Would taking Propecia, if I am diagnosed with balding, alter my hair color? I have heard, for instance, that Rogaine has changed some individuals hair colors dramatically, so that’s why I ask. My hair color’s dirty blond.
I do not believe that Propecia will change hair color (I haven’t seen it in my practice), but as hair miniaturizes more and more, the hair may become whiter or blonder if your hair is light brown / dirty blonde.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Hi there,
Appreciate that customs of countries would probably be the most effective people to ask, but in terms of small and remote countries that are not so advanced technologically, is it possible that someting like propecia is illegal?
Cheers
I doubt that finasteride would be illegal to possess, as it has been available worldwide for the treatment of prostate problems prior to becoming available as a hair loss treatment. It is illegal in many countries to import drugs from other countries, and of course in many countries it is illegal to purchase prescription drugs without a prescription.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Hey Doctor! Huge fan of your site, your clearly the top in the hairloss industry. Here is my question I was on propecia for over a year and decided to switch the generic. Well the generic must have been fake because I would clearly see my hair thinning more and my hairline pull back. I am 21 years old, and thank god switched immediately back to the real version of propecia. I was off propecia for maybe 3-4 weeks max. I was doing great on propecia until the switch.
Do you think my hair is likely to continue to fall-out even though I am back on the drug? Should I consider starting rogaine to bring back those hairs lost in the frontal region?
On a side note, I would continue to recommend informing people of the dangers of the generic, I got the generic from a real pharmacy in the state of NY. There was no way this was the same strength as propecia. I could tell it was so obvious. It was said to be 1mg by the Pharmacy. They claimed they cut up proscar and turned it into 1MG tablets. There was no way this was real though.
If the pharmacy is making 1mg dose tablets, they are breaking the law (violating Merck’s patents). There are many counterfeit pills on the market and the best way to guarantee what you are buying is to get it from reliable sources. If your pharmacist is willing to break the law, I wouldn’t put a lot of faith in the pharmacy selling you reliable medication. Now that you’ve restarted the real medication, the hair loss should subside again. Give it some time. You can add Rogaine if you’d like.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
My question involves Rogaine Liquid 5% and Rogaine 5% foam. I switched to the foam (after about 3 months on the liquid) about two weeks ago and have noticed that the tingling sensation has ceased. I used to feel the tingling on and off throughout the day. I began using the liquid with a shaved head (it is now grown out to about 1 inch) and it is difficult to gauge any increase in shedding but from 3 weeks ago to now, it seems like there is an increase.
My questions are :
- Is there an increase in shedding when starting the Foam after having used the liquid?
- Is there evidence that the “tingling” sensation is correlated to absorption into the scalp?
- If application/time is not a big issue, which of the 2 do you recommend?
There’s no difference that I’m aware of between any initial shedding from the foam or liquid. Tingling may have a correlation to absorption, but the foam does provide better absorption than the liquid. The tingling might just be from the amount you’re applying, or perhaps you have a sensitivity to a secondary ingredient in the liquid that isn’t in the foam.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Bottom Line with hair loss and birth control pills?
I read conflicting information about the birth control pills and hair loss. It can trigger hair loss yet is also a treatment for androgenic alopecia.
I experienced heavy shedding after discontinuing Ovcon 35 several years ago. I became pregnant shortly after stopping the pill, and the hair loss ceased. I had moderate TE after all three of my subsequent pregnancies. I am now finished childbearing (at 32)and looking for contraception. My mother has severe androgenic alopecia and I’m quite sure I’m destined for the same fate.
So, for my case (there are no other known health problems in myself or my family) should I take BCP’s to prevent the alopecia? I was thinking of trying Yaz or Yasmin because of the drospironone that is derived from spironolactone and has anti-androgenic properties. But is it the estrogen or the progesterone in the pills that cause the hair loss? Should I stay away from BCP’s completely due to my history?
You should have this conversation with your OB/GYN doctor. I do not prescribe or recommend birth control pills (BCP) in my practice, but more importantly you should not be taking BCP for hair loss. All medications have risks and benefits and potential side effects. As such, these matters are highly specific to each and every individual.
I wish I can give you a blanket answer saying one birth control pill is better than the other at hair loss or hair growth, but I do not know of any firm proof of what is good/bad for what. From a theoretical perspective (as you seem to have done your research), spironolactone does have anti-androgenic properties. From a practical and real world perspective, spironolactone does not stop or help with androgenic alopecia, which is why I do not prescribe spironolactone for hair loss either.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
I’m 23 years old now and been on Propecia for 1 year. I been a NW2 since 17 but a year ago I started to have mild thinning around the hairline like an inch in. It took about this whole year but now I’m back on a solid NW2 and it seems to be getting thicker. I know Propecia can work for many years heck there is men on it for 10 years and still fine but my question is…since the temples are very dht sensitive, can Propecica help those too for many years? I wish to remain on a solid NW2 for years to come but I’m afraid that won’t be the case Also I have a weak MPB family history btw so I guess that can help me.
Finasteride will help slow down hair loss throughout the scalp. I do not believe that it works any less in the temples when it is taken before the hair loss is evident. You need to see a doctor and get your problem managed professionally.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
Hello Doctor, I am lactose intolerant and was about to start taking Propecia when I noticed that it has lactase as an inactive ingredient. And that Merck cant recommend it if you are allergic to “anything” in the drug.
From my understanding, a lot of drugs seem to use lactose monohydrate as a “filler”…but I am trying to evaluate how big a deal it could be. I obviously still eat dairy in every day life (I just take Lactaid with it)…if I dont it gives me stomach aches, but its not like a gluton alergy where you cannot have any period.
