Can the Same Hairs Become Minoxidil and Propecia Dependent?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Doc

If one has been on minoxidil for years wouldn’t all hairs at risk of loss be minox dependent? I know they work differently but what does adding Propecia do for those hairs at that point? Since stopping minoxidil will cause you to lose those hairs regardless of Propecia. So lowering DHT appears to not help hair that is minoxidil dependent. And if one has been on Minox for years that could be a lot of hairs, right?

If you add Propecia do the same hairs then become dependent on both?

Thanks

I really don’t know. The minoxidil dependent hairs are not the permanent hairs, just those vulnerable to miniaturization. The same is true about finasteride (Propecia), but I do not know what happens as the two drugs overlap with regard to dependence.

Tags: propecia, finasteride, minoxidil, hairloss, hair loss

I Stopped Taking Propecia and My Hair Actually Got Better

/by William Rassman, M.D./2 /

Hey Dr. Rassman,

Since 19 yrs of age, I started taking Propecia daily as prescribed by a doctor. I’ve taken it for 6 years up until last July. I felt that Propecia’s effectiveness had started to wean off and I did not want to take a pill every morning for the rest of my life. Also, I felt that the prolonged usage of this medication might cause health issues when I’m much older and I had already started to dread taking the medication each morning.

Since I stopped taking the medication, I expected to shed massive amounts of hair in about 3-4 months after the medication completely leaves my blood stream and for my DHT levels to get back to normal. Surprisingly, the reverse actually occurred. My hair was getting better each month and I was even able to keep it long at a certain point.

I even noticed an improvement in my libido. On days when I would accidentally overdose on propecia (I used to buy Proscar and cut them up into quarters. Sometimes I’d take half a pill instead of a quarter), I’d have erectile difficulties.

I was wondering if I’m the first person you’ve heard of who’s actually done better off propecia than on it? Was I going bald in the first place? I do however use anti-dandruff shampoo and nizoral daily.

I hope my post helps individuals who’ve started propecia at a young age and are thinking of getting off the medication but are afraid to do so.

This is the first time I’ve heard of someone stopping Propecia after many years and their hair actually getting better. Normally, the story is just the opposite and catch-up hair loss occurs after stopping finasteride.

I have no way to know if you even had genetic hair loss in the first place. If you had early loss when your doctor first prescribed the Propecia, then what you’re describing doesn’t make sense to me, unless perhaps the Nizoral is providing you some benefits. I’m not convinced that Nizoral is a satisfactory treatment for genetic hair loss though, and I would’ve still expected some catch-up loss to occur. Out of curiosity, did you ever go back to your prescribing doctor to get his/her take on your situation?

In any case, I’m glad to hear of your hair growth success… but I would warn readers that as the opposite effect (hair loss) is fairly common after your stop the medication, following in your path may not be in their best long term interest.

Tags: finasteride, propecia, hairloss, hair loss, hair growth

Not Hair Loss News – New Bioadhesive Coating Could Bring Ability for Insulin Pills

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Snippet from the article:


In a new study, a “bioadhesive” coating developed at Brown University significantly improved the intestinal absorption into the bloodstream of nanoparticles that someday could carry protein drugs such as insulin. Such a step is necessary for drugs taken by mouth, rather than injected directly into the blood.

For protein-based drugs such as insulin to be taken orally rather than injected, bioengineers need to find a way to shuttle them safely through the stomach to the small intestine where they can be absorbed and distributed by the bloodstream. Progress has been slow, but in a new study, researchers report an important technological advance: They show that a “bioadhesive” coating significantly increased the intestinal uptake of polymer nanoparticles in rats and that the nanoparticles were delivered to tissues around the body in a way that could potentially be controlled.

Read the rest — Polymer coatings a key step toward oral delivery of protein-based drugs

This is exciting research, and although it is obviously not hair loss related, I wanted to share this with our readers. The article points out that progress has been slow and they’re just testing in lab rats at this stage, but perhaps in the future this advancement will lead to new methods of treating type 1 and 2 diabetes, such as an oral pill instead of needle injections.

Tags: diabetes, insulin, coating, medicine, PBMAD

Press Release – FDA Shut Down 1677 Illegal Online Pharmacies Last Week

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Snippet from the press announcement:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 9,600 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription medicines to consumers. These actions include the issuance of regulatory warnings, and seizure of offending websites and $41,104,386 worth of illegal medicines worldwide.

The action occurred as part of the 6th annual International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a global cooperative effort to combat the online sale and distribution of potentially counterfeit and illegal medical products. As part of this year’s international effort – Operation Pangea VI – the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, in coordination with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, seized and shut down 1,677 illegal pharmacy websites. The effort ran from June 18 to June 25, 2013.

Read the rest — FDA takes action to protect consumers from dangerous medicines sold by illegal online pharmacies

The press release points out that these sites were selling fake and potentially unsafe medications, while claiming to be Canadian pharmacies to trick US consumers into buying.

Tags: fda, pharmacies, online pharmacy