Finasteride Substitute Suggested By Patient – Your Feedback Is Important

You performed hair surgery on me in 2009. I thought you might be interested in something I’ve discovered.

Since 2009, I have been taking Finasteride. It was very effective in stopping hair loss, and even regrowing some of the more recent hair losses. The problem was that after several years of taking the drug, my system seemed to become less responsive to it, and regrown hair started falling out again. I increased the dosage from ¼ pill to ½ pill. That was effective at stopping additional losses and some regrowth. Then, gradually, the new, higher dosage became less effective, as well. I then increased the dosage to a full pill per day. The same phenomenon of hair regrowth happened again. You advised me (see below) to not exceed the 1 pill per day dosage. The situation seemed stable, although not as much hair regrowth as when the drug was still relatively new to my system.

Then I came across an over-the-counter supplement that I tried. It is called Restore FX by North Star Nutritionals. Here are the contents:

Serving Size: 3 Softgels
Amount Per Serving:

Biotin 600 mcg
Zinc (as Zinc Picolinate) 15 mg
Copper (as Copper Sulfate) 3 mg
DL-Methionine 500 mg
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) Extract 400 mg
Methylsulfonylmethane 200 mg
L-Cysteine 200 mg
Grape Seed (Vitis vinifera) Extract 200 mg
Yielding Proanthocyanidins 190 mg
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) aerial parts 100 mg
Pygeum (Pygeum africanum) bark extract 75 mg
Yielding Plant Sterols 1.87 mg
Beta Sitosterol (from plant sterol blend) 100 mg
Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) (from Borage Seed Oil) 50 mg
Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica) Root Extract 50 mg
DIM (Diindolylmethane) 50 mg
Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Leaf Extract 50 mg
Yielding EGCG 15 mg

Directions: As a dietary supplement, take 3 softgels (1 serving) daily with food.

I started taking this supplement in addition to the Finasteride in February, 2016. Over the next several months, I noticed the hair started regrowing thicker than it had ever done previously, even when the Finasteride was new to my system. Then, in July 2016, I decided to discontinue the Finasteride to see what would happen. Since discontinuing the Finasteride, my hair growth has stabilized, and no significant hair re-loss has occurred. That has now been nearly 5 months of stable hair growth without Finasteride (Restore FX only).

I have also noticed that since discontinuing Finasteride while still taking Restore FX, the adverse effect on sexual performance (e.g. decreased semen flow) has diminished.

Just thought you might be interested in my experience.