Category: Drugs

Dear Doctor,

I just wanted to know if there is any point of taking 5mg proscar for hairloss? From my research I think the answer is no but I have taken 5mg for last 6 weeks. I have noticed a lack of motivation and being a bit down but I am not exactly sure if they are related to taking the 5mg or due to other things in my life. Could there be any side effects for taking for the 5mg for the past 6 weeks? If I just cut down to the quarter Proscar tablet (1.25mg) will my body take long to readjust after having taking 5mg dosage?

Thanks you for your time,

Kind regards

There is no point in taking finasteride 5mg (Proscar) for treating hair loss. Aside from the increased side effect possibility, it will not work any better for hair loss. I really cannot comment on your lack of motivation and its relation to the medication. Maybe you have the holiday blues? Side effects from medications should generally reverse in about a week or two.

Doctor,

There is an established correlation between (early onset) androgenic alopecia and both cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer. Now interestingly, Propecia (more than likely) reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Since Propecia seems helpful against hair loss and against prostate cancer, could it also be helpful against the third correlate: cardiovascular disease?

At least some studies seem to consider DHT to be proatherogenic while others consider estradiol to be antiatherogenic (in men). Given the fact balding men carry an extra cardiovascular risk and prostate cancer risk, could finasteride not only reduce the risk of prostate cancer but work cardioprotective as well in this population? Unfortunately I did not find much empirical data (only one study – PMID: 12234510 – reporting a non-significant RR of 0.3). How plausible do you consider finasteride to be helpful in reducing the added CVD risk in balding (young) men?

A valid and interesting point. I honestly don’t know how plausible it is, but it is certainly a refreshing perspective from a sea of anti-Propecia campaigns and the paranoia of its side effects that I’ve been receiving via email lately.

Medications are not magic bullets. They have limitations and might not always work the way we think they should work, but there may be benefits as well as detriments (for those anti-Propecia fans) still undiscovered. After all, Propecia was an accidental discovery, but there is clearly a need to study the connection between heart disease on those men taking Propecia. Considering that many men on Propecia are young, the number of people needed for a valid study may be very high.

Hi,

Before started propecia my dht levels were normal, now after 7 months i had great results but my dht levels are 5 times higher. have any of your patients reported this? or do you know anyone who happened this?

I think it could be a reaction of my body, everyone said to me to never take propecia again, but i’m really worried about my hair loss.

thanks!

It’s great to hear you had good clinical results from Propecia. This is just a blood test, but what I want to know is — what are your testosterone levels? Usually these go up initially and they drop down to normal levels within a few months.

(female) Can I use Rogaine on my eyelashes? I know it has not been tested on eyelashes, but do the ingredients seem harmful, or simply not yet approved for that purpose? Also, what about using Rogaine on my eyebrows?

Rogaine (minoxidil) is an irritant and if you use it around the eye and accidentally get it into the eye, you could be in for problems. I would think that the use of minoxidil in any form would not be a good thing to do for eyelashes. The new eyelash growth medication is Latisse (bimatoprost).

I know some patients have tried minoxidil on their eyebrows with mixed results. Just note that minoxidil isn’t recommended for anywhere other than the scalp, so be cautious if you do use it on the eyebrows.

hello Dr.

I wanted to ask a question about regrowing hair on the crown and propecia, and I appreciate your time very much.

I am a male, 34, and have been thinning for about 12-14 years, pretty diffuse. I have slowed the loss substiantially with nutrition and minoxodil, but my hair grows slower than it used to for some reason… I have recently begun adding copper peptides once in the evening along with minox 5% 2X per day.

I only have noticable loss on the top/ crown, but think I lost most of that 5-10 years ago. My hesitation to take propecia is due to cost, side effects, long term health effects, and the fear or worsening the hairline, which I have read on blogs sometimes occurs, but am considering taking it or maybe .5 mg per day to see about helping the crown regrow.

my question for you is, what help can propecia be under the best circumstances for hair lost many years ago?? I have heard that it cannot help beyond 2 years back, but have also read that it sometimes helps bring people back to a state from many years back. Thoughts?

thank you kindly.

Propecia will not benefit you if you have a slick bald area, but hair elsewhere in the thinning process may be helped. If you have not completed your balding pattern, Propecia may have value. I would have to examine you to know what benefits you may have, as the information you supplied is not adequate for me to base recommendations upon. You could take 1/2 a dose, but the recommended dosage is 1mg. Some people do cut the 5mg generic finasteride pill for a substantial cost savings, as long as you have a doctor that will prescribe the 5mg to you (it is a prostate drug).

What is your personal opinion of rogaine/minoxidil regarding its effectiveness? Even though it’s FDA approved, most of the objective literature I find says its results are minimal, disappointing, that its window of working at all is brief etc. I noticed your NHI website doesn’t give it a good review.

I’d estimate that minoxidil works very well in about 15% of patients and there’s some effect in 30% more, but the remaining patients see no benefits with respect to growing new hair. The studies are generally poor for defining the results.