Propecia Telogen Effluvium?

[RandyMarsh123]

Hello All,

I think I may be going through Telogen Effluvium with Propecia. I have been on it for a little over 5 months and I am loosing hair fast throughout my whole scalp. It looks as if I am getting a horse shoe pattern diffuse mpd which wasn't present when I started the drug. (None of my brothers or father have a horse shoe...just a bald spot) I only had mild thinning at the crown at the start of the treatment. Do you shed a lot with Telogen Effluvium? I don't think I am shedding all that bad, if it all. I just seem to be diffusing terribly. If I get off of Propecia should this total scalp thinning stop and grow back to normal? Or should I stick it out? Any help would be appreciated as I have no I idea what to do or how to approach the situation. Thank you all.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Also I am 24 years old.

 

[Wuffer]

I think another member had the same problem (check success stories). I'm not sure if it could be related to finasteride or not, but it's possible. If you could take pictures it would be helpful.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Thank you for the response! It might take me a few days to post pics since I don't have a laptop...only the iPhone so I can't post pics till I get to a computer. It's odd that my hair rapidly started diffussing. I am a pretty manly guy I would say. I am hairy, lift weights regularly etc. Maybe the finasteride is boosting my testosterone levels too high which in turn is attacks the hair follicules. I mean I know have male pattern baldness in the family just not total scalp thinning. Thanks for the reply and if anyone thinks I should get off finasteride, please let me know. Thanks again!

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Finfighter,
 
     Thank you for the response! I actually have been loosing hair on the sides and back. My hair is becoming more and more blotchy in the back compared to where it was a year ago. I have a quarter sized light hair blotch on each side on my head. My brothers didn’t have this, nor does my father. The do have bald spots in the crown but their hair is not blotchy all over. Also, I have been loosing a lot of eyelashes. When I am at work, I look down at my desk and there are always about 6 or 7 eyelashes laying on my desk. I haven’t been rubbing my eyes either they just fall out. As far as you saying shedding is good well I am not shedding noticeably. I am however diffusing noticeably. I am having dark patches and light patches all over my head. So finfighter, you experienced the same thing during your use of propecia? It seems to me my hormones are off balance…I have read on these forums that some people experienced Telogen Effluvium and once they got off of propecia their hair thickened up again. Is this highly unlikely expectation if I quit the drug? Or I am stuck with the stage I currently am. Currently I am 24 and the youngest of 4 brothers, all who never experienced hairloss this bad so early. Then again they all never used the drugs.  I really appreciate anyone’s comments, especially if the experienced this as well. I will try and post pics this weekend. Thanks again!

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Thanks! I am going to drop propecia. With Telogen Effluvium does dropping the cause, this case propecia, stop the Telogen Effluvium or once it has started I basically am f'd? I would like to grow what I lost back if I can. 24 and slick bald will suck but then again there are worse things.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Thanks for the information. In theory though, if propecia is the cause which I am sure it is because once I started it the blotches came all over. Would stopping propecia stop the Telogen Effluvium? I know it won't happen over night because I am sure the stuff is in my system for awhile before it dies down. Finfighter, thanks alot for the replies you have been a tremendous help.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Will do. I will quit the drug and make an appointment. Thank you for all your help. If anyone has gone through Telogen Effluvium and could give me some insight on how Telogen Effluvium typically ends or how to stop it I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Mircalegro]

took this from the shedding forum, the "official" post of that thread ("what is shedding? diagram plus explanation" or something like that)

* Finasteride (Propecia / Proscar)

There have been multiple reports of excessive shedding several months after finasteride therapy. Typically, there is a good response to finasteride to prevent or reverse male pattern baldness. Then, around the 11th to 16th week, there can be sudden shedding, sometimes on a massive scale. The entire phenomenon fits the description of a telogen effluvium. It is a common observation that post-partum women often suffer the same temporary hair loss. In the case of finasteride use, the telogen effluvium appears to be a reaction to the sudden change in the systemic levels of the sex hormone, DHT. Often the cause of a telogen effluvium are obscure, but has been related to high fevers, stress, trauma, medications, etc.

The shedding is generally diffuse (global) and can affect areas of the scalp not usually affected by male pattern baldness. So, it would be common to note shedding from the sides and back of the head in addition to the crown, vertex and frontal areas. The shedding tends to be fairly symmetrical, but will be more noticeable in the areas affected by male pattern baldness, because there is a higher ratio of hairs in the telogen phase than in the other areas of the scalp.

The duration of a telogen effluvium is variable, but rarely lasts more than a few months and there is invariably complete restitution unless another pathologic process also occurs.