In either case, I have not found to many articles about people having serious problems with this, and with the very high numbers of people that are lactose intolerant, it seems like it wouldnt be an issue (especially since it is just an enzyme deficiency). Its easy to say “your alergic to something” so we cant recommend it…but this is basically my only option, and I dont want to just write it off…what do you suggest?
I would (under a doctor’s guidance) give the drug a reasonable course and see if you have GI problems caused by the medication. I’ve got plenty of patients with lactose issues that haven’t reported any problems from the daily Propecia, but I suppose it can depend on how sensitive you are to it.
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
i have been using kaminomoto hair tonic. i want to know if this is rite product for my hair and i want to use proscar finasteride 5mg. will there be some side affects or not because i hear that there is serious side affects by using proscar finasteride 5mg. pls i want good advice
I hadn’t heard of this tonic in some time (the name sounds like something I saw for sale decades ago), but I did some quick research and found the ingredients are listed as, “alcohol denat, water, rosemary extract, capsicum frutescens, glycerine, menthol, sophora radix (kujin extract), allantoin, panthenol, pyridoxine HCl, isodonis japonicus (enmeiso extract), glycyrrhetinic acid (kanzo extract), hinokitiol (hinoki extract), neo-takanal, fragrances”.
So in other words, it contains nothing that will help with treating your hair loss. Is it the right product for you? Well, if you’re using it to regrow your hair or halt your hair loss, then no, I think it is not the right product. If you’re using it to line the pockets of the vendors and makers of this tonic, then yes, you’re on the right track.
I’ve written many, many times about potential side effects from finasteride. You shouldn’t be taking 5mg for hair loss anyway — the 1mg will do just fine. You do run a greater risk of side effects with the higher 5mg dosage anyway. My advice is to see a physician rather than treating yourself with hocus pocus tonics that will likely not help.
Hello Doctor .
My wife and I have now been trying to conceive for 12 Month without any luck. I have been taking propecia since almost 4 years now. I did two “spermogram” at 3 month intervals. Results were really different from one period to the other but both time it shows a lack of “motility”. I also read the official Merck reply here on your site regarding this question. Merck did two studies with men age between 19-50 years alors but I have been astonished to see that both time the studies were not longer than 48 weeks, less than a year . Do we have any other “longer” studies done by merck ?Studies showing the impact on spermatogenis on a 24 month period at least would be to my opinion more relevant.
I look forward for your reply. Thanks and Best regards.
No longer studies that I’m aware of, but I will forward this question to Merck for their reply. In the meantime, you should be discussing this with your doctor who can ask, with more authority, the same question. I did post about Propecia’s link to infertility recently (see here).
Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):
I found the website of a certain Dr. Sandra Brown MD, a dermatologist practicing in Southfield (MI), who claims she has developed a “proprietary and patented gel that has successfully reversed many types of hair loss in hundreds of [her] patients”.
According to Dr. Brown, this gel “thickens and lengthens hair and reverses many types of alopecia (hair loss) such as genetic thinning (e.g., male pattern baldness), chemical and stress related hair loss and other types of hair loss”. The treatment “is applied daily to the scalp” and “stimulates hair follicles causing hair to grow thicker and faster. Additionally, after the gel is discontinued the hair that you have re-grown does not catastrophically fall out (in contrast to the only commercially available product currently approved by the FDA which must be used forever to prevent hair loss).”
This gel contains bethametasone dipropionate 0.05% and tretinoin (all-trans-retinoic acid) 0.0125%.
The patent can be viewed at PatentStorm. Some quotes from the patent: “An application of betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid is made to the patient. The betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid are administered together in a compound applied topically to the scalp. The compound and method have been found to effectively restore hair growth even after discontinuance of use of the compound.” “Betamethasone dipropionate is a steroid and has a tendency to thin the dermis. All-trans-retinoic acid is also administered in combination with betamethasone dipropionate. However, one of the well-known side effects of all-trans-retinoic acid is that it acts to thicken the skin. Thus, when used in combination with each other, the negative side effects of betamethasone dipropionate and all-trans-retinoic acid act to cancel each other out while synergistically producing a large amount of hair.” “Outstanding results, including hair growth within one week of applying the compound, were observed.”
I also found a newspaper article about Dr. Brown. During the interview with the journalist, Dr Brown said: “85-percent of the patients that we treat can see the hair growing back thicker within 21 days.”
Now, what do you think about all this?
Bethametasone and tretinoin are very common and cheap drugs and can be easily obtained in any drugstore. So, it wouldn’t be difficult to try this treatment. However, I’m skeptical, because:
- There are no scientific studies to support Dr. Brown’s claims, only her clinical experience.
- It all seems too good to be true. As I said, the treatment is based on well-known and common drugs. If it really worked, it would have become the standard hair-loss treatment all over the world.
- Although dr. Brown says that tretinoin counteracts the side effects of bethametasone (and this claim seems to be backed up by some research, I’m still concerned about the negative effects of long-term use of a corticosteroid.
I’d like to hear some opinions before trying this treatment.
Betamethasone dipropionate is a steroid which I believe does require a prescription. I personally use it occasionally to treat my psoriasis and for that it works well. The application of steroids for various forms of hair loss has been proposed and it works in mild autoimmune diseases that may be responsible for hair loss, but it is usually not strong enough for these diseases. The use of retinoic acid could burn the scalp and cause blistering for repeated heavy use, partly controlled by the steroid effects of betamethasone dipropionate.
There is nothing new here, just some possible misrepresentation on the use of these two drugs in combination. And the 2nd point you made at the bottom of your email is spot on — common sense would tell most people that if some common medication turned out to be the greatest hair loss treatment ever, it’d be a standard treatment.
