Drugs – Page 311 – Balding Blog

August 18, 2006

How Can I Get a Proscar, Procerin Prescription? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr Rassman,
I had a couple questions. First, I have done some research and am interested in purchasing either Proscar or Procerin. Procerin seems to be less costly. Is Procerin as/more effective as Proscar? Second, if Proscar is the better alternative, how do I go about obtaining a prescription? Can I see any physician or do I need to see a hair loss physician? I am 21 years old and am just starting to experience the beginning stages of hair loss, but I would like to do something soon. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.

Proscar (5mg finasteride) and Propecia (1mg finasteride) are medications that requires a prescription from a licensed medical doctor in the US. Any medical doctor can prescribe them. The only caveat is that in our practice, we generally like to document the degree of miniaturization of scalp hair with a computer video densitometer to quantify and record the state of your hair before you start the medication, so that there is an objective record to compare the effects of the drug after a given period of time.

Procerin is NOT a medication. It is a cleverly named herb, vitamin, and mineral formula that claims to treat hair loss. You do not need a prescription for Procerin, because it is not a medication. The name Procerin just sounds like Propecia or Proscar.

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August 18, 2006

Initial Hair Loss Acceleration from Minoxidil? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I have used propecia since the late 90’s and I believe it has effectively slowed my hair loss. But recently I began using Minoxidill due to some accelerated loss I experienced in some areas in the temples and crown. I have been using the minox for @ 4mos. Initially it appeaered that I was losing hair at a faster rate due to the minox use. But after 3 mos I began to notice the return of hair in the areas I was concerned about prior to using minox and the areas that began thinning more with the initial use of minox have also begun growing again. Here’s the question. Is an initial acceleration of hair loss to be expected when you begin using the minoxidil followed by growth due to minox use?

Some people have observed initial shedding with minoxidil and even with Propecia. You were smart to hold the course and stay with the medication to pass the shedding phase.

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August 17, 2006

Hair Loss InformationAny Way to Counter Propecia Side Effects? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have tried Propecia twice for about 15 days each. Both times I stopped as I devleoped breast enlargement. Is there a way I can use Propecia but avoid the side effects (i.e. counter medication)?

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You should consult with your doctor who prescribed you Propecia to address these issues. There are medications to counter abnormal breast enlargement, but I have not personally used them to treat my patients. Most men who have breast lumps from Propecia (about one in 500 users) stop taking the medication.

The interesting part about your question is that you state you have only taken Propecia for about 2 weeks and noticed breast enlargement. This is not typical and it is more the reason why you should follow-up with the doctor who prescribed Propecia to you.

August 17, 2006

Hair Loss InformationPropecia, Minoxidil, and Age for Hair Loss Protection – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

hi dr… do you think you increase you chances of stopping the hairloss if you use minoxidil with propecia???? also does hairloss tend to slow at age 40… please let me know .. thanks

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The combination of minoxidil and Propecia may make a difference in a few patients, but I personally do not recommend its use together unless the Propecia is failing to achieve the goals. Hair loss does slow down (on average) at about 35, more so at 40 and rarely is it very active in the 50s. There are exceptions to this rule and I do see men at the ripe age of 50 who experience hair loss for the first time.

August 16, 2006

Avodart Has 50% Better Regrowth Rate Than Propecia? – Balding Blog

According to http://www.hairlosstalk.com/research/men/treatment1men.htm, Avodart is said to have a 50% better regrowth rate than Propecia. If one were to choose between staying on Propecia and achieve a lower regrowth rate or to switch to Avodart, what would be the pros and cons? Thanks.

Avodart is not currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of male pattern baldness (MPB). Propecia is the only oral medication approved by the FDA for MPB. Comparisons of Avodart with Propecia are conjecture by those who make such statements. It may be fair to say (without putting a percentage to it) that Avodart is reported (by physicians who use it regularly) to work better on some patients who are not getting good responses to Propecia.

The only real reservation I have about Avodart is that it has a very long half life in the order of WEEKS versus Propecia, which has a half life in the order of HOURS. A half life of a drug is the time it takes for half the drug to be cleared from your blood stream. This does not account for the drug cleared from tissue. The point is that Avodart is a strong medication and its full effects are not known. In my practice I do not generally recommend Avodart unless there are special circumstances.

August 16, 2006

Propecia Dosage and Biotin – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I would like to know if there is any harm in taking one half of a milligram of Proscar a day instead of just a quarter milligram, reason being would it speed up the process? And, if I do start to take one half of a milligram until my hair loss is completely reversed, can I then step back down to taking just one quarter milligram of Proscar without any negative side effects? I want to be sure I don’t become dependant on taking one half of a milligram daily as this will cost much more in the long run.

Also, my dad suggested using a non-prescription drug, Biotin. Do you think I should take Biotin? Will it help, make no difference or be bad?

