I’m Wondering if the Humidity Here Has Made My Finasteride Less Effective?

Hi Dr. Rassman;

Thank you for this blog and the excellent information you and your team provide. I have one quick question – does the temperature at which Finasteride is stored change its effectiveness?

I’m a 23 year old male, and I’ve been taking 1mg Finasteride for 2 years and 9 months (when I first noticed my hairloss), and my hairline has remained fairly stable until recently. But over the last few months I’ve noticed it move noticeably from about Norwood II to Norwood III, and my upper scalp has begun to thin. I assume this is the result of my genetics gradually beating out the drug’s effects. But as I’m a Peace Corps volunteer living in a southern, tropical country without access to air conditioning, I was wondering if the heat and humidity could have somehow broken down the Finasteride?

What do you recommend for storing Finasteride? Would it be better to store it in a refrigerator or to risk the sometimes 100+ degree heat? Or would you say that the temperature probably doesn’t make a difference, and that my genetics are slowly winning over the drug?

Thanks for your response!

We are told not to let the medication heat up, and you should realize that humidity could negatively effect its potency. The balance between the drug and the normal course of the hair loss process is very difficult to analyze; however, effective drugs of all types do depend upon low humidity and no increase in temperature over 100 degrees F.

As for storing in it a refrigerator, I’ve answered that before here.