Drugs – Page 141 – Balding Blog

August 11, 2009

I Want to Stop Propecia After My Hair Transplant – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I’m due to get a transplant in a couple of months and have been on Propecia for around 2 years (I’m 26 years old). For the last 6 months or so I’ve noticed side effects that are getting worse, even after cutting the dosage down. I plan to stop taking finestaride after surgery, but will keep on it for now to help prevent shock loss. How long after the surgery do you need to take finestaride for to help prevent possible shock loss?

Thanks for your help

You should take the drug for a full 6 months (minimum) after a hair transplant and then after stopping it, watch as the hair gain (or retention) you saw from Propecia will be lost over a few months.

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August 11, 2009

Wouldn’t a PSA Test Show Propecia Sensitivity? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Doc,

Why would you need to take a HairDX test to test DHT sensitivity to Propecia. Wouldn’t a PSA test tell you that? Propecia dropped my PSA around 66% so I know my DHT is definitely sensitive to the drug. On the other hand after a year on the medication I haven’t seen any positive effect. I would have expected a connection, but apparently there isn’t one. At least in my case.

That may be why you should consider the HairDX Finasteride Response test, because if it shows that you are not sensitive to Propecia, maybe conditions might be reasonable to consider Avodart (something I rarely prescribe). As you are not one of my patients and I have not examined you, I would not be in a position to assess your situation. Why is your PSA elevated? Do you have prostate cancer? Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer (or did I get the wrong message about your PSA)?

There is no connection between PSA and DHT other than that testosterone is produced by the testicles and then broken down by the body to make DHT.

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August 7, 2009

Is 5% Minoxidil Safe for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is it safe for women to use 5% minoxidil? My dermatologist recommended it but, in speaking with the people at Rogaine, they acted quite alarmed by the idea.

I recommend it for women as a routine. There’s a higher risk of facial hair growth with the 5%, which is what most (if not all) women wish to avoid… but that risk is still minimal. Officially, it was tested on men so that is the drug company’s line. You can see more about this here.

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August 7, 2009

Is Merck’s 2007 Patent Filing for Topical Finasteride Just to Squeeze Out Other Companies? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I heard Merck applied for a patent for a topical finasteride product in 2007. Any recent news on this? And, do you know if this would be effective, or if it might be a move to enhance profits by weeding out companies selling topical finasteride?

Merck I know very little about Merck’s patent for topical finasteride, although they did file 2 patents (one in 1993 and the other in 1995) in the general area of finasteride use on skin. Johnson and Johnson holds at least two patents for topical finasteride, so it does appear that this is a hot field and what differentiates one process from the other is something that I do not have the time to review. Does anyone with a bunch of time and interest care to go through these and create an itemized list?

Certainly both J&J and Merck are giants in the drug field, so if you wish to read these patents check them out in the Google Patent Search and have a blast reading the intricate legal jargon. Good luck!

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August 7, 2009

Rogaine for Women vs Provillus for Women – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi. I would like to know whether Rogaine or Provillus is better for women. Which one has better results at growing back hair and stop hair loss? Also, less likely to have the side effect of unwanted facial hair. Thanks!

They both are just 2% minoxidil… different names and labels. The Provillus might also have some supplement vitamin pills (with biotin and B6) to take. Ingredients are listed here for Provillus, if you’d like to check them out.

Also, Provillus costs more than twice the price of Rogaine. How much is that packaging worth?

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August 6, 2009

I Don’t Think I’m Responding to Finpecia – Balding Blog

Hello Doctor,
I need your advice. I am 24 years old Indian losing hair for last 4 years. Last year doctor prescibed me finpecia (1 mg). I am taking it since then but I am still losing hair. I feel that it is not working. I came to NYC this jan for higher studies and I have brought finpecia with me. Do you think whether I am not responding to medicine or there is some issue with finpecia itself?

Since I am a student I cant afford Propecia. Do you think ,I should give Proscar a try and do I need medical presicption for getting proscar? I want to meet you, but I cant come california for next one year (due to studies) and moreover I will not be able to afford your fees before that. So suggest me what to do ? I will be very thankful to you.

Finpecia Proscar is the same drug as Propecia, just in higher dosage (Proscar is 5mg finasteride, Propecia is 1mg). If you cut the medication, it is the same. You do need a different prescription for that, and some doctors may have a problem giving you a prostate medication prescription at 24 years old. Explain to them that you know to cut the medication into 4 pieces. If one doctor won’t give you a prescription, you can try another one.

