cause my facial hair to stop thickening and developing into a full beard? I would hope that I wouldn’t need to choose between my facial hair and scalp hair but frankly the scalp would win every time.

Well, I’ve never gotten a report about Propecia-related problems with facial hair development from a patient. With that said, anything is possible, but if it did happen to you, you could (I suspect) stop the drug and get the full beard growth return. I don’t know how young of a man you are, but some men just do not grow full facial hair due to genetics, unrelated to any medication they may or may not take.

I recently saw a doctor about my problem of excessive shedding several months after finasteride therapy has started. He told me that around the 11th to 16th week, there can be sudden shedding, sometimes on a massive scale. The entire phenomenon fits the description of a telogen effluvium. In the case of finasteride use, the telogen effluvium appears to be a reaction to the sudden change in the systemic levels of the sex hormone, DHT.

First, I would want to examine you, do a hair pull test and map out your hair for miniaturization, as I typically do. I am not doubting that this could be a case of telogen effluvium (TE), but over the internet, the diagnosis by me can not be made. If you are impacted by finasteride, stopping it is an option.

The loss of hair on an acute basis may be a TE and that would explain a large amount of hair loss between the 11th and 16th week, but the cause of TE is often mysterious.

hello, i used steroids for bodybuilding for about 3 years i basically abused them. my question is i noticed hair loss torwards the end so i came off immideatly, i never touched steroids or any drugs since. My hair began to grow back nice and healthy within 2 months or so after i discontinued, then all of a sudden one day about 6 months later it began to thin again, why would this be?? No one in my family mum or dads side has genetic hair loss. Please Help me figure this stressful problem out.

Thank you

The steroids may have triggered genetic hair loss and you are now following through with your genetic pattern. Even though you don’t see hair loss in your immediate family, the expression of the gene can skip generations. Finasteride might be good at blocking this effect, but you should get a doctor of your own to give you a diagnosis and then treatment recommendations. This isn’t something I can do online.

Dear Doctor,

Now i’m using Finasteride for 7 months and the results are good. Hair is regrowing and i’m losing less hair then before. (average 10 hairs a day). I’m a 20 year old caucasian male.

But now I started with Minoxidil (2%). I noticed that I’m losing more hairs than before (25-30)(Only when I comb my hair!!) I’ve been using Minoxidil for 2 weeks. But I don’t know if i have to continue this procedure, because it doesn’t guarantee any regrowth and now i’m losing more hair then before… I’ve read that you can lose more hair in the beginning with minoxidil, but now i’m losing 20-30 hairs more each day(!)then normal, how will the benefits compensate that on the long term?! Continue or not continue the procedure, that’s the question!

I hope you understand my question.

I do understand your question, but you need to understand that it’s normal to lose 100+ hairs a day. 20 to 30 hairs on your comb each day shouldn’t be a cause for concern. The hair loss from minoxidil is documented for the first two months when hair cycling is accelerated. There is good science to this effect. Likely what happens is there is a “resetting” of the hair cycle as the hairs fall out to get ready for new, stronger hair to grow.

Most patients tend to stop using minoxidil because they are worried that the hair loss will continue. Some patients do continue with the minoxidil and should see the loss stop after 2-3 months as the new hair cycle takes over. It takes patience of at least 6 to 12 months of using minoxidil for benefit and at least 1 year for maximum benefit. Ultimately the decision to use it is yours.

Hello Doctor,

I recently started taking 1mg of finasteride (approximately 3-4 months ago) and I’m seeing some noticeable hair growth.

A couple days ago I started taking some adderall and noticed that it was causing my hair to shed. Since the 1mg dosage is meant for men with normal testosterone and DHT levels (and considering the fact that adderall increases testosterone plasma levels, which translates into more DHT production), would an increased dosage of finasteride negate this increase in testosterone, and thus, DHT levels?

Also, when would be appropriate time to take the finasteride so that the drug’s effect will coincide to provide maximum efficacy against the increased DHT production from the adderall? How many hours/minutes before or after taking the adderall?

Thank you

I can understand your concerns, but you need to know the basics of hair loss. Chasing DHT levels is not the answer and this medication may have a direct impact on your hair, independent of any genetic contributions. If your hair loss is genetic (otherwise known as male pattern baldness or androgenic alopecia) there is no definite cure. Drugs such as minoxidil (Rogaine) or finasteride (Propecia) do work, but they do not STOP or CURE hair loss! Results vary among individuals. And even if you regrow hair, over the course of your lifetime you will still slowly lose hair. Taking these medications will help by minimizing the hair loss.

With respect to Adderall, it may have an effect on hair loss. Even if it did, taking more finasteride will likely not help. Studies have indicated that it does not make a huge difference between taking 1mg or 5mg of finasteride (aside from higher side effect risk). In some rare cases, I have recommended 2.5mg finasteride for patients, but I’ve yet to see any gain or slowing of hair loss as of yet (likely too soon to tell). I don’t mean to sound bleak, but DHT is not the only answer to hair loss. We have not discovered the complete mechanism for the way in which the genes work at the hair growth metabolic level… yet!

I was taking Kariva for a few years for perimenopause. I quit taking it in February and for the last month or more my hair has been shedding. It fell out while I was taking it so my doctor recommended Rogaine 2%. After 2 months my hair got so much better so I tried discontinuing the Kariva. Now my hair is shedding again and I was wondering if it will last for much longer. My doctor said to give it 6 months but I may be bald by then. Should I go to a stronger Rogaine while it’s shedding from stopping the birth control pills? Thank you

Kariva (ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel) is a birth control pill that is a powerful hormone. Listen to your doctor’s advice — he/she knows more than I do about this, as I do not treat many women for birth control. If you want, you can try the over the counter extra strength Rogaine, which is 5%.

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Hi Dr. Rassman or whomever receives this message,

I’m a 24 year old South Asian male and I’ve been taking finasteride daily for over a year now to combat my early hair loss. I’ve experienced good results with regrowth around my crown and an apparent freezing of any more thinning on the top of my head.

However, I’ve recently started taking Strattera (Atomoxetine)for my ADHD (I’ve always had it, but now its starting to interfere with my daily life). Is there any possibility that this could interfere with the effectiveness of the finasteride (I take Finpecia)? What about other ADHD drugs like Adderall or methylphenidate or even high amounts of caffeine?

Thanks for your time

There are many reports by individuals on the web that reflect hair loss in association with Strattera and Adderall. I would discuss these issues and concerns with your prescribing doctor.

If the hair loss problem is not related to DHT (which I believe is the case with these drug side effects), I would not expect DHT blockers such as finasteride to help… unless there is some genetic cause.