Balding Blog

I was hoping to get your thoughts on an issue related to the use of finasteride while trying to conceive.

There is no clear evidence that taking finasteride will cause problems at conception or with pregnancy. What I have told my patients that asked, if they were concerned, then could go off finasteride for one week before and one week after ovulation. Two weeks off, on a temporary basis, should not be a problem. As I have not seen lawsuits against Merck for baby problems that are proportional to the millions of men who have taken finasteride and gotten their wives pregnant without stopping the drug, I think that it might be safe; however, I would go to Mercks (original manufacturer for Propecia) and look up on the Propecia website, advice on pregnancy and finasteride. Keep in mind, that much of what they say was likely written by their legal department to protect them.

There doesn’t seem to be a consensus among studies with finasteride’s or dutasteride’s effect on women?

Premenopausal women should not take finasteride or dutasteride because if they became pregnant, the baby would have genital developmental problems. These drugs work in about half of post-menopausal women for hair loss.

Health Canada reports that there is an association with people of any age on finasteride of Proscar with leg cramps and muscle pain. About 500 patients on finasteride have been reported to have severe leg cramps from a brief scan of the literature. This is including Proscar for prostatic enlargement. This is an important new side effect we have not known about until recently.

This young man had a Class 3 pattern with a persistent forelock. Note the hairline around the forelock. These forelocks, if they last past 35, generally hold for life. He had a great results in just 9 months from finasteride and minoxidil alone.

This man is very sensitive to minoxidil and finasteride in combination which has produced almost instantaneous growth. The new hairs look like that are 3/4 inch long suggesting that the growth response to these medications was almost instantaneous. Such a fast response is highly unusual.

I’ve been on 1mg fin a day for a couple weeks now. I read other opinions saying it’s best to wait about six months so you can more accurately assess whether fin is working. But most people on here seem to start minox and fin at the same time.

These two drugs have different mechanism of action so taking both at the same time increases your odds of getter hair growth, especially if you are younger than 25.

The crown is often more sensitive to medications like finasteride and minoxidil. This shows up nicely in this young man.

Finasteride and minoxidil have been used for 3 months with good results; however, this man has not shown comparable photos so it makes the case less compelling

Does masturbating somehow effect finasteride effect? I had my med school exam around the time I started using finasteride and I was masturbating everyday to release stress. I have been on finasteride for six months now and my hair fall hasn’t slowed down

Masturbating is a healthy release! Finasteride is good for hair loss. I am sure that the stress from your examinations added to the hair loss process. The two are not related.

Is it normal in the first year on finasteride to have periods of lower libido, or other sexual symptoms, that level out if you give them time? Kinda like a rollercoaster in that sense?

The response to finasteride with regard to libido various in different people. In some men, they find over time things get better, but others may find that it gets no better and maybe worse. When you are having libido problems, you need to see your doctor