hi Dr.Rassman , Ive been taking propecia now for 4 months and have noticed results , but i have also lost a lot of muscle mass and facial hair growth and was wondering if these could be side effects.
I have had one patient report loss of body hair with Propecia — did you lose body hair? There have been no reports in my practice of muscle mass changes. I would certainly get a doctor to analyze the testosterone and DHT levels, as well as other blood tests that he/she might feel are appropriate.
I am reading that natural herbs such as: saw palmetto, nettle sting root, and other products help hair to grow: such as brewer’s yeast, wheat germ oil and MSM will help hair to grow and help with DHT. Is this true? thank you.
There may be value in some of these, but there is no clear proof of value here. If you want a DHT solution to its impact on hair loss, then Propecia (finasteride) is the best solution for men. Anything else is speculative. I tend to look at taking these remedies as if your hair follicles are playing Russian Roulette. Hairs die off the longer you play the game and if you use these remedies long enough, there may be none left when you take inventory because they are all dead or gone.
hi dr, i just read on your site that you say avodart lasts 3 months in your system, i take it every day, is this necessary?
also i read that propecia will only be effective for 7 yrs,did i understand that correctly?
The point of having FDA clearance on the use of a drug for a particular condition is that the dose is defined. For Avodart in hair loss, the answer is that no one knows for sure. In theory, you should not need to take it daily. Will once a month do it? Frankly, I don’t know. This issue was raised at a recent hair meeting where dermatologists and hair experts from around the world addressed this. There was no general agreement on what the dose schedule should be. It was clear that the different doctors recommended different frequencies from once a day, twice a week, every other week, once a month. No one recommended less frequently than once a month, but that does not speak well for the general kn0wledge that is generally available to us.
Propecia continues to work, I suspect, for years. The 7 year issue is not that it stops working at 7 years, but that the data has not been published on patients followed for more than 7 years on the drug — even though the drug has been on the market longer than that. I am certain that the drug will continue to work, but you must keep in mind that genetic hair loss in men is a progressive process and that eventually the progression of the process will prevail over the effects of the drug. But if after 7 years you were to stop the drug, most men will experience a massive hair loss which is what I call ‘catch up hair loss’, meaning that all of the hair that Propecia saved would fall out in a few months time.
Is it ok to use a pill crusher to turn Proscar (finasteride 5mgs) into a powder to take with a glass of water?
I would imagine that as long as you keep it dry and store it in a air proof container, you can crush it and take it with water. I would not put a few days supply in water, for it may lose its potency. I have no first hand knowledge on the answer to this question and came up with it on a logical basis only (I have no direct experience crushing the pill nor has any patient told me about it).
hello doctor! i have question about propecia. i have a class 2 or 3 hairline but it is thin. i first heard that propecia only works in the back of the head? now i hear it can work where thin hair is growing as well? even in front, so can propecia work in the front as well? thank you
I am sure that Propecia will slow down loss in the front. If you are losing your childhood hairline, this drug may not stop the maturing hair loss evolution. If you are balding in the classic sense, then get your hair mapped out for miniaturization so that you can get a real diagnosis to know where you are going from here. Also, see here for more about mapping.
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Hello again Dr. Rassman.
Just wanted to ask about Prevail Hair Growth Treatment by Pfizer. Is this the much talked about Minoxidil foam? Why is it so expensive, what gives?
I look forward to the last two parts of the video interview series; it was very nice to hear your voice!
Thanks.
It appears that Prevail Hair Growth Treatment contains 5% minoxidil topical solution. The rest of the treatment seems to be a shampoo, conditioner, and a volumizing mousse. A minoxidil foam may be easier to apply than traditional Rogaine, but I do not have direct experience with it. If anyone has tried it, please feel free to post a comment to let your experience be known.
Thanks for your nice words. The final 2 parts of the video interview are now up on the site in the video section, with many more videos to come.
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Hello Dr Rassman,
i have joined a program of preventing a hair loss, and i am using a combination of products ( low level laser comb, scalp scripts, vitamins, propecia, and a shampoo ). now i cover 6 month period of using these products and i have seen some results on the back of my head.i have a thinning hair at the front of my head (not too much). anyway at front no particular results. they say from this center that i need at least another 3 months in order to see good results at the front of my head. What is your opinion about this problem , and why is taking so long to see results at the front of my head? is that normal?thank you.
I have given my opinion many times on alternatives to the only two medications that are known to have value (Finasteride and Minoxidil). I am not sure if the other treatments really work from a medical point of view and there is no proof for me to endorse any of such productsn,because there is no clinical science to show that it has been medically proven. But if it works for you than you may want to continue it.
