Hey guys, I quit 3 Propecia 3 months ago after developing side-effects that have still not subsided. Here's my story:
I've always had thick hair but noticed slight temple receding in November so I got on .5mg of Propecia. I've never had any diffuse thinning or scalp problems such as itching, flaking, dandruff or oiliness. Within a month of taking Propecia I noticed a slight burning, itchy, tingly sensation along my frontal hairline. My hair became oily if I didn't wash it twice a day, my skin became oily and my sex drive went through the roof. I looked online and it became obvious I was having a "hyper-androgenic" reaction to finasteride:
"When the effects of androgens in the body are lessened, e.g. through lowering DHT or by blockading hormone receptors systemically, the body seeks equilibrium through a process called upregulation. This can take the form of increased hormone production and/or increased tissue sensitivity to the remaining hormones."
It's generally accepted that Finasteride can cause "intense upregulation" of androgen receptors. I will be happy to corroborate this if anyone wants me to - there's information about it all over the net. What I cannot find is any information regarding how long this "upregulated" state continues after stopping finasteride...or if it's permanent. There was NO physical signs of inflammation on my scalp, no flakiness, no dandruff. Just the itchy tingle and increased oil production. Anyway this was obviously unbearable so after 2 months on .5mg Propecia I came off the drug, expecting my body to return to normal within a few weeks. Well 3 months later and it's still as bad as ever. The frontal area where my scalp itches and tingles is quite tender and has thinned considerably. My temple recessing has accelerated markedly since this scalp stuff started. The itching/tingly/burning sensation is incredibly strong and 24 hours a day and is hugely stressful.
I've tried every type of medicated and anti-inflammatory shampoo, coal tar, keto etc. As I mentioned there is no redness or visible inflammation so I'm convinced the root cause is an internal/hormonal problem. I'm currently using Fluridil and topical spironolactone in a desperate bid to block the androgen receptors in my scalp, but neither seems to work. My doctor doesn't know what the problem is. I've been referred to a dermatologist but as I'm in the UK the NHS waiting list is months. I'm considering going private and spending hundreds of pounds to see a specialist endocrinologist but I fear even they won't be able to help me.
MY QUESTION IS: Has anyone else experienced this before? Does anyone know how long this "upregulated" state would continue after stopping finasteride, if it's permanent? Is there anything I can do to stop it?
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To give you a measure of how desperate I am I am considering taking internal anti-androgens like spironolactone or Flutamide which pretty much guarantee god awful side effects such as ED and gyno. But I've realised that if my body had THIS extreme upregulation to something comparatively weak like Finasteride's 5ar inhibition, the upregulation I'll experience from hardcore internal anti-androgens will be ten times worse.
I understand what's happening to me is extremely rare and Propecia works for most people, but I still can't believe this drug for hair-loss treatment has the possibility to permanently accelerate male pattern baldness due to increased AR sensitivity.
