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I’ve seen where you said generic propecia will not be available till 2011. I’ve recently been laid off, as I know many are struggling now during the roller-coaster economy.

You did say that the 5mg Fin tablets are available in generic though.. Problem is, I can’t convince my Derm to give me the prescription for that. I hinted and he lectured me about dosage, etc..

So, my question: Any tips on how to convince a Doc that we are perfectly capable of splitting a tablet into 1/5’s? Or any other user suggestions on how to get the cheaper medicine.. I don’t really want to lose my hair and job at the same time!

Just to make sure all readers are on the same page, Proscar (5mg finasteride) is available in generic, but Propecia (1mg finasteride) is not at this point. Actually, many Indian drug manufacturers do have a generic 1mg finasteride, but it is not legally sold in the United States due to patent laws. The cost savings are quite significant, particularly in these harsh economic times.

I’d see another dermatologist. You can go back to your original dermatologist and harp on him about it, but it might not make a difference if his mind if set. So if you see another dermatologist, make sure he/she understands that you are fully aware of how to split a pill. You can even bring your own pill cutter with you — you can get one at your local pharmacy for a few bucks (sometimes they’re free promotional items, too).

Hi,

I have been using Procscar cut into quarters every other day for about a year, and it seems to be going well. I was think about using Rogaine 5% foam once a day and have a few questions. Will the shedding be less because i am using proscar/propecia? is it worthwile using rogaine, if i cannot commit to everyday? I may need to miss days here and there - 2 days a week for example?

also have you heard that trying rogaine and stopping it can cause more harm than good? I have read some stories on the net about increased loss or shedding hair not coming back, but don’t know what to believe.

Thanks for your help. Cheers

I do not know the threshold of minoxidil frequency where benefits are lost. The recommended dosage is two times each day, but if you need to skip a day or two, that’s up to you. I’m not going to tell you that it won’t make a difference if you just skip a couple days a week, although that may be the case. I wouldn’t recommend doing it that way, though. We’re not talking life or death, afterall. It’s an over the counter treatment.

Trying Rogaine Foam and stopping it soon after shouldn’t be a problem. If you stick with the Rogaine, see some benefits, and then decide to stop down the line… well, then you’re looking at those benefits disappearing (in other words — hair loss). Propecia (finasteride) does not protect you from minoxidil withdrawal hair loss.

3 weeks ago I’ve stopped taking the fertility PROGESTRONE known as PIO injections, Progynova 2mg- Tiny light blue tablets that are taken orally to help build the lining of the womb. and Ultrogestan Progesterone-creamy white pills that can be taken rally or inserted vaginally. I did both.

I’m African American with very thick strong natural hair, and now, my hair is falling out by the handful. my hair egges are going bald. I never went through no crap like this. My hair went from very thick to very thin.

Am I able to get a lawsuit? How long will it take for my hair to grow back? When will all the medications be cleared out my system and for my hormones to go back to normal. I’m way to young for menepose affects and that is what one of the medications does. thanks so much for your help. I am experiencing boldily sharp pains too from that medication after I have stopped taking it.

One has to be careful when treating medical conditions in a patient that requires hormones and has genetic hair loss. The connection between hormones and hair loss are published all over the web. Progynova (estradiol valerate) is also known as Delestrogen, and the side effects do include hair loss (full list here).

Although I can not give you legal advice, I would suggest that you have a long talk with your doctor and review the “informed consent” sheet he should’ve given you before starting you on hormone treatments. I am hopeful that your doctor at least discussed the side effects of such treatments.

this may be a strange question, but when one talks about measuring how much a hairline has receded, and says that a normal (”Mature”) hairline recedes a half inch in the front, and an inch and a half at the corners, how do you measure that? vertically, as if straight down the face to a point parallel to where the hairline initially was??

thanks!

The measurement of the mature hairline is essentially done with a drop string (gravity), from the leading edge of the hairline and to the highest wrinkle of the furrowed brow. Here’s a list of past posts that may help:

• Measuring the Mature Hairline
• Wrinkled Brow Measurements for Mature Hairline
• Maturation of a Hairline — Moving From Juvenile to Mature

From the article:

Follica, the Boston-area startup out to bring a scientific approach to helping hair-loss sufferers re-grow their locks, is preparing for some new growth of its own. The firm, run since its late 2006 inception by founding CEO Daphne Zohar of Boston’s PureTech Ventures, announced today the hiring of a new president and CEO, William Ju, a biopharmaceutical veteran with experience in an array of therapeutic arenas, including dermatology (he is a board certified dermatologist). The selection of Ju seems to position the firm to move out of the purely research-focused stage and closer to becoming a drug development company.

Read the full text at Xconomy.com

We last heard some activity from the Follica folks last summer, when they got an extra $11 million round of funding in addition to the initial $5.5 million they received in early 2008. Now they’ve got a new CEO. What does it all mean? One could only speculate at this point…

Hello, I’m male and have just turned 50. There’s no baldness in the family and up until very recently I’ve had a full head of hair.

My hair started falling out considerably in the shower about six months ago (Oct ‘08) and has continued up until now, to the point where I just have to run my fingers through my hair and hairs will fall onto the countertop. Unfortunately I’ve now lost a good amount of hairline and have thinned all over the top of my head.

