Category: Drugs

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Avodart Vs Finasteride – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

just to share something and also post an enquiry. January this year, after seeking advice from a dermatologist, I decided to take the plunge and switch from propecia to avodart. It has got to be the worst mistake I ever committed. since the time I stopped propecia, hair shedding started about close to a month after switching. In a matter of 5 months, my hairloss progressed drmatically and I have now a very noticeable receded hairline. I should have stayed on propecia, although it didnt regrow a lot of hair I have expected, but It did regrow decent amount and most importantly, maintained what I had. Looking back, I could only blame myself for all reports that supported Dutasteride were either small scale, or short-term. I have since switched back to propecia a week ago after seeking a 2nd medical opinion.

My question would be that, is my shedded hair all lost and not returning? Notice I am not like the typical propercia user who quit due to side effects, I switched to a more powerful anti-dht and am not switching back propecia. Bearing in thought that all the while I had decreased DHT in my body, and during that 5 months, decrease up to 90%.

Thanks!

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Thank you for sharing your experience with Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride).

To answer your question in perspective, there is no magic pill or drug to cure or reverse hair loss. If you are genetically predisposed to hair loss, Propecia will only postpone it as long as possible. For some men this may be many years. For other unlucky men this may be a few months or a few years. This does not matter how much DHT you block. Most men who do this also get a drop in their sex drive as Avodart has a higher sex drive suppression than Propecia.

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Hair Loss InformationEnergy Drinks: Does Redbull Grow Hair? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am taking Red Bull along with my work out program. I keep losing hair and I saw from your blog site that working out will not cause hair loss. With that in mind, I want to know if using energy drinks can help my body grow hair. I drink a great deal of Red Bull, but I have not seen value for my hair regrowth.

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What in the world would make you thing Red Bull may help your body grow hair? I am missing the logic!
Red Bull contains: caffeine, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamins B6 and B12. There is nothing special about it from a hair follicle point of view.

Energy drinks like Red Bull will not grow your hair back as you have already noticed. When taken in excess amounts, this particular brand can be dangerous, especially if you are a diabetic. There was been one report in the medical literature that presented a patient who drank about 100 ounces of Red Bull per day (5 20 ounce servings). In this particular patient, he developed renal failure (kidney failure) which fortunately did reverse when the Red Bull was stopped. Red Bull contain caffeine as well as other ingredients such as vitamins, sugar, amino acids, and herbs and when taken in moderate doses, it is probably safe, but 100 ounces a day for 3 consecutive weeks, did seem to bring on the kidney problem, a condition that could be life threatening. Just one report may not really do this side effect justice. Using energy drinks in moderation like anything you consume, makes sense.

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Anxiety, Testicular Pain on Propecia – Finateride, and Half-Life of Biochemistry – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I had been experiencing hair loss the last year and now my hairline has started receding.

I am now 24 and i was in denial but now that it’s visible i started propecia although i didn’t want to because of the horror stories i read. After i started i had testicular pain and i felt a lot of anxiety and stress so i decided to stop. It’s been a week since i stopped the 1 mg per day. How long do the effects of it need until they are gone?

From a study i read the byproduct ([3H]dihydrofinasteride) has a half life of 1 month and the intermediate adduct of it (NADP-dihydrofinasteride) still effects DHT production. Will i need that long to be sure that it doesn’t creates me the stress i feel? The fact that finasteride is an irreversible 5AR2 inhibitor means that i will have to wait for new 5AR2 enzyme to be reproduced, and can this be downregulated in any way? Is my anxiety caused by the the inhibition of allopregnanolone maybe?

Thanks for your time, your input and knowledge based on your experience will be very helpful.
anxiety

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For all practical purposes, the half life of Propecia (finasteride 1mg) in your blood stream is about 4-6 hours. This means the drug should be out of your blood stream in one day. This is why you need to take the medication everyday. Some believe there is a component of tissue fixation where some residual drug linger on for about one week. This is why we often write that if you experience a side effect you should see it reverse in about one week.

