Category: Drugs

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Propecia Has Killed My Sex Life! – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I used to be highly sexually active up my entire life up until I started taking the propecia six months ago. I’m ready to throw in the towel with taking the propecia. I wanted to hear your thoughts on it first. I haven’t noticed any difference in hair growth, seems to be exactly the same as it was when I started, but I read in places to give it a year before nixing it. If that’s the case is there anything you recommenend to counteract the propecia and increase the sexual libido to the way it was before, besides viagra. Something to take daily.

Speak with your prescribing doctor. With your doctor’s awareness, you might reduce the dose to 1/2 pill (0.5mg) or even 1/4 pill (0.25mg), as some finasteride is better than none in the fight against hair loss. I would want to know more about your sexual problem before I would throw in the towel, so your doctor may give you more insights. If this does not solve the issue, it becomes a personal choice and if it were me, I would take balding over giving up sex (personal choice).

AskMen.com has an article up about foods that are claimed to increase libido. I’m not going to vouch for the validity of these, but with such gems as, “The Aztecs called the avocado tree ahuacatl or ‘testicle tree.’“, I don’t see how you could possibly go wrong! It might be more to do with how the avocado fruit looks when it grows on the vine, rather than what it does to your genitalia, but my Aztec is a bit rusty and I have to rely on AskMen to steer me in the right direction.

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Rogaine Foam vs Rogaine Liquid – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Is Rogaine foam really better than liquid?

My doctor suggested I try Rogaine foam because it’s supposed to be more effective. But it seems to me that most of it ends up on my hair and not on my scalp. I had been using 2% women’s generic minoxidil for heredity hair loss and find it easier to apply directly to my scalp with the dropper, particularly because I have long hair that’s still relatively dense. Would the foam still deliver more effectively in my case? If liquid is as good, is there a 5% alcohol base for women? Does it really matter if it’s Rogaine brand vs generic?

Many thanks for your expert opinion.

It probably doesn’t matter which one you use, but applying it twice a day is important and higher concentrations (5% vs 2%) is more effective. I have heard that the foam gives better absorption, but that may be the technique used. Ask your pharmacist about 5% with an alcohol base. Name brand is the same as generic, as far as I’m aware.

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Hair Loss InformationDo Hairs Grown from Rogaine Not Get Very Long? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’m a 23 year old male, and my hair is thinning out some all around my scalp, and from what i’ve read in various forums, and through other sources here on the web, that losing the “juvenile hairline” is a common problem in men. I’ve looked around at people and i’ve noticed this is true. Male pattern baldness doesn’t run in my family, having thin hair, sorta fine hair does though in some men in my family, but so does really thick hair, more thick then thin. I’ve been using extra strength rogaine for about a week now, the 5% percent stuff, and i’ve read lots of good reviews on it. But there is one review that concerns me some, it’s from amazon.com. The review is here: Amazon.com – Warnings they don’t tell you about

I’m wondering if this is true, I’ve done some other research and could not find anything that says this other then this review. I still have a pretty good head of hair, is my existing hair going to fall out if I continue using this product? or will I grow back some of what I believe to be dorment hair?

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I am unclear if you are even balding. A maturing hairline is not genetic balding and Rogaine (minoxidil) will likely not help you if a mature hairline is the extent of your loss. Minoxidil does not work in a few days or weeks. It takes a good year to work and will only work on some people who have lost hair, not everyone. Everybody reacts differently to medication, you have a very small chance you will regrow your dormant or juvenile hair in the frontal area. If you have naturally thin hair and no miniaturization, minoxidil will not have any value for you. If you are losing hair, then it might work for you. Just remember that after you stop it, you will lose the hair you grew.

Hair grown from Rogaine will never grow as long as your other hairs and most of the time that I have seen hair growth from Rogaine, it was smaller hairs that had less thickness to them. It is a lifelong commitment if you want to keep whatever benefits you received.

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I’m Taking Propecia – Can I Still Have Shock Loss After a Hair Transplant? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Its been 8 months since my 2nd HT and I got 2100 grafts. of those 2100, i got 400 grafts in the temple area with left side getting 250 grafts and the right side 150 grafts. My recipient temple area was fairly dense but the doctor suggested that I should get 400 grafts in the temple region. Can the newly placed grafts in the temple area destroy my existing hair follicles?

I had this HT in september 2007 and I have been on propecia since september 2005. can this HT still damage the existing surrounding hairs?

