Category: Drugs

I have been using minoxidil 10% twice a day for the past two months as well as propecia. Could you tell me if using hair oil (olive) before or after application could adversely affect the absorption or mitigate the effect that minoxidil has?…..

my hair looks very dry now and that is why I ask.

First, I don’t recommend 10% minoxidil for treating hair loss. Sometimes higher or stronger dose does not translate into better results. In fact, there are more side effects without necessarily increased benefits. Perhaps that is one of the reasons your hair is feeling so dry.

I realize there are many regimens that go along with hair loss, but I generally use olive oil for cooking and do not know how it would affect your minoxidil use.

Hi Doc.

My Propecia price have just been raised almost 20% from one day to another. We have a different currency in my country, but the price was 79 US-$ before pr. month and now it’s 100 US-$. This seems extreme. I’m buying Propecia on prescription and at a pharmacy so I’m buying it legal. Have you heard anything about this???

Please help!

Best regards!

I don’t know anything about international Propecia pricing. You might want to call around to different pharmacies to see if perhaps it isn’t increased everywhere. Any international readers out there experience a recent price increase?

My costs for Propecia have not changed in a while. The price did go up about a year and a half ago, but currently we sell it for $190 for a 3 month supply (which breaks down to about $63/mo).

Does cutting Proscar a month’s in advance really reduce its effectiveness?

Cutting a month of Proscar pills (5mg finasteride) in advance could reduce the effectiveness like any pill would if exposed to air and humidity for a prolonged period of time. I don’t know what the exact point is that the medication starts to degrade, but that’s why I suggest splitting one pill at a time. The protective coating on the outside is what extends the life of the medication, and a cut pill obviously loses some of that.

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Hello,

I just started taking finasteride for two months now and I am thinking of adding minoxidil to my regime. After 12 months I plan just to maintain taking finasteride. If the minoxidil added extra hair growth will I loss that hair if I discontinue minoxidil but remain on finasteride?

Thank you

Yes, unfortunately any benefits (hair growth) you saw from minoxidil will disappear if you stop using it. Finasteride (Propecia) won’t maintain hair grown from minoxidil… and vice versa. Some patients elect to use both medications, but they’re lifelong commitments.

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Hi,
I’m a 22 year old male and I have noticed my hairline receding and thinning out for about 2 years now. About a year ago I started using 5% rogaine on my temples and vertex and it seemed to slow down my receding hairline and I experienced some regrowth on the vertex but they were very thin hairs.

On April 20th, 2010 I was prescribed propecia and have been on it ever since (about 3 months into treatment I was running low on $ and pills so I took a pill about every other day for 1 1/2 week, but have been taking propecia religiously ever since), I also stopped taking applying rogaine the same day.

I am writing because today marks month 5 and I am still consistently shedding 200+ hairs a day. I wake up with hairs all over my pillow. I wash my hair with shampoo/conditioner and my hands are covered in hair. I dry my hair after the shower and hair is on the towel. I’m at the point to where I don’t know what to do. I would currently classify myself as a norwood III, with thinning on my vertex and I have a weird thin patch that shows scalp at the midpoint on top of my head.

From reading this site and others, I know that shedding like this in month 5 is not normal. I know there is not much you can say w/o pictures but I was curious as to your opinion, or if you have seen any cases like this.

Thank you

Perhaps you’re not a good responder to Propecia. I don’t know what you’re seeing, so it’s difficult to offer much about that. You’re right about severe thinning not being normal 5 months after starting the medication. You should follow up with your prescribing doctor about it.

One thing I am sure of, Propecia doesn’t keep any growth you saw from the Rogaine, so you’re likely seeing the Rogaine-grown hair fall out since you stopped using it. You might consider getting back on Rogaine if that worked for you in the past.

In general though, you need to understand that there is no cure for hair loss and that even medications such as Propecia or Rogaine have limitations.

I read a post on your website that said 0.5 mg of finasteride is %80 as effective as 1 mg. I decided to try it. I wanted to see if I could get the same results with less medicine in my body…and possibly save a ton of money.

It didn’t work. I did it for about 7 weeks and lost ground in the front. I actually used .625 because it was a Proscar pill. I was on 1mg for 6 months doing wonderfully before that so I’m hoping now that I’ve gone back up to 1mg I’ll grow back what I lost since it was only 7 weeks.

Terrible advice!!!

It wasn’t advice! Nowhere in that post you’re referencing did I tell you (or anyone) to change the dosing of your prescription medication. The tidbit about “.5mg is 80% as effective” is something I read about, and not something I ever instructed anyone to try without talking to your doctor first. Changing the dose of finasteride is something you and your doctor need to discuss. I am not your doctor.

When I see a patient where I recommend a lower dose of finasteride, it us almost always because of side effects. I always give the warning that although it may work, it will be less effective than the therapeutic dose of 1mg. Just because I write about what we do for our patients under given circumstances, that does not imply that we are recommending a particular treatment to you personally. If you did it on your own and something goes wrong, don’t point the finger at us.

Hi dr,
I know you cannot endorse using Avodart, but I wonder if you can answer this question….

I’ve been using Avodart for several years along with Propecia. I take Avodart once a week because of the long half life. I’m curious to know since you probably hear from many people using Avodart, how often do they take it? I’m mostly curious about the ones who report seeing good results with it.

thanks

No one really knows how to take Avodart (dutasteride) for treating hair loss, but most doctors (for reasons I do not understand) recommend daily doses. The long half life is reason enough to take it less often than daily, but I am not an expert on it and the proper dose hasn’t been published yet. I must remind the casual readers that I’m not suggesting anyone should take Avodart to treat their hair loss at this point as it is not FDA approved for such use.

Off the top of my head, I know of one other patient that reported taking Avodart just once a week with good results, but the emails I get from patients that take Avodart don’t usually say how often they take it. For those that do take Avodart, feel free to post your dosing in the comments.

If I would cut the 5mg into 5 different tablets, would it be as effective as taking 1 propecia pill daily? Also, which way would your recommend?

Thanks

Yes, but we generally recommend splitting the pill into 4 equal pieces, as it is easier to cut that way. That equates to 1.25mg a day, but unless you’re cutting the pill with the sharpest, most accurate blade around, you’re likely going to lose some crumbs here and there (bringing it down to closer to 1mg). A pill cutter should be available at your local pharmacy (see image) or you can use a knife to divide the pill if you’re comfortable with cutlery.

Only cut one pill at a time. If you were to cut a month’s supply at one time, then it becomes more likely that the pills will absorb moisture from the air… which you don’t want.

Also, your doctor needs to prescribe the 5mg dose, which is a prostate medication. Some doctors might have an issue with this, but if you let them know you want the 5mg for the cost savings and will cut the pill, they might be willing to prescribe it.