After Starting Propecia, I’m Thinning on the Back and Sides Too!

I started propecia about 7 months ago, I stopped it one time for a span of about 2 weeks and then restarted and have been consistently using it since. Prior to starting the medication I never saw any shed but my hair was thinning a lot which started when I was in High School. My hair is thin on top and maybe a bit thinner in the back as well. I have read about telogen effluvium and is it possible that propecia has sparked the onset of this? I shed from the sides and the back as well, it’s hard to know to what extent but I feel like the shed from the front and crown would be normal but why would a person shed from the non-affected MPB areas? Is this normal and why would it occur? I will send you pictures along with the post via email.

First, thank you for allowing me to publish your photos. Click them to enlarge.

Thinning hair on the sides and back of the head is not typical from Propecia or from male pattern baldness. You have a somewhat unique problem, but without an examination I really can not draw any conclusions. I would want to perform a miniaturization study of your entire scalp, check the density in various parts, and perform a pull test for telogen effluvium, which I obviously can’t do over the internet.

Perhaps this unusual thinning is coincidental timing to the start of Propecia and there is some underlying medical condition. Diffuse unpatterned alopecia (DUPA) is something your physician may consider, as I don’t want to waste your time making guesses and ultimately problems like yours (which are a bit off our usual case) deserve the best that can be offered, which makes an examination with a good doctor critical.