Category: Drugs

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Shock Loss in the Recipient Area – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

HI DR… I would like to know if there is shock loss after hair surgery what is your policy in solving the problem. thanks

I properly inform my patients of the risk, try to mitigate that risk, and am very supportive if it happens. I can not guarantee what will happen to the native hair that is there and which may react poorly to a hair transplant by undergoing shock loss. I have not had a case of shock loss for more than a year. I suspect it is because I prescribe finasteride on all those who are subject to that risk.

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Taking Propecia for Over 10 Years — Will My Hair Loss Still “Catch Up”? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read your last blog entry and I was wondering, I know people who have been on propecia for about a decade (they started when they were 19) and they still have a good amount of hair left (I know one of my friends has a large receding hair line but it is not that visible when he has long hair but when he has short hair he combs it down and you can tell). You talk about our genetic code catching up to us and eventually those hair losing people will lose all their hair even on propecia but the thing is when does the genetic code of those people on the medication for 10+ yrs catch up to them? Will they keep all their hair until they are 50 because they have been taking finasteride for so many years? Because I remember you mentioned one time that at the age of 30 baldness stops so If I take propecia until 30 and then stop the hair on my head will it stay forever?

There are no studies that go out more than 10 years. My own experience takes me to ten years. As long as you take it, if there were ever benefits, they will be retained to some degree over the lifetime that you take the drug.

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Is Saw Palmetto a Good DHT Blocker? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi doctor my hair have been thinning for about 3 years (now i am in my late 22 of age), but i didnt notice till now shedding in the temporal area (only receding in the frontal hair line ), i am confused some are telling me that I have “Seborrhoeic dermatitis” but other dermatologists are telling me that I have male pattern hair loss -Alopecia. My question is does Seborrhoeic dermatitis cause the hair to thin like the dht effect or only makes the hair fall-knowing that in addition to my thinning I have some acne production especially on my nose and face areas-I am using Nizoral Cream 25 and Squad med shampoo to control Seborrhoeic dermatitis which is controllable using these medications. Does possible that I have both Seborrhoeic dermatitis and Male Pattern Hair Loss – I used monixidil 5% which resulted in few tiny hairs and I used propecia but i quiet it after 6 months due its sever sexual dysfunction and i am shifting now to Saw Palmeto —What is your comment doctor on saw palmetto on inhibiting DHT!! Thanks A lot Doctor”

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It is certainly possible that you have both seborrhoeic dermatitis and male pattern hair loss. The two are not connected and seborrhea does not cause hair loss. Saw palmetto is not a good DHT blocker, as is claimed by many. There are only two DHT blockers that are proven to work (finasteride and dutasteride). You need to be managed by a good doctor.

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Hair Loss InformationPlease Clarify The Effectiveness of Smaller Finasteride Doses – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,

You indicated that 0.5mg of propecia was about 80% as effective as 1 mg. I believe you indicated that Dr. David Whiting informed you of this?

Then, someone posted “0.2mg of Finasteride is Almost As Effective as 1mg?” on September 8th which indicates that 0.2mg (not 0.5) is 80% as effective and you said that was the first you had heard of this report and you would look into it.

Would you verify which is correct. I take 1/2 a pill of propecia (for cost mainly) and I would like to know if it is as effective as 1 whole pill, since according to the FDA studies, 0.2 is 80% as effective as 1 whole.

Thanks

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I do not want to confuse you. The official dose of 1mg is what I recommend. Even if Dr. Whiting is correct about the 80% effectiveness of 0.5mgs of finasteride, 80% is not as good as 100%. With regard to the lower doses I published, please note that this was just a posting of information I received to stimulate thought. I would not change my dose to a lower dose, because it would put you at risk for hair loss. With the generic Proscar now available on the market, costs are reasonably in reach for most people.

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Tried a Different Shampoo, Made My Scalp Flake and Peel – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 20 year old male. About a month or 2 ago i started using a new shampoo, which around that time my scalp began to have a significant amount of flaking and peeling. It was mainly along the hairline on the left side of my head. This flaking continued until recently when i switched back to the old shampoo i was using. The flaking is almost completely gone, but on the side of my head where the flaking was occuring, the hair is thinner. Was the thinning caused from having such a dry flakey scalp and will it grow back as my scalp recovers?

As I have not examined you, nor do I know enough about the products you used, I can not answer the question about your scalp flaking. What I can offer is a small tip — if you wait out a period of about 6 months, the hair should return back to its original thickness, that is, unless you have some ’cause’ that requires a doctor’s attention. There is never a substitute to being examined by a good, caring doctor. Since you are concerned, I would seek out a dermatologist’s examination.

