Drugs – Page 283 – Balding Blog

February 9, 2007

Minoxidil with Azelaic and Retinoic Acid – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,
Could you please comment on the the various minoxidil solutions offered by Dr. Lee (www.minoxidil.com) and whether his claims are substantiated. Specifically, I am very curious to hear your opinion regarding the use of azalaic and retinoic acid (either with or without minoxidil) as regrowth stimulants and DHT inhibitors. Are they of any benefit and, if so, are they likely to be any more effective than minoxidil alone?

Generic minoxidil may have enhancers added and they include axelaic acid and retinoids. I have no opinion in their isolated use, but when combined with minoxidil, they increase the blood supply to the area of application. This is a like a minor burn and it can be irritating to the skin. It, to my knowledge, is not a DHT inhibitor and I do not personally believe that it will make minoxidil more effective.

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February 9, 2007

Stopped Propecia, Saw Catch Up Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear doc,

I am a 22 year old male with thinning hair and a family history of baldness. Last summer I started taking propecia, but was too lazy to renew my perscription after three months. Since then I seem to have experienced the “catch up” hairloss I hear so much about and now, five months later, Im thinking of going back on it and staying for the long haul.

My question is though, should I expect any diminished results from restarting the treatment? Does propecia somehow lose its efficacy if you stop and restart it? Is it worth going back on?

Thank you for your time.

I hear about catch up hair loss over and over again. So many men start and then stop Propecia and experience hair loss upon stopping the drug, which just shows that it was working. Just go back on it and stay on it this time. It will not lose its efficacy, but you may be more ‘down the road’ on the balding process for stopping it.

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February 9, 2007

Using Minoxidil with Toppik – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

I’m 43, male and have just had a FUE. My question is how do i use Minoxidil if i already have Toppik in my hair? My surgeon has said that i should use Minoxidil for 6 weeks to help the transplanted hairs. Will this help? What if i don’t use the Minoxidil?

Regards and many thanks for this great service you are providing.

If you want to use minoxidil and Toppik, I would apply minoxidil first, let it dry, then apply Toppik.

There is no study to prove the minoxidil will help your transplant to grow faster. It may help, but nobody really knows. Your transplanted hair should grow regardless of minoxidil. It may help keep your existing hair from falling out.

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February 8, 2007

Hair Loss InformationUsing Minoxidil After Surgery – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Doctors,

Minoxidil after Surgery.

Thank you for taking our questions. I just recently had my second procedure done 1 year after my first 2700 FUS. This time we were only able to do 2005 because my scalp wasn’t very flexible. I have two questions and 1 request.

1. You mentioned in another posting that using minoxidil a few days after the surgery might help to speed up the growth process of the new hairs. How long should I wait before using minoxidil after my surgery? I had my surgery 4 days ago.

2. Should I start to do the stretching exercises after I heal to help produce better yield for my next surgery hopefully in December?

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I do not believe that minoxidil accelerates the growth process after hair transplantation. I did a study where I used minoxidil on half the head and nothing on the other half. Both sides grew at the same time and rate.

Stretching exercises to the scalp are good 6+ months after surgery if your tendency is to be tight.

February 8, 2007

Depression from Finasteride? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,

Thanks for running this blog, it really helps soo many people. My question is concerning finasteride on depression. I am currently in graduate school and losing hair since 6-7 years. The hairloss has been really significant the last 8 months. I started taking proscar, 1.25mg, since a month ago. I stopped once in between because I was feeling down a bit. When I started taking it again 15 days ago with lower dosage, I again felt a little down. I have never imagined that I could get depressing feelings but I am almost positive its the drug.

What do you know on this matter? How many of your patients felt this way? And when I say depressed-its really not that bad but I am not my regular self.

Thanks

I have not seen this side effect and I do prescribe finasteride to a large number of patients. I have received comments from some patients that they do not ‘feel’ the same. I tried to pin that feeling down, but I do not have it surrounded. Clearly, the decision to take the medication must be weighted against the liability of not having it on board. The same recommendation applies to depression, which has been reported in the literature:

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February 8, 2007

Female with DUPA, Allergic to Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dear Dr.
I am 23 year old female who has been suffering from diffuse unpatented alopecia for the past 9 years. I have tried minoxidil, but I was and still is allergic to it. Although I am not a good candidate for surgery, I underwent transplantation and of course there were no results or improvements. It has emotionally brought me down and I keep wearing extentions to hide it.

Of course, I am disturbed that you had a surgery at all. I hope that your doctor told you that there would be no benefit from such a surgery. You are fortunate if you had no negative effects, because at times people who have surgery with Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) get into real problems both in the donor site and the recipient site. Extensions will produce more alopecia (we call this traction alopecia), which means that for the short term benefit of looking fuller, you will eventually lose whatever good hair you have left. Wigs may work better for you and the use of special products like DermMatch and Toppik may have more value in that they will not cause hair loss. If you are allergic to minoxidil, there is no real benefit to other medications in a woman of your age.

February 8, 2007

Why Is Minoxidil Foam Not FDA Approved for Women? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Why are certain minoxidil products approved only for men and not women?

Do minoxidil products work on the frontal part of the scalp as well as on the vertex?

I have a 21 yr old daughter who has hair loss. The thinning is most noticeable on the front of her scalp so I want to apply there, as well as on vertex. I would like to try the new Pfizer foam product because the topical solution is difficult to apply and makes her hair look greasy. It seems more goes on her hair than her scalp. But the Pfizer web site for the foam product says the foam is for men only and only for the vertex of the scalp. If minoxidil topical solutions work on the frontal part of scalp, why doesn’t the foam? Is it just that Pfizer’s studies on this product submitted and approved by the FDA only looked at application to the vertex?

You guessed it. The drug company can only claim what they can prove. By not making any statements about frontal use or women’s use, it does not mean that it is not safe nor effective. The risk (minimal) is yours for making the decision.

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February 7, 2007

Can Doctors Deny a Finasteride Prescription Because of My Young Age? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

hey Doc, i took your advice and i now have a doctors appointment in a bit over a week. i plan to ask him for a prescription to finasteride, my concern now is that he will think im too young for the prescription. Can doctors deny patients a prescription? will tests have to be done because im young? im 19 years old and this is new doctor

thx for your help dr Rassman, i hope you know how much your helping people with this blog

There is no guarantee that a doctor will prescribe any medication you want just because you want it. Some doctors do not believe in Propecia and will not prescribe it. I, on the other hand, will routinely prescribe it once I make the assessment by mapping out the scalp for miniaturization. I just saw a man this morning who does not have any miniaturization and he is 26, so I recommended against the Propecia even though he wanted it badly.

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February 7, 2007

Which Is Better — Apple Polyphenols Topical or Capsules? – Balding Blog

In purchasing Apple Polyphenols what would be more affective topical or capsules? I can’t afford both.

Thanks

There is no documented research on comparison of the topical vs. oral use of polyphenols that I know of. Most research on polyphenols, particularly on procyanidin and hair growth in humans and animals, is done on the topical procyanidin rather than the oral pill.

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February 6, 2007

Taking Propecia at 18 Years Old – Balding Blog

Hello doc. my family comes from a background of hair loss. Both my brothers experienced this as well at thiis age. I am 18 yrs old and have recently been in fear of hairloss as ive seen more and more hair in the bath and comb. i was wondering if it would be ok to take propecia at such an early age and if it would have long term effects. thanks

Propecia (finasteride) best started early if you are diagnosed as having genetic hair loss. You should first get a diagnosis by having your hair mapped out for miniaturization and then if you do have early balding, by all means, start the drug. Propecia is available by doctor’s prescription only.

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