Propecia, The Good and the Ugly

[joer1212]

I have been taking 1 mg. brand-name Propecia for 3 years and 1 mg. generic finasteride for nearly 2 years. As a result, I have not had further hair loss.

My 2-part question is:

(1) If I decide to take a break from taking finasteride, how long will it take for my hair to start falling out again. 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? In other words, how long is it safe to stop finasteride before visible hair loss recurs?
How often can this be done. For example, if I can take a break from taking finasteride for 3 days, how often can I take this 3 day break without hair loss consequences?

(2) The reason I want to take a break from finasteride from time to time is because I have recently noticed the infamous sexual side effects that have been so widely reported with finasteride. There is a numbness in my penis, like it has lost a lot of sensitivity. Even my ejaculations are not as pleasurable as they were before.
I don't recall if I started getting these side effects when I first started on Propecia almost 5 years ago and didn't notice, or if it is a recent onset, but it's starting to become an issue.
I also fear that these side effects may be permanent (as reported), even if I should stop taking finasteride in the future.
Has anyone else noticed these side effects?

[Notcoolanymore]

Instead of taking breaks, why not just reduce the daily dose? I think not having fin in your system daily would cause you to lose ground.

[Diffuser44]

Instead of taking breaks, why not just reduce the daily dose? I think not having fin in your system daily would cause you to lose ground.

What dose do you take?

[joer1212]

Instead of taking breaks, why not just reduce the daily dose? I think not having fin in your system daily would cause you to lose ground.

I thought about this, but wondered if I would still lose hair if I did this.
Do you mean that I should try permanently reducing the dose, or only temporarily (in place of taking a break from it altogether)?

[the_dude78]

I took 1 mg every day for about 3 years, and about a year ago I decided to try 0.25 mg every day to save money - Propecia is quite pricey in my country and if you want finasteride Propecia is the only option here. I haven't noticed any difference in shedding what so ever and it's been a little more than a year now. Also, I took 3 weeks break from fin before going back on 0.25 mg, and so far everything is fine.

[joely]

Im the same I have been on it for three years with no problems, but this last week or so I have for some reason really struggled to get an erection and when I have its only been about 80% and can disappear very quickly!

I don't know what to do, I thought id stabilized my loss and recently just undergone my first HT now I don't know what to do

[garageland]

I would try a reduced dosage either take less every day or take the usual amount every other day. I have been on fin for 8 years nearly and did take a break for a few months many years back. I noticed that my hair had gotten a little worse in the crown I didn't really notice a difference in anything else performance wise in that dept.

Don't always assume it is the fin maybe other factors are causing this like stress and now the problem is it is on your mind every time and that is not going to help you perform when you are worrying whether you are going to get wood.

[joer1212]

I took 1 mg every day for about 3 years, and about a year ago I decided to try 0.25 mg every day to save money - Propecia is quite pricey in my country and if you want finasteride Propecia is the only option here. I haven't noticed any difference in shedding what so ever and it's been a little more than a year now. Also, I took 3 weeks break from fin before going back on 0.25 mg, and so far everything is fine.

Wow, a 3-week break? I would love if I could do this without shedding. I took a 3-day break once and (I don't know if it was my imagination) I thought I was starting to shed!
If 0.25 mg is as effective as 1 mg, it would be a no-brainer to take the reduced dose both, to save money, and to hopefully reduce the side effects. Maybe I'll talk to my dermatologist about this on my next visit.

[the_dude78]

Wow, a 3-week break? I would love if I could do this without shedding. I took a 3-day break once and (I don't know if it was my imagination) I thought I was starting to shed!
If 0.25 mg is as effective as 1 mg, it would be a no-brainer to take the reduced dose both, to save money, and to hopefully reduce the side effects. Maybe I'll talk to my dermatologist about this on my next visit.

It takes a few weeks for your hormones to normalize, so three days should definitely not be a problem, there is a good chance it was just your imagination

You mentioned depression, there is a good chance it has something to do with it and not the finasteride. Are you a person who is easily worried and get anxious easily? I used to be like that and have also struggled with stress and depression and my adrenals took some serious beating. I found meditation plus exercise and making sure I got my supplements to be a big help. Especially ashwagandha and 7-keto to keep my cortisol balanced and supporting my thyroid has been good for me.

[montreal6130]

Well, I am uniquely qualified to answer your question as this August will be two years off propecia after being on it for almost 4 years (1mg/day).

You will notice subtle shedding within 4 weeks. Nothing drastic but hairs will start falling off that you hadn't noticed before. Then towards the 3 month mark you start to notice small changes in hair quality. Only you will notice because you'll be looking at your hair uber close. After 6 months you'll be reminded about why you went on propecia in the first place as you'll find hairs on your bathroom floor, sink and around your home. After a year the biggest issue will be hair quality. You will still have the hair but lots will be entering the miniaturizing phase. Keeping hair long will be hard as will styling and you'll have to be creative with styling products. You'll long for the days of having thick healthy looking young hair.

Plus Side - after 3/4 weeks coming off you will feel like a raging bull and will have missed that having that feeling. I woke up one morning with a massive erection and felt very 'primal'...the feeling is unmistakable. Taking the medication definitely suppressed that. The feeling I had that morning is the only reason why I never went back on. I never want to lose that ever again (but I do want my hair back).

GRATITUDE

Now to everyone on propecia!...the one major mistake I made is that when I was on the medication I took it for granted. If you've been on it for a while go in the mirror, pass your hand through your hair and just be so grateful for how good your hair still feels and looks. The day may come when you will need to come off the medication so don't be like me who was never adequately grateful for what it did for me while on it.

And yes, coming off is really hard. I miss looking much younger than my age (i looked noticeable older with wispy, thin hair). Sometimes I even hate being in pictures. But I do feel more masculine and more handsome in a masculine way (if that makes sense). It's a real shame that of all the side effects medication could have this one effects something so deeply important.

Best of luck...whatever you chose will work out great.