Category: Drugs

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Why Does Propecia Take Months to Show Benefits? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doctor,

You have the best website by a mile! I have a couple of unrelated questions:

1) Why does Propecia take 8-12 months to show hair regrowth ?
2) Any comments on hair club for men’s biomatrix process (which is advertised on their website). I believe it is a hoax but wanted to confirm.

Thanks

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Thank you for your compliment!

  1. It takes months 6-12 months for finasteride (Propecia) to show its effectiveness, because it is dependent on the hair growth cycle which takes about that long just to ‘switch gears’. Then hair grows at 1/2 inch per month.
  2. I believe Hair Club’s Biomatrix is a type of wig applied with a special process. Sometimes it is difficult to tell what it is that is being sold.

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Small Hairs Growing After Using Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Two and a half months ago I started using topical minoxidil and now I see some really small hairs that have appeared on the sides of the forehead. Since I’m sceptical and dont believe they will amount to anything bigger I have stopped the treatment (2 weeks ago). My question is, is this good response or just wishfull thinking and should I continue the treatment taking in account the possible shedding in the future?

Thank you for any response

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It seems you have already made up your mind. How will know know if you don’t continue using it for 8-12 months? It is true that some patients observe what you’ve observed and these people may actually get a good response. If you go on it again, you have to start the count down from zero again, as if you never took it before.

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Switching from Finasteride to Dutasteride – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

If i’d like to take dutasteride instead of finasteride. Can i switch immediately? I mean, can i stop taking finasteride?

This is not a good idea. Dutasteride is not approved for the treatment of hair loss by the FDA. Some doctors and some patients use it, but I usually advise against it (there are conditions where we might recommend dutasteride, however). If you use it, please use it with caution. Dutasteride has a very long half life (the time it take half of the drug to be cleared by your blood stream) that lasts for weeks. Just because dutasteride may be stronger than finasteride, it does NOT mean you will get better results. Before changing any medication, you need to talk with your doctor and understand (not just read on the internet) all of the implications.

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Hair Loss InformationNizoral Safety? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Recently, I have noticed white spots all over my back and my chest. I personally believe that I caught a fungus from the tanning bed.

The dermatologist gave me a prescription for Nizoral tablets. His recommendation is to take two tablets, then exercise to sweat a couple hours after ingestion. Then, repeat the process with two more tablets one week later.

My questions is—are Nizoral tablets safe? I have heard that they are very taxing on the liver and may cause side-effects, one of which could be hairloss??? Will it most likely be safe for me to take this round of 4 tablets? Thank you

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If a medical doctor prescribed you the medication for a condition he has diagnosed, then you should ask these questions and concerns to that doctor. I cannot stress enough the importance of a good patient to doctor relationship. BaldingBlog is not intended to give second medical opinions or diagnose medical problems. This site is here to educate the public from our professional experiences. That being said, anti-fungal medications are used to treat fungal infections. They may be toxic to the liver if taken in large doses and/or if you are particularly sensitive to that medication or have underlying liver problems. You should also know that other medications, such as Tylenol, are also toxic to the liver if taken in large doses.

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Hair Loss InformationBlood Tests to Determine if Propecia is Working? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m 19 and have been experiencing hair loss for about 4 months now and been on Propecia for about 2 and a half months. Since going on Propecia I feel like I’ve been shedding more (which I’ve read may be an indicator that its working, and may not). I’ve yet to get my scalp mapped for miniaturization and my hairline is not receding, just overall very noticable thinning. I’ve been told, the effects of Propecia won’t become noticable for 3 to 6 months, but its a pretty helpless feeling not knowing if its actually working. Are there any blood tests to measure your body’s DHT level to see if the Propecia is infact blocking it well enough to stop hair loss?

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There are no blood tests that will tell you that it is working. At 19, I am sure that you expect everything to happen on command, but patience is a virtue and you have no choice but to wait. If you want to know for sure if it is working, you should have your hair mapped out for miniaturization and then take readings 8 months apart. If you do not establish the metrics, then just wait patiently for the 8th month and you should see the shedding slow down or the hair loss stopped (other than the normal 100 hairs or so everyone loses each and every day).

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Hair Loss InformationPropecia’s Effectiveness on Different Ethnicities – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi, I am a 23 y.o. male and I have been experiencing steady hairloss since Jan 2005. Baldness runs in my dad’s side of the family. I have been on Rogaine for the past year and it hasn’t stopped the loss but only slighlty slowed it down. To be fair I have only been using Rogaine once a day for quite a while now. My hair loss seems to be even across the top of the head and I am not noticing too much of receding of the hairline just hair loss on top of the head. The loss has increased in the last three months ever since i started my new job and started getting a little more stressed. While the stress is manageable, hair loss is making me uneasy. I recently got a prescription for Propecia. My questions

  1. Will Propecia be effective given I have been using Rogaine for a while
  2. Does Propecia result in additional stress
  3. I am Indian – is Propecia known to be more/less effective on different ethinicities?

