What is the Point of Propecia Really?

[hanginginthewire]

I'm taking Propecia now (about 3 weeks) and had been looking forward to getting on it, but the more I read on various forums it seems like it really doesn't do much. For one thing, if all it does typically is maintain hair counts where they are already at, how is it that doctors or scientists even realized it would help balding men? They wouldn't have seen any difference, right?

I was initially relieved to get on this stuff but if all it does is maybe keep me where I'm at for five years (big maybe) it hardly seems worth it. My balding isn't even that bad presently but the knowledge that its going to get worse and even going thru the risks, hassle, and expense of propecia won't help it has me very down, sad as that sounds. When I was initially reading about fin, it seemed like a godsend for people who catch their balding early...but like I say I've learned that's not the case apparently.

I know its early for me, but why do you guys bother with it?

[jamesst11]

Your logic is confusing... You stay on fin you might not be bald in 5-10 years. You get off it, you will definitely be bald. So, yes, it does improve your hair, relatively and over time.

[jamesst11]

Having said that, I am confused about this crap drug myself. I have been on it for 9 months and am WAY balder than before...so, who the hell knows. It either prevents you from going bald, or it just rapidly makes it a reality.

[burtandernie]

Well propecia proved that MPB can be altered, and is actually largely androgen mediated disease. Propecia is far from perfect as a treatment or AA but it has directed the course of research for a long time. Tons and tons of stuff was based off what propecia has shown that the critical role of androgens alters many pathways. Could we use better AAs? Sure but its now unarguable that androgens play a large role in the chain of MPB events. Before propecia you would probably get laughed at if you said you wanted to treat MPB. It was basically untreatable even at all

[BaldingHelpMe]

Having said that, I am confused about this crap drug myself. I have been on it for 9 months and am WAY balder than before...so, who the hell knows. It either prevents you from going bald, or it just rapidly makes it a reality.

Are you sure you're getting the real drug? You might be experiencing TE. Propecia had helped maintained my hair for the last 12 years, it really does work. But screwed up adding dut 6 months ago and I'm now experiencing TE...

[warner8]

propecia simply maintains the hair you have going in with propecia, and maybe, just maybe a little improvement. i have been on it 2 years now, and all it has done is maintain what i started with which is what is really is suppose to do. the ppl who get disappointed with it are those whose hairless is too advance and started it too late, its not a miracle drug, its a maintener drug .

[WHTC Clinic]

Hair loss is a long road to travel. It isn't worth taking propecia if hair loss doesn't matter...

[youngin]

It helps keep your hair. In practice this is highly useful. It's not going to regrow much hair though. http://www.twinshairloss.com/hair-loss-gallery.htm

[hanginginthewire]

propecia simply maintains the hair you have going in with propecia, and maybe, just maybe a little improvement. i have been on it 2 years now, and all it has done is maintain what i started with which is what is really is suppose to do. the ppl who get disappointed with it are those whose hairless is too advance and started it too late, its not a miracle drug, its a maintener drug .

I could accept that I guess but take a gander at the threads on this forum. "I'm on propecia but my hair is shedding" or "I'm on propecia my hairline keeps reeceding" or "I'm on propecia but and my scalp itches like hell" or "I'm on propecia and my hair falls out in the shower" or "I'm on propecia but my temples are still receeding". And on and on it goes. And for the younger guys, if they start propecia at 20 they're supposed to be cool with balding again at 25 and endless "sheds" in the interim? I don't mean to be so negative but I'm confused as to why people seem so confident in even the limited scope of what propecia allegedly can do. It seems like a total crapshoot and a very short-lasting one at that. I don't get it.

[jamesst11]

Are you sure you're getting the real drug? You might be experiencing TE. Propecia had helped maintained my hair for the last 12 years, it really does work. But screwed up adding dut 6 months ago and I'm now experiencing TE...

Well, I am getting finasteride produced by TEVA which is apparently a very reputable source. I can tell it's legit as I experienced all the side effects early on and now that all my hair is very rapidly falling out, I assume I am just one of the unlucky few whose body counteracts the medication... oh well

[jamesst11]

It helps keep your hair. In practice this is highly useful. It's not going to regrow much hair though. http://www.twinshairloss.com/hair-loss-gallery.htm

from personal experience and research I can honestly say that, finasteride helps keep your hair for most, but in some cases it does the opposite and rapidly speeds up hair loss. I am sure there are tens of thousands of people in this world that would agree with me on this one. It happened to me, it happened to two of my friends, countless others that my derm has told me about and if you do a simple google search you will see countless cases in which this has occurred. I still think people should take the drug if hair loss is devastating to them. I just think they should know they are rolling the dice with this one.

[burtandernie]

Yeah I do think its possible it could. MPB is far from figured out and no one knows a lot about it other then DHT is bad so removing it should help. Propecia was never really tested at all in men with most of their hair to see if it could make it worse. People just assume if it helps higher NW men keep hair that it should just always help and never make it worse. That is just theory crafting based on current results, but its not for sure true. Logical steps dont always work out in medicine especially when lots of pieces are missing.

[25 going on 65]

I'm taking Propecia now (about 3 weeks) and had been looking forward to getting on it, but the more I read on various forums it seems like it really doesn't do much. For one thing, if all it does typically is maintain hair counts where they are already at, how is it that doctors or scientists even realized it would help balding men? They wouldn't have seen any difference, right?

I was initially relieved to get on this stuff but if all it does is maybe keep me where I'm at for five years (big maybe) it hardly seems worth it. My balding isn't even that bad presently but the knowledge that its going to get worse and even going thru the risks, hassle, and expense of propecia won't help it has me very down, sad as that sounds. When I was initially reading about fin, it seemed like a godsend for people who catch their balding early...but like I say I've learned that's not the case apparently.

I know its early for me, but why do you guys bother with it?

The point is to buy time....I would be at least 2 Norwoods worse right now w/o DHT drugs. Maybe more