Does propecia stop working?

[Eric5]

So I've been on propecia for about 6 consecutive months now and for the first three it was complete hell! I was losing a lot of hairs and it was just awful. I stuck it out though and by month 4 it all stopped and my hair was regrowing and everything was just magical. All the sudden now I'm starting to lose hair again and I'm losing all my smaller hairs that I regrew and then some. it's going on month 7. Am I just going through another shedding phase or has propecia just lost its magic for me?! I am very frustrated and concerned, if someone who has gone through something similar to this could help me out I would very much appreciate it.
Thank you, Eric

[Eric5]

Thanks for all the help guys! Sorry for taking time out of your day. You can go back to talking about your magic tree potions that regrow hair.

[Not giving up]

Dude, no one will answer because no one knows. What happens to one person could be totally different for another. This stuff is literally bro-science. Everyone reacts differently. I'd say it's unlikely your body has reacted so quickly to the point where the drug no longer works, but I, like you and anyone else on this forum, am just p*ssing in the wind with that guess.

You can do one of two things, wait it out, or stop taking it.

Now if you excuse me I have a magic tree to be getting back to.

[Thaddaeus]

There are many reports about multiple shedding phases after starting finasteride. I went through a shedding phase after starting finasteride, whether I will get several more remains to be seen.

The best thing you can do is to stop worrying about it, worry will not help the situation and in fact might make it worse. Wait until at least 12 months have passed before you evaluate the results but even then for some people it takes even longer.

MPB shortens the anagen phase of the hairs so they have a shorter life-cycle and thus they shed with a higher frequency than normal hair. You can't go by the shedding rate alone, it will depend on regrowth rate too and this can be hard to measure.

If the finasteride is working it can take several growth cycles for a hair follicle to return to normal and this can take many months to a couple of years, it is also possible for the hair follicles to not recover but to remain in that state with a high shed rate without you losing ground.

The shedding you are experiencing may not be connected to MPB or use of the medication anyway, it might be seasonal factors for example.

If you are losing ground at 12-18 months you might want to consider dutasteride but don't judge your balding by the rate you shed hair, that's only a small part of the picture.

[Clinicspots]

I think every person is different and the effect of propecia might work different. Some cases can go worst also as i have literally seen people who gone crazy after using that. Crazy in the sense having some adverse effects. You should consult a good hair doctor and ask for solution for it.

[JohnMPB]

Look up the 10 year Finasteride study for male pattern baldness. Hopefully this will give you some insight.

[jjo]

give it more than a year... up to year and half
it does stop working over time, i got about 10 years. looking back i'd cycle it to make it last longer after

[barcspeeder34]

propecia never seemed to work for me

[veyorokon]

The effects start to wear off over time. You'd might consider a transplant, a cosmetic / hair unit or hair filling fibers.