Category: Drugs

Check this out- http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/GRAPH8.GIF

You can very easily see what the graph indicates, PLEASE comment why this could be like this? Is finasteride effect still “active” despite the fact that it’s out of your body (half life) after a couple of hours?

Another question, is it possible to develop more breast tissue due to suppressed testosterone levels as an direct cause of finasteride use?!

Take much care doc!

1. The effect of finasteride is through inhibition of the enzyme, 5 alpha-reductase. This enzyme is responsible for conversion of testosterone to DHT, which is the active form of hormone on hair follicles. Although finasteride gets eliminated from plasma in a few hours, its inhibitory effect on the enzyme remains for a long time, so you don’t need to take it more than once a day and that is probably why a once a day dose is recommended. What this graph shows is DHT levels, not effect of the drug over time. The recommended dose reflects the results on controlling hair loss, not DHT levels.
2. In the study of finasteride in men, the incidence of breast enlargement was not significantly higher than the patients who were just given placebo. Less than one percent of the patients may experience breast tenderness and enlargement, which may be simply related to the placebo effect of the medication on some men. I have seen direct effects on breast tissue stimulation with finasteride at the 1mg dose and these man are clearly very sensitive to this drug. Please note that finasteride actually increases testosterone levels by about 15%, not decrease those blood levels as suggested in your question.

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Is there an increased rick of testicular cancer from finasteride? The product literature says something like that, although I don’t completely understand it. Would finasteride be contraindicated in someone born with an undescended testicle?

Undescended testis is a congenital disorder that is seen in male infants. Most cases will spontaneously improve within the first 4-6 months. If it persists untreated after this age, it will increase the chance of infertility and testicular cancer in adulthood.

Propecia is not indicated for use in pediatric patients, and women should not handle crushed or broken Propecia tablets when they are pregnant or may potentially be pregnant due to the possibility of absorption of finasteride and the subsequent potential risk to a male fetus genital system. Your question may be referring to the animal studies on finasteride. Exposure of pregnant monkeys has shown to cause genital defects in their male fetuses.

After complete development of testicles and when they descended to their final location, finasteride should not cause any problem.

Finasteride is not related to testicular cancer in any way that is documented in the literature that I can find.

Hi Dr., I recently had a consultation and I think I was told that retin A caused hair loss. I believe the doctor sai that it dries out your skin and this causes hair loss. I have recently began using minoxodil on the sides of my head and for some reason it causes my face to dry up and I was wondering even though minox. is prescribed to treat hair loss, can it cause it by drying out my skin.

Is that correct? Thank you.

Minoxidil (Rogaine) can be a skin irritant for some patients and Retin A is an acid which burns the skin and will cause dryness. Some patients have told me they stopped using minoxidil because of this side effect.

BUT… there is a new form of minoxidil that just came to market called Rogaine Foam which should not cause the dryness that other topical minoxidil may. I do not have personal experience in using it (I take Propecia), but some readers of this site have written to let me know that they do like the foam better due to ease of application and less of a skin annoyance. Reports by experts indicate that there is better absorption and better blood levels with the foam whihc should translate into better results over time.

I am having a 2200 graph transplant next month. What in your opinion is the best way to maintain what I have on my head. I am not a big drug taker and I feel like if I dont take something, I am wasting my time because my hair is going to continue to fall out.

The only way I can recommend to minimizing your progressive hair loss — and yes, it is progressive, because that is the nature of the beast — is to take finasteride 1mg (assuming you are a male). If you do not take this medication, you will most likely continue to bald, because that is what happens to men’s hair if they have genetic hair loss. I do not know if you are wasting your time, but you aversion to taking a pill once a day makes no sense to me. By taking finasteride once daily, you are not becoming a drug pusher, just a smart patient.

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Hello Doctor,

I am a 29 year old male who has been taking propecia for around 8 years. It has worked well at halting my hairloss. Recently, my dermatologist told me I should try generic finasteride to save money. Will generic finasteride work as well as propecia?

Yes, the generic finasteride will work as well as the non-generic finasteride. It is the same drug – just that the generic is available in 5mg tablets (same as Proscar), where Propecia is in 1mg pills. The 5mg pills should be cut down to 1/4 tablet taken each day to minimize side effects. For more about cutting the 5mg tablets down to the dosage used for treating hair loss, please see:

• Cutting Proscar
• Pill Cutters and Creativity

Is there a product of rogaine that is safe for eyebrows?

Medically speaking, there have been no studies that examined the effects of Rogaine on the eyebrow, but this medication will grow hair to skin that it is applied to, in some situations. You can try it, but stay on it a full 8 months before drawing any conclusion about effectiveness.