Hi. Can anyone please help me. I've been taking Propecia for 5 months and have shed a massive amount of hair. I know shedding is normal but it has gone from all over including the sides. I only had a bit of thinning at the crown but now I have a balding spot appearing at the top of my head. Overall I've lost a lot of density all over. I've also noticed my body hair seems to be falling out too. Can anyone please advise if I should quit while I'm behind here? I don't have before and after photos because I've had to shave my head due to how much hair I shed so it's not a fair comparison. It just looks terrible now but I don't know whether to hold out. Any help please?!
Lost Hair On Propecia Should I Quit
- Thread starter Sam82
- Start date
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- 182
Give it a year. Everyone responds differently to this drug. I switched to dutasteride after a year due to shedding and I'm having much better results. It's up to you of course..cut and run now or use the best options we have at the moment to save your hair..good luck
Thanks for replying. Did you manage to gain back the hair you shed on Propecia using Dutasteride? I read that side effects are stronger on that as well. Did you notice any body hair loss or other side effects with Propecia?
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Yes I did gain back what I lost and now I don't shed or at least shed much less..was like 70-80 now maybe 10-20 hairs. As far as side effects I have fewer on dutasteride
Believe it or not and I did lose body hair on my legs below my knees and hair on hands turned into fine blond hairs.
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google Telogen Effluvium.
I'm just wondering if I should continue with Propecia or if it is having an adverse effect. Can it cause Telogen Effluvium and is that reversible by discontinuing Propecia?
Yeah I'm losing hair on my chest and maybe even my face. This stuff is awful. Did you have any depression or anxiety on Propecia or Dutasteride? I'm getting severe depression on Propecia, clearly exacerbated by my extreme hair shedding. Is your advice to switch to Dutasteride now?
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yes, it can definitely cause it. Theoretically, if it induces Telogen Effluvium, then it will continue too until you stop using it. HOPEFULLY, that's not what's happening!! Do a ton of research, then Go to a GOOD dermatologist!
Hey @Sam82 my experience is anecdotal, but may be of use to you. I started finasteride as a Norwood 1.5-2. This was a little over 2 and a half years ago. I went through a horrific dip below baseline and shed in the beginning that brought my hairline to a Norwood 2.5 borderline 3. My hair looked like sh*t during months 3-6. I can gladly say that I stayed consistent with taking the drug and my hair has not only improved back to baseline, but has thickened up and I am currently above baseline and my hair is pretty much as thick as my teenage years. I even have pictures to prove this sequence of events that looking back on helps me realize how bad it was and how much it has taken a turn for the best.
I'm not discounting experiences similar to @buckthorn's, but it is important to give the drug time. Reassess after a year, maybe even longer.
I'm not discounting experiences similar to @buckthorn's, but it is important to give the drug time. Reassess after a year, maybe even longer.
How long until it started to grow back? Did you experience any texture change of your hair at all? Mine went really dry and frizzy before it started to fall out. Did you get any sides at all?
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Sam, a VERY important thing to consider is scalp inflammation.
IF your scalp is itchy, tingling, crawling, or any sensations at all through the day, while on finasteride, this is NOT a good sign in my opinion.
Shedding hair to make room for regrowth is one thing, and it DOES happen on finasteride for people who respond and it's a healthy response and SHOULD NOT cause inflammation. INFLAMMATION on the other hand is NOT healthy, and is triggered in response to an irritant.
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Hey Sam - Finasteride does not work the same for everyone - because hormone profiles and the underlying cause for the hair loss are not exactly the same for everyone. You should not blindly compare your case to others - the most important thing to understand is your own hormones and why you were losing hair to begin with. This will really tell you if Finasteride is the right drug for you or if will actually cause more issues.
DHT is the primary cause of hairloss in men - but people can have high DHT or at least high DHT relative to other hormones for different reasons. Some men have naturally high Testosterone and DHT - Finasteride works exceptionally well for these cases because it brings DHT into normal range and ratio with other hormones helping the hair but not causing health issues.