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I came across this site looking for information on hairloss. I am currently on day 7 of using Propecia for very mild bitemporal thinning/receding. I realize that I should see no significant change by this point. My question is that I noticed my hair ‘direction pattern’ changing about 6 months ago (I’m 27), and I only noticed the onset of actual recession only about 3 weeks ago. Is this sudden onset normal? I am wondering, since it seems from the people I’ve known who’ve lost their hair, 3 weeks is a fairly aggressive loss-schedule (I think I’m already a Norwood I). My worry is that at this rate, I’ll lose so much by the time the drug kicks in. Is there any good news for me?
Also, if I am allergic to this drug, at 7 days in, would I know by now? Or could it still be lurking ahead?
Thank you.
If you are Norwood Class I, I seriously wonder the efficacy Propecia would have on your hair loss. I would hope you have seen a doctor who has mapped your hair for miniaturization to determine if you have thinning in a male hair loss pattern. Remember, Propecia works best on the crown but if you have genetic hair loss causes, it should be proactively valuable even in the temples.
The hair character may subtly change throughout a person’s lifetime, and you may have just noticed it as you seem to be more concerned about your hair. Many times, the first 50% of the change will not be seen and in some people the changes that are detectable to the naked eye can go up to 90% before it can be seen (usually blondes).
I cannot comment if you have any allergies to Propecia, because you have not told me any out-of-the-ordinary symptoms, but an allergy to this medication should have appeared by this time. Some side effects of Propecia are well known and can be found on the Merck website and also the Propecia bottle’s insert label.
I have a few questions actually
I have heard that transsexuals who take certain hormones to become female have stopped their hair loss and even regrown some. I was wondering if someone didn’t mind becoming totally androgynous if that could be a solution to hair loss.
Now for my actual issue. My hair is thinning quite a bit in the front but is still full and thick most everywhere else. I have long hair so I have noticed it falling out quite a bit recently. I haven’t started Propecia as I am only 19 and I have heard it is a life long engagement costing upwards of $100 a month.(I am currently on accutane and since starting have noticed a dramatic change in the amount of hair I loose daily, and the costs work out the same, so I might just switch one for the other) I was wondering if I did start treatment with the medication and I were to have the hair on the top of my scalp thickened and my hairline returned with hair transplants, if I might be able to beat the risk of Shock-loss? I was also wondering what the risk factors for it are.
I rather like my long hair as it makes me look quite androgynous, so I don’t want to risk losing it all from shock-loss. I know that Procrecia doesn’t return a youthful hairline (which has receded 2cm) so I would like to know if I might be able to with the use of transplants without much risk.
Thanks for your time
Propecia will slow down and sometimes reverse hair loss. Shock loss from hair transplants can be diminished if you are taking Propecia.
Taking female hormones to become a woman may slow male pattern hair loss. Most of the patients I see who are taking female hormones and have male pattern balding, see me because of the male pattern balding. When and if they get their testicles removed, the hair loss stops but the hair that was lost prior to removing the testicles does not come back. I perform a number of hair transplants in people who have changed their gender.
Most importantly at the age of 19, you should seriously consider all your options and see a good doctor before considering any of the aforementioned topics. If you have a sexual identity issue, you should get professional guidance.
Dear Doctor,
I just recently stumbled across your site while doing research. I’m glad that I can actually speak with a doctor, as opposed to self-proclaimed hair loss zealots on forums and other sites. Here is my current situation.I’m 21 and about four months, and I do believe that my hairloss started when I was just turning 19, maybe even as early as 18. All my hairloss practically is from the crown area. It started with a quarter sized essential bald spot, and its spreading to either side of my crown. My hair was always thick, and it has thinned somewhat, but still remains pretty thick. I have little to no signs of a receeding hairline. I tried finasteride (finpecia, www.unitedpharmacies.com) for six months, and tried generic mixodil 5% for a little over a month. Currently I am taking nothing, and it seems to be getting somewhat worse. I am a college student, so once I get enough money I intend to take finasteride again.
I have the following questions…
- Is the generic finasteride I found on unitedpharmacies.com legitimate?
- Should I definitely use Minoxidil in conjuction with finasteride?
- Are there any shampoos/conditioners, that will help my situation?
- I’ve heard that in Canada hair transplants are much cheaper than in America
- Is Hair cloning going to be legal in any time in the near future?
- Maintaining hair is one thing, but I would really like to regrow. Is there anything besides the above mentioned treatments that may help my cause?
