What is the best way to stop finasteride ? all of a sudden or gradually ? , can sudden withdrawal cause rebound effect and more worsening (speaking of side effects not hairloss) ? and if gradual withdrawal is the best then how can i do so ?

thanks

The half-life of the drug in your body is somewhere between 4-6 hours. That means essentially that most of the drug that you take today will be gone tomorrow. Once the drug levels drop below a certain level, you will lose the effectiveness of the drug and it may take 1-3 months for the impact of the loss to be seen in your hair falling out. Tissue levels may maintain the effect of the drug for a couple of weeks or so.

The answer to your question — there’s no “best” way to stop the medication.

Does finasteride thicken up hair shafts DURING the growth phase, or (with good results of course) does it thicken up only when a new cycle begins?

I do not have a definite answer to your question, but I can venture a guess. As the usual hair cycle is over 2 years in most men and we see benefits from Propecia in 8-12 months, I would guess that as the hair shaft emerges from its source, the shaft thickens. Of course, as the hair growth above the skin grows at about 1/2 inch per month, I would expect that the thickening of the hair shaft starts quickly and increases over time.

All miniaturized hairs are not equal. Let’s say that the shafts that have lost 90% of their bulk will be slower to benefit (if they benefit at all) than those miniaturized hairs which have lost 20% of their bulk. The impact on new hair should be better if these new hairs are healthy ‘terminal’ hairs that have considerable life left in them. When I see patients for follow-up examinations and comparison studies, I see that there are less miniaturized hairs and more of thicker shaft hairs, and as we use the bulk analysis instrument on more patients, the answer to your questions will be much more clear.

I think you have a great question from a scientific perspective. I wish there was a time lapse photo of a hair shaft under the influence of Propecia (or even Rogaine).

hey, doc. I have asked you guys a question about testosterone and hair loss, and you mentioned how testosterone does not cause hairloss by itself, and it only DHT.

I went to see an endocrinologist today and he said “everyone experiences temple recession(different from mpb), and that temple recession is caused by high testosterone, not DHT.” He also said that propecia is a good drug for hairloss but its basically a 50/50 risk when taking it. either it will work and stop hairloss, or destroy the hairline, but keep the crown. he was pretty confident with his statement. I asked if there is scientific proof, he said its common sense. not sure whether to take his theory with a grain of salt or its true.

what do you think doctor rassman? do you agree with him or disagree? your opinion on this is very important to me, and probably to others

This is not a place to get a second opinion and I do not like to second guess other doctors when I have not even examined the patient (you) myself.

That being said, Propecia does not “destroy” hairlines, and the percentage is better than 50/50 that you will see benefits. I cannot find a source that states temple hair loss is caused by high testosterone, so I’m not sure where your endocrinologist got that information.