Category: Drugs

Have there been any test results that showed products such as Propecia or Rogaine can actually cause MORE hair loss? Both products after several months caused me to lose more hair more rapidly and I’ve read other people’s accounts of this happening, on this blog, as well as other sites. It seems that the FDA should study this if they’re going to license products. Thank you for your time!

There are no long term hair loss events reported from either drug, except for the people who have local allergic reactions to minoxidil. The short term loss of hair is thought to be the results of accelerated hair cycling and it reverses.

Can rogaine hurt, damage and or cause hair to fall out if it remains in the hair for a long period of time? I don’t wash my hair everyday because my scalp becomes so dry from rogaine. Rogaine always gets stuck in my hair when I apply it to my scalp. Can the rogaine that remains in the scalp harm my remaining hair? Thank you! sorry if this question seems stupid!

Providing that the Rogaine does not ‘cake’ and cause hair to stick together, there should be no impact on leaving it on the hair shafts. Always be gentle when brushing the hair.

Hi Dr Rassman,

Once Propecia is stopped, will DHT levels return to thier high levels prior to the introduction of Finasteride to the body? Is it true that impotence is associated to low levels of DHT?

DHT levels return to their normal level upon stopping finasteride. I do not know why some people on finasteride lose their sex drive (less than 1%). DHT is a less potent male hormone than testosterone and when people are started on Propecia, there are reports that testosterone blood levels rise. Some older men reported to me that their sex drive went up on Propecia and I know that they are telling the truth because their wives (some of them) complained about it to me.

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I am a 38 year old male from the UK and i’ve noticed hair on my pillow in the morning. furthermore when my hair is wet or gel’d thinning can be noticed. However during what would be a normal day to day e.g. not wet or gel’d, all appears normal. My concern is if i start propecia will this make matter worse? Hence it is important for me to ascertain what percentage men suffer hair shedding while beginning the course of propecia? if shedding does occur does this mean the shedded hair will be replace during the next regrowth cycle? if so under normal conditions how long would the hair loss be noticeable before recovery? sorry for so many questions! regards

I have had a few patients claim that they go through a shedding phase after starting Propecia (finasteride). This lasts only a month or two and is followed by the expected decrease in hair loss. I believe that this is a small number, but I can not put a figure to it for you as there have been no studies that I’m aware of that reference a percentage to answer your question. There are theories that suggest acceleration of cycling as a cause of temporary shedding, but I do not know much about this other than what other doctors assume could be the cause.

Patients start taking Propecia because they do not want to lose hair. Most people notice an immediate slowing of the hair loss on Propecia.

Why does Propecia have such a significant effect on the sex drive? Does DHT play a role in one’s sex drive?If a 1 mg dose has such an effect on one’s sex drive, will 5 mg have an even greater effect?

I have heard that there will be a generic propecia, can you confirm? Thanks.

At 1mg of finasteride, the suppression of the male sex drive is about 1% of men taking the drug. The U.S. patent held by Merck for the 1mg tablet has years still left, so I doubt that there will be a legally available generic 1mg pill anytime soon.

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Doc,

I’m a little alarmed after reading a few posts by some people who are taking both avodart and propecia simultaneously. You’ve written before about how the combination sounds redundant, but I’m wondering if it can hurt anything besides our wallets. Isn’t there a possibilitity that the two drugs could compete with one another and perhaps be counterproductive?

You should always speak with your doctor before taking or stopping any prescribed medication. I am not your doctor. Generally speaking, you should not be taking Avodart (dutasteride) and Propecia (finasteride) together for hair loss. Avodart and Propecia taken together may push the side effects such as suppressed sexual drive, breast enlargement, etc.

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Hi Doctor, I had a question regarding Propecia. I know you mentioned on your blog that the good thing about Propecia is that the side effects should stop once you stop the treatment. I started Propecia but after a few months I was having sexual disfunction so I quit. My question is, will all the hair that’s been falling out from shedding be lost forever? Does some of the hair have more growth cycles left or is all the hair that falls out, hair that was destined NEVER to return? I recently had blood tests to make sure something else wasn’t going on, but they all showed I was healthy. The shedding has continued far past me quitting Propecia (3 weeks). When should it stop, and will any of that hair grow back? Thank you so much for your help! I have a lot of anxiety about this issue.

Shedding of hair after stopping the Propecia will take its toll on the weak hairs. There is a time when the hair will fall out and Propecia alters that time by delaying it. When you stop the drug, your normal hair loss will occur and continue until the worst of the miniaturized hairs fall out. Many of the hairs that fall out may not return. You may see shedding for months. I know this is not good news, but hair loss is a progressive process.

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Hi Dr Rassman,

I have repeatedly heard you mention that propecia has a half life of 4-5 hours. If finasteride were to leave the body within 5 hours, how long will it take to restore DHT levels and other affected hormones to their initial levels? If the whole process needs 3 days maximum, why does it take some time for some patients to recover from some sexual side effects?

Could you please provide an authorative refernce for finasteride’s half life?

Thank you

The half life of finasteride is about 4-5 hours. It means that after medication is absorbed and distributed throughout the body, it take about 4-5 hours for your body to get rid of half of it from the blood stream. At the molecular level, finasteride attaches to the enzymes 5 alpha reductase (Type I and II) and makes them less effective. The turn over for the enzyme complex is slow and it takes almost 30 days for Type II and 14 days for Type I enzyme-medication complex. (Source: RxList.com – Propecia)

That is why it takes days until the actual effects of the medication are eliminated.

Hi. I have been using rogaine for 2 months now. I only had a small bald spot on the back of my head. But after 2 months of rogaine. I have noticed my hair is thinning all over my head.Front and top. Is it normal for the hair to thin even where you don’t apply it? There was no hair loss in the front of my head. Should I keep using rogaine? Thanks

What you should be doing is get to a good doctor to meet with in person. A bald spot can mean a lot of things, but without knowing your sex, seeing your problem, and examining your scalp, I can not really provide much insight over the internet. With regard to your question about Rogaine in areas of the scalp that did not get it treated, there should be no impact to any other area other than the area where the drug was applied.

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