As a rule, treatment is not necessary because the hair will grow back. For most patients, there is no evidence of residual loss of hair within a year. However, there have been cases of patients taking finasteride and reporting repeated bouts of excessive shedding. In this situation, it would be advisable to discontinue use of finasteride in favor of alternative anti-androgens.



i dont know if id give up on the finasteride just yet randy marsh

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Ok, do you think it would be beneficial then to lower the dosageto .50?

 

[Mircalegro]

im not sure if that would make a difference, but i cant imagine propecia would set your balding in motion at a much higher rate (at least permanently, many do shed before it gets better)

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Think these pictures will depict my current situation well. Thanks for the responses guys.

 

[irishpride86]

mmm, yah it looks like my Telogen Effluvium while on finasteride in 2009.


I suggest you use minoxidil foam and add ru58841 as a topical AR.


people like us get Telogen Effluvium from hormonal changes due to finasteride, which sucks ***.


When using ru58841, i suggest using 40-80 mg per day, mix with 3.5 ml of everclear 80% and pg 20%.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Thanks man, I actually want to quit drugs completely. minoxidil did the same thing to me. Am I stuck where I am? Or will this grow back normally? Except my crown I know that's f'd. Or has the propecia sped my hairloss up by years you think?

 

[irishpride86]

Thanks man, I actually want to quit drugs completely. minoxidil did the same thing to me. Am I stuck where I am? Or will this grow back normally? Except my crown I know that's f'd. Or has the propecia sped my hairloss up by years you think?

heres the thing, minoxidil WILL GIVE YOU Telogen Effluvium , but it DOES GET BETTER,

while on finasteride i had Telogen Effluvium, but it stayed in that Telogen Effluvium state,

givin the hairloss on your crown, i say you have male pattern baldness,

i would get on minoxidil and get on ru58841,

stay off finasteride if it gave you Telogen Effluvium shedding all over scalp for a long period of time, this is not normal of finasteride, if it does this, dr. lee and dr.proctor agree that in "some" people finasteride can raise enough T and also upregulate the AR, thus having a reverse effect of what the drug should be doing, yah, it sucks, but the problem around that is to not mess with your hormones if this occurs,

in other words use topical spironolactone or ru58841 and use minoxidil, foam i would say.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Irish- again thanks for the reply. I know I have male pattern baldness. It's in the family at the crown...lifes a b**ch. But, logically if I quit finasteride and my hormones go back to there base levels wouldnt the Telogen Effluvium stop? Or are you saying my scalp is now in a constant Telogen Effluvium state even if I quit finasteride. I know my crown will continue to take a hit but if everything around it can regrow I'd be happy. Also, topical spironolactone...from what I read that stuff doesn't work, have you used it? I am reluctant to put the other stuff in my body with all the failures I have been having with all these drugs. I also am worried to use minoxidil all over my head and have it not work and it make me keep shedding to where I get a horseshoe. I would be interested in spironolactone if it is a good alternative.

 

[irishpride86]

no, dude,

heres what i'm saying,

get off finasteride, your Telogen Effluvium will get better, stay on minoxidil because you need it to grow hair/ get it out of Telogen Effluvium state,

get on ru58841, because it will be a good replacment for finasteride,

make sense?

 

[RandyMarsh123]

That makes perfect sense. From what I understand, correct me if I am wrong, Telogen Effluvium does not cause permanent damage. Any hair that was diffused or lost from Telogen Effluvium (not male pattern baldness) should grow back in time. But, hair that was lost from male pattern baldness is obviously going to be lost. My crown is well on its way. It’s odd I only had minor scalp itching in one localized area pre finasteride and that’s where I got zits on my scalp. Once on finasteride, my whole head started to itch and I got zits everywhere…maybe the adverse effect coming into play…Now you say that minoxidil will get my hair out of the Telogen Effluvium state. I thought stopping finasteride in itself would release me from the Telogen Effluvium. Does minoxidil speed up the process, effectively stopping Telogen Effluvium faster then if I just got off finasteride and waited for it to grow back? My only concern with minoxidil is when I took it before when I had no visible hair loss (took it as a precautionary), it made me keep shedding for 6 months until I had what you see in those pictures(at the crown). Also, concerning ru, is it safe? I know nothing about it and obviously don’t want to put anything harmful into my system. Irish- thank you for taking the time to answer my questions as no doctor around my area seems to have any clue what I am talking about when I see them.

 

[RandyMarsh123]

Bit of an update- been of of propecia for roughly a month. Head still itches but not nearly as bad as before. My eyelashes seem to fall out less as well. Hair roughly the same but a bit worse on the right side of my head. If I infact was going through a Telogen Effluvium it probably wouldn't start to thicken up for a bit. One thing I noticed, sorry to be graphic, my ejaculations haven't been as strong as they were prior and during the use of propecia once I quit. Time will tell and I will keep an update.

 

[secrethero89]

any update?