Propecia is not working, now what?

[create79]

Hi,

Ok, so I have been on Propecia now for 1.5 years and the hairloss has not stopped. The situation of my hair is not even comparable with 1.5 years ago, I had so much more hair. The shedding was horrible and the hair never grew back.

What should I do? Discontinue Propecia and hope for the best? Try something else? What? Increase the dosage of Propecia? Try dutasteride?

Any ideas are welcome!

Thanks.

M

[Winston]

Did you talk to your doctor about increasing your dose? It might be worth a shot before you abandon ship.

[mattj]

You could try Dutasteride, but keep in mind that although it has shown to be successful in treating hairloss, it isn't yet approved for this use by the FDA and it is more likely to cause side effects than Finasteride. But likewise, an increase in Fin dosage will also increase the chances of unwanted effects developing. With both drugs, though, the side effects almost always diminish if you stop taking them, and it's worth trying them if you value you hair.

You didn't mention where your hairloss is occuring (i.e. is it just the hairline, or through the stop and the crown) but Rogaine does a good job, in areas other than the hairline, but can also help there too and is worth giving a shot.

[UK_]

Now what? - Now nothing.

[create79]

Insighful comment UK

I have hair loss all over the head, it started with the crown but since I went on Propecia the hairline has been destroyed.

How do I get prescription for dutasteride? Will my doctor just give me a prescription without a reason?

Thanks!

M

[mattj]

It sounds like you blame the Propecia for your hairline loss. If you were losing from your crown then losing hair from the front was pretty much inevitable too.

I don't believe you'd be able to get a prescription for Dutasteride due to it not being approved for Androgenic Alopecia. I'm not 100% sure of that. I believe guys use online pharmacies but I don't know which ones.

[create79]

mattj, it started with the crown WHEN I WENT ON PROPECIA and continued after about 10 months to my hairline.

Everytime I write about my story people try to find excuses for why propecia didn't work for me, as if it is without a doubt bullet proof and will work for everyone.

I had minimum hair loss before propecia, barely noticible. Now 14 months after using propecia I can see 50-60-70 strands of hair falling each day. Now that is not "keeping the hair you have".

M

[mattj]

I just thought that as you started treatments due to hairloss, it was reasonable to think that what you were seeing now was simply that hairloss progressing. Some people do report that their hairloss worsens while using Propecia, and you could be one of those unlucky few. This could mean that Dutasteride would be no better for you.

[veyorokon]

Ketokonazole (spelling?) is also shown to work well. They sell it at CVS in blue bottles. It's the active ingredient in some anti-dandruff shampoo. You can also use a cosmetic / hair unit / hair filling fibers