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Whatever damage you had from the hair transplant (shock loss) should be over by now. Ask your doctor these questions. What you are seeing with your eyes is real, so he should be able to comment on what he sees when he examines you. Although the use of Propecia has shown good value at preventing shock loss, it is not 100% the case. When it comes to hair loss, there is no sure thing.

For more information about shock loss, please see:

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Can I Start Propecia Now or Should I Wait for My Scalp Infection to Go Away First? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
Ive had a skin infection for about a yr on my scalp. Ive been on many prescription meds like Ketoconazole, Selenium Sulfide, Salicylic Acid and Clobetasol. Ive gone through symptoms from heavy irritation, flaking peeling of oily skin on the scalp and hair-loss, scaling, buildup, dead skin-white buildup. Lately I primarily have inflammation and buildup but it is very little and very tiny and very thin flaking during combing when scalp is dry. I’m concerned about my hairloss, thinning, shortening-Its noticeable now and continues to progress from the hair line to about 1 inch inward but is not perfectly symmetrical. Most of the hairs that fall out are with the bulb attached and I do notice very tiny hairs remaining at my previous hairline. The only thing that gives me relief is clobetasol, because I still have lots of irritation/inflammation which Ive been taking for 2 months with 6% salycilic Acid. Is it a good idea to start Propecia or should I wait for the scalp infection to go away? I took a blood test that came back Normal. Thanks

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Sounds like you have a major hair/dermatological problem. These medications (like the clobetasol) are heavy duty stuff. I can only guess at your diagnosis. Taking Propecia (finasteride 1mg) will not hurt and might protect you from some of the ‘stress hair loss’ you are experiencing. I would check the use of Propecia with your doctor, but I suspect he/she would go along with it.

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If I Miss Taking Propecia 1 or 2 Days a Week, Will That Cause More Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have been kind of thinking that propecia has quit working for me, as I’ve just recently notice a considerable loss. I have been using it for around 8 years and it’s worked amazing. I also added rogaine to the roster a few years back and it got even better. But, as I’m sure most readers would agree one becomes more and more complacent and less regimental after continued periods of success. For instance if my girlfriend stays the night I sometimes find it hard to run to the bathroom and apply. I also have been missing some days taking propecia. I actually looked back at when I purchased the prescription, the date today and of course divided by 4 (I break proscar pills) When I extrapolated, I noticed I’ve been missing at least a day or 2 a week. Could that maybe be why I’m now noticing more loss, or do you think it might just be as you’ve said in the past my mpb fighting back harder?

Thanks for you time, I appreciate you and your site lots

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You seem to appreciate the subtle nuances, so I am not sure what I can add. “Stay to the plan” is the only advice I can give you. If you stop the minoxidil or the Propecia completely, the hair loss will really accelerate. Missing a day here or there will not likely cause any great problem, but I’d stick to the recommended dosage as closely as you can.

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Less Ejaculate When Taking Propecia – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Been taking Propecia for almost six months, although I don’t think I’ve really noticed a difference, perhaps it takes longer, but I haven’t seen it worsen, just kinda stayed the same. However, my question or issue is and I’ve noticed on other sites seems to be a common complaint with no concrete or firm answer, and that is sexually, there is delay or hardly an ejaculation. There’s gotta be an alternative, it’s like you can have one without the other.

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The reports vary. Many patients discuss a reduced ejaculate volume, a few see it wipe out. I would suggest that you discuss this with a urologist, but I don’t have the answers other that it does happen to some men.

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Hair Loss InformationReader Profile – What Is My Degree of Hair Loss? (with Photos) – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello, I am turning 26 in a few months, I would like to know what transplant procedure would best suit my current hair loss pattern. I have researched the strip method, also the individual extraction method, I like the individual method better, it seems to be less evasive and less surgical, however, the cost appears to be higher, why is that? Would I qualify for the single extraction? What degree of a transplant do I require to restore my hairline to a even more full appearance? Any estimates in cost? Thank you for viewing my questions and looking over my pictures, you have my permission to use them on your site if they help in any way. If you require photos from any other angles please let me know. I am not on Propecia, I have been reading about Provilus, is that a good alternative? I am more interested in the natural ingredients if they have similar results.

Thank you again, I hope to hear back from you with some positive ideas!

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Norwood 4AFirst, thank you for permission to post your photos! If I was able to map out your scalp for miniaturization, I’d be able to tell if the top and crown of your head, which appears normal now, has any early signs of balding there. The pattern you present with is between and Norwood 3A and 4A pattern and I suspect that there is miniaturization in the 4A pattern area where part of the forelock still persists. If you took Propecia (necessary to prevent further loss and the possibility of shock loss after transplantation), then transplanting the frontal area with about 2000 grafts would suffice in most men with your pattern. I would have to know more about your hair characteristics (straight vs curly, coarse vs fine) as this will tell me the value of your hair, part of the essential formula for estimating hair replacement.

