Dear doc, i have been using Propecia since one month. I have not experienced any sides yet. I would appreciate if you could clarify my following doubts.

1. If a person has acidity, does it make Propecia ineffective?
2. During my first week of Propecia use, my hair loss completely stopped, but on my third week, i started noticing a mild hair fall. Is it common?
3. Is there any particular diet i should follow on Propecia use?
4. I take egg whites and whey protein (optimum nutrition 100% whey protein) as i heard that these foods could raise testosterone levels, should i discontinue taking these foods?

Please reply me.

1. I will assume your meaning of “acidity” is referring to acid reflux, because a normal live human being is not acidic. In any case, it has nothing to do with Propecia.
2. While you might be enthusiastic about Propecia stopping hair loss in one week, I highly doubt the medication worked that fast. It takes a few months before you see any results.
3. There is no particular diet you should follow with Propecia. Just stick with a healthy, balanced diet as you should have regardless of the hair medication you take.
4. I assume you’re taking these because you’re trying to gain muscle mass, as these aren’t usual food items. That said, I do not believe egg whites or whey protein has anything to do with testosterone. There’s one study I can find that suggests whey protein could raise testosterone levels, but I don’t believe this is conclusive. I haven’t found anything about egg whites raising testosterone levels, but they are eaten by bodybuilders for the protein. I’d say you’re fine continuing with that regimen.

I am always very surprised at the diversity of questions I receive and answer about just ONE drug (Propecia)… a drug that is considered very safe. I mean in the grand scheme of things, millions of people take thousands of other drugs for hundreds of ailments which have far more severe and even life threatening consequence and side effects. I wonder where those people go for their questions.

Hello, my questions is about your terminology of “buyer beware”. That is you often say all these over the counter medicines are “buyer beware” does that indicate that you believe there are some non FDA approved supplements etc. that actually do work on an extremely small percentage of people. In essences have you ever seen someone benefit from any non FDA approved treatment?

The best example of an herbal that is popular for treating hair loss is saw palmetto. There is a suggestion that there are some positive hair effects, but without clinical studies you will not see me endorse it. I’d need to see the proof beyond isolated reports by anonymous people on the internet. I’ve yet to see a patient here that had positive hair loss treatment results from an over the counter supplement.

Expectations are everything and you don’t want to have your time wasted by trying new approaches over and over again with no value as you continue to lose your hair forever. Readers of this site and of course my own patients expect me to be straightforward and not point them in a direction that could be a waste of time when there are proven safe and effective medications. Hair loss is a progressive process and every man who has it and does not take proven medication is destined to be balder and balder over time. Safety is another issue and from time to time we see the FDA take a stand and get some product pulled from the market for safety reasons.

“Buyer beware” is just a reminder to be smart about what you’re buying. It’s a notice to folks to use common sense and be more cautious before wasting your money on some truly obvious scams. If some product claims 100% success in regrowing hair, don’t you think everyone would know about it? I’d have no reason for this site if just one of these garbage products had the 100% results that are claimed, because there would be your hair loss cure.