Hair Loss Worse After Going from 0.5mg to 1mg of Finasteride

Hi Dr Rassman,

After taking 1mg propecia/day for about a year, i dropped my dose to about .5mg/day due to side effects I was having. I recently jumped back up to 1mg/day, but have noticed an increase in acne and hair oiliness. Also my hairloss seems to have gotten much worse. Could this be due to a case of reflex hyperandrogenicity? My sex drive/body hair hasn’t changed, but im worried that continuing finasteride could make my hair loss worse – is this possible?

While your theory seems possible, I really do not have a good idea if that is what is really going on. You have two options:

1. Go back to the 0.5mg finasteride dose
2. Continue with the 1mg finasteride dose

Either way, you should discuss the plan with your doctor.