Category: Drugs (Cause Hair Loss)

I am a 20-year-old male and just began Propecia about a week ago. I have been looking and feeling my hair a ton since I began the drug. To me, it seems almost as if my hair is worse after starting it? My crown feels thinner to the touch and my hairline seems a little more sparse. I have two questions for you.

1) Is it possible that Propecia can make my hairline and crown thinner rather than help?
2) If so is it possible that it could have done it in a week?

Thank you for your reply

While there have been some rare complaints from people that say they have shedding since starting Propecia, I would doubt that something this severe occurs in a week. You should follow up with your prescribing doctor.

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Hello. I have a 19 year old son who is an actor and his hair is thinning so much we can see his scalp. He takes singulair and advair for asthma and I was wondering if you know if any of these could be a cause. My husbands’ side of the family has a lot of bald men as well as his mom’s brothers. Not my family so much, except my mom and sis have pretty thin hair. He is really worried as he is an upcoming actor. Propecia is so expensive…Is there anyway to get it cheaper and how would one know if stress is the cause..Applying to colleges was very stressful and being a freshman as well. I know he could eat better and have told him to take vitamins. I just don’t know how to help him! Would appreciate any advice..

Genetic balding in men is commonly known as androgenic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern baldness (MPB). It does not matter if the mother or father or grandparents had a full head of hair. It does not always follow a specific family tree pattern. Keep in mind that even if you have hair loss, it does not necessarily mean you will go completely bald. It varies for many men. While there is no cure for AGA/MPB, there are medications and surgery which can help. As far as over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, shampoos, or other products, they promise a cure but they often fall way short. Consumers will spend millions if not billions each year on such promises of hair growth. In the end, even proven medical and surgical treatments have limitations.

I highly doubt asthma medications (Singulair, etc) or stress has much to do with your son’s hair thinning. If your son (not you) is bothered by the thinning, he should see a physician to discuss his options, such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg). Propecia is a brand name drug that is relatively expensive because of its U.S. Patent protection. Propecia is the only FDA approved oral medication for the treatment of AGA/MPB. Since Propecia is under patent protection, generic finasteride in 1mg strength is not available in the United States; however, generic finasteride in 5mg strength is. As such, in the interest of finances, some patients (after discussion with their physician) may choose to have a prescription of finasteride in 5mg strength and break it up in the equivalent dose as Propecia. Ideally this would be breaking up the pill in 5 pieces, but that is not practical and most patients break it up in 4 pieces.

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Dear Dr Rassman,

I’m 23 yrs male. My hair was thinning and growing very slowly. I’ve been on Generic Dutasteride (Dutas) for exactly 2 years now. I’ve had very good results and my grows really fast. I’m not sure if I’m experiencing side effect or am I just stressed because of money problems. My sex drive and erection is not strong as I would like it to be, but this could also be natural right? So I’m not sure if they are side effects.

I want to switch to Generic Propecia now and just hope my sex drive and erection would be strong as I would like it to be. But I’m worried that if I switch to Propecia, I might start losing hair. I just wanted to know your opinion on what you would do if you was in my place? Thanks

I really don’t know why you are having erection problems. While dutasteride can possibly cause erection problems, if you have been taking it for 2 years without problems I doubt the medication is the cause. I would consult with your doctor for a complete examination. Also keep in mind, dutasteride will last several months in your body (possibly up to a year) if you stop taking it.

If you are asking for my advice on what will happen if you switch from dutasteride to Propecia, I don’t have a clear answer for you. Dutasteride blocks more DHT than finasteride, so you might see some difference there. All of this points to the fact you need to be followed by a physician who can follow your specific issues and give you objective and accurate recommendations. I’m not your doctor and I’m just making general observations.

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I looked up Minoxidil on Mayo Clinic’s web site, and it said a side effect was hair loss. Seems a bit contradictory, ay?

The use of minoxidil may promote hair cycling. If it does, the initial stage could be hair loss, but that will go away in 2-3 months and the anagen cycle starts up.

thanks for your time.
I am a twenty year old male and I have been on Propecia for about 15 months. Around the 8th or 9th month the drug seemed to be working well, for i noticed much less hair loss. Yet also around that time, i began to take creatine monohydrate, and i saw a decrease in the effectiveness of the Propecia. I was on the creatine for 3 months, and after i noticed its negative effects, i immediately stopped taking it. Now, on my fifteenth month, I am not seeing much effect from Propecia as i did 6 months ago. My question to you regarding my real concern is if the Propecia will gain effectiveness in the next months, if ever? Or have I harmed my chances of regrowth with the taking of the creatine monohydrate?

You may have harmed your hair. Propecia will not pick up the pieces here and save you, but you will now have a new baseline to go from. So yes, Propecia should gain effectiveness in the coming months from your new baseline. I have discussed creatine before (see Creatine and Hair Loss).