Problem with Propecia

[Hairlover]

Hello all,

First post, though I've been lurking for a while. I’m 34 and am losing hair, although it’s not too bad yet. I started losing hair at 19 but was fortunate to discover a regimen (long story, but doesn’t involve the Big 3) that basically eliminated the hair loss. About 6 months ago, I took the medication Differin aka adapalene for some faint acne scarring I had. I wish I hadn’t been so vain, because within about 2 months my hair started falling out in clumps. It was just unreal.

Apparently Differin has this effect on some people, similar to Accutane. Differin doesn’t list hair loss as a side effect as far as I know, but there are thousands of stories similar to mine out there. Plus, I think hair loss was only added to the side effects label of Accutane after years of complaints. Ominously, hair loss due to accutane “may persist” even after usage is stopped, so I’m guessing that is a possibility for hair loss attributable to differin too. (They work in different chemical ways, but still . . .)

I stopped using Differin as soon as I made the connection (after about 60 days of use), and I’m still using the regimen I’ve used since 19. I’ve added in-home laser treatments and propecia as well. While the dramatic hair loss has stopped (probably after 80 days of severe hair loss), I’m still losing some hair I think. It’s the quality of the lost hairs, not the number, that concerns me. They are so wispy and thin that they are almost invisible, and I can only make them out most of the time because my comb is dark brown and they show up against it when they come out when I’m combing my hair after showering.
I’ve been on Propecia for 85 or 90 days, and I know from lurking that a lot of people experience shedding for the first few months. But do people who experience shedding shed really thin, almost invisible hairs? I haven’t seen any posts to that effect, but maybe I’m missing something.

I just hope the combination of everything keeps the hair loss at bay. This bad experience has taken a deep bite out of my hairline, so I think I will get a HT at some point in the next year or two. But there’s no point in doing that until the hair loss stops.

Any info about similar experiences with Propecia is appreciated. Thanks in advance, this site is a great resource for those of us cursed with the MPB genes.

[clandestine]

Hello all,

First post, though I've been lurking for a while. I’m 34 and am losing hair, although it’s not too bad yet. I started losing hair at 19 but was fortunate to discover a regimen (long story, but doesn’t involve the Big 3) that basically eliminated the hair loss. About 6 months ago, I took the medication Differin aka adapalene for some faint acne scarring I had. I wish I hadn’t been so vain, because within about 2 months my hair started falling out in clumps. It was just unreal.

Care to elaborate? Some clarification regarding your previous regimen would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
clandestine

[spm]

The hair you are losing was on it's way out. You now have a chance of getting it back on meds. It takes up to a year to see the full benefits. Hang in there. I started to see my hair get better at 6 months, but best results take up to a year to see. I've been on the drug now a year and a half and I think my hair is still looking better.

[philippe]

spm is right--the hairs you are shedding with propecia are the hairs that have been most affected by dht, that's why they are short and wispy and lack strong amounts of pigment. over the course of time, the hair follicles on your scalp that have the most sensitivity to dht become shorter and thinner with every growth cycle until they ultimately don't grow back at all. when propecia starts blocking the production of dht in your body, the already damaged hair will often shedd to make room for a healthier follicle. merck claims that the shedding process only lasts for about 3 months. in my case it lasted for over 6 months, BUT, it does get better. the shedding, believe it or not, is a good sign that the meds are working. all of us on this site can empathize with your frustration but the shedding is normal. stick it out for a year to really see if propecia will help you or not. my advice is to document your progress on a bi monthly basis with photos so you can really monitor your hair growth vs loss.

good luck.

[Hairlover]

Thanks for the replies all. I will keep sticking with my regimen, including Propecia. I really hope these wispy hairs are the Propecia shed, and not evidence that the receding/miniaturization problem caused by differin and my MPB genes is continuing.

Clandestine, I am swamped with work right now, but will try to make a new post this weekend on the regimen that worked great for me for 14 years, pre-differin.

