I was wondering…when a person begins taking Finasteride, they go thru an accelerated shedding period that lasts roughly 3-6 months. After this initial period of shedding, just say that the Finasteride works and stabilizes the loss. Does the person end up growing back the hair that was lost during the accelerated shed? What if it doesn’t grow back? Is this the price that you must pay to halt or slow down loss with Finasteride? Do you have to take your amount of hair a step down in order maintain whatever’s left?

What if you fall into that 20-25% category of users who don’t respond to Finasteride in terms of hair stabilization? You could end up just accelerating your loss for those 6 months for no reason at all. Whether you stay on it or off, after this period, you will continue to lose. This is a big risk for people thinking about taking meds.

Shedding after starting Propecia isn’t a common occurrence, but I’ve heard reports that it does happen on rare occasions. It is more common with Rogaine (minoxidil) use, though. If we assume that there was some shedding from Propecia, I do not have much faith that those hairs would grow back.

The “what if” part about “20-25% chances” to your question is moot… because if it happens to you, it is 100%. And I do not believe there is a “big risk”, because you are taking a medication to slow down the hair loss (not accelerate it). Please speak to your doctor and be sure to have your hair loss monitored with miniaturization mappings, so that any loss or gain can be charted.

Snippet from the article:

Merck (MRK) is experiencing some rough PR issues on its hair-loss drug Propecia following a study that suggests up to 15 percent of men taking the drug might experience some form of sexual dysfunction. For years, the warning label on Propecia has said that only 2 percent of men might experience erectile dysfunction while using the drug, and if users stop taking the pills everything returns to normal

Read the full story — Why Merck’s Hair Loss Drug Could Make Its Income Statement Go, Um, Limp

This article is from a business-oriented site, so it examines more of the bad press and how it may harm Merck’s stock valuation. And with the Propecia patent expiring in a couple years, Merck would probably like to keep the damage control to a minimum. That being said, I believe the study they reference is actually just an analysis of existing studies. Still, articles like this need to be seen by everyone. Knowledge is power.

I tell those patients who have sexual side effects to see me about reducing the dose. The problem of course, is that if you stop the medication the hair loss will continue.

Hello Doctor! Thank you for all the information that you provide on this website for all of us who are dealing with hair loss.

I have a question about finasteride. I had a hair transplant procedure done about six and a half months ago and the grafts have been growing quite nicely. I am using finasteride to maintain the remaining hairs that have not yet minaturized and fallen off. Do I have to take that 1 mg dose at the same time every day in order to maintain its effectiveness? I know this applies to patients who are taking finasteride to treat their symptoms for BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) in order to maintain the effectiveness of the drug but does the same routine apply to patients who are taking it to treat MPB (Male Pattern Baldness)? And if this is the case, does taking the drug at different times during the day reduce its effectiveness?

Thank you for the wonderful service that you provide for people who want to do something positive with their hair loss.

We have answered this question many times in the past. In general, as long as you take the medication as directed (once a day) you should be fine. There is no “right” time to take Propecia. Taking it around the same time each day makes sense as well, but the most important time is the time you REMEMBER to take it.