Category: Drugs

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Diabetic Taking Minoxidil – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am 30year old man having diabetic problem. I have heavy hair loss problem and I would like to take minoxidil..shall i take minoxidil directly.. Will it cause any problem for my blood sugar level.

How about minoxidil? pl, advise me… Is minoxidil is the only solution for regrwoth of the hair? Is there any other pills we can go along with minoxidil to strenthen the hair..

All diabetics should speak with their doctor about the use of any new medication. Minoxidil was originally manufactured for the treatment of high blood pressure in the 1960s. Some people report drops in blood pressure using it for a short time after its use. In a diabetic with vascular or heart disease, such effects can be dangerous.

Propecia, on the other hand, blocks DHT and should have no impact on a diabetic. It also works more reliably than minoxidil, but requires a doctor’s prescription. Don’t be your own doctor. If you are a diabetic, I would guess that you already have a good doctor, so please use him/her.

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Hair Loss, Lasers, Drugs and Transplants – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am undergoing a hair loss treatment. This treatment involves lasers, basically a helmet that shines light on my head to deter DHT. I am somewhat skeptical, but it was the only option that was within my price range at the moment. I am 20 years old; my hair loss is not substantial. I am thinning on the top of my head and the most severe areas are in my hairline and the back of my head. I took this treatment to prevent my hair from thinning anymore. The thinning is not very obvious but I can tell it is still progressing. I wanted to know if transplanting hair from my own head would leave an area in the back of my head that hair will not grow on anymore. I also wanted to know if there are ways of getting transplants from other donors. Lastly, I want to know how much these treatments would cost and how effective the treatment I’m receiving is.

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There is anecdotal evidence in Europe that hair lasers (Low Level Light Therapy / LLLT) increases hair growth. I’ve written about LLLT previously, here. Thinning of the hair in young men often starts off insidiously and gets slowly worse. At the beginning, you might actually lose 50% or more of your hair before you notice it. If you are a platinum blonde, you could lose 85% of your hair before it becomes noticable. The key is to make the diagnosis early and get on the only good, FDA approved DHT blocker that is out there: Propecia. This drug is the best and possibly the only real hope at this point to slow down, stop or reverse the hair loss. In young men, I have seen some wonderful reversals of hair loss. Transplants in a 20 year old without noticable hair loss is NOT something you should pursue at this time. When the donor area is harvested for hair transplants (the back of the head) it does not produce a bald area as you suggested in your question.

Laser treatments can be obtained from those who sell those services. We have a laser in our Los Angeles office, but do not sell the service at this time. I am told that the company that provides the service charges about $3000/year for treatment. Propecia costs range from $55/month to as high as $120/month depending upon the pharmacy you purchase it from. We sell it in our office at $53/month (very close to our cost). Transplants are sold by the graft. These surgical procedure generally cost a few thousand dollars per surgery, but they do last your lifetime. The more transplanted grafts you buy, the higher the fee.

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ScalpMed – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

PLEASE NOTE: I do not sell ScalpMed. I’ve been getting quite a few angry emails from people stating that they feel deceived by this product, that they want their money back, etc — but I have no relationship with ScalpMed’s manufacturers. I can’t help get your money back, nor can I offer much advice about this product. It is not FDA approved and I would not recommend it for that reason alone.

 

Let me begin by letting you know my situation. I am a 22-yr.-old female who has been diagnosed with both AGA and alopecia areata. My dermatologist tried steroid shots in one of the areata spots but they didn’t cause any growth.

That said: this morning I saw an infomercial for a product called “Scalpmed.” I don’t usually give infomercials a second thought, but I thought, what the hey, I’ll ask Dr. Rassman about this one. The product is *supposedly* for women and men, contains the highest FDA-approved dose of minoxidil, and does not cause sexual side effects or dry out the hair or scalp. The website admits that individual results will vary but offers a full refund of the purchase price (less shipping and handling, of course) if one is not satisfied.

