The World Health Organization’s Adverse Drug Reaction Database contained 508 reports of serious muscle-related side effects suspected of being linked to the use of finasteride, mostly atrophy, weakness, myalgia and sudden, strong muscle tightening (spasms).
Results newly reported in JAMA show that the muscle mass of men is not affected by inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase, the enzyme that produces the androgen 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from testosterone
It’s hard for me to imagine that anyone would intentionally or unintentionally do this to any human being. Immoral and terrible!
The picture shows heavy donor site depletion suggesting that the 2,500 grafts you had were too many for your donor area density. This suggests that you had a lower original donor density prior to your original FUE and any more FUEs taken from your donor area will make you look balder in the back of the head. A strip surgery is an option but this is something that you and your doctor need to discuss. You might consider a strip surgery for more grafting.
See here for the limits for FUE surgery defined in one of my previous post in the Hair Transplant Forum: https://baldingblog.com/2017/07/21/many-fue-grafts-many-fues-grafts-one-know-safe-limits/
Drug side effects — Hair loss can be a side effect of certain medications, including lithium, beta-blockers, warfarin, heparin, amphetamines and levodopa (Atamet, Larodopa, Sinemet). In addition, many medications used in cancer chemotherapy — such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin) — commonly cause sudden hair loss affecting the entire head and some of these medications can actually trigger the genes for hair loss in men and women.
Symptom of a medical illness — Hair loss can be one of the symptoms of a medical illness, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), syphilis, a thyroid disorder (such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism), a sex-hormone imbalance or a serious nutritional problem, especially a deficiency of protein, iron, zinc or biotin. These deficiencies are most common in people on restrictive diets and women who have very heavy menstrual flow.
I can’t write a book on it, and I am sure that there are MANY drugs that I have not mentioned in this group.
I’ve read that many doctors prescribe finasteride to patients as young as 16, so my question is how do doctors safely establish that suppressing DHT in patients so young won’t be a problem?
I don’t believe that depressing DHT impacts the body significantly in men over 17 who are well past puberty. By this, I mean, growing your height has plateaued, facial hair may have started to grow. Most boys will stop growing taller by age 16 and will usually have developed fully by 18.
We see more testosterone production with finasteride. I have had many patients over 17 on finasteride and most are fully grown. You do raise important issues that should be discussed with your doctor
Transplanting a Norwood Class 6 works provided that (1) your hair is not fine, (2) your donor density is average or better than average, and (3) are willing to have more than a single surgery to get there. I have performed hundreds of hair transplants on Class 6 and Class 7 patients.
Can Prolactin in a Male, Like a Spike over 6 months caused by a medication cause some loss? I’m curious. I still have a full head of hair, but was wondering about that.
Elevated prolactin levels in association with diffuse or androgenetic hair loss can be neglected as causative for the hair loss, because there is no evidence that they have an influence to the pattern
This is very nice growth. I would expect that these small hairs will grow full length over the next few months
This is a wonderful response from use of minoxidil and finasteride for 8 months
Thanks Dr. I know it is secured at day 10, but are the follicles still week? Could I have killed them from lack of sleep/nutrition and smoking/drinking?
Hair transplants are very resilient. They survive even if you haven’t slept for days. Just don’t pick them out in the first 10 days.
I don’t have the particulars on this young man but ask for more information (frequency, use of any medications). Nevertheless, the results produced considerable hair growth after 6 months
Excellent results from 0.25 mg (this does is a quarter of the recommended dose still has 50% effectiveness).
For anyone who has had a hair transplant or known someone who has, what was the experience like once returning to work? Did people ask questions? Was it super noticeable? My idea is that you just have to own it I guess, which sucks when working at major companies.
Most people can get away with a hair transplant never being detected. First you have to have all of the crusts washed off the first day so that there are no scabs on your recipient area, just a short beard. Second, if you are very bald, let your beard grow out so people will focus on your beard, or if you have a beard, shave it off. People pick up big changes and facial hair so let it grow to create big changes. The need for facial hair may not be required if you have some hair to use as cover. Be creative. Everyone I have done hair transplants made it work for them.
If you have a good libido, regardless of the cause, Viagra may help you. I have had men who had ED from finasteride and Viagra or Cialis seemed to solve their problem.
If you get a patient who is experiencing hair loss after an event like an illness or a diet change/weight loss or medication-related, how do you reverse hair loss in such cases? Is the hair loss medication the same?
First you tackle the cause like stabilizing weight loss with a good diet or treat whatever the illness was that precipitated the hair loss. Most of the time the hair loss will reverse unless, for example, weight loss induces genetic hair loss that was hidden from you. Then we use the standard medication for hair loss such as finasteride and/or minoxidil (topical or orally).