[StressedToTheBald]

I've sadly been on Accutane for months and on max. doses.
Had I only known better.. Now I'm preaching against propecia - I feel blessed I have never went down the propecia road, it is a genuine health hazard which will soon be either banned or marked as beeing an extreme health hazard. Please read the Boston & Washington studies by Dr. Traish and Dr. Irwig.

http://www.examiner.com/courts-in-ba...#ixzz1mLgDjzw3

[khan]

I've sadly been on Accutane for months and on max. doses.
Had I only known better.. Now I'm preaching against propecia - I feel blessed I have never went down the propecia road, it is a genuine health hazard which will soon be either banned or marked as beeing an extreme health hazard. Please read the Boston & Washington studies by Dr. Traish and Dr. Irwig.

http://www.examiner.com/courts-in-ba...#ixzz1mLgDjzw3

You need a study which uses a random sample and a control, to preach anything. And surely you need more than one such study. This study is an indication of a potential problem that definitely need to be addressed by the medical community but it doesn't prove anything conclusively.

A telephonic interview with users from a site soley dedicated to combating side effects doesn't prove anything. Where's the proof that some members of the sampling population were not on any other medication or that some were pre-disposed to such problems. Was any such test done?

Were they given a physical exam before taking the drug? Was there a placebo group? Was the sample pre-disposed to believing they had side effects?

I am not aruging that this study raises certain question that need to be answered by the medical community, and does raise valid questions on Propecia side effects.
But you can't possibly present this study as conclusive evidence. If before the study anyone were told that all the sample was from a site called propeciahelp than surely you don't need a medical degree to predicted the results. I am suprised that 100% of the sampling population did not report sides.

[StressedToTheBald]

But you can't possibly present this study as conclusive evidence.

I 100% disagree. For one, top lawyers don't go to court with inconclusive evidence. First class lawsuits can only be won if evidence is very much conclusive and reputable ! That is obviously the case and Boston & Washington study have not only scientific & medical value, but legal as well.

"The first class action lawsuits are now being filed. While individual lawsuits have been filed on the behalf of plaintiffs over the last several years, Dr. Irwig’s study and another recent review study on Propecia’s side effects in the Journal of Sexual Medicine by researchers at Boston University have now moved the discussion from an anecdotal one to one that has the credence of two of America’s most well-known medical schools.
“The fact that two of this country’s top universities have now issued studies on the serious side effects of Propecia places this in an entirely new legal light,” says attorney Alan Horwitz, co-founder of Ingerman & Horwitz, (www.ihlaw.com) a personal injury law firm located in Baltimore, Md. His firm and others are currently working on lawsuits on behalf of men whose manhood has been destroyed by Propecia."

[born]

I 100% disagree. For one, top lawyers don't go to court with inconclusive evidence. First class lawsuits can only be won if evidence is very much conclusive and reputable ! That is obviously the case and Boston & Washington study have not only scientific & medical value, but legal as well.

"The first class action lawsuits are now being filed. While individual lawsuits have been filed on the behalf of plaintiffs over the last several years, Dr. Irwig’s study and another recent review study on Propecia’s side effects in the Journal of Sexual Medicine by researchers at Boston University have now moved the discussion from an anecdotal one to one that has the credence of two of America’s most well-known medical schools.
“The fact that two of this country’s top universities have now issued studies on the serious side effects of Propecia places this in an entirely new legal light,” says attorney Alan Horwitz, co-founder of Ingerman & Horwitz, (www.ihlaw.com) a personal injury law firm located in Baltimore, Md. His firm and others are currently working on lawsuits on behalf of men whose manhood has been destroyed by Propecia."

we know you don't like propecia.Can you stop whining about it?Everyone is aware of the side effects.Until a proper study comes out can you shut up?

[2020]

every drug on the market is being sued nowadays... don't you watch day-time TV?