Does DHT Supression Have Negative Effects?

Dr. Rassman,

I will try to keep my inquiry short. I am 23 and have been taking propecia for 15 months. I do not think that I have regrown hair and due to my obsessive practice of frequent checking, it is nearly impossible for me to tell how much hair I have kept or if I am continuing to bald. While I do not have a bald spot and have no discernable loss along my hair line, my crown has thinned significantly. I have read your posts regarding dutasteride. I am under the impression that you do not perscribe it. I have reached a point where I am desperate for hair regrowth and I would like to try the drug. My concern is regarding the supression of nearly all dht in the body. I am a natural bodybuilder and concerned that supression of DHT will have a negative effect on my muscularity. I cannot find an article or study relating to this specific inquiry. If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Additionally, I have actually visited your los angeles facility and impressed by the professionalism of the doctor I spoke with, he informed me that I would not, at my age be an acceptable transplant candidate.

I do not know for sure, but I would suspect that the testosterone levels will increase to substitute for the DHT drops in effectiveness. Now with that said, you should be evaluating the degree of miniaturization to find out what is happening. In addition, I have no idea where your hair loss pattern is now, so before you jump into more drugs and act blindly, get the assessment properly done.