Thank you.

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Here are the answers to your questions:

  1. Yes, Propecia is working through a different mechanism and will have additive effect if being used with Rogaine, and will be still effective if used after stopping Rogaine.
  2. I am not sure if I understand your question, but if you are asking about side effects of medications, it has been explained in several posts in this blog and emotional distress or anxiety is not one of them.
  3. Propecia was not exclusively studied on Indians, but there have been some variations in response to it in different ethnicities. The effectiveness of the medication on vertex baldness has been compared in different ethnic groups as below:
Hair number change in one inch (5.1 cm2) diameter (*)
  Propecia Placebo
Caucasians (1185 patients) +91 -19
Blacks (89 patients) +49 -27
Asians (17 patients) +53 -38
Hispanic (45 patients) +67 +5
Other ethnic groups (20 patients) +67 -15
 
(*) Source Merck

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Hair Loss InformationWhy Do All Young Hollywood Actors Have Great Hairlines? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi!

Do you think that it is common that young and famous persons take propecia prior to any experience of hairloss?

The reason for my question is that I am so astonished that rather young people in hollywood (say between 20-40 years), all seem to have a full head of hair! I cannot even come up with almost any names of young actors with an obvious receding hairline (as they get older), except Jude Law!

If they do not use propecia, how could this kind of luck of a full head of hair even excist, when balding is such a common problem amongst “ordinary people”??

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There is no difference between vulnerability of Hollywood actors to keeping hair and the normal population. If there was, I would imagine all balding men would be taking acting lessons to get the positive benefits of that profession. I think that those men blessed with good hair have better opportunities for acting than balding young men. Once they make it, they do what they need to maintain good hair. That might include wigs, transplants, or Propecia.

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Hair Loss InformationAny Speculation on Worst Case Scenario of Dutasteride Side Effects? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Ok I know you can’t give me a complete answer for obvious reasons, but based on your currently knowledge and educated speculation, what do you think are the most likely possible side effects from using Dutasteride in the worst case scenario? Would it simply be a case of Finasteride x 10 (i.e. loss of libido)? I really wouldn’t mind just hearing your speculation, as i’m well aware that it hasn’t been fully tested yet.

Also would it be a simple case of getting a prescription from my local GP?

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Dutasteride is a selective inhibitor of the type I and II isoforms of 5-alpha-reductase, the intracellular enzyme that converts testosterone to 5-alpha-dihydroxytestosterone (DHT). In comparison, finasteride acts as an inhibitor of only type II 5-alpha-reductase, and as a result, it is more specific, target oriented, and has less side effects.

If you are taking dutasteride for other indications, keep on taking it and you may get some hair growth as side effect. Based on current evidences, I can not recommend dutasteride solely for the prevention of hair loss, because:

  1. It has not been well studied for this purpose and as a result is not FDA approved for hair loss treatment.
  2. The optimum dose of dutasteride for hair loss prevention is not determined.
  3. The side effects of dutasteride are much more compared to finasteride.
  4. And finally, if you are considering its cost effectiveness, this is not in the picture anymore with new price reduction of finasteride (thanks to generic 5mg).

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Hair Loss InformationCortical Steroids and Effects on Hair Loss Medication – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been reading that many skin problems, such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, may be associated with hair loss in balding males. For instance, the scalp can become itchy/flaky in regions of the hair thinning/loss. The application of cortical steroids (Luxiq, etc.) are often given to ameliorate the symptoms of the dermatitis, however can they have a deleterious effect in furthering your hair loss?? Do you know if these cortical steroids act to aid or hinder the effect of typical hairloss medications, such as Propecia?

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SnakeYes, steroids can be a cause of hair loss in some people. Hair is a skin organ, but hair is only part of the skin elements. When the surface of the skin turns over faster than normal (we shed skin slowly and uniformly on a daily basis and replace from below, what is lost on the surface). Compare this to a snake, which sheds its skin all at once and replaces it before the shedding occurs. When skin is shed more rapidly, it builds up flakes of skin and some people call this dandruff. When it gets bad, it is called seborrhoeic dermatitis. It can be caused by external factors such as infections and fungal diseases as well. Steroids work well to control the autoimmune elements of the seborrhea, when it occurs, and antifungal agents or other treatments are needed (for example) when infections are present.

Many people think that seborrhea or dandruff is associated with hair loss, but this is not true unless the person picks on the skin and produces traction alopecia. When a scalp becomes balder, it becomes dry more easily. When there is hair present, flaking builds up in the forest of hair, so that when the skin turnover occurs more rapidly, the dandruff becomes a real social problem. For those interested in the chemistry of the relationship between cortical steroids and hair loss, please see: