Here’s the original article from 2006 about US athlete Zach Lund, who was banned from competing in the Olympics due to using Propecia.

Well, there’s been an update. Here’s a snippet from the new article:

Lund was informed he had tested positive for a banned drug. He was told he had to leave, immediately. Within minutes, he went from Olympic contender to Olympic exile.

“I had to pack my bags and walk out in front of everybody,” Lund said. “They cut up my credential. I was on top of the world, and then I was out on the street.”

Lund’s transgression? He was trying to preserve his hair. He was using Propecia, as he had for years to stave off baldness. But the main ingredient in Propecia is finasteride, which was on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances as a masking agent for steroids.

Lund, guilty of thinning hair, was labeled a drug cheat and kicked out of the Olympics.

Read the full article: Bald is beautiful for U.S. skeleton star

Zach is back in the 2010 Winter Olympics, but it’s a shame that he was banned from competing in the 2006 games. He had been taking Propecia for years, informed the Olympic committee about it, and at some point the medication was added to the banned substance list for a brief time. During that brief time, Zach was banned from competing. The ban on finasteride has since been lifted by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but not before Zach lost all the hair that Propecia had been keeping for him.

Considering 0.5mgs of finasteride gives 80% of the effect of 1mg and the halflife is relatively short, wouldn’t better results be achieved from taking 0.5mgs once every twelve hours?

I doubt that 0.5mg taken twice a day would be much different than a once a day 1mg dose. I suppose it could be tried, but wouldn’t having to stick to taking half a pill every 12 hours be a little annoying?

is it okay 2 take melatonine supplements as a sleep aid while on propecia?

Here’s a list of Propecia drug interactions (which does not include melatonin). I am not familiar with any connection between the two, but best speak with your doctor about the use of a double dose of melatonin. I have tried melatonin once for a couple of nights to help me sleep and my immune system went nuts, activating my psoriasis into a painful breakout of body sores.

I see you often dismiss permanent side effects from Propecia on here. You rationalize them away, usually blaming them on psychological conditions or naturally occurring ED. Care to rationalize my situation. Pre-fin I was a healthy 21 y/o male with a raging sex drive and no difficulty with erections. I took 1mg daily for 12 days when I began to notice sexual side effects. I’ve been off for 3 months now and can count on one hand the number of erections I’ve had in that time period and my libido is non-existent. Can you honestly tell me its all in my head? Or that the fact that it happened during and after my time on propecia is merely coincidental?

I feel for you. I have no explanation to your complaint as I have not seen patients with this complaint. I am not minimizing your problem. I do not and never underestimate what a patient tells me and I always try to help to the best of my ability. Your anger at me seems misplaced. I would honestly try to help you if I knew what to do.

Finasteride is a prescription drug, and I hope you’ve discussed these side effect issues with your prescribing physician.

Hello Dr Rassman,

Ive been on propecia for about 2 years now, for the first year i was taking the brand name tablets but i read on here that i would be able to get the generic 5mg finasteride tablets and just cut them up into 4 pieces. So since then ive just been cutting up the pills. The last time i went to pick up my prescription the actual tablet had changed and was manufactured by a different company. Ive been taking the new pill for about a month now and i feel like my hair is starting to thin at the sides again. Is this just paranoia or could a switch to a different manufacturer make a difference?

Thanks

The manufacturer shouldn’t make a difference, but I’d ask your pharmacist about the credibility of the new manufacturer, explaining to him/her what you told me here. If you buy Proscar (genuine Merck product) I would think that it is finasteride 5mg as reflected on the label. As for the other manufacturers, I’d hope for the same, but I don’t know where your pharmacy got their supply. There are counterfeit drugs out there (particularly generics, which vary in shape and size of the pill), so the only way you could be sure is to buy a brand name such as Proscar.

Here’s a list of generic finasteride makers that I’ve mentioned before. Cipla and Dr. Reddy’s are two of the more common generic makers, and although there could be other manufacturers since that post was created, it’ll give you a good starting point.