Category: Drugs

Snippet from the article:

For the first time, leading medical groups are advising millions of healthy men who are regularly screened for prostate cancer to consider taking a drug to prevent the disease.

The advice stops short of saying men should take the drug finasteride, sold in generic form and as Proscar. It is already widely used for urinary problems from enlarged prostates as men age. Merck and Co sells it as the baldness remedy Propecia. However, it has not been widely prescribed as a cancer preventive, and it may carry some risks. The new guidance tells men to talk to their doctors and decide for themselves if the good outweighs the bad. This advice is bound to be confusing, doctors admit. For one thing, it doesn’t apply to men who choose not to have screening with PSA blood tests, which no major medical groups recommend.

In men who are regularly screened, finasteride can cut the odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer by about 25 percent.

See the full article: FOXNews.com – Medical Groups Advise Men to Take Baldness Drug to Prevent Prostate Cancer

For those that already take finasteride, it’s likely not news to you that the medication has prostate cancer prevention benefits (I’ve mentioned it as far back as 2005). Finasteride was at first used as a prostate treatment called Proscar (in 5mg dosage), with Propecia becoming available as a hair loss treament a few years later (in 1mg dosage). Still, it is important to point out the health benefits of this drug.

Here’s the National Cancer Institute’s page about their Prostate Cancer Prevention Trials, since there’s bound to be questions — Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT).

Doctor

Just read a recent post regarding someone who notices his hair thickens and thins and thickens again. I’ve noticed that for years and just assumed it was from Rogaine. That it was either synch shedding which happened after first using the drug and just continued through the years or that at times realized I’ve been missing areas and after reapplying those areas came back. But again that was Rogaine not Propecia which the previous post was on. Wonder if other minox users noticed this.

After reading your reply made me wonder if TE tends to reoccur in people. It would make sense if it is in response to a stress. People who have physical ailments in response to stress tend to have the same physical responses repeat throughout their life. I wouldn’t be surprised if some people are predisposed to TE under stress. Just as some develop IBS that comes and goes.. acid reflux.. back pain.. IF TE happened once it will probably happen again under stress.

Thanks for your comments. I’m posting this to hopefully get other readers to share their experience with back and forth shedding from minoxidil, as you describe.

To put this all together, a good relationship with a doctor is a good idea. Yes, telogen effluvium can reoccur in some people. See eMedicine for more info.

Hi,
I’m currently on Synthroid 50mcg and I take this medication in the morning on an empty stomach. I read that Propecia should be taken in the morning (ideally) because testosterone levels are highest during this time. Is it OK to take Synthroid at the same time as Propecia or should I start taking my Synthroid at night?

Yes, taking both Synthroid (levothyroxine) and Propecia (finasteride) in the morning is not a problem.

I’m 23 years old with early frontal thinning but am currently a NW2. So I been on Propecia for 7 months now and everything is the same! By now I assume I should have seen if my hair was getting thicker or regrowing so I guess I should be happy if I just get to maintain. Now my question is if I won’t get any regrowth or my miniaturized hairs won’t get thicker are my chances to maintain my hair the way it is right now lower for 5 years which is the number of years for most men!? Because I read something that your hair count increases the most the first year and then gets less and less each year. So if I get nothing this year, I mean in like 5 years I will definitely look thinner although probably better then without Propecia but still thinner and I don’t want that.

The peak result from Propecia seems to occur by about 18 months, then some loss is common in the hair counts done by the drug company, Merck, in their FDA studies (over a 5 year study period). Some people have held their hair for years, while others slide in the hair counts. I can’t say for sure how you’ll respond to the medication, so I wouldn’t know how you’ll be 5 years on. I don’t know of any data that shows regrowth (or lack thereof) from Propecia correlating to the length of time the medication can halt your hair loss.

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