I Had Great Results from Propecia, But Stopped It Due to Side Effects

Hello Doctor

Thank you for your blog. I just wanted some advice regarding my situation. I’m 24 year old male, who was on propecia for a year from may 2007 to feb 2008. I was quite impressed with the results, but the development of gyno made me go cold turkey. Unsurprisingly, my hair loss is getting worse, mostly at the front, receding and thinning. I’m looking to meet a doctor with regards to miniaturization, although I am putting off a hair transplant to avoid scarring in case I ever decide to shave my head (unlikely).

I was thinking of starting rogaine 5% foam. My problem is at the best of times my scalp is easily irritated, and I’ve heard the smell of the product is awful. Would you advise me to start it? Would my existing hairs become dependent on it or only the new hair?

If you really developed breasts or breast nodules or breast pain, you need to see a doctor. You can try minoxidil but that will not help your breast problem. As minoxidil is over the counter available, you can try it to find out if you react to it, but there will be no effect for at least 8 months to determine its value. The smell isn’t awful to my nose, but each person’s idea of stinky is unique to some extent.