Category: Drugs

hello, i recently started propecia and minoxidil tablets one each daily. here in japan doctor said minoxidil tablet is ok, but i read on internet it is only for heart problem. is it ok to take it for my hair loss? thank you very much

Without seeing the patient in person for my own assessment and examination, I do not usually like to override another doctor’s opinion since they may have their own reasoning for giving a particular recommendation.

But in this case, I disagree with taking oral minoxidil tablets (also known as Loniten) for treating hair loss.

Perhaps you misheard your doctor or were confused by the instructions. Oral minoxidil is a blood pressure lowering medication. Topical minoxidil is a hair loss treatment. Propecia is an oral hair loss treatment you can take (with a doctor’s prescription).

Doctor, I’ve been using propecia now for 17months, it’s going well the hair on the crown has definitely thickened up a bit..

My question is, when does propecia peak? Is what I have now the best I’ll get?

Most people notice the full effects of Propecia at about 12 to 24 months. You must also understand that hair loss is a dynamic process and you may notice hair loss despite being on Propecia.

More importantly, you must also understand that if you stop taking Propecia your results will fade away (also known as catch-up hair loss).

Can propecia cause platelets in the blood to lower. My platelet count was 125 and my doctor said its not anything to worry about. I know the normal range is 150-450.

please help doctor

I would listen to your doctor. I do not believe Propecia has anything to do with low platelet counts, but I did find a case report from 2002 in the medical literature that mentioned it. I haven’t seen more cases mentioned in the 12 years following the report, so I’d expect if finasteride does cause low platelet counts, then it is very rare.

Dear doctor,
There has been few questions troubling me concerning taking propecia.

1) Is there a chance that it could make hairloss even worse than without taking it? (and what exactly people mean by term shedding because of propecia)

2) My doctor and parents are worried because of a bad effect on the liver. How serious is that? What do you think of it?

Thanks

1. Propecia a drug that is prescribed by a doctor after you had an exam that confirmed a diagnosis for androgenic alopecia (also known as male pattern baldness). It is a drug that slows down and sometimes reverses the hair loss process. If taking this drug will make hair loss worse, it would not be recommended by a doctor. Having said that, if your genetic predisposition is so overwhelming and you are destined to be a bald man, the drug will not have a significant benefit. In other words, you may still lose hair despite taking the medication. It is not the medication that makes it worse.

2. In general all drugs are either metabolized by the liver or kidney. Propecia does not cause liver damage, but if your parents and doctors are worried, then you should resolve that issue (valid or not) with your doctor and parents.

Hi Doc,

Had a question about finasteride…after all the scary stories, decided to take the plunge either way as hair transplants are not in my budget and am fairly young…been on it for 1.5 years now with great success (no regrowth but have seemed to stop at a norwood 3, and I was going pretty fast lol).

Anyways my question is this, do the drugs side effects increase with time, I mean by the looks of it until something better comes out, ppl have to be on this drug indefinitely ..if they want to maintain…and there are ppl like spencer kobren whose been on it for 20 years with great success…my question for you is do you personally have any patients who have been on the drug for such a long period of time, and if so how was their continued success/side effect profile

At the moment I am happy, stopped the hairloss and I decided to go with the science and not the crazy over blown stories on the net..but then again i’m paranoid too ,, you hear about people who had been on it for 6 years…great success no side effects and then boom after 6 years they are claiming ED, pain in the groin, shrinkage god knows what not…what are your thoughts?

Side effects from any drugs (including Propecia) usually are seen in the beginning and not after 20 years, but it is possible. I have seen many patients over the years and I do not recall anyone off hand who suddenly had a side effect after years of use.

If you don’t have side effect with a medication then leave it alone. If you think you have a side effect, speak with your doctor to make sure it is indeed a side effect and not an unrelated medical condition. In your case, I would just continue to enjoy the benefits of your halted hair loss.

Dear Drs Rassman & Pak,

I’m 34 years old, white male with dark brown hair. I have been on propecia since age 29 for a thinning crown. My current results are in the photos attached. Results have been excellent, substantial reversal and the hair fall when I touched or washed. My hair ceased. I would like to know if you think adding rogaine would give even some minimal improvement in thickness and/or crown coverage, or if adding minoxidil could be harmful and damage my Finasteride results. I am aware of the compliance issues.

Thank you very much, any advice greatly appreciated. You may post these photos.

 

The photos you sent were basically the same, so I opted to just post one of them. The photo doesn’t really show me much, since I don’t know what I’m comparing it to. Lighting and hair style could play a role in what I’m seeing.

As I’m sure you know, Rogaine is an over-the-counter medication for treating hair loss. While some people have noted an initial shedding they experience, I would think if Rogaine harms the hair it would not last or be sold in the free market. If you want to add it to your regimen to treat hair loss, it is your prerogative. You can also discuss this options with your doctor. Many patients use both Propecia and Rogaine, and there should be no problem with using both if you have the time and commitment to each for a lifetime.

It would be ideal if you can have some baseline measurements such as a bulk measurement value or even a miniaturization study to document what you are treating or how effective the treatment is.

Hello, I am looking to use rogaine to regrow my hair. But before i use this product i have a history of heart palpitations and have had two episodes of atrial fib. I am 30 years old and am otherwise very healthy. the doctors never found anything wrong with my body to be causing atrial fib. my question is, can i use rogaine? and if not what can i use otherwise to stop my hair loss and regrow my hair

Thank you

Minoxidil (Rogaine) can cause heart palpitations on rare occasions, but with your history of cardiac issues, I suspect that your doctor can better advise you about whether it’ll be safe for you to use it. Please ask this question to your doctor.

I think you would be better off asking your doctor about Propecia (finasteride) to treat your hair loss. It is a prescription medication, and it doesn’t have the heart-related side effect risks.

1- is it good to use minoxidil after my scalp pores are opened by steam (should I use it after I take a hot shower)?

2- what is the best thing I could do to make minoxidil work faster and more effective?

thanks

1. In my opinion, hot showers or steam do not matter as long as you use the minoxidil as directed (twice a day).

2. The best thing to make a medication work is to use it as directed. One small study suggested that using a microneedling instrument before applying minoxidil did help some men see greater results, but I don’t have much direct experience with this method. You can read more about that study here.

Hello! I’m 27 years old. I’ve been taking Propecia on and off since I was 20 years of age. When I say on and off, I mean that it’s not always every day. I have had times where I was lazy and didn’t refill it for a week or two at a time. Sometimes I forget to take the pill every day. Sometimes I purposely take it every other day. I probably refill my 30 day pill bottle once every two months, on average. In October of 2009, I actually didn’t take it for about 4 weeks straight.

I know, I’m sure you’ll say it’s silly that I’m doing this (and I’d likely agree!). My question is this: If I were to stop taking it completely, is it likely I’d experience much loss as a direct result of stopping? I still have a good amount of hair (although a hairline that is back about 1 inch from when I was a teenager). I know that if people stop taking Propecia, they’ll lose any hair they have gained on the medicine…BUT since my usage is so spotty, and sometimes I only take it once every 2 or 3 days, is it likely that my hair loss might be minimal because my hair gain might also have been minimal thanks to my random usage of it?

If you don’t take medication (any medication) as directed, then it will not work as it is meant to work. If you are taking Propecia every 2 to 3 days a week when it is meant to be taken 7 days a week, it will not be much benefit. You might as well not take it. It probably isn’t doing much for your hair loss or hair gain. It probably is more of a psychological treatment.