Some men however don't have naturally high Testosterone and DHT. In fact in some cases - they have very low testosterone which is caused by them having high Estrogens. This causes there body to try and fight the feminizing effects of estrogen dominance through converting more Testosterone to DHT - thus causing hair loss.
In these cases taking Finasteride causes bad sides - because the higher DHT is actually needed to combat the higher estrogen levels. Sides will be things like anxiety, brain fog, depression - ED - and eventually gynomastia. Additionally it can actually cause accelerated hairloss similar to what women get during menopause from "estrogen dominance". Often guys with hormone profiles like this will have had low energy and maybe even low libido before starting Finasteride due to low T. Finasteride should not be used in these cases.
Did you get your hormones tested before you started Finasteride ?
DHT is the primary cause of hairloss in men - but people can have high DHT or at least high DHT relative to other hormones for different reasons. Some men have naturally high Testosterone and DHT - Finasteride works exceptionally well for these cases because it brings DHT into normal range and ratio with other hormones helping the hair but not causing health issues.
Some men however don't have naturally high Testosterone and DHT. In fact in some cases - they have very low testosterone which is caused by them having high Estrogens. This causes there body to try and fight the feminizing effects of estrogen dominance through converting more Testosterone to DHT - thus causing hair loss.
In these cases taking Finasteride causes bad sides - because the higher DHT is actually needed to combat the higher estrogen levels. Sides will be things like anxiety, brain fog, depression - ED - and eventually gynomastia. Additionally it can actually cause accelerated hairloss similar to what women get during menopause from "estrogen dominance". Often guys with hormone profiles like this will have had low energy and maybe even low libido before starting Finasteride due to low T. Finasteride should not be used in these cases.
Did you get your hormones tested before you started Finasteride ?
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No like an absolute idiot I didn't. I should get them tested now then? Is it possible to regain any hair lost if I come off it?
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Yeah you can get tested though finasteride is going to give you skewed results. Go to your doctor and explain the situation - that you have been taking medication - experienced sides - depression - and request a full blood panel. Ideally you would like a doctor familiar with male hormones - Endocrinologist or similar.
You want to have the following at minimum tested - though your doctor may add more.
Total Testosterone
Free Testosterone
Sex-hormone binding globulin (SHGB)
DHT
Estrogen - get your Total Estrogen plus individual numbers for E1, E2 and E3
DHEA
Progesterone
The important thing is not to look at any one hormone on its own. You want to see where they sit in the range relative to each other. If you have "relative to each other" high total Estrogen - Lower T then this can be a tell tale sign of the type of sides you are starting to experience. You may be able to significantly reduce them if you lower your estrogen. But this doesn't always help if your DHT / 5 alpha reductase is simply too low. Lowering the estrogen can help but only to a point. Also with the depression your experiencing that can also come from other issues that can result from removing too much 5 alpha reductase - its used for other things such as gabba production in the brain.
In terms of hair lost - possibly - finasteride causes a big change in the balance of hormones which can cause a temporary shed. Telogen Effluvium so there is potential for some of it to come back. More then anything else you want to stabilize hair loss. The best way to do this is to find a correct balance of hormones. Finasteride does that for some - for others it makes it worse or gives really bad sides.
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is there photos?
I'm a bit too embarrassed to post photos and I didn't take any before starting the medication. I had thick hair all over apart from my crown which was thinning a bit. I now have thin hair all over and a balding spot on the top of my head. What's your experience?
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Hey @Sam82 did you recover from the shed? Mine hit me at around month 3 when my sides began to disappear. I noticed shedding first and after the dreaded itching/tingling sensations followed, but I noticed these hitting me before finasteride after I noticed shedding as well so a part of me wants to believe its mental. I'm at month 5 now and it's all I can think about. Wasn't sure how to create an original post so I apologize for venting here but skeptically hoping I can get some reassurance.
Hi. I ended up quitting it due to the sides I was getting. A month later even more hair started shedding. From what I've heard itching and tingling isn't a great sign but if you're not experiencing any more side effects you might as well stick it out. I really wish I hadn't started it in the first place to be honest. It's done a lot more harm than good for me.