Stopped Propecia Because of Gynecomastia, Now I’m Seeing Shedding
Hi Doc,
I have been on propecia for over 4 months and had to stop due to side effects (started developing gyno). Couple of months passed and I started seeing massive shed which is probably the catch up hair loss. Since I cannot go back to propecia/fin, is there any topical treatment (other than rogaine) that can help slow down this process? I am not looking for any regrowth at this point, but just want to make sure the catch up hair loss can be controlled at all? Thanks for your valuable suggestions.
I just had a patient who reported gynecomastia along with some sexual side effects from Propecia, and after he reduced his dose to 1/4 of a pill (0.25mg) he was able to continue taking the drug without side effects. It is only a report by one patient though. Most of the patients who have had gynecomastia usually do not tolerate the drug even at lower doses and when there is gynecomastia, there is often other libido and erectile dysfunction side effects as well. A quarter of a pill is better than none, so I would recommend trying a lower dose of Propecia before completely quitting on this medication. Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only other FDA approved hair loss medication, so your choices are limited.
Mike-
I don’t know enough about your case — are you losing hair at all or just taking it as a precaution? What do you consider a mild case of gynecomastia? These are all things that you should discuss with your prescribing physician, where he/she can provide an exam in person (something I obviously can’t do via the web). I can’t give you specific advice on what you should be doing with your prescription drug, as I didn’t prescribe it to you.