It is quite a remarkable coincidence that as someone who was apprehensive about taking Propecia from reading the “horror” stories of on the Internet also happen to get the rare side effects. Testicular pain and anxiety as a side effect in it of itself individually is probably less than one percent but having BOTH would be even rare. Also note that these symptoms are not even reported in the actual drug insert. Please note that I am not trying to ignore what you are experiencing but rather you should also speak to your doctor as testicular pain is a very serious medical issue that may not be related to the medication itself.

With respect to all the biochemistry questions of the breakdown of Propecia, I do not believe it has anything to do with your issues. I am also not a biochemistry expert to state all the importance and functions of the enzymes or hormones you are trying to correlate with your issues. I have said many times before, our body and its function/dysfunction is not so simple to define with single biochemistry pathways.

With all due respect your “anxiety” may just be more of a psychological issue rather than these enzymes and by products of Propecia. Because if you really want to really get in to all the biochemical process behind your “anxiety”, you must think of all the other medications you may be taking (for example: anti-depressant drugs can cause sexual dysfunction, anxiety, suicidal feelings, etc), recreational drugs you may be using or have used (for example: effects of marijuana, cocaine etc can cause long lasting mood related side effects), your social life (for example: dating in your 20’s while losing hair in it of it self can be filled with anxiety), the sun exposure you have (for example: not having enough sun light can cause psychological effects), your childhood experiences (for example: you can fill in the blank and blame x y z from your childhood), the friends you have, etc etc etc. This list is endless and Bladingblog and a short paragraph cannot begin to understand the big picture nor solve your issues. I will say again, biochemistry alone does not explain your mood.

My final point: TALK WITH YOUR DOCTOR for your anxiety issues and your testicular pain.

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Using Different Minoxidil Strengths – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am a 23 Female, I have been losing hair for 2 years now. My dermatologist prescribed minoxidil 2%, but after 4 months i didn’t see any results. Is it safe to use both 2% and 5% (2% in the morning and 5% at night) to make it more effective?

Thanks

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In general we advise our female patients to use minoxidil 5% twice a day, although the official recommended dose is 2%. We take the blood pressure of the patient prior to prescribing this medication. Although this medication can be purchased directly from any pharmacy or grocery store, there are side effects that you must read about prior to starting the medication.

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Not Hair Loss News – Aspirin Slows Down Aging – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

“It is well known that a person’s lifestyle affects the risk of cancer. Swiss scientists have now shown that this is at least partially the result of effects of lifestyle factors on the genome. While aging is slowed down with regular aspirin use, smoking increases it. The study was published in the “Journal of the National Cancer Institute”. ”

The Journal further reported “that regular aspirin use and smoking led to changes of gene markers – however, with opposite effects: while smoking accelerated the effects, aspirin slowed them down. Genes that are associated with the development of cancer are particularly affected by this, said lead author Faiza Noreen. “

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If there is a wonder drug, it seems to be aspirin. I have taken it for years. There seems to be beneficial effects on aging (see above), heart and vascular disease and cancer prevention. What else could you ask for?

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Hair Loss InformationBeware of Hair Growth Formulas and Inappropriate Claims for Minoxidil Regrowth – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

According to the indictment below, a named doctor has been using the Internet to sell non-approved doses of Minoxidil with claims that are not proper. Read the document below for details

