Category: Drugs

I started taking 1mg of propecia, 2 months ago. I noticed less shedding. I also noticed that my right nipple is almost always erect. The tip is also white. I brought it to the attention of my physician. He says its nothing and likely not the result of the propecia. I’m a little concerned that it may be a side effect. Any thoughts on what I’ve just described?

Breast enlargement may be behind the erect nipple. You could try stopping the Propecia to see if the problem goes away in a couple of weeks to even a few months. Have a doctor examine your chest for signs of breast tissue enlargement. There is not much I could recommend trying without examining you in person. For more, please see:

• EHRS – Unilateral Gynecomastia Induced By 1mg Oral Finasteride. Report Of 3 Cases
• BaldingBlog – Concerned About Possible Gynecomastia from Propecia
• Propecia – Official website

I read this in the hair loss help web site about shedding and propecia.

If you experienced an increased amount of hair loss almost immediately after taking Propecia it is likely that you are experiencing a hypoandrogenic effect and not a shed. If this is that case then you should see a physician about possibly discontinuing the drug.

I have never heard of this. What is a hypoandrogenic effect?

You are not alone, as I have not heard of this hypoandrogenic effect either. If you consider androgen as the cause of hair loss, hypoandrogenic effect should be a good thing and should slow down or prevent hair loss.

It is believed that increased shedding immediately after starting on finasteride (Propecia) is due to the acceleration of the hair cycling process. This phenomenon may cause miniaturized hair to shed and it is thought that these follicles eventually get replaced with new hair, which may be thicker than the original.

If you experience increased shedding a few weeks after starting finasteride, don’t panic and don’t stop the medication. The shedding will usually slow down and finally stop within a few weeks.

Hi, i’ve been on Propecia for 10-12 months now, and I would say that it has slowed it down maybe 90-95%.

However there’s something that i’ve been wondering for a while now. If the rate of loss AFTER one has been on Propecia for this long was still quite fast *even though it would be a lot better than not being on it at all*, would this indicate:

1) That without Propecia, the hair loss would have been very aggressive?
2) That the person has not been very receptive to the drug.
3) Both.

I’ve always wondered, what does a less than average reaction to the drug tell us?

The answer to your three questions is Yes, Yes, and Yes — all are possible.

There is no guarantee that Propecia will work. We see better results with the drug on young men with more relatively short term hair loss. This is a drug that is known to be effective at slowing down, stopping or reversing the hair loss, but what that means is clearly uncertain. Here’s stats from the official Propecia website’s FAQ:

A 5-year clinical study demonstrated the effectiveness of PROPECIA.

• 9 out of 10 men on PROPECIA had visible results (either regrowth of hair, 48% [134 out of 279], or no further hair loss, 42% [117 out of 279]) vs 25% (4 out of 16) on placebo (sugar pill), according to an assessment of photographs by an independent panel of dermatologists.
• 2 out of 3 men on PROPECIA regrew hair, as measured by hair count. All the men in the study who were not taking PROPECIA lost hair.
• A majority of men on PROPECIA were rated as improved by doctors: 77% (210 out of 271) vs 15% (2 out of 13) with placebo.
• A majority of men on PROPECIA reported their bald spot getting smaller, their hair loss slowing down, and the appearance of their hair improving.

What’s more, in the first year of the study, 86% (587 out of 679) of men on PROPECIA maintained hair or increased the number of visible hairs vs 42% (282 out of 672) on placebo.

I have read that you say it takes 8-12 months to clearly see the new hair growing from propecia use. If the hair is kept shorter like half an inch, will you see new growth sooner.

thanks

There is no way to speed up the impact of finasteride (Propecia) or minoxidil (Rogaine), but the impact can be appreciated better if your start off with 1/2 inch hair and then observe the change over time.

Hi Doctor,

I have been taking Dutasteride to reduce hair loss in the past 3 years. I just got married recently and planning to have children. Could you please tell me will I have problems with having children or my baby may become defect because of my sperm containing dutasteride. Should I stop taking dutasteride for a period of time before starting to have children?

Thanks

Dutasteride (Avodart), as mentioned on this site many times before, is not FDA approved for treating male pattern baldness. However, if you are on dutasteride for any other reason and are planning to have children, you can do so by discontinuing the medication for at least 6 weeks before that. I say 6 weeks, but Dutasteride has been reported to have a long half life (5-6 weeks) which might mean that the drug is in your system far longer than the 6 weeks estimate I just gave you. We really do not know the answer.

Although not studied on humans, animal studies show reduction in both ejaculate volume and sperm count using high doses of dutasteride. After stopping this medication on rats, its fertility effect is reversed in all animals, while sperm count needed 14 weeks for full recovery.

Just be aware that pregnant women should not handle the medication. It can be absorbed through skin and may affect the baby. If the drug stays in the sperm, in theory, it could impact sexual development of the baby.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

Is it possible to go on a Finasteride “cycle” in the same way a body builder will go on a “cycle” with steroids to avoid the brunt of major side effects? Has anyone tried this with finasteride? (i.e., take it for 6 months then stay off it for 3 months or something to that effect). I understand that finasteride has a long half-life and will stay in your system for a long period even after stopping dosage. I wonder if you can avoid or limit some of the side effects.
Thanking you in advance for your response.

Finasteride has a very short half life. If you have a leaking bucket, and it dripped slowly and you decided to stop the drip for every other day, it would just take longer for the bucket to empty, but it will eventually empty. Think of your hair as the bucket full of water, dripping out drop by drop every day, some days less than others. Cycling Propecia just slows down the loss that will happen sooner or later, but unlike the bucket of water which you can just refill, when the hair is gone, it is gone! I hope you get the message?