What happens if I stop Rogaine now and continue Propecia?

[mbach07]

Hey everyone,

I read some people say that you would experience heavy hairloss if you stopped minoxidil and continued Propecia. But they talked about this, when the person had been using to for years.

I have been using rogaine since November 2013 = 6 months
I added Propecia in March = 2½ months


What would the results be by stopping Rogaine? Is it too late to just quit it and continue with Propecia, or could I make it?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: The reason I wish to quit minoxidil, is that I'm a bit scarred that my hair will be 'dead' and only kept alive by minoxidil. I would rather have my hair due to lowering of DHT, and then later if my hair starts to thin, I will add in Rogaine. It will also be much more practical when growing longer hair (currently keep a buzz cut while treating hairloss).

 

[zzzzz]

you will lose all your minoxidil gains propecia will not maintain them because they work differently I would stay on minoxidil especially if you saw good results from it as there is probably a lot of hair that needs that minoxidil

 

[mbach07]

So these hairs gained by minoxidil is 'dead' and only kept alive by minoxidil by now?

 

[SayifDoit]

So these hairs gained by minoxidil is 'dead' and only kept alive by minoxidil by now?

It's something like that, they just aren't true terminal hairs like what you get from Propecia.

I'm wondering what makes minoxidil loose it's effectiveness?
Does propecia keep it effective?

 

[cthulhu2.0]

It's something like that, they just aren't true terminal hairs like what you get from Propecia.

I'm wondering what makes minoxidil loose it's effectiveness?
Does propecia keep it effective?

Yes, unlike minoxidil finasteride does not lose efficacy. However, a small percentage have such aggressive Androgenetic Alopecia that finasteride will only slow it down

 

[mbach07]

I didn't know minoxidil lost effectiveness over time... Can someone elaborate a bit on that? - So after it losses its effectiveness, my hair gained will just fall out, and I will be returned to pre-minoxidil state?

 

[Dark Link]

Finasteride doesn't work forever. If it was the case, we would already have our cure: finasteride.

Don't make such bold claims on the forums without backing them up.

There was a study on 128 men that had continued growth even after 10 years of using finasteride. I would say the effectiveness of finasteride probably falls somewhere imbetween long-term. But you are correct. Finasteride will work forever is a bold claim. Men that are balding should never count on the fact that their drugs will work indefinitely. They should always be mentally prepping themself to go bald at some point in their life. Which doesn't mean they can't hope that something will come out to cure this disease for us in the future.

 

[zzzzz]

finasteride works forever for some people. What about dutasteride though ? Is it true that dutasteride lowers DHT lower than that of castrated men? Castrated men never lose their hair, ever. Does this mean it is almost as good as a cure?

 

[Dark Link]

finasteride works forever for some people. What about dutasteride though ? Is it true that dutasteride lowers DHT lower than that of castrated men? Castrated men never lose their hair, ever. Does this mean it is almost as good as a cure?

I'm not sure about the dht levels of castrated men. They would have significantly less testosterone as it is our testicles that produce most of our testosterone in our bodies. Therefore castrated men would also have significantly less dht. Dutasteride does seem to be more effective for treating hair loss, but at what costs? I would wait till this gets approved for hair loss before trying it. Are they close to approving it?

 

[zzzzz]

I'm not sure about the dht levels of castrated men. They would have significantly less testosterone as it is our testicles that produce most of our testosterone in our bodies. Therefore castrated men would also have significantly less dht. Dutasteride does seem to be more effective for treating hair loss, but at what costs? I would wait till this gets approved for hair loss before trying it. Are they close to approving it?

I think glaxo smith kline just started phase 3 trials, idk why they have been going through trials at a snails pace for years. The drug is already approved for BPH so long term sides are already known. It is probably unlikely they will complete trials, it only has a small benefit over propecia and many doctors will likely prescribe finasteride over dutasteride even if it is FDA approved, so there is not much money to be made for them by getting it FDA approved for hair loss. I have also wondered what plain old testosterone's role is in hair loss, and if that needs to be inhibited as well to an extent to "cure" hair loss for most people using androgen inhibitors. Unfortunately there are so many questions we do not have answers to

 

[dreamermerlin]

Yes, finasteride can work OK on long-term for some people.
I know a doctor who takes it for 18, in fact 19 years(18 was last year), has maintained since and never had any problems with it.

And there is that guy Spencer Kobren who also said that he takes the drug for more than 15 years now, and as we see he has a pretty decent head of hair.

 

[cthulhu2.0]

I think glaxo smith kline just started phase 3 trials, idk why they have been going through trials at a snails pace for years. The drug is already approved for BPH so long term sides are already known. It is probably unlikely they will complete trials, it only has a small benefit over propecia and many doctors will likely prescribe finasteride over dutasteride even if it is FDA approved, so there is not much money to be made for them by getting it FDA approved for hair loss. I have also wondered what plain old testosterone's role is in hair loss, and if that needs to be inhibited as well to an extent to "cure" hair loss for most people using androgen inhibitors. Unfortunately there are so many questions we do not have answers to

I 2nd this, the doctor I saw for finasteride said he will "never in a million years prescribe dutasteride for male pattern baldness" which speaks volumes. Sure it will be more effective than finasteride but possibly at enormous costs due to its ability to almost completely eliminate an essential hormone.

 

[WarLord]

Yes, finasteride can work OK on long-term for some people.
I know a doctor who takes it for 18, in fact 19 years(18 was last year), has maintained since and never had any problems with it.