With all that being said, if you’re still losing hair on Finpecia (generic 1mg finasteride from India), I’m not sure Proscar will help. Are you taking it daily? You’ve been taking it for less than a year, so I’d stick with it until the 1 or 2 year mark to see how you’re responding by then. At 24 years old, you may have some strong genes for balding dominating your system and working against the finasteride. Look at the HairDX finasteride response test and see if this applies to you. It might tell you why the drug has not worked well for you.

August 6, 2009

Rogaine on the Hairline — Worth a Shot? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman:

I recently met with a new dermatologist after I noticed significant and abrupt patterns of shedding. I am 30 years old, and I’ve been on Propecia for 10 years and was thrilled with it up until about a year ago. It was then that I noticed a ton of sheddin in the shower, pillow, etc, etc.

I asked my doctor about Rogaine, and told him I had been using on the crown of my head for about 8 months, as a preacautionay measure, in case Propecia stopped being effective for me. He said to use it on my hairline as well. He said that although Rogain is not FDA approved to be effective on the hairline, that doens’ mean that it isn’t. He said “its worth a shot”. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks

There have been reports of minoxidil being effective on the frontal hairline, but they are few such observations with significant hair growth. I suppose it is worth a shot.

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August 5, 2009

RevitaLash as Hair Loss Treatment? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

What is you opinion on the product Hair by Revitalash? Do you think it has potential as a hair loss treatment? I know you would have to be careful not to get it in your eyes.

This post gets two responses…

Response from Dr. William Rassman:

There is no proof that this product will work on scalp hair, although there are some doctors trying it with their own form of human experimentation. I will certainly let you know when there is a credible scientific study released. I spoke to a representative of the manufacturer and they are interested in learning if it has an effect on scalp hair loss but they have not begun testing it.

Response from Dr. Bessam Farjo:

Actually at the ISHRS annual meeting in Amsterdam 2 weeks ago, I (Dr. Bessam Farjo) presented some initial data from a study my centre is working on in collaboration with University of Bradford in the UK. Our work so far is on human hair in the laboratory, but there were encouraging results showing that Bimatoprost (the active ingredient in Latisse eyelash treatment) can make the hairs grow longer and faster and prolong the anagen (growing) phase. We also identified that there is a receptor for this compound in the hair follicles explaining its mechanism of action. Further work is ongoing and may in the near future result in a clinical trial that would show what value if any these medications have for scalp hair.

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August 4, 2009

The Doctor at the Aderans Interview Said Cloning Would Be Available in 5 Years – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I am a 29 year old male. I became aware of thinning in my crown area in April of ’09, and got on Propecia at the beginning of May. I volunteered for the Aderan’s phase II hair/cell replication study, but was told I had too much hair to be a subject. The Dr. at the clinic where I was interviewed said the cloning procedure would be available in about 5 years.You state that you see the cloning procedure as a decade off, so from the information you’ve gotten at this recent convention, is it reasonable to imagine that in my late thirties, around 2019 or so, that I can get hair restoration through a cloning procedure? And in the next few years, do you see a better drug, like an FDA approved version of Dutasteride coming to market?

Thank you for you time

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The folks at Aderans predicted the cloning solution would be available in 5 years… and that was 5 years ago. So by that timeline, it should be here now… yet here we are, wondering where it is. I probed that question to those who are knowledgeable and found that no one really expects a cloning solution in 5 years. Perhaps ten years… and maybe more.

Dutasteride is already FDA approved to treat the prostate, but I’d like to think it’ll be available for treating hair loss at some point down the line, once any other studies are concluded and safety can be assured. It’s not up to me, and I’ve got my reservations about the medication already. There are no other new hair loss drugs like dutasteride that I know of coming in the next 5 year horizon. It takes years to clear it through the FDA so we will have plenty of notice when the process starts for a new medication.

August 3, 2009

My Doctor Told Me Finasteride Caused Telogen Effluvium – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I recently saw a doctor about my problem of excessive shedding several months after finasteride therapy has started. He told me that around the 11th to 16th week, there can be sudden shedding, sometimes on a massive scale. The entire phenomenon fits the description of a telogen effluvium. In the case of finasteride use, the telogen effluvium appears to be a reaction to the sudden change in the systemic levels of the sex hormone, DHT.

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First, I would want to examine you, do a hair pull test and map out your hair for miniaturization, as I typically do. I am not doubting that this could be a case of telogen effluvium (TE), but over the internet, the diagnosis by me can not be made. If you are impacted by finasteride, stopping it is an option.

The loss of hair on an acute basis may be a TE and that would explain a large amount of hair loss between the 11th and 16th week, but the cause of TE is often mysterious.