Taking Finasteride at 17 Years Old

Hello Doctor Rassman,
I have come to you as you are the first and final ray of hope for me to save my hair. I’m 17.5, male, and I play guitar, longing to become a rockstar some day. I started to lose hair one year ago, yet back then it was too subtle and I was able to successfully hide it…But now it’s different. My hair loss is becoming as visible as daylight and is becoming harder to hide as we speak.

As you can probably tell, I live in a place -heck, a country- where, for my seriously bad luck, no Proscar is available. I have explored various online pharmacy sites that supposedly sell genuine Proscar without prescriptions, yet I preferred not to risk such a thing. It is because of this that I come to you and ask of a genuine Proscar prescription that can permit me to purchase Proscar from a trusted online pharmacy.

I heard that taking Proscar at this age may disrupt the growth phase and turn me more “feminine”. Is this the case in every seventeen/eighteen-year old who decides to take Proscar? Plus, do the feminine side-effects instantly wear off as soon as I stop?

I’m really confused as to whether I should take Proscar or not.. I want to grow normally, lead a normal male life, but I’ll definitely be bald by a year from now. It’s a dilemma I really need your help and advice in to solve. Please, I swear to everything holy that you are the only person who can help me in overcoming this disaster.

You’ve referred to Proscar over and over, but I have to assume you mean Propecia since you’re talking about treating hair loss. Just to clarify, Proscar is 5mg finasteride and Propecia is 1mg of the same medication. The lesser dose is for treating hair loss, the higher dose is for treating prostate problems. If you get Proscar (or generic 5mg finasteride), it should be cut into smaller pieces if you’re treating hair loss. Now that that is out of the way…

I do not prescribe drugs without seeing a patient, as it is against California law. The risks for a 17 year old are minimal (it was studied in men as young as 18, however). I have prescribed the drug for men at your age, but you need to have a doctor involved and the dose should be 1mg of finasteride if it is indicated for you. I can’t tell you if finasteride is even right for you, as I’ve not seen you and I don’t know enough about your medical history, family history, etc. Please, please see a doctor. You’re 17 and likely in the early stages of losing your hair, which is when Propecia works best. I’m not sure which country you’re in, but I’d assume if you’re having a difficult time finding Propecia or Proscar name brand, you can find the generic name, finasteride.