SALT LAKE CITY ‹ Four men, including two Utah’s, face federal charges for allegedly selling hair replacement drugs over the Internet without U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Dr. Richard Lee, 72, and James Dorius, 69, both of Whittier, Calif., owned Regrowth, LLC, a business that made and sold hair treatment drugs online. Alexander Ahn, 32, and Min Kim, 32, both of Provo, ran a Utah company called Minoxidil Solutions that sold the drugs after Regrowth had agreed with the FDA to pull them from the market, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that the FDA discovered that Regrowth was selling drugs Lee made using his own formulas and recipes dating back to 1996. Some of the products contained active pharmaceutical ingredients. The company was not registered with the FDA and did not seek or obtain approval to sell its hair growth drugs, according to the indictment. As apart of an agreement with the FDA in February 2011, Lee stopped selling the products and sent customers an ³urgent drug recall² notice informing them of potential health hazards. Two months later, Lee and Dorius delivered Regrowth¹s remaining drug
>ingredients and manufacturing equipment to Kim and Ahn in Utah. According to the indictment, Kim agreed to pay Lee and Dorius half of what Minoxidil Solutions earned on the sale of hair growth drugs made using Lee¹s ingredients and formulas. “These kinds of cases are important because in many instances individuals are advised by FDA that they cannot lawfully manufacture and sell unapproved and misbranded drugs, yet even after warning, they continue to manufacture and sell these prohibited drugs,” said Patrick J. Holland, special agent in charge of the FDA criminal investigations office in Kansas City. Lee, Dorius, Ahn and Kim are charged with conspiracy to introduce misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, which carries a penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. All four men are scheduled for an initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Oct. 23.

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Hair Loss InformationXELJANZ® (tofacitinib citrate) on curing balding? Alopecia Universalis Totalis – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i would like to know your opinion on a medication called
tofacitinib citrate which was used to treat a man with alopecia
universalis, could this work for someone with DUPA seeing that DHT
might not play a part in this hair loss type?

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Tofacitinib is a medication to treat rheumatoid arthritis. There was a report by Yale University professor Brett A. King, M.D published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology that the medication grew hair on an alopecia totalis/ universalis patient.

Alopecia Totalis or Alopecia Universalis is thought to be a condition where the patients own immune system attacks their own hair follicles which results in hair loss. It is hypothesized that the drug diminished or interfered with the immune system attacking the hair follicles. Tofacitinib is not approved for hair loss by the FDA. Tofacitinib will not likely work for genetic androgenic alopecia and there are many safety issues (i.e. infections) with the drug which must be considered.

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General Questions on DHT Blocking Supplements Have Birth Defect Risks? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

1- Does Propecia and DHT blocking drugs cause birth defects?
2- How about natural blockers? There are reports of at least 8 different foods or herbal supplements that are supposed to block DHT (soy, green tea, pumpkin seed oil, zinc, nettle root, emu oil, saw palmetto, pygeum extract).
3- If used regularly do the natural DHT blockers cause birth defects that can create ambiguous genetalia?
4- What about those substances that might have DHT blocking such as possibly drinking green tea or eating tofu or concentrated supplements such as saw palmetto, which is said to work the same way as finasteride.

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1) The existing finasteride based DHT blocking drugs (including Avodart, dutasteride) are known to cause birth defects that can create ambiguous genitalia when women take the medication. When men take the medication it is not related to birth defects. If someone is still worried about this, you can stop taking the medication and it would be out the blood stream in 1 day or out of the system in 1 to 2 weeks. Many men still take Propecia while trying to conceive with their partner and have no issues.

2) If you believe the natural supplements really do block DHT, then it would work the same way with respect to birth defects. Only when women take it. It does not apply to men as stated above.

3) Again, the birth defect issue only apply to women who take the DHT blocker. From this article in the LA Times: “In the early 1970s, Dr. Julianne Imperato-McGinley, an endocrinologist at Cornell Medical College, traveled to a remote mountain village in the Dominican Republic to study a group of children with a unique condition.” DHT was identified as a cause of the problem of ambiguous genitalia. Of course, this led to the development of DHT blockers.

4) Again, see 1) 2) 3) If you really believe in the DHT blocking reports, then it applies. But I highly doubt drinking green tea or tofu will cause ambiguous genitalia. Use your judgement.

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Can Norlevo (Morning After Pill) Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello.

I took Norlevo (morning after pill) 15 days ago and now I have noticed that my hair is falling out. How long will this last? Is there anyway to stop it?

Thank you.

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The morning after pill is a hormone similar to what you find in a birth control pill. Birth control pills could possibly cause hair loss in rare instances. I can not tell you if that if your hair loss is related to the pill (Norlevo). It may be due to stress in general as well. You need to follow up with your doctor for an exam.