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I Was Diagnosed Chronic Kidney Disease and Stopped Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 35 years old I was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease earlier this year (stage 3). Up until this point I had taken Propecia with good results. My Doctor has told me to stop all medication, vitamins etc but since stopping Propecia my hair is falling out quick. Is this normal? I want to go back on Propecia but my Doctor said no. Do you know if Propecia has any adverse affects on the kidneys?

Many thanks

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There is no documented adverse effect of Propecia on the kidneys. Propecia use is safe in patients with renal failure. Propecia is being eliminated from your body by two different ways:

  1. Excretion in the urine (39%)
  2. Excretion in the feces (57%)

This means, even if you have severe kidney failure, your body can get rid of Propecia through the liver and it will be excreted into the feces; so in theory no real adjustment is needed for Propecia in patients with kidney failure. Having said that, you still need to talk it over with your physician and make sure about the other reasons that he/she may have wanted it discontinued. Share this blog posting with your doctor. You might want to try the regular dose and then check for blood levels at the lab.

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Hair Loss InformationFacial Swelling from Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi,

i have tried many different formulations of minoxidil. each one causes my face/cheeks to go very puffy/swollen.

is it the minoxidil or alcohol that causes this ?

most importantly, is there anyway of reducing the puffiness, preferably by using some sort of cream rather than a tablet ?

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It seems you may have an allergic reaction to the minoxidil formulation. Either you may be allergic to the inactive ingredients or the minoxidil itself. There is a new formulation of minoxidil available as Rogaine Foam. You may give that a try. However, if this is a true allergic reaction, I would stop using it completely, because your body may react to it stronger with subsequent use and cause your face or tongue to swell to a point where it may even be life threatening.

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Generic Proscar Big Enough to Be Cut into .5mg Pieces? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I just started a regimen of 5% minoxidil/retin-A a month and a half ago and would like to add .5 mg/day finasteride to my regimen.

Is the generic 5 mg proscar big enough to be cut into 10 sections with a pill cutter?

Is propecia due to be generic in the U.S. anytime soon?

I doubt that you can cut a pill in 10 equal sections unless the pill is large enough — and the generic Proscar (finasteride 5mg) that I’ve seen is not that big. That being said, you can always try! It actually looks to be equal in size to 1mg Propecia, if that helps any.

Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is still under U.S. Patent protection and will not be available anytime soon in generic form (at least in the United States).

The combination of minoxidil and retin-A is a combo that I do not particularly like, and you might want to try Rogaine Foam as an alternative.

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Hair Loss InformationWhy Do Hair Loss Treatments Not Work in the Frontal Hairline? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Is there a reason why rogaine and finasteride only work on the vertex but not the receding hairline/frontal area?

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Many aspects of the mechanism of action of Rogaine and finasteride (Propecia) are still unknown, and for that same reason we do not know why they work on the vertex better than the temple and frontal area. I can guess that reversal of frontal hair loss is very rare, because by the time the treatments are started, the balding has gone too far as it starts earlier. Crown balding is slower and from the time it is first recognized, it often early in the thinning process. As such, reversal of crown loss is much more common with these medications, particularly in the young man under 35 years old. However, finasteride does work to slow down or stop hair loss in the frontal area, particularly if caught early enough.

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Dry Scalp and Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr, i just read a reply of yours saying that the dryness sometimes caused by minoxidil can cause hair loss. i am currently 21 and noticed thinning at 18 and have been taking rogaine/generic minoxidil for about 2 years with no success (hair is still thinning) and just started taking propecia 4 months ago. i’ve always had a probelm with having a dry scalp but if minoxidil could worsen this do you recommend that i stop using it and just continue with the propecia? thank you for your response and all the help your site has already provided.

Dry scalp will not cause hair loss in itself. A small number of people who use minoxidil have told me that they experience drying of the scalp secondary to the inactive ingredients that may irritate the scalp. Those users generally stop using the medication.

Minoxidil is a topical drug used for the treatment of hair loss so it should not cause hair loss. Furthermore, there is talk among clinicians indicating that using minoxidil in conjunction with finasteride (Propecia) may have a synergistic benefit. Finally, for those who may have dryness of the scalp secondary to the generic spray on minoxidil, there is a new foam/mouse formulation of minoxidil (Rogaine Foam). It is reported to be easier to use with less irritating effects.