I Am Distress Because I Keep Losing Hair Despite Being On Propecia

I am 25 years old. I had a couple of questions I wanted to ask and I would really appreciate if you could help me out since I’m really distressed these days cause of my excessive hair shedding.

I started finasteride one month and 20 days ago after extensive research. I had a full head of hair but i could feel my hair density especially at the top of my head and my hairline going down. I also see i lost hair at the top of my temples.

I started finasteride very reluctantly since I didnt wanna lose any more hair and i didnt go on minoxidil because it caused hair to shed. I wasnt aware then that finasteride also causes a shed.

Before starting finasteride, i used to shed around 60-70 hairsin the shower if i took a bath after 2-3 days. But after starting finasteride, almost 2 weeks in, i started noticing around 250-300 hairs in the shower which i take after 2-3 days.

Im really stressed since this started happening. I noticed after this excessive shedding that I lost a bit of density on the front of my hair and the temples.

I read that shedding is common after starting any treatment since alot of hairs go into resting and I accept that.

The thing that is freaking me out is that:

1)  How can i identify if this is a normal shed (250-300 hairs in the shower after 2-3 days ) or a bad reaction to finasteride?
2)  Whether the hair that is shed would grow back, especially in the front of my head?
3) How long can i expect this to go on cause at this rate, im losing hair fast.
4) Have you ever had a case where the initially shed hair didn’t grow back?

I would be grateful if you could ease my mind. I dont know whether to continue with finasteride or stop it.

Thank you very much.

Despite what you may read on the Internet, shedding is not very common after starting Propecia.  You must also understand Propecia does not stop or cure male pattern balding.  Male pattern balding (MPB) is a genetic trait.  Propecia is a medication to treat androgenic alopecia. (not cure it).  Thus, you may notice hair loss even if you are taking Propecia.  You must also note that it takes about 6+ months to start noticing the effects of Propecia but this does not always mean you will not lose hair.

If you are having further issues, you need to discuss this with your doctor who prescribed you the medication.  You may have a false impression or expectation of what Propecia can do for your hair loss.