Propecia - When does it kick in and stop hairloss?

[xtos]

Hi. Recently I started taking Propecia about 6 weeks ago to battle hair loss on my hairline. I've also been taking minoxidil on the hairline for about 6 months. I've heard so many conflicting things about the way Propecia works. My Dermatologist told me it should start to work overnight. Others online say it takes about 1 year for it to see the effects. Propecia also claims 86% of people taking Propecia have considerable more hair at the end of one year than when they started. My question is should my hairline have already stopped receding (Has continued to Thin and Recede during Propecia therapy) or will it stop within a year? Will all the hairs I've lost during the treatment (Sheeding) grow back within that year? Cant they just develop a cure for hair loss already . Thanks in advance for your responses guys.

 

[xtos]

Guys any help would be much appreciated.

1. Does Propecia work immediately and halt further hair loss the moment you take it, or does it take 1 year to start working and in the meantime you continue to lose hair?

2. Will the hair I've lost (shedding/receding further) from the Propecia treatment in the first year, grow back when the drug kicks in after a year of treatment?

I understand everybody responds differently but all this hair loss stuff is crazy.

Thanks guys.

 

[rkl]

Guys any help would be much appreciated.

1. Does Propecia work immediately and halt further hair loss the moment you take it, or does it take 1 year to start working and in the meantime you continue to lose hair?

It took me about 1½ week when i noticed shedding which i had, stopped.

 

[Quantum Cat]

in theory, if it works for you, it should start working straight away. But you need to leave a good year to determine whether or not finasteride will work for you

The good news is it works for most men. The not so good news is that you can't bet on seeing any regrowth. It's a preventative supposed to halt the balding process, not regrow hair. Consider maintaining what you have a success

 

[d2r2]

I only started seeing noticeable results after 14 months. And it did grow hair in my temples, not as much as I wished for in this period of time - but it seems its still improving.

 

[xtos]

Thanks for the responses guys,
So far I've been on Propecia for almost 2 months and my hair went through a nasty shed yesterday. I would say anywhere between 250-300 hairs. Yes I counted.
My hairline is getting worse by the day. This is because of Nizoral I think. I was off Nizoral for a month and my hairline kind of stabilized. I got back onto it 10 days ago and my hairline went crazy. Also I'm going to increase my Propecia dosage from .5mg per day to 1 mg per day because I need the drug to kick in faster and since I've had no side effects on .5mg I may as well try the recommended dosage. Do you think I'll receive a big shed or sides from upping the dosage to 1mg per day? Why cant there just be a cure already !!!!!!!

 

[GoldenMane]

Please ignore Brazbear and his scaremongering, severe depression and anxiety have never been reported as side effects of finasteride. He just pulled those sides out of his arse. Reported side effects range from minor, watery semen, moderate, reduced libido, to severe ED or gynecomastia, but these severe effects occur in less than 1% of cases.

 

[xtos]

For the moment I'm going to continue on Propecia as I haven't encountered any severe sides. What's the likelihood of sides appearing later on? Do they usually appear the first few days/weeks?

My hairline continues to take a battering. Could it be the minoxidil causing my hairline to thin and shed? or would it of thinned anyway?

I had another massive shed yesterday, once again shedding well over 200 hairs. Will all these hairs grow back stronger as Propecia suggests it would. The hairs that have shed are all strong hairs and not small wispy weak hairs. My hairline looks thin but there are heaps of little hairs a few millimetres to a cm long. is this a good sign? or will they fall out because some have already fallen out.

 

[d2r2]

Not for the moment - keep it for atleast a year. its a slow process.

 

[xtos]

Just a little update guys.
Been on Propecia .5mg per day for about 10 weeks now and my hair is shedding like crazy. Shedding all over. even the back and the sides. The hairline also continues to recede and thin but there are a lot of little hairs popping through (from the minoxidil id assume)
Should I still be shedding after 10 weeks of Propecia?
Should I lift my dosage to the recommended 1mg per day? will that stop the shedding? (No finasteride sides so maybe I should)
I also have long hair. Will it help to cut it short? I feel as though because my hair is long it puts strain on the hairs. Less strain if it was shorter maybe?
Cheers.

 

[SDK]

I've been on it about four months now. Only missed a dose in the morning here or there but I take it as soon as I get home from work and wait 12 hours until my next dose.

Nothing's really changed so far. Hasn't gotten noticeably better or worse and I've managed to maintain a solid NW2 using a bit of Toppik on the back and front. Nobody really notices anything as long as I apply it with care.

If it doesn't get aggressively worse and I continue to be free of side effects I think I'll be in good shape. Glad I got on while I still had a good amount.

 

[xtos]

Friggin hairline continues to thin and recede whilst shedding still continues all over the head from the Propecia.
This is beyond frustrating.
Should I stop Minoxidil altogether on the hairline?
Should I forgo potential gains from minoxidil on my hairline to avert minoxidil sheds and only take Propecia to "keep what I have"
So friggin frustrating.
Been on minoxidil 6 months now on the Hairline and 11 weeks on Propecia .5mg,
What am I doing wrong?

 

[diehunnen123]

how is your hair now??

 

[blacknwhiterose]

If you've been on it for several months and are still losing, will it never kick in and work for you? When does it become clear that it may simple not work for someone?

 

[Wolf Pack]

I remember reading a clinical trial which said that your first year response basically dictates how things will pan out long term. The trial lasted 10 years. I have been on it for 13 months now and wherever there was hair - it has thickened incredibly to wig like. Rest of my hair wasn't that bad to begin (excluding the frontal 1/3). I only had some minor crown thinning.

My frontal 1/3 which is receded is still improving very very slowly. It's not that cosmetically noticeable but I am getting terminal hairs beyond the hairline. Like I said though, it's a slow process. Makes sense as this area was heavily miniaturised to almost sly.