And I have started using hair gel again (daily), a small amount, will this be bad for the hair loss reversal?

And, is there a specific type of shampoo/conditioner I should use that will help my hair?

Thanks for your time

There is no major harm in increasing the dose of finasteride, except we see a higher incidence of decreased libido with higher doses. The higher dose does not, to my knowledge, have more value than the 1mg dose of finasteride for the treatment of hair loss. If you are cutting Proscar 5mgs into 0.5mg, then that is 10 pieces of a pill, something that is hard to do and regulate (produce a powder I suspect). A dose of 0.5mg of finasteride is reported to be 80% as effective as the 1mg dose. Now with all that said, either cut a Proscar 5mg into quarters (1.25mg) or take the full dose of Propecia (1mg).

Biotin will not hurt you provided that you take recommended doses, but it will be no substitute for the finasteride. I recommend no particular shampoo, conditioner or hair gel.

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August 16, 2006

Using Minoxidil At 15 Years Old – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hey Doc, your site is awesome. I have a question. I am a 15 year old Indian male, and I recently discovered my receding hairline. For a week or so I thought it was a mature hairline since everyone in my family has one (noone is bald though). Anyway I went to see a dermatologist and she said it’s male pattern baldness because of the recession on the sides. She prescribed Minoxidil 5 % for 12 months. I just wanted to know if you think I should take Minoxidil at such an early age or get another opinion. BTW, when I raise my eyebrows my last fold of skin is 3/4 inch away from my hairline. And the recession of my left and right sides are an inch away from my hairline.

I do not have the benefit of examining you in person and this site is not intended for personal medical advice and second opinions. From what you are describing, your hairline may be advancing from a juvenile hairline to a more mature hairline, albeit a bit prematurely. This is generally not considered male pattern hair loss. To be more certain, you should have your scalp hair evaluated for miniaturization with a hair densitometer.

Also, I am curious as to what you mean by “recession on the sides”. Are you saying the the sided temple prominences are a problem as well? If that be the case, then there is more here than meets the eye.

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August 15, 2006

As Accutane Treatment is Ending, Propecia Stopped Working! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Help! I’m a 36-year-old who has been on Propecia for about 8 years. Over the past couple of months, I have noticed a dramatic thinning of my hair. Interestingly, the thinning appears to have started just as I ended a 6-month Accutane treatment. What is happening? What can I do now that Propecia has stopped working? Am I a good candidate for Avodart?

I’ve written you three times on this matter. Please answer. I’m desperate!

You could have thinning secondary to Accutane build-up. Stopping Accutane may help. Avodart, as I have said over and over again, is not FDA approved for hair loss. Although it is used by some doctors, I have only prescribed it once and am not about to start going ‘off label’ for many reasons that I do not wish to discuss here. Simply put, safety and effectiveness have not been demonstrated for Avodart in the long term on young men with hair loss. I am not your doctor and you need to have a doctor who is vested in your condition. Between you and your doctor, you need to build a Master Plan to deal with your hair loss. You need to have your hair mapped out for miniaturization to see if the thinning you are seeing is ‘patterned’ or not. Pattern analysis of miniaturized hairs may help you distinguish the difference between genetic hair loss and Accutane effects. Give it some time and see what happens in the next 6 months.

August 15, 2006

Going On and Off Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I read on an earlier post you believe it is a bad idea to go on and off propecia, this is exactly what my dermatologist has recommended as he is dubious about staying on the drug constantly.

If the drug works by helping block DHT production surely this shouldnt be an issue? ie in the months you dont take it DHT production may rise again, but every other months is better than not at all? Or am I being too simplistic and hair cycles etc come into it and im making things worse?

I write because on the recent resumption of taking it I seem to have quite alot of shedding.

regards

Going on Propecia and then going off of Propecia is a bad idea. I have seen many men stop it for 4-6 months and they start losing hair at about a month, which quickly becomes evident at 3 months. If they restart it again, they rarely go back to where they were before they stopped the medication. I don’t know where your doctor is getting that idea from, so I would suggest that you ask him/her for clarification.

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August 14, 2006

GNC’s Mega Men Vitamins and Propecia – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hello. I am a 23 year old African-American male. I was planning to start taking GNC’s Mega Men Vitamins but then I learned of its inclusion of DHEA. I was also about to start taking Propecia as it was recently prescribed for me. Will this negatively affect the effects of Propecia? Or is Propecia powerful enough to where me taking GNC’s Mega Men won’t matter? Thanks.

Some things that you are referencing cause hair loss. Propecia may protect against the effects of building DHT levels caused by the anabolic-like steroid metabolites you are also planning to take. There is some balance here, but no assurance that what you want to happen will actually happen (i.e. cancelling out the bad effects with blocking agents like Propecia). Like a seasaw, it is a balancing act.

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