Propecia.Lets talk about it.

Anyone use it? Currently using it? Have used it?
What are your thoughts on it.

I want to start popping em, but I don't want my..well, you know, to stop popping, being that I'm nearing my mid 20's and would like to graduate univ. with hair.

Maybe if you know someone who takes it and could give the input?
I've seen on many other forums, people saying they started having sexual issues, and even a few people speaking of mental issues.

Put everything on the table, let's make this the be all, end all Propecia thread!


Oh, lets lump Saw palmetto on here as well, any thoughts on that too?

Greaserboi said:

Oh, lets lump Saw palmetto on here as well, any thoughts on that too?

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Saw Palmetto works for enlarged prostate, Mayo Clinic gives it an "A" rating. However, they are no good studies on hair loss. But given that it works for enlarged prostate the same way that finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) does, improvement for hair loss would be expected.

I've taken saw palmetto off and on over the years for an unrelated condition, I've never had any side effects from it- no impact on my sex drive at all, no depression. It is potentially a blood thinner, however, and you should tell a doctor you are taking it.

If you are in your twenties and noticing hair loss already, and your insurance covers it, I would go with Propecia. It might actually have fewer side effects, and it's proven to work. You could also buy 5mg Proscar and cut the pills into quarters.

Maybe a very small minority of guy have a lot of brain receptors sensitive to DHT (anatomy in other parts of the body and the brain can vary more than people think from individual to individual, so it just stands to reason), but most won't notice any effect from lowering DHT except less bushy eyebrows, less hair growing out of their ears, and less hair loss. There's also mounting evidence that high DHT, perhaps along with high estrogen levels, contributes to prostate cancer. There's probably some kind of genetic basis for the minority of men that react badly to Propecia.

Here's info on Propecia you should consider however. This study found a one in 80 chance of some kind of sexual side effect. That's still really low compared to many drugs people take every day : http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AAD/50666 Some anti-depressants like Prozac are almost guaranteed to give you low libido and sexual dysfunction. Even if you did get some sexual dysfunction, it's not the end of the world, you could stop taking it and there are plenty of herbs and medications that help in that department (Maca root comes to mind, it works for low libido from anti-depressants).

I have a friend who was prescribed Propecia, presumably for his prostate, but I don't understand why because not that long ago he had a transurethral resection (TUR or TURP) for that. The next time I see him I'll ask for some more detailed information.

I used Propecia starting in my late 20s. I had started showing visible signs of balding at age 20 (prior to Propecia's introduction to the market), and by the time I'd gotten around to using the medication, many of my follicles were beyond the point of being rehabilitated. Propecia can only save hair follicles that are still alive. Thinning hair is a sign that the follicles are under attack from DHT, but if they're still producing hair, they can saved. Eventually, DHT will kill the affected follicles completely, at which point, there's no bringing them back.

Accordingly, one of the first considerations when thinking about taking the drug is, are you a good candidate? If you're at the earliest stages of thinning, then you're a much better candidate for success, and it may be worth giving a shot. If you've had thinning hair for several years, your chances of success are lower, and taking the medication may not be worth the risk of side effects. Side effects are fairly rare, but in some cases, can be pretty funky. (See another discussion about them, as well as references, here.)

Personally, the only side effect I experienced was a slight tingling and mild discomfort in my prostate area for the first few weeks I was on the medication. My pharmacist said this was totally normal, and should subside once my body adjusted to the medication. He was right; it went away on its own after a few weeks. I had no other side effects. I was on the medication for about a year, when I realized it wasn't doing enough good to warrant the cost. This was before all the talk of how finasteride might help prevent prostate cancer. Proscar was used to help treat prostate issues, but at the time, Propecia's sole benefit was thought to be hair regrowth. I may discuss the option of getting back on it for reasons of prostate health the next time I see my doctor, especially since, as it turns out, my balding patterns and age of onset indicate I might be at higher risk of getting prostate cancer later in life (see link to article in other thread).

I took it 29 years old to almost 31. I am 44 now. I saw no improvement with my hair whatsoever. I was single and having a great time. Never had any sexual problems, besides not having sex enough......

my my forehead started getting bigger, still have all my hair on top of my head. It all just seemingly started migrating from the front down my neck to my back! Started to look thin and I started to buzz it. Sick of messing with it.

There was a study in Finland that found a correlation between vertex balding and insulin resistance, and many other researchers have noted a relationship between early balding and heart disease (here's an example from a Japanese researchhttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/258601.php) . Insulin has an effect on other hormones as well, so the hypothesis that insulin resistance contributes to hair loss makes sense.

Some medical researchers have noted that balding at one time was rare among Japanese men, but after WWII it became much more common, and dietary changes were believed to be the reason (they started eating mass-manufactured food like instant ramen). This sounds like an interesting theory to me personally because I only noticed my hair was thinning in the front after my diet changed; the hairline hasn't really changed, I guess I would still be considered a Norwood type I (normal mature hairline), but the hairs are thinner. In my 20's my hair was very thick. It could just be a coincidence but it wouldn't hurt if I ate more vegetables in my diet, since cruciferous vegetables (brocolli, cabbage, brussel sprouts) in particular tend to block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen and DHT. My diet has also been alot lower in soy than it used to be (only one or two servings a week, vs. every day). Soy blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT in male rats. ( http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com/2009/05/soy-isoflavones-reduce-dht-increase.html )

Just something to consider: hunter-gatherers usually eat over 100 different plant and animal species in their diet, but you could narrow down the average American's diet to a few dozen plant and animal species, with some such as wheat and corn, accounting for a large amount of the calories (often processed to the point that they have few natural vitamins left). And the average American considers the potato their favorite vegetable, despite not being noted for being very nutrient dense. Perhaps baldness is simply a disease of civilization.

Hmm, good information. I'm going to talk to my doctor in a few months about this stuff. I kind of don't want to lose both my schlong or my hair. So...

Keep the info coming though.

You can always buy Minoxidil without a doctor's prescription. It costs around ten dollars per month. It works better with Propecia, but alone it's better than nothing. I wouldn't wait too long to talk to your doctor, though, being as you are a Greaserboi.

FireDragon76 said:

You can always buy Minoxidil without a doctor's prescription. It costs around ten dollars per month. It works better with Propecia, but alone it's better than nothing. I wouldn't wait too long to talk to your doctor, though, being as you are a Greaserboi.

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Need to wait to get medical insurance. YAY! -.-