hi doctor Rassman. Is it true that propecia can cause weight gain due to its antiandrogentic properties? I heard that androgens like testosterone and DHT promotes fat loss in the body. Also, would taking propecia affect the heart at all? I read on propecia forums of users reporting heart synptoms after using the drug. Some reported a “dipping” feeling of the heart. I really wanna try the drug but now im highly discouraged by these negative claims.
Not everything you read on the Internet is always true. There may be a great wealth of information available, but I wouldn’t rely on the Internet for your source of medical diagnosis and treatment. A doctor will know better than some anonymous guy on a forum that has no liability or reputation (not to mention experience or even a real name). You need to see a good doctor and ask him/her if you have genetic balding… and if you do, talk to them about taking Propecia. I have not heard of such weight gain side effects from the patients I treat and side effects are rare in general with Propecia.
Keep in mind that all medications can have side effects. Have you ever taken Tylenol or Advil? Do a search for the side effects of those medications and you will likely lose more hair over it (pun intended). For example, Advil side effects include rash, ringing in the ears, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, constipation and heartburn (see full list).
Good question. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) blocks mainly DHT type II, and Avodart (dutasteride) blocks both DHT type I & II. You would think if you block ALL the DHT it would be better against androgenic alopecia. Dutasteride is three times more potent than finasteride inhibiting the type II enzyme and 100 times more potent than finasteride inhibiting the type I form of the DHT producing enzyme. There are clinical observations that suggest that dutasteride is better than finasteride, but it is not approved for hair loss by the FDA and the long term safety on human reproduction for dutasteride (reports of sterility is a complication) have been suggested in some rare patients. We have received many reports by varying doctors who switch people from finasteride to dutasteride and get a better response. The next logical question should be: If we increase the finasteride dose to 5 mg or so, will it be better to treat hair loss? I don’t know if anyone really knows that answer for sure. Some of the original studies on finasteride suggested that the 1mg dose is the most universal dose, but it may be that a high dose in those who are refractory to finasteride may help. Some doctors are using a higher dose of finasteride on long term users. It’s a prescription drug, so I’m not suggesting you should take a higher dosage. The problems for either finasteride and dutasteride is that side effects rise when increasing dosages.
Its very unlikely that you would see hair growing back again at this stage. It sounds like the chemical treatment may have caused scarring to that area of the scalp or burned the hair follicles resulting in permanent hair loss. This could be confirmed with a scalp biopsy.
If the hair loss has been there for around 6 years, I doubt that the hair will come back. First, you must get control of the pulling (not just for a week) and you may seek help from your doctor for medications that will help you through this. Once you have gone a year or more with no further hair plucking, then you might consider hair transplantation, assuming that your donor supply is adequate. But if you should start pulling again, then any transplanted hair can be lost by the exact same mechanism.