Weird issue ...

[drinkrum]

I dunno what's going on with my hair.

I have been on finasteride for 3 full years. I have been taking it since I was a little over 18 years old, when I noticed I had diffused thinning.

During January '02, I switched to quartering Proscar to save money (it was in original Merck packaging but from Spain -- "finasterida") and was taking 5 mg roughly every 5 days. During last summer, particularly the end of June (about 6 months), I noticed some diffused thinning. So, I switched it back up to Propecia (inst. of the Proscar) during the middle of the summer and in a few months, everything was peachy. In fact, finasteride has worked very well for me. However, I noticed that the sex on the quartered Proscar was much better than on the Propecia -- I could go several rounds back-to-back. I couldn't do this with Propecia.

Well, last winter (Jan. 03) I switched it back up again (to save money again) and started using quartered Proscar. And again, in June I noticed diffused thinning. The hairs I shed seemed like terminal hairs, and they seemed intact from the tip to the root. The sex, etc. during those months when I was quartering was good again.

Now, I'm stuck. I don't know what's going on. I assume the finasteride. is good quality. I don't know if this is a shed period or a restart of losing hair. Now, I've switched back to Propecia. The sex probably won't be as good. But what's the deal? What the hell is going on here?

Could it be the daily variation in the finasteride that sets my hormones off kilter? Or is it a recurring shed period? I've heard of people who have frequent shed periods on finasteride.

Guys, shed some light. Bryan, would really appreciate your knowledge too -- always good stuff. I'm getting very, very, very agitated. :evil:

D.

 

[drinkrum]

Someone have any idea?

Bruce, Stingray, Axon, Flux ... Anyone? ... Anyone? ... Bueller?

D.

 

[Guest]

Hi, drinkrum, received your PM, yes I saw the post but I don't know what to say so I didn't respond initially.

You know what it sounds like, right? It sounds like one of the products you alternate between might not be what it is purported to be.

As for not having a stable dose, it would seem to me that if it would make any difference (which I don't know) it might risk higher side effects. Since you have more side effects with Propecia (the more stable dose), see the first point above ^

I am a little out of my element here, you need somebody with either more experience or better knowledge.

 

[Guest]

I dunno what's going on with my hair.

I have been on finasteride for 3 full years. I have been taking it since I was a little over 18 years old, when I noticed I had diffused thinning.

During January '02, I switched to quartering Proscar to save money (it was in original Merck packaging but from Spain -- "finasterida") and was taking 5 mg roughly every 5 days. During last summer, particularly the end of June (about 6 months), I noticed some diffused thinning. So, I switched it back up to Propecia (inst. of the Proscar) during the middle of the summer and in a few months, everything was peachy. In fact, finasteride has worked very well for me. However, I noticed that the sex on the quartered Proscar was much better than on the Propecia -- I could go several rounds back-to-back. I couldn't do this with Propecia.

Well, last winter (Jan. 03) I switched it back up again (to save money again) and started using quartered Proscar. And again, in June I noticed diffused thinning. The hairs I shed seemed like terminal hairs, and they seemed intact from the tip to the root. The sex, etc. during those months when I was quartering was good again.

Now, I'm stuck. I don't know what's going on. I assume the finasteride. is good quality. I don't know if this is a shed period or a restart of losing hair. Now, I've switched back to Propecia. The sex probably won't be as good. But what's the deal? What the hell is going on here?

Could it be the daily variation in the finasteride that sets my hormones off kilter? Or is it a recurring shed period? I've heard of people who have frequent shed periods on finasteride.

Guys, shed some light. Bryan, would really appreciate your knowledge too -- always good stuff. I'm getting very, very, very agitated. :evil:

D.

In theory, finasteride is finasteride. The varying dosages should not have impacted you in the manner you described but the placebo effect works very well and this COULD be the issue libido wise.

Re: The shedding, again, dose and finasteride issues should not be a play here based on what I know.

One ipossible ssue is the proscar from Spain. Proscar used for hair loss purposes is pretty cheap so I personally order it from Costco, not from another country. Too many examples of counterfeit products out there to risk that (IMHO).

In the for what it is worth dept. I have very subectively concluded that NANO shampoo can help prevent the sheds. No proof offered, just personal observation on how it impacts me.

Good luck.

 

[drinkrum]

This is what the Doctor from Hopkins said about my condition:

"#1. you are probably sensitive to fluctuations in your propecia so stay on the
1mg formulation
#2. you will also probably continue to shed as a normal cycle and the changes in
propecia accentuate that."

What do y'all think?

D.

 

[Stingray]

I dunno, what do YOU think?

I think it's all stating the obvious really.

 

[drinkrum]

True, but I want to know if someone else out there is _that_ sensitive to fluctuations in finasteride.

I'm going to get a prescription for Proscar and buy it online from http://www.canadadrugs.com -- to make sure I'm getting the real thing.

Does anyone have any success with this company? It looks very legit.

D.

 

[bombscience]

Let's let Dr. Richard M. Lee close this issue:

Proscar and Propecia are the same medication, i.e. finasteride. The only difference is that Proscar is a 5 mg tablet of finasteride and Propecia is a 1 mg tablet of finasteride.

If you take quartered tablets of Proscar instead of Propecia, you will have the same beneficial results for treating male pattern baldness at less than 1/3 the price. In fact, your medical insurance might even pay for the Proscar, whereas the insurance companies almost never reimburse for the purchase of Propecia.

Use a pill cutter or any sharp blade and cut the hard, brittle, blue covered Proscar tablet into four pieces. You will undoubtedly also create some powder and many smaller fragments. It really makes no difference if the pieces are of unequal size. The range of effectiveness is very wide and has been shown to vary as much as from 0.2 mg to 5 mg of finasteride. Furthermore, there is such a tight bond created between the finasteride and the Type 2 5AR, that even if you discontinue taking finasteride altogether, it will require two weeks for your DHT level to return to your baseline levels. So, a variation in the daily dosage is really inconsequential.

When you are getting a physical examination or are having laboratory tests on your blood, inform your doctor that you are taking finasteride. Finasteride will decrease the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) level by approximately 50%.

Richard Lee, M.D.