Provillus will not give you the same protection against shock hair loss that Propecia (finasteride 1mg) would, so if you get a hair transplant, you need to be aware of this. For your information, the main ingredient in Provillus that does work is saw palmetto, which as I’ve stated many times before, is a weak DHT blocker at best.

The follicular unit extraction (FUE) technique is very labor intensive and the time it takes to do it is much more than a standard strip procedure. That is why the cost is higher. Also, the results from FUE are variable while the strip procedure is predictable nearly 100% of the time. For more info on FUE, please see:

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Hair Loss InformationI Don’t Want to Take Propecia Until After I’m Married – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

i am a 24 yr old sikh male living in the uk. up until the age of 18 i had long uncut hair but then in 2003 i cut my hair. my hair has always been thin in texture from a young age. at first when i cut my hair it seemed to be quite thick on top and didnt seem to concern me too much. however after a few months of getting it cut i began to realise that a lot more of my scalp was visible, particularly in well lit areas.

so in following summer of 2004 i shaved my hair off completely in hope that it would grow back thicker which was really a waste of time. by summer 2005 i had realised that my scalp was a bit more visible than before so then i made the decision to start using rogaine. this seemed to work at good effect and by jan 2006 i had grown my hair a bit longer and had a new style cut. my hair appeared to be a lot better than before and a lot of people did notice. this however may have been due to the new style as well. but by summer 2007 i began to realise that my hair was appearing to be thinner again and i also noticed that at my crown the balding area had increased. the fact i have got a double crown does not help appearance either. so in late december 2007 i decided to switch rogaine for a private minoxidil 5% containing MPG. this too at first appeared to have made a slight improvement, and is a lot easier to apply than the rogaine. however by now in may 2008, i am still not to happy with the density of my hair. i went to a trichologist late last year, he advised me that i should not consider a hair transplant until i am least 25 and that i still have a bit too much hair for a HT. he advised me to take propecia, however i am scared of using the drug due to all the reported side effects. i would be willing to use the propecia, preferbly in a few years and after marriage! both my mother and fathers family have cases of hair loss, my father is bald apart from the hair on his back and sides. both my sisters have fine hair aswel, but they have a full head of hair.

i have seen pictures of hair transplants on patients who have diffused thinning and this would be my preferred method of sorting my hair out, however i am aware that i need to consider the long term instead of the short term. can you please give me some advice on what to do? thanks.

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I don’t know what I can say that hasn’t already been said on this site —

I’m not sure I quite follow the logic about waiting until after marriage to start Propecia (finasteride 1mg). The side effects from Propecia occur in less than 2% of men and most claims you read about on the Internet are unsubstantiated. Without seeing your hair, I couldn’t tell you if you’re a transplant candidate, but if you’ve already seen a doctor and were told that surgery was not recommended, I’d listen to him. You could’ve very easily gone to someone that would’ve taken your money and performed a surgery on you just to appease you. I don’t know which doctor you went to, but by not doing surgery on you, he likely did you a favor. You are, of course, entitled to go to another doctor and I’m sure eventually you will find a surgeon that is more than willing to take your money.

See the following for more:

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Hair Loss InformationTopical DHT Blocker? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hi there – I am a 22 year old who is just now noticing a receding hairline. Just a year ago this wasn’t a problem for me so I think it has progressed since January of this year. My dad and one of my brothers went bald, with only hair on the sides of their heads. My other brother just has a receding hairline with a large forehead. Obviously I have some concerns since it runs in my family.

I know you recommend Propecia but I am scared to take it because of the side effects. I suffered from a small case of gynecomastia growing up and got surgery to fix it. I am scared that taking Propecia would bring this condition back, or bring other unwanted side effects. I currently use a topical solution that claims to be the “topical version of Propecia” and is a DHT blocker. It is hard to tell if it’s working or not. What are the risks of taking Propecia?

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There may be no connection between the youthful gynecomastia you had as a child and the side effects of this drug. You are worrying about something that has not happened to you yet. If you take Propecia and have any problems with it, stop it and the drug will be out of your system in days, along with any side effects like gynecomastia (risk is less than 1 in 500 patients).

There is no topical Propecia (finasteride). Also, the ability to absorb this drug through the skin is not reported anywhere I have read.