I went to a dermatologist and supplied eleven vials of blood for testing with everything coming back negative for hair loss - minerals, vitamins, hormones, dhea, thyroid, kidney, liver & bioavailable testosterone were all within range (the last two were slightly elevated, but still in normal range).

There hasn’t been any major stress events in my recent history, nor do I feel depressed. However, I have been taking prednisone since March ‘03 after being diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency (addison’s disease) after a bad bout with food poisoning. According to the medical association hair loss is not a side effect of prednisone, but I’m guessing it is the cause of my hair loss, or possibly an autoimmune disease attacking the hair follicle’s themselves.

I was given a dandruff shampoo (Ducray - Selegel) by the dermatologist but that hasn’t slowed the hair loss down, not sure dandruff could cause this type of hair loss anyway. I’m wondering if you might have any advice that could help as this is very frustrating to say the least.

Thanks

You can guess on the mechanisms for your thinning hair, but hair loss from genetic causes can start late in life (50s). I would need to know much more about your Addison’s disease and the impact of the steroid use before discussing your case further. Prednisone can cause hair loss (see here), but dandruff isn’t a cause of hair loss.

Hi, Doctor Rassman, I’m a 25 year old female, I found another colombian product: Sabiway shampoo for hair loss it is intended also in cancer patients I would like to know any expert information on this product. the website where it is been sold is: http://laboratoriosabiway.8m.com/

Please I need to know if this product can be good for this problem!!!! I think that maybe can help me.
thank you.

I am having a tough time with this site. They offer an English translation, but it is very poorly worded and difficult to understand. From the looks of it, this is just a fungus treatment shampoo. I don’t see anything in it that would regrow hair for a person with genetic hair loss. You can try it, but I doubt it’ll do much good (unless you have fungal problems). They also claim to regrow hair for alopecia areata sufferers, and that right there explains why a product like this will never legally be sold in the US. The FDA would be all over it, because you can’t make impossible claims (like being able to regrow hair for those with alopecia areata) without backing it up with proof. It sounds very misleading and entirely untrue.

Plus, the fact that they use a free website host and a terribly amateur website makes me even more skeptical. It doesn’t look professional, and I can’t see how anyone would take it seriously (at least from a marketing perspective). But taking that out of the equation, common sense tells me that if this fancy shampoo worked like they said it did, it would be known worldwide… particularly if it’s been sold for the nearly 20 years that their website says. My guess is that it won’t do much more than any other anti-fungal shampoo out there.

You are so full of yourself Rassman! The remedies that you claim to be ineffective, do indeed work and you know it. Additionally, don’t use the “consult your doctor” line as a means of beating around the bush, thereby coercing oblivious morons to actually use your transplant services. If you really were a TRUE M.D., you would most likely state the facts, and not market your own products. You look like a damned politician anyway. Yours Truly

Since when did I have my own products? The only thing I sell with my name on it is the Hair Loss and Replacement for Dummies book…

Many of the thousands of return readers want to know what I think about things, but I limit my published thoughts to probing what I feel are my educational responsibilities to my readership. We spend hours and hours each and every day filtering hundreds of emails and researching answers to some questions that have twists and turns in them. Not every email I receive can be answered perfectly. Also, I’m not your physician (or the physician of anyone that writes in), so I’m often on the horns of a dilemma which puts the challenge to me as to what I can or can’t say (legal liability / medical reasons). Bottom line though, if you don’t like what I have to write… please, by all means stop visiting the site.

Hi Doc,

posted this on the website as well but I think this is a great question!

With this HairDX test, I understand it detects the gene associated with balding. However, most men experience some hairloss during their lifetime which doesn’t always succumb to full out pattern baldness. They may just have the mature hairline. So my question is, if you’re a NW2 with a mature hairline and have experienced some balding, will you still have this gene? I’m a NW2 and I would like to know if I have the gene, but at the same time, I don’t want to freak myself out if I have the gene but am only going to a NW2 pattern and not further.

Just need some clarification so I know whether or not I want the test.

thanks in advance!

I do not call the Norwood Class 2 pattern balding (see graphic at right), as this is just a mature hairline. Also it is important to realize that the expression of the balding gene is another variable here. You can have the gene(s) for balding, yet still not express it. So on one hand, the HairDX test could be helpful, but on the other hand, if you know you’re just going to freak yourself out about it, maybe you should wait until if/when you see actual hair loss.

I am anaphylactic to dairy, and I noticed that in the ingredients of Propecia and Proscar it contains Lactose. Is it safe for me to take this medication, or should it be avoided at all costs? I have had other medications in the past that contained Lactose. All of my research indicates that medication in the form of the pill is usually unlikely to lead to an allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock.

But if I am unable to to take this medication would you have any other recomendations as to what I could possibly due in order to prevent my receding hairline, or slow down the process.

Thanks.

I have never heard of anaphylaxis in association with Propecia, but if you are concerned about it, I found the following site which might educate you in the symptoms of this life emergency — common causes of anaphylaxis

I am not your doctor so I will not be able to make recommendations as I have not examined you, and it would be a blind process for me to get directly involved in your health.