And there is that guy Spencer Kobren who also said that he takes the drug for more than 15 years now, and as we see he has a pretty decent head of hair.

If you eliminate the levels of DHT below a certain threshold, you will never lose your hair. That's very simple, but it seems that brains of certain people still can't grasp it.

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I 2nd this, the doctor I saw for finasteride said he will "never in a million years prescribe dutasteride for male pattern baldness" which speaks volumes. Sure it will be more effective than finasteride but possibly at enormous costs due to its ability to almost completely eliminate an essential hormone.

My DHT levels on finasteride were BORDERLINE NORMAL. So it is clear that I needed dutasteride. And there may be lots of people with a similar problem. It's the level of DHT that should be taken into account. Not the type of the drug.

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I didn't know minoxidil lost effectiveness over time... Can someone elaborate a bit on that? - So after it losses its effectiveness, my hair gained will just fall out, and I will be returned to pre-minoxidil state?

The effect of minoxidil is dose-dependent. This means that it will never lose efficiacy, if the dosage is strong enough since the very beginning. But the problem is that the only legal option is 5% - and it may be too weak for some people in the long run. By the way, there are people, who have been on 5% minoxidil for 20+ years
http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/...d=90004&STARTPAGE=2&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear

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There was a study on 128 men that had continued growth even after 10 years of using finasteride. I would say the effectiveness of finasteride probably falls somewhere imbetween long-term. But you are correct. Finasteride will work forever is a bold claim. Men that are balding should never count on the fact that their drugs will work indefinitely. They should always be mentally prepping themself to go bald at some point in their life. Which doesn't mean they can't hope that something will come out to cure this disease for us in the future.

You still live in the previous century. If you eliminate the hormone that causes hair loss, how could you then lose your hair? Do women go bald on a regular basis (with their negligible levels of DHT)?

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finasteride works forever for some people. What about dutasteride though ? Is it true that dutasteride lowers DHT lower than that of castrated men? Castrated men never lose their hair, ever. Does this mean it is almost as good as a cure?

The studies that have been done so far show that finasteride is effective in ca. 85% men (but less in the younger ones). Long-term studies on dutasteride aren't available, but the data indicate ca. 96% efficiacy.

Personally, I would strongly recommend dutasteride to young men, because their androgen levels are too high and finasteride simply may not be strong enough.

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Finasteride doesn't work forever. If it was the case, we would already have our cure: finasteride.

Don't make such bold claims on the forums without backing them up.

While you are making defeatist claims that have no scientific support and actually, they are going against the available evidence? That's O.K.?

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Finasteride doesn't work forever. If it was the case, we would already have our cure: finasteride.

Don't make such bold claims on the forums without backing them up.

After nearly 18 years on anti-hairloss drugs, no internet fool will convince me that hair loss can't be controlled.

 

[WarLord]

Whatever, you can believe whatever you want, you will be bald at one point anyway, just like the rest of us.

Why should I be bald, when I use anti-hairloss drugs and my hairline has been stable for 17+ years (Norwood 1.5)? Can you find any rational reason? Or do you base your opinion on some old tales from the past century? ("There is nothing that you can do about it"). With such an attitude, you are destined to be bald soon.

And I think that you shouldn't even visit this forum, because it is for people, who are looking for help. They are not looking for frustrated effusions of some ill-informed weaklings, who poison their minds with misinformation.

(P.S.: Oh, I see that you are NW5 - exactly, what I would expect. I am sure that you would want to persuade others to follow your path, wouldn't you? You wouldn't feel so alone then. Maybe you would even persuade them to follow your advice and to start with the cure as late as 3 years after the first signs of balding. It is you and only you, who is responsible for your current situation. When I started with the cure in 1996, there was only 2% minoxidil on the market. Now you have 5-15% concentrations, finasteride, dutasteride, RU... But obviously, it is still not enough for some people. They are either too ill-informed or stupid, or they would want something more "special".)

 

[isishearmyplea]

how old are you now and what did you start with in 96?

 

[WarLord]

how old are you now and what did you start with in 96?

I turned 40 this year. I started to lose hair in summer 1996, at the age of 22. Honestly, at first I didn't believe that I had been going bald, but when it was 100% clear (in November 1996), I immediately jumped on Alpicort F (an antiandrogenic solution produced by a certain German doctor). My doctor recommended it to me and I must say that it worked well. No regrowth, but no losses. In the spring of 1999 I switched to 2% minoxidil, because Alpicort F contains corticosteroids and it can have side effects. I was using it until 2008, when I switched to 5% Kirkland minoxidil (which was both more effective and cheaper). Currently I take 5% minoxidil with 0.5 mg dutasteride/day.

Oh, and I shouldn't forget all those imbecile doctors, who sometimes refused to give me a prescription, forecasting that I would go bald anyway. If I followed their advice, I would really be bald now. It is incredible that these irresponsible idiots have no long-term data at hand, but they are sure that your effort will be in vain. In fact, my hairline hasn't progressed since the beginning of 1997 and I am still Norwood 1,5 with ca. 1 cm temples. But it is true that I lost some density due to two unhappy experiments in 1998 and 2011-12. I wanted to be NW1, but I ended up with less hair than at the beginning. Now I won't risk any experiments with treatments anymore. I am stable and on dutasteride, I can hope that I will keep my hair forever. The success with anti-hairloss treatments is only about dosage.

 

[Jghost]

I believe finasteride will last forever it will maintain your hair there no proof that it wont and long term proof that it does besides if it does loose effectiveness increase dosage or go on dutasteride