Category: Drugs

Hi Doctor Rassman. Thanks for this very informative blog. My question is: Do you personally take propecia? and if so, for how long? Be honest about it lol

Although I’ve written in older blog entries that I took the medication, I actually do not take Propecia at this time. I used it for years starting when it first came out, but at my age I did not think I had progressing hair loss and eventually realized that the drug would not be too valuable to me. I know I’ve said that you run the risk of “catch-up” hair loss when stopping Propecia, but I did not believe that I benefited from the drug and the decision appeared to be correct when I did not lose hair after stopping it. I had no libido problems on the medication, though.

One of my sons takes Propecia daily and it clearly stopped his frontal hair loss, and in fact, he was the exception to the rule as it did regrow some frontal hair in the area that was heavily miniaturized. Frontal regrowth isn’t a common occurrence in most patients.

I had a casual conversation with a dermatologist recently, who suggested that taking Propecia in the morning might not be the best idea given I drink around 4 (on rare occasion 5) cups of coffee every morning. The dermatologist said that, generally speaking coffee/tea reduces the absorption effectiveness of finasteride and many other drugs.

Otherwise, he stated that mornings are generally a good time to take medication. He further suggested that 1-2 cups of coffee would be less problematic. Any thoughts on this suggestion?

There are some suggestions I’ve read about on the web that point to some decreased absorption with coffee or alcohol because of the increased frequency of urination… but there’s no certain connection that I know of between drinking coffee and Propecia absorption. You should be fine with the coffee, but grapefruits have been shown to decrease finasteride’s absorption.

Hi i had a question about propecia. I used this (generic Finasteride) for nearly a year, however i never had any regrowth of hair. I seemed to maintain my hair to an extent, but i still was thinning. I’m curious do you think the medication was stopping my hairloss from progressing or is it more likely that the propecia just was not doing anything and i was buying more pills in fear of losing my hair? I stopped taking it for about a few weeks now and I’m not too sure if the hairloss that will continue from here is going to be from lack of medication or just the medication didnt work?

It was likely that the Propecia (or generic equivalent) was keeping your hair loss from progressing. Not everyone will see regrowth, but just halting the loss is considered effective. If you stop taking the medication, you should expect to see the loss continue in a few months time. If you don’t see more hair loss within a year, then you’ll have your answer.

It doesn’t sound like you had any kind of exam before or during your treatment, so I really don’t know how you can compare the before and after results. You’re taking a gamble by stopping the medication, but it is ultimately your call to make.

Hello Doc. I was wondering if long term use of benadryl could cause hair loss or hair thinning. I usually take two 25 mg tablets before i go to bed. Sometimes I take three. Also, could taking a large dosage of benadryl have any adverse effects on hair? I was wondering this because i accidentally took two doses(total of 4 25mg pills)in the span of an hour. This is a really great website. Thanks.

I’ve not heard of any connection between Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and hair loss. Antihistamines like diphenhydramine are not known to cause any kind of hair loss, even at higher dosages. There could always be exceptions, but I doubt you’ll see a problem.

Recently restarted Propecia on Dr. Bernstein’s advice. After one week, pulling out crown hair takes as much effort as hair in the permanent zone. Previously crown hair would come out with the slightest of force. Now it really hurts to pull crown hair like permanent zone hair. Does this mean it is working? Pity is, not much crown hair is left.

It probably means that the Propecia is working, though it might be a bit late for you though. I have reports from patients that have started the medication and saw their hair loss stop cold in just a few weeks. My advice — stop pulling on your hair.

Hi Doc,
I am a Canadian and will be in Los Angeles in two weeks time. Would you be able to prescribe me Proscar even though I am not a U.S. citizen? Is there a cost to visit you for a prescription and miniaturization mapping??

First, we should set you up with an appointment to be sure I can get you in on the day you want to come in. You can contact my office at 800-NEW-HAIR (or 310-553-9113). The consultation is free and includes a mapping of your scalp for miniaturization. If I prescribe medication, there is a $85 (USD) fee. The prescriptions can generally be filled in the US and most Canadian pharmacies recognize an American doctor’s prescription.

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Hi doc,
First I appreciate you on providing expert level suggestions to people all around the world. I think it is really helpful for many patients. I am on Finax (Dr Reddys) for the past month taking daily 1mg at night. I have two questions:

1. I am very much tempted to take alcohol on weekend nights and skip the pills for those days to be on the safer side, and continue on the weekdays. I want to know whether I will get the benefit of the medication or it will slow down the effects?
2. Can I take the pills in the morning during breakfast even if I am on drinks in the nights, does it also effect the medication?

Please help me in understanding my concerns. Thanks in Advance!

I think you’re under the impression that alcohol cancels out the effects of finasteride, but that simply isn’t the case. There’s no adverse reaction to taking alcohol and taking finasteride on the same day. If you want to give in to your temptation of drinking alcohol on the weekend nights, it is not for me to judge or to advise you on. I wouldn’t down a bottle of booze with Propecia (or the generic Finax), but having both on the same day won’t make the finasteride ineffective.

I prefer to take the medication in the morning, but you can take the medication at any time of the day or night. Just take it every day.