Just thought I’d ask if you’ve heard of this, and, more specifically, if you’ve heard of this scorching anyone’s scalp off or anything similar. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to make any rash phone calls 😀

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It took a bit of research and a call to a consultant for FDA issues to answer this question properly. I could not find Scalp Med or Vitadil in the FDA database. The website says, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” If this product were FDA approved, the FDA would certainly evaluate the labeling for the product. The second statement is part of the FDA definition of a drug. The second part, “Affects the structure or any function of the body of man” is relevant to the use of this product. It is strange that the first part of the website says it is FDA approved while the second part says the FDA has not evaluated the labeling. This is clearly an inconsistency that indicates that you should take what is claimed here suspiciously.

The website says that “Vitadil-5A and Vitadil-2A are FDA-approved formulas for hair growth.” The company may be saying that they used a formula that had been approved for another company. This is possible. However, a company cannot just copy the formula of an FDA approved product. The company must submit an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) and may be required to do bioequivalence studies before the FDA will approve it for this company. The company also has to meet Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as well.

I always end such comments suggesting as a consumer you must ‘BEWARE’ and be your own protector. The government can not always enforce its regulations in a timely manner to protect you.

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Crown Transplants or Propecia? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Here is an example of a patient of ours who refused to take Propecia, but had 2,027 grafts transplanted in 2001. He had a remarkable change from the transplant, even filling in some of the upper part of the crown. At his recent visit a few days ago, I suggested again, that he try Propecia before undergoing a hair transplant, even though his results from the single procedure he had was remarkable. Much of the original hair in the upper crown that he had a few years ago, fell out. But even if the transplants still saved the day, he may have avoided the loss with Propecia.

Why would I suggest Propecia rather than transplants? First, I tell my patients that I make my living doing transplants, so if I recommend the drug approach rather than a transplant, I must be thinking of something other than the money I might make from the transplant. The answer should be obvious to the readers. I care about what is best for the patient. The drug, in many patients, will postpone or make transplants unnecessary. If this man succeeds at regrowing hair in the crown with Propecia, he will avoid surgery, saving money and donor hair for some time down the road when/if he might need it. A doctor should always put his patient’s interest first and foremost and if this young man was my son, that is what I would recommend for him. If the drug does not work, then a transplant is a reasonable option. He should wait for 8 months before facing that decision again. He was very appreciative.

Below: His “before” photo in 2001 is on the left, and “after” photo in 2005 is on the right.



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Hair Loss InformationSteroid Shots for Female Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
I am just about bald. I am on blood pressure and thyroid medication for oven several years. Every five weeks over a three year period I have received steroid shoots to my scalp, still my hair is melting away. All the doctors I have visited suggest steroid shoots. HELP !!!!

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There are many causes for balding. There are many other diagnosis that must be considered tnat could be indicative of a more serious problem. For example, for diffuse hair loss must rule out the diagnosis of Diffuse Alopecia Areata, not uncommon in women. If your hair is really being lost all over, you might need a biopsy performed looking for a process responsible for the hair loss. Do not play doctor yourself.

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Hair Loss InformationHarvesting More Grafts with FUE – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve had two procedures with your group and I just read your posting about the progressive nature of hair loss. My hair is really thin now and getting worse.

With the new procedure FUE, is it possible to extract more grafts than the old method all things being equal? If so, could you please explain.

Thanks.

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To answer this question would be mostly speculation, as each case is different. If you already had strip harvesting, then at some point if you needed more hair, FUE can harvest hair above and below the point where the strip was harvested. So, yes there should be more hair that can be harvested in combination with the strip harvesting you had. Also, make sure you are on Propecia to slow down or stop the hair loss. If you are not on this drug, you should be.

