Propecia Finasteride
February 18th, 2009Finasteride was first developed to shrink enlarged prostate glands. Researchers noticed that it also helped grow hair, so a special lower-dose formulation—Propecia—was developed for hair loss.It is how finasteride works that enthuses doctors familiar with the drug. Finasteride interferes with conversion of testosterone to another hormone called dihydro-testosterone (or DHT). DHT reduces hair follicle activity. Over time and under the influence of DHT, follicles sprout thinner hairs until no hair regrows. When finasteride blocks DHT production, thinning of hair ceases and a more normal growth may possibly occur.Minoxidil’s activity, in contrast, is thought to involve stimulation of hair follicles to become larger and make normal hairs.But it isn’t only Propecia’s ability to grow hair that interests some doctors. There is evidence that Propecia can help men stop losing the hair they have. So it appears that even if Propecia doesn’t help you grow lots of new hair, it’s a good bet you’ll keep what you have—at least for a while.You must be patient, though, and be willing to take the drug once a day indefinitely. It may take 3-4 months before new hair is noticed. If you stop taking the drug, all your newly grown hair will fall out over time. The same is true with minoxidil.There may be even more good news for the balding among us: the 2003 Prostate Cancer Prevention trial seems to have established that finasteride is effective in reducing prostate cancer risk. Since bald men may have somewhat increased risk of prostate cancer, finasteride treatment may offer benefits beyond just improving appearance.In our opinion, Propecia is a valuable weapon against the hereditary onslaught of hair loss and is a much better choice than using Rogaine (Minoxidil) as a single treatment. I should be mentioned here that combining Rogaine and Propecia has a synergistic effect, which means that the benefits can be greater than the combined “solo” effects of the drugs. Another strategy that we commonly use is to combine transplanting of the front part of the head in a younger patient with prescribing Propecia to help retain the hair in back.There is a new and stronger drug, similar to Propecia finasteride, called Dutasteride (Avodart), which was recently put out by Glaxo Corporation with F.D.A. approval for use in the treatment of prostate problems. It is anticipated that many physicians will prescribe this “off label” to younger patients for hair loss. At this time I am not prescribing Dutasteride, due to concerns that I have about the elevation of testosterone that occurs and also because, if a man does have side effects from the drug, there is the possibility of these effects remaining for quite a few weeks (or months) due to the long half-life of the drug. And finally, we don’t know what the long-term effects of such strong drug are in terms of later medical effects on the patient’s health. For all of these reasons, Propecia will be the only oral hair-loss drug we will be prescribing for some time to come.
Finasteride Propecia For Hair Loss
Scientists believe a hormone known as DHT (dihydrotestosterone) and family history are both key factors in hair loss. DHT can shrink the hair follicle until it no longer produces visible hair. In men with a family history of hair loss, DHT is believed to contribute to the progressive shrinking of hair follicles and a decrease in the number of visible hairs. In short, if you have a family history of hair loss on either side of your family, you may have an increased risk for male pattern hair loss.
How does Propecia (Finasteride) work?
Propecia (Finasteride) works on a key cause of hair loss by significantly reducing the amount of DHT. Specifically, Propecia (Finasteride) blocks the formation of DHT in your scalp. Lowering DHT appears to inhibit the further shrinking of affected hair follicles.
Propecia (Finasteride) also helps regrow visible hair and reduces further hair loss. It is, in fact, the first and only FDA-approved pill proven to treat male pattern hair loss on the vertex (top of head,buy viagra pill) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head) in men.
Will I grow natural-looking hair with Propecia?
A study showed that hair grew in thicker and/or faster. Propecia (Finasteride) grows natural hair, not just “peach fuzz.” At the end of a 4-year study, there was an increase in the weight of hair samples taken from the men on Propecia (Finasteride) compared to hair samples taken from the men on a placebo (sugar pill).

