Category: Drugs

hey doc! this is a great site.
im 19 and i have finally stopped denying that im going bald ( took me long enough ). i was wondering how i could get my hands on some proscar? i thinking that my doctor will only prescribe me propecia because proscar is not offically used for MPB. THANKS, i have recently become a daily reader!

Proscar and Propecia are both finasteride and the only difference is their strength. Proscar (finasteride 5mg) is 5 times stronger than Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and that is why it need to be cut into 4 pieces (cutting pills into 5 pieces is not easy) to provide 1.25mg of finasteride. There shouldn’t be any reason not to prescribe Proscar for hair loss. You can share this post with your doctor in your next visit if you wish.

Hi Dr Rassman,

I am a 35 year old male, and my hair is thinning fairly evenly on ALL of the top of my head.

Bearing in mind how Propecia is more effective in younger men, and how the drug is effective mainly on the crown, would it really be worth me taking it? Could propecia halt thinning/stimulate hair growth on all of the top of the head, particularly as I’m mid 30’s?

Thankyou.

Yes, yes, yes. If you have any balding or thinning, then Propecia (finasteride) is the only FDA-approved way to go to prevent or slow the hair loss progression.

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I had a question about the post on alopecia areata where the subject grew a large amount of hair back using the drug DNCB (Dinitrochlorobenzene). Will that eventually be used in people who don’t have alopecia areata but suffer from baldness?

I am currently a 24 year old male suffering from baldness. I am on proscar and it has halted my hair loss to some degree. I have really curly jet black hair so that helps to cover up the baldness and people think I have thick hair, which is good by me. But still I want more. Do you think that proscar/propecia can maintain my hair for another 20 years until I am finally married and ready to let go of it? That is just a little about myself. Thanks for the website.

DNCB is like a really bad case of poison ivy. It impacts the immune system. Male pattern baldness (MPB) is a genetic problem, not an autoimmune problem. The treatment used for the man that I posted about the other day is quite dangerous. Forget it for the treatment of MPB.

As for the question about Propecia effectiveness over the years, please see Propecia and Hair Count.

Hello Dr Rassman, Im a 28 year old male that has been taking Proscar split into 1.25mg for about 1.5 years. During this period I have made two very interesting observations regarding my hair which i want to ask you about.

1. Does Finasteride effect the pigmentation of the hair? Over he past 1.5 years ive noticed that my hair has turned a bizarre color, it almost looks grey but it isn’t, it almost looks clear. (I have blonde/brown hair).

2. Does Finasteride decrease the diameter of the hair shaft? (Even on hairs that aren’t miniaturized). Ive noticed despite retaining the bulk of my hair, that the overall feel of my hair is thinner, it lacks body and luster, but there hair is still very much abundant as it was before and it still continues to grow long and strong. The hair itself is just finer, but this has occurred all over my head, it was never like this before! I can physically see the hair diameter is thinner. (But its definitely not suffering from miniaturization).

There is no report on finasteride being associated with a change of pigmentation of hair/color. Miniaturized hairs usually look lighter, as they have less pigment in them. If anything, finasteride increases the thickness of hair shaft and may make the hair look darker that way. There are some other causes for hair color change. Most of them are either genetic factors, or systemic factors like nutritional and hormonal disorders. Talk about this issue with your primary doctor.

It is hard for patients to judge the thickness of their hair after starting on Propecia. Although the medication is supposed to increase the thickness of individual hair shafts, the growth changes from finasteride probably occur over at least 3 months and even then it may not be easy for the patient to see the difference. By any means, Propecia should not decrease hair thickness. If you see such changes it might have to do with the progression of your miniaturization (and the hair loss) and the medication may not be as effective as you may have hoped.

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Hi, I am 21 yrs. old and for the past several months my hair has been thinning diffusely throughout the top part of my head, with no change to my hair line. I have recently been prescribed Propecia by my physician and am hoping to gain an idea of the type of results I can expect. According to your blog, Propecia works best in the crown area of the scalp; so does this mean that my hair which has thinned in the front will not likely see any results?? Also, as a general question, you have stated that it may take upwards of 6 months to see new hairs, due to the slowness of the hair cycle. However, could it take less time for hairs to increase their shaft thickness while taking Propecia? I understand that the hair regrowth is dependant on hair cycling, but is this the same for also reversing the miniaturization process? Thank you for answering my questions!

The published information on hair regrowth from Propecia is best documented in the crown. I am convinced that there are good results in the frontal area behind the hairline in people your age (under 26) with recent hair loss or hair thinning. You must stay the course. Yes, it can work earlier, but it will slow down or stop the hair loss in many young men your age. Be patient.

Hello, I have been using propecia for about 10 months. The last two months I took only half of the pill, because i had more headaches, testicle and stomach pains, dizziness and lower sex drive. My hair loss has stopped and i dont see any loss when i pull my hair. My question is how will this half pill effect on my hairloss? Should i expect the same results or can my situation worsen badly? And can propecia, if i take it for a long time, really stop balding or does it only slow the process (for how many years for example)? thanks

Taking half pill of Propecia is reported to be about 70% effective as taking a full dose of Propecia. I cannot tell you how taking half a pill will change your hair loss/gain, but it is certainly better than not taking at all. In your particular case, it seems to be a good compromise, although some of your complaints should not be caused by this drug.

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