Switching from Rogaine Back to Propecia

Dear Dr,
Thank you for a most informative web site. I wanted to ask a question on how to progressively reduce reliance on Rogaine, which as you have noted gradually looses its effectiveness.

I am 40 and had mild thinning over the crown and frontal areas..just becoming noticeable. I used Propecia for an initial 3 mths period only in 2004 then stopped, then continued on with Rogaine (5%) for the past 14 months with good response. It now seems to be slowly loosing effectiveness with hair shedding.

Is there an option to restart taking the Propecia on a daily basis and then slowly reduce the application of Rogaine? Or after close to 1.5 yrs do you feel the hair would have become conditioned to it? I would welcome your advice as I would like to ‘switch over’ to Propecia and one day cease the Rogaine if this is an option.

Thank you for your advice.

Sounds like you have lost the benefits of Propecia. Go back on it. As you are already on Rogaine, stay on it, at least until the process has stabilized. Then work with a good doctor to put together a good Master Plan for you.