Category: Drugs

Snippet from the press release:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with other federal and international agencies, took action this week against websites that sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers. The FDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also conducted extensive examinations at U.S.-based international mail facilities, where many packages containing prescription drugs enter the U.S., and found that most of the examined packages contained illegal prescription drugs that had been ordered from online sources.

These actions took place in support of the 7th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA) — May 13 to May 20, 2014 — sponsored by Interpol, and also known as Operation Pangea VII. During Operation Pangea VII, law enforcement, customs, and regulatory authorities from 111 countries collaborated to identify the makers and distributors of illegal drug products and medical devices that used the Internet to sell their products and remove these products from the supply chain.

Operation Pangea VII‘s coordinated efforts at mail facilities resulted in the detention or seizure of 19,618 packages containing medicines purportedly from Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), New Zealand and Canada. These packages actually contained unapproved or suspected counterfeit drugs from other countries, such as India, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Mexico, Laos, Malaysia, as well as Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

The FDA and the CBP inspected packages at the mail facilities in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, and detained or seized 583 packages. Preliminary findings show that certain drug products from abroad, such as insulin, estrogen, bimatoprost, human chorionic gonadotropin, tramadol, tadalafil and sildenafil citrate were on their way to U.S. consumers. The FDA also notified Internet service providers, domain name registrars and related organizations that 1,975 websites were selling products in violation of U.S. law.

Read the rest — FDA targets illegal online pharmacies in globally coordinated action

Hello,

I’m 29 and started taking finasteride (Propecia) three years ago, a couple of months before I turned 26. Since that I have seen a significant loss of body hair, especially on my legs. At first I didn’t pay much attention to it, but then I started getting comments from friends and relatives. Can’t say it bothers me too much, but you may find it interesting to know that my body hair loss has become rather pronounced.

One thing that might be relevant, is the fact that I have elevated estradiol levels. Part of the reason that I ordered a test to evaluate my hormonal profile in the first place, is this reduction in body hair. I suspected low testosterone, but my testosterone was actually quite high, which could possibly in turn explain the rise in estradiol. Anyway, I’m still on finasteride and have no plans to quit.

Thanks for sharing your story. Body hair growth in men is stimulated by DHT, and since finasteride inhibits DHT, reports of body hair loss after taking finasteride are not unusual. Having less leg hair is nothing you should be concerned about, unless of course you really want that hairy leg look.

Slightly elevated serum estradiol levels from finasteride have been noted as far back as 1999 — “Slight increases in serum estradiol levels were seen but, like testosterone levels, these remained within the normal physiological range and the ratio of testosterone to estradiol was unaltered.”

Hello dr.rassman.
I am in my early 30’s and receding and losing hair in the front area of my scalp. I recently went to get a hair consultation done and they said I could end up a norwood 4 but they do not know because I am on propecia and there is no really way of telling what norwood pattern I will eventually end up at and when. Currently, I am a norwood 2.

If there is no way of knowing what my pattern will be and when my hair will stabilize or if it will at all, isn’t it pointless to go for a procedure before I fully stabilize because if I don’t, my native hairs will fall out and the transplant will look bad. For all I know, it can take 20 years before I stabilize and reach my pattern!

It really doesn’t have to be that complicated.

Most men show signs of thinning in a specific pattern by the time they are in the mid 20’s to 30’s. Taking Propecia would not affect it too much if you pay close attention and have good miniaturization measurements and bulk measurements.

Remember, Propecia does NOT completely stop hair loss. It slows it down. You will see a pattern if not in the first exam, but over the course of several months with interval measurements.

I read that taking finasteride can also cure premature ejaculation, seminal leakage and other urine related problem by reducing the size of our prostate. True? please guide.

Not true. There was a rat study I read which claimed that black tea extract could lower DHT and then there was another rat study that claimed brewed black tea could treat premature ejaculation. Someone must’ve drawn a line from those two studies to compare it to the effects of Propecia (finasteride), and I’m guessing that’s where this rumor got started.

I’ve not seen any studies in humans that show premature ejaculation can be cured by taking finasteride.

Kirkland brand Minoxidil foam has no glycerin like Rogaine Foam, but seems to just have extra alcohol. Wouldn’t this just dry out the scalp and hair defeating the purpose of using the foam?

Glycerin is an alcohol. I really don’t know if there will be a difference in scalp dryness from Kirkland Foam or Rogaine Foam. The ingredients in each medication are similar enough, but the differences might cause someone to see dryness or other irritation. If you don’t like one, try the other.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

I’m 20 years old with a receded hairline (my derm. diagnosed me as a NW2). No one in my family is bald, with the exception of one distant relative. My hairline receded 2 years ago but then didn’t budge. However, over the past few months, I’ve noticed it rapidly thin about a 1/4 inch into the hair line all around. My derm. said this could be the result of a final surge of hormones as I finish growing/developing. Is this common?

I’ve been on Propecia for one week now and will that be able to help me return to where I was only a few months ago? Any help would be greatly appreciated and keep up the great work with this blog!

A “final surge of hormones” sounds nutty to me. Young men always have hormones that surge. What you’re describing could just be your genetics, not some hormonal surge.

Starting on Propecia when you have early hair loss is the best course of action, so stick with it and lets hope that it reverses or halts the progression as it does in many 20 year olds. I can’t say for sure what benefits you’ll see, but you’ll know in the coming months if you’re experiencing less loss or regrowth.

Hi, first of all, I’d like to thank you for taking some of your time to answer our questions. Losing hair is not something easy to deal with and having a knowledgeable voice is really helpful.

My question is about the efficacy of Propecia if you restart it after a long break. To make a long story short, I went to a dermatologue about 7 years ago for my slight hair loss and he didn’t want to prescribe me Propecia as he felt I wasn’t receding enough. But as I didn’t want to take any chances, I went to a generalist whom I persuaded to give me the stuff (incredibly, he didn’t even knew what it was). But after about a year, noticing that my twin brother wasn’t losing hair either, I kind of believed I simply had a mature hairline and stopped using it. But now, I’m pretty sure I have MPB, nothing to dramatic but enough to make me want to be proactive and start Propecia again.

My question is, will it be as helpful to me as to someone who never took it or will my body had developed some kind of resistance to it ? Thanks a lot.

You do not develop a resistance to Propecia. It is always better to take it earlier on in the hair loss process, but it is never too late. I can’t say for sure how helpful Propecia will be, but hopefully you’ll see some benefits if you stick with the medication this time.

As you are aware, Propecia is available by doctor’s prescription… so talk with your doctor about whether it is right for you.

Hi,

I have read quite a few times individual people have said finasteride thickened their hair up but they did not actually grow new hairs. How can the hair thicken up without new hair growth. Does this mean the hair root expanded and got thicker making the hair on our head appear thicker or fatter?

Thank you.

Propecia (finasteride) generally thickens the miniaturized hairs, as well as grow new ones. For men that see thicker hair but no growth, there is probably some new growth that just isn’t being noticed.

Seeing results could also have to do with the age of the patient and the degree of hair loss they have. In general, the older you are, the less effective the drug will be. If you have early hair loss, the medication helps to reverse miniaturization (thus thickening the hair).