Category: Drugs

Hey,
I just wanted your readers to know of a change ive had to my scalp. Alot of people have itchy and flaky scalps coming with hair loss. I had this too, and I thought both were linked together because they came at the same time. Well I was wrong but I did manage to fix my itching by taking desloratadine 5mg. Apparently my itching came from an allergy and it fixed the problem completely.

So for all your readers having itchy scalps they should check they might be allergic! Thanks alot for the site

Desloratadine is a drug that is used to treat hay fever and allergy symptoms. When one uses a medication for symptomatic relief, it does not get down to what you are allergic to and will only be a temporary solution until you solve the cause of the itch.

Dear Doctor Rassman,

I have been reading your blog for months and I have found always straight forward and interesting answers to (often) tricky questions.

I have been taking proscar (prepared as 1mg pill by my pharmacist) for 4 years (I am 26) and had slowed my hair loss thanks to it. Unfortunately,I had some erectile and libido problem But as it was not that serious so I decided to continue taking it.

1 month ago, My doctor prescribed for a generic finasteride (manufactured by sandoz) and since then I have no more erectile problem but I have the feeling that I am losing my hair again. Is it possible that the generic drug is actually working fine but give me less side effects (different resorption,… which would be great)

or the fact that my erectile problems are gone and the feeling that I am losing more hair really indicates that the generic drug is less efficient.

Thanks a lot for your future reply

There should be no difference between cutting Proscar into quarters or fifths and taking a generic 1mg finasteride pill, though the 1mg generic is not legally available in the United States. If you’re having less side effects but less results in protecting your hair, I’m not sure what to tell you. Think about why you’re taking the pill to begin with — for your hair. If you’re not getting the same results for your hair, I’d consider going back to what worked better for you, perhaps even cutting the dosage to see if the side effects go away. Talk to your prescribing doctor about this.

Dr. Rassman,
I am confused as to why you said it would take 1-2 years to see results with Rogaine 5% Foam versus the 3 to 4 months that is usually mentioned for any results. I thought the cycle of hair growth is generally a four month turnover process and am wondering why you said I would need to wait 1-2 years. Again, I am a 48 year old female with androgenetic alopecia. Thank you.

It takes time for the hair to grow out, so any benefit of minoxidil that is obtained in the 4-6 month hair cycle, needs to grow to styling length to see value. Sure, you might see tiny baby hairs sprouting up, but those aren’t at a length that is manageable. Hair grows at the rate of 1/2 inch a month, so by adding the numbers together, we get to the estimates I gave before –

+	4 months (growth cycle) 6 months (to grow a three-inch hair length)
=	10 months

Then add to this the reality that it may take up to a year for the full benefit of the minoxidil to be realized.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Dr. Rassman – my doctor prescribed proscar, quartered, which I can afford. My problem is I can’t handle the side effects. And it is nearly impossible to cut any further! So, would taking 1.25 every other day still be effective and lessen the chances of side effects?

Thanks!

Every other day is better than none at all, but you should speak with your prescribing doctor about dosing.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

hi there again balding blog team

just a quick question… I have been on propecia for the last 6 months and have had good results. the clinic that I got the medication from (london’s best apparently) suggested going on minoxidil, and propecia, and azaliac acid, and they would have thrown in a lazer comb! ..but after doing a lot of my own research (mostly on your page) I decided to just go with the simple one pill a day. the thought of medicating and lazering, applying lotions was all to much for me. needless to say i am more than happy that propecia is doing its job great and im happy.

However im out of town at the moment for a month on business but just realised I only have a 2 week supply ! I dont want to mess with my regime to much, but had an idea that if I split the pill into 2 it would last a month, as ive read it is almost as effective (70%)? or do you think i should just take the full dose, then miss a couple of weeks …. ??

also how effective can propecia be at arresting hairline recession? the clinic said “it would halt hairline recession” and I know its not known to work well in that area but read different things in different places! it seems to have stopped mine ! in your experience with the drug what would you say about it?

Thanks for a fantastic site !

It sounds like you’ve done your research and are very well informed to make good scientific decisions. For example, if you started Propecia, minoxidil, azelaic acid, and laser therapy all at once, you would never know which one worked (or which ones didn’t work) and would likely end up spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily. Plus, you’d be stuck with the fear of stopping any therapy without knowing which provided the results.

With respect to limited quantity of Propecia, why is it so difficult to get a refill of the medication? A refill would be your best bet, as it is available in most countries. If you cannot get a refill, I would take 1/2 pill a day to extend the limited quantity you have left, as a half pill is about 70% as effective as a full pill. This ensures that you have the effects in your system consistently.

i have been taking propecia, and generic propecia for about six months. i have a lot of hair but since i have been taking this, my hair seens to be thinning. why? the reason i started to take this product is, because my father is bald, and my mother has hair loss. what should i do. im going to a dermatologist to se what caused this so fast. it seem since i stared taking this its making things not work. my hair was alot thicker before i started taking this product and i have had a rash on my leg four month now. please, help me

If you were NOT losing hair, then why in world did you start taking Propecia? This drug is not to be used as a preventive treatment when there is no hair loss present. Propecia is a prescription medication used for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. Please follow up with the doctor that prescribed you the medication. You should also follow up with a dermatologist about the rash on your leg, which is probably not related to Propecia.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Is it possible that the side effects from Propecia are just in my head? I was prescribed Propecia in December of 07′ and within two weeks of taking it, I began to feel a loss of libido. I decided to push on and take the medication for another month and see if the side effects. Within a month, I no longer had an erection in the morning (which was something I would experience every day prior to taking the medication) and intercourse became somewhat boring. All the while, the only information I could find was negative information about men complaining about their sexual side effects.

I stopped taking the medication, and within a week, I began to regain my libido. I did not notice any increased hair loss from stopping the medication either.

Do you think its possible that these sexual side effects were caused by my self-conscious or does that sound like the typical event of the sexual side effect one receives from Propecia.

Thanks!

The power of suggestion and the placebo effect are well documented phenomenon. If you think it is going to happen or are worried it may happen, it just might. Propecia does have a side effect of decreasing libido by 1 to 2% and increasing libido by as high as 10%. If you need to focus on something, worry about a high libido and see what happens. I can’t say for sure whether you experienced side effects form Propecia, but if you only stopped the medical for a week you will likely not see any increased hair loss just yet. With some significant time being off the medication every day, you’ll surely see the benefits disappear.