Category: Drugs

i decided to quit propecia after a 1.5 years of medication. today its the 8th month without any dosage. after quitting from drug, i have lost my crown area hair but not much. i have still got no bald patches until this time. my maturing hairline, frontal area has no change but i feel a itchy feeling on my crown area. i feel like losing hair from there, other areas of my scalp feeling good; no dandruff etc.

my question is the propecia still blocks me from losing hair? im 22 now and im slowly losing hair from my crown area. its most likely to my maternal grandfather, maybe as same as him.

thanks

Stopping Propecia will cause you to lose any benefits you had from taking it. It sounds like the benefits were mainly in your crown. Please be aware that you will undergo the natural hair loss your genes have ‘planned’ for you. Do you really want to experience progressive hair loss? I warn men about short term thinking so it does appear that you have some time to think this through.

Dear Doctor,

I’ve bought a bottle of liquid Regaine and read the booklet, which said that the max. temp at which I can keep it is 25 C degrees. I figured that I should put it in the fridge then…so it spent about 14 hours in the fridge, when I googled for a booklet in English and they said that it has to be kept at 20-25 C (some say 15-25). I have no idea how cold the inside of a fridge is, but i guess its below 15 C…so, have I totaled 50 dollars?

I doubt you harmed the medication effectiveness, but I would follow the instructions on the bottle and not different language instructions you’ve found on the web (there might be slightly different formulations or packaging). My gut tells me you’re worrying about this too much.

The temperature warnings might just be safety notices so you’re not shocked if the medication’s container explodes under pressure created by fluctuating temperatures, though it also will likely contain some wiggle room on the exact temperature (which is why you’ve seen the range move so drastically). If you don’t know how cold it is in the refrigerator, get a thermometer so you don’t have to worry about this anymore.

(male) i use minoxodil & have for the past 5 yrs. for the past 2 weeks i got into the habit of using it once a day rather than twice. & for about a week i have noticed increased shedding. did i do anything that could potentially accelerate any hair loss? & will the shed hair grow back?

thank you

Based solely on the limited information you’ve given, the only thing that changed was applying minoxidil once a day from twice a day. Maybe there is a correlation, but perhaps there are other things you forgot to mention or do not know of. I wouldn’t expect your hair to be so dependent on the twice a day minoxidil application that you’d notice significant loss in just 2 weeks, but if you think that is the cause I would just start using it twice a day again. A simple solution! Twice a day is the recommended dose anyway. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing if the shed hairs will grow back.

I have been taking generic Finasteride for nearly a year and a half with what I consider to be great results. My hair has always been thin, even from the age of 14 (as a barber once told me), and all the men on my mother’s side of the family are at Norwood 7 (Grandfather, two Uncles; father’s side isn’t as dramatic, there is thinning, but no classic MPB). The medication has brought back a considerable amount of volume back to my scalp, and I have been able to grow my hair out with excellent results. So for I have stabilized at Norwood 2; where I plan to keep it.

I am considering switching to generic Dutasteride, which as you know inhibits two types of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme (as opposed to just just one type with Finasteride). My question is simply this, what are your thoughts on Dutasteride vs. Finasteride? Is there anything I should be aware of or put into consideration if I make this decision?

I found your blog on google and have been reading ever since. What you and the other Doctors do here and in the patient-care-room is incredible and I hope you have further success with your practice. Thank you for your time.

I have said this many times — if you are destined to be bald, there is no stopping it. Just slowing it down is the best you can hope for. There is no cure for hair loss! Propecia helps, but you need to be followed by a doctor to see what you are actually treating. Just because your family members are Norwood class 7 does not mean you are guaranteed to develop that same class 7 balding pattern.

Dutasteride will not cure or stop hair loss and it is not necessarily better than Propecia. It’s still yet to be FDA approved to treat hair loss, and I’m waiting for safety and dosing information. Do not take drastic actions due to fear. If the current approved treatments you’re using are working, why risk it? Become well informed and educated, but keep in mind that there is no substitute for seeing a physician for a medical issue.

Hi, i started going bald at 19, i’m now 23. I decided to start acting on this 7 months ago and have been on propecia and minoxidil ever since. I am seeing great results, but one thing that has been bugging me ever since i started going bald; My hair on the top of my head doesnt atually grow.

I have stopped smoking, exercise daily, and do not straighten my hair anymore. My scalp is in great condition (i use nizoral twice weekly) and it hasnt grown in over 3 years, yet my sides and back grow so fast. if finasteride is preventing DHT in my scalp, surely the hairs on top of my head should not stop growing?? any ideas?

I am doubting your comment about no growth of your hair on top for 3 years. If the entire top of your head is miniaturized, this could explain the problem, but without seeing you, I can not tell you what you have. You indicated you’re in the UK — and a contributing author to this blog, Dr. Bessam Farjo, is in the UK. You might want to visit him for an examination.

Propecia and minoxidil are great medications, but if you are going bald there is no stopping it 100%! The reason you are taking Propecia and minoxidil is so that it will help slow the balding process down, but the balding will continue probably at a slower rate in the end. Some patients respond well to Propecia and minoxidil , but it does not mean it “cured” their hair loss issue.

Hi,

I’m 31 years old and I’ve been using propecia since early 2007 and I’m still seeing mild to moderate frontal recession of my hairline. I just started using Rogaine foam 5% in the frontal and temporal areas of my hairline this weekend. The manufacturer does not recommend using rogaine in this area, only the vertex. My question for is could using Rogaine in the frontal and temporal region make things worse? In otherwords, do I have anything to lose by doing this? Also, are you aware of any studies on Rogaine being used for the frontal hairline and the temples? Thank you!

Other than the cost of the medication, using Rogaine on the front of your scalp will not harm you, provided that you use it in the proper manner. Keep in mind that using more minoxidil than indicated might lead to an increased risk of side effects (though in your case, it sounds like you just want to use it at the hairline and not all over the scalp). I’m not aware of minoxidil studies specifically in the frontal area.

The manufacturer has not proven value for frontal use, but that does not mean that it will 100% not work in the front of your scalp. It does tend to work the best in the crown, but if you apply Rogaine to the back of your hands, you’ll likely see increased growth there too.

Are there any new developments in the study of prostaglandins as a treatment for hairloss?

Dr. Farjo (one of our editors) feels that this drug group may have value in the future development of medications for treating hair loss. I don’t have any information about specific new developments, though.

For everyone else, see this article from 2003 and this article from 1996 for information on this subject.