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Hair Loss InformationPropecia Thickens Hair – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a question for you … on merck site it says hair mass can thicken up to two yrs… but I was told it can thicken up to three yrs… is that true??? and when is the best time to take propecia am or pm???please let me know your answer… thanks

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Propecia is best taken in the morning. The thickening of the hair shaft will, almost certainly, vary with the patient. In some patients the best fullness may be obtained in one year, in others it could take two years, and in some possibly three or more years.

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Hair Loss InformationPropecia and Sex Drive – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I went on Propecia about 2 years ago and my sex drive increased to the point that I could not manage it. I am generally sexually active, at about once per day. On Propecia, I found that I needed to have sex at least twice a day and my girlfriend could not / wound not cooperate. So I stopped the Propecia and went on Minixodil. After stopping Propecia, my hair loss pattern went from a Class 4 to a Class 6 pattern. Any thoughts? I am 46 years old.

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Minoxidil is not as good as Propecia for preventing hair loss. If you have miniaturization in the areas behind and to the side of the balding area, then Minoxidil may not stop further progression. As a rule, people your age are not in very active hair loss. You are an exception.

Increased Sex Drive: Although I find an increased sex drive in about 1% of the patients I put on Propecia, no one has ever had your degree of increase. Again, you are an exception. You might consider higher doses of finasteride to see the impact on your sex drive (up to the Proscar-level dosage).

Decreased Sex Drive: About 1-2% of men report a decreased libido with Propecia. At times we confuse libido (the desire for sex) with Erectile Dysfunction (a performance issue). If a man has a performance issue, he is often ‘gun shy’ about failure in performance and then the libido goes down in response to it. But it is all not that simple. The physical causes for decreased libido or erectile dysfunction include: alcoholism (quite common); abuse of drugs – such as cocaine; anaemia – unusual unless the man has been bleeding for any reason; hyperprolactinemia – an uncommon disorder in which too much of the hormone prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland; obesity – quite common and simply slimming down will often help; some prescribed drugs – particularly Proscar (finasteride), a tablet used for prostate problems in doses of 5mgs rather than 1mg as with Propecia; low male hormone level (testosterone) – contrary to what many people think, this is rare; and any major ‘generalized’ disease, such as diabetes. There are also psychological causes of libido decrease including: depression – very common; stress and overwork; sex hang-ups; or a serious relationship problems with the wife/partner.

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Hair Loss InformationMedications for Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello. I am 24 year old male, who believes I am suffering from diffuse unpatterned alopecia. My hair is thinning evenly over the top and the side of my head to from the classic horseshoe pattern of a Norwood class VII. I have been taking Propecia since January and i do not believe its working as the thinning has progressed. My dermatologist did not seem to concerned and told me to continue taking it for the full year before asking for any other options. Are there any other effective options available? I have read about Avodart and minoxidil, or the possibily of a chemical imbalance, but I do not know if they are effective for this condition.

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I believe that DUPA can be reversed with Propecia. I see this in about half of the patients who are taking it. For those like you, it may be worthwhile, after trying Propecia for a year, to consider Avodart, but I have said many things about this drug which you should review.

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Transplanting the Crown – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What do you think about filling on the crown on 39 yr old because that is where my hair loss is. I was told that I am in good shape because most of a person’s hair loss happens between 20 and 40. They also told me because I am on propecia that chances are very good I can keep most of my hair. Please let me know you thoughts.

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A crown transplant uses hair from the donor area, which may be needed for frontal area transplantation should you continue to bald. If the hair loss is controlled, then transplanting the crown in a person of your age may be reasonable, provided that your donor density is good, your laxity is good, and the pattern of genetic hair loss is predicted. Being on Propecia may help slow or stall the hair loss, but long term planning is critical.

It is also reasonable to postpone transplants in the crown for 8 months or so if you are just starting on Propecia, as sometimes the drug has remarkable results on restoring hair loss in the crown. It generally takes more hair than most doctors think to fill in the crown, so balancing supply and demand in the short and long term requires special estimation skills when transplanting the crown. Be sure that the doctor you select has those skills.