Category: Drugs

I have a question about the post from 12/5 3:35pm. You mention that some people see hair loss continuing again after 5 years on finasteride, while others have been taking finasteride for 10 years without any changes.

Could you quantify these a little, e.g. in your experience, for what % of people who take finasteride and it stops hair loss temporarily does it suddenly pick up again after 5 years, and, in your experience, what % of people who have been taking it for 10+ years did not have hair loss pick up again.

I thought that if Propecia works and successfully stops hair loss, a master plan would consider all the present hair as safe, and allocate potential hair transplants to other areas that have suffered hair loss prior to taking Propecia. In the light of this post, even if Propecia works for a given patient, it seems that despite Propecia, it is possible that hair loss does continue, so one should not deplete all possible donor hair on areas currently affected?

I do not have numeric data for you. Instead of focusing on statistics, try to understand the big picture. If I tell you that 1 percent will have no results, and you happen to be that 1%, it is 100% for you (in your particular case). My main point was that everybody is different and we all try to maximize our chances of keeping our hair. Propecia is one of those things we use to maximize the odds in your favor.

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Hello,
I had a quick question for you and appreciate your input. Right now I have a moderate to severe case of Seborrheic Dermatitis. I am using extina foam, Tgel and donovex to control this. I wanted to know if I cut back the use of Rogaine 5% foam to every other day will that help prevent me from loosing the hair I have gained by using this product? Also to help control my hair loss I am on proscar. Is there any benefit changing to propecia?

Thank you

The less the dose of Rogaine (minoxidil) and the less frequently you apply it, the less effective it is. In other words, you might not maintain all of the benefits you’ve seen from the Rogaine Foam if you cut back on its use. Cut pills of Proscar (1mg or 1.25mg) and Propecia are essentially no different. They’re both finasteride.

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Hey Doc. I, like many other Minoxidil users, experience increased dandruff coupled with a dry, itchy scalp. I have used Minoxidil on and off with successful results but it is difficult to continue prolonged use due to the resulting dandruff. I am looking for a solution and here are my questions. Do you know if using Rogaine Foam will irritate my scalp as much as the traditional Minoxidil liquid? My other idea is to go from the 5% Minoxidil which I use now to the lesser strength?

Everybody is different. I can’t tell you if you will have better results with the foam. I suppose in theory it might, but the best thing to do is TRY it. One of the side effects of minoxidil is skin flaking (dandruff) and you may not be able to tolerate it. Use a good dandruff shampoo if that occurs.

I have an extensive discussion of this subject in my new book, Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies, which you can buy at your local book store, major chain book store, or from HairOutletStore.com (powered by Amazon).

Dear Doc,

Can Rogaine 5% cause damage to your scalp that will prevent hairs from coming back normally after the “shed”. I used it for 2 months and quit when the flaking got to be too much, I’m scared the irritation caused some damage because its been 4 months and the bald spot that was the area of application is still missing hair.

While anything is possible, I doubt irritation from Rogaine (minoxidil) will cause permanent damage and hair loss. I assume you were using Rogaine because you were losing hair. It may just be that you are still losing hair and are more sensitive and aware of it.

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Hi, I was just wondering if you’ve had any experiences with minoxidil causing baldness or thinning the hair permanently. I’m 20 and just started using minoxidil %5 (Spectral DNC) on my hair line and temple area. Also, do you have any advice on good products for hair loss at a young age? Thanks.

Topical minoxidil is used to grow hair. It does not cause baldness. You may be balding from genetic causes despite the use of the medication or you may be developing a mature hairline, common in your age (see this post) . If you are concerned about hair loss, I would start by seeing your primary care doctor.

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Dear Dr.

My question is I’ve been taking propecia at night for a while now with good results. But due to scheduling now, I would like to take it in the morning. Would the transition for the body be okay? Or would it be better just to keep taking it at night as I was doing. Hope that makes sense, your opinion and thoughts would be great

Thank you!

It really doesn’t matter when you take Propecia as long as you take it everyday around the same time. If you transition from night to morning and your schedule is off one day, I wouldn’t expect any problems.

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Hi, can you tell me if Propecia stops working over time, if you take a break for say a year will it work again? Does Avodart have this problem of losing its effect over time as well?

Thank you

Propecia (finasteride) does not work like that. It doesn’t require a lunch break. If Propecia loses effectiveness over time, you’ll have to try something else. I wouldn’t say that it stops working, because if you get off the medication altogether (like the extended break you’re talking about), you will see permanent reversal of the gains you saw from the medication. Any hair that was retained will fall out.

Avodart (dutasteride) doesn’t have the history that finasteride has, as it just became available in 2002 for prostate treatment. Propecia has been an available hair loss treatment since early 1998 and Proscar was out in mid 1992, so more patient data can be found (regardless of whether it is verified or valid — and I say that only because these are not closed studies, but reader anecdotes and forum chatter). Even though the hair loss treatment clinical trials of dutasteride have concluded in Korea, no results are public yet so the data isn’t there from that end either. So in other words, I couldn’t say if it’ll lose effectiveness over time (keeping in mind that finasteride still works great for many of my patients that have been on it for 10 years+), but my guess is that it will function similar to finasteride in many respects.

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Hello. I have been using finasteride (1.25mg) for around 10 years and it has worked great. Recently however i started to notice an increase in shedding and increased my dosage (2.5mg). About 6 weeks later i unfortunately noticed palpable breast enlargement. I immediately went off the medication. It has been 3 weeks now and I have noticed very little regression, if any. My questions are: Will my chest return to its original state? How long does it generally take for regression to occur? Can I be off of finasteride for a couple of months without drastic consequences to my hair. Thanks for your time. I’m pretty depressed about this.

Increasing your dosage of finasteride will not cause you to grow more hair, but it will give you a higher risk of side effects. Besides, you should discuss any changes in your medication regimen with your prescribing doctor. I do not know if your chest will return to its original size, but it should. Also keep in mind that breast enlargement (while a side effect of finasteride) may not be related and there may be another serious underlying condition. I’m not trying to turn the attention away from finasteride as a possible cause, but don’t rule out that it could be a coincidence. I would suggest you see your doctor to explore your options, your risks, and your benefits.