Does Finasteride really work?

[Evelyn K]

Ladies - fin needs to be taken daily. Dutasteride can be taken 3X a week and still suppress DHT to nearly 0 levels (at least for me).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-alpha_reductase#Dutasteride 🔗

I like it because it's a matter of convenience - and when it comes to DHT - it doesn't mess around. Its therapeutic half life spans weeks vs finasteride's 6 hours.



If you are serious about hairloss then dutasteride + minoxidil + your HRT regimen is about all you can really do aside from some experimental and questionable stuff being tossed around on the hairloss sites.

BTW: You'll need to get off dutasteride for at least 6 months if you plan on having children. Sperm banking is recommended.

[FrancisAnn]

Thank you & I'm sure all others also thank you. I'm going to start a better plan.

[AnneB]

Most defiantly, I was told when 1st starting out that it could take atleast 6 months for the fin to start working

Do you mean start HRT from Day 1, or starting Fin by itself?  I'm about 3months in (week short of 3mos) and my recovery  is def noticable.  the spot on the back of my head used to look like the umpire brushed everything way..  now, I got growth there!  Not a lot but it isn't a clean plate anymore.

[Seras]

I stopped taking it, after around a year

It was good but it has some side effects that seem to effect some people. One being anxiety, which I started getting for no good reason. So I assume that was the finasteride. However it did work well while I was on it, I still have plenty of hair and since being on HRT proper have not noticed any issues with my hair.

I do suggest though that you read up on the potential side effects with regards to the effects of 5 alpha-reductace inhibitors. They do a lot more than just prevent DHT formation.

FYI dutasteride is stronger.

[JadeS]

I've been on Finasteride for close to 2 years and it is still helping me. My hairline never receded THAT much, but I had no idea it could regrow so much and make my forehead look so small now, even with hair pulled back.

[JadeFla]

I've recently tired Nizoral(ketoconazole) 1% OTC and it appears to be helping a little. My hair line is not bad but definitely receding and thinning.

Dutasteride looks promising from my personal research.

[NikkiJ]

I've been taking it for a few years, I can't tell if it is responsible for increased hair growth or the estrogen, the minoxidil mixed with RapidLash (has anyone else tried this? I learned about it last year, and I think it works), the Biotin, or the laser comb. I had to take a lot of powerful antibiotics to counter an infected hip last year, and it was almost like chemotherapy, and I lost a bit of hair as a result. Its all come back, and my stylist says she can tell the difference. But I follow this intense regimen to keep my hair dignity.

[FrancisAnn]

Thanks to everyone. I started 5% Minoxidil today. I had no idea this product was so inexpensive or I would have started it long ago. It's only $17 for a 3 month supply, Equate generic brand. Good luck GF's.

[Allyda]

I've been taking Avodart (Dutasteride) for over 8 months now and I swear by it. It not only saved the hair I had but is promoting new growth that is thickening into mature healthy hair. To me there is no substitute for inhibiting the evil DHT. My hair also grows at a rate of 1" per month, and doesn't stop at a certain length as it did before.

Most hrt Doc's prescribe Finasteride because it is only a fraction of the cost of Avodart(Dutasteride) and most insurance companies won't require prior authorization for it. Finasteride does work don't get me wrong, You just get better faster results with Avodart(Dutasteride).

Ally
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a Doctor so the above is only my opinion based upon my personal experience and personal research. Just my $.02 worth. As always, you should follow your doctor's recommendations.

[Delsorou]

I got a Dutasteride presciption that I take daily since the beginning of my HRT.  I don't really have a basis for comparison of its effects since I've always been on it.  However I can say I have definitely experienced significant hairline regrowth, and I continue to notice improvement.

At the start, I had lost about 3/4" of hairline at the corners, and a little in the center.  I did not expect this to regrow at all, but after about 3 months I noticed some unusually thick peach fuzz in this area, much larger and longer than normal head fuzz.  That fuzz continues to be present, and over the months has VERY slowly grown into normal hair from the back forwards.  Now, about 1.2 years into the process, I've regained about half of what I had lost.  The changes are very, very slow but I believe it is continuing to progress to this day.

Judging from the distribution of thick fuzz, I do not believe this will completely feminize my hairline.  But I do believe I can now get away with a very small number of hair follicle grafts and call it good, as my body will likely fill in around it with shorter regrown hairs.

Since the vast majority of HRT regimens do not appear to include a 5AR inhibitor, and the predominant wisdom states that hairlines should not be expected to regrow at all - I can only assume that these results can be attributed to my Dutasteride.  Not exactly a scientific result, but good anecdotal evidence that seems to mesh with others on this thread.  🙂

[Stephanie2]

My finasteride came in and this is the fourth day on it now. I take it late afternoon, as they say to take it at the same time every day. My hair is still fine on my head at my age, so the only reason for taking it, like I mentioned earlier, is for reducing the prostate and to do the DHT thing with the testosterone. Six months it is supposed to do its job on the prostate, so we will see. As far as more breast growth, that can happen sooner, from what I also read, which differs from person to person. Time will tell.

[EmmaD]

With all of this, YMMV!

I have used finasteride for about 2 and a half years and while it has filled the bald area in a bit, it hasn't done enough.  I am unable to use minoxidil as my skin reacts immediately.  I carried on with it in various forms but it just caused too much damage.

So I have stopped fin and have just settled for wigs for the rest of my days.  A local hair transplant surgeon reviewed me and said they could do wonderful things for me but only with a typical male hairline.  An overseas one said they might be able to get me to an average male hair pattern and that would exhaust my donor stock.  If that is all one of the leaders in this field will commit to, I am not going to try.  With the risk it doesn't work well enough, and the cost being many years worth of human hair wigs, clothes and shoes, I have decided to withdraw from this particular battle.

Disappointed but I should have attacked it 20 years ago!  It probably reflects the years I have been losing hair and the low chance of reviving follicles so long dormant if alive at all.  Time to move on.

If fin + minox + HRT work for you, you are lucky.  Value what you have.

Emma

[LizMarie]

Liz Marie, Thank you but can you expound on this microneedler device?  I guess it stimulates the scalp? Is it used along with Minoxidil? Where can I or we purchase one direct, a little $ is just fine if this combination will really help. Thank you so much. I'm so tired of receiving Paula Young catalogs I could just scream.

I am sorry I missed this earlier, Francis!

Microneedlers can be bought at Amazon for usually $12-$18. Once you have one, it will basically last years and years unless you abuse it.

The study I linked described the usage pattern. Normally Minoxidil is applied twice per day, seven days per week.

However, when microneedling, you use Minoxidil twice per day six days per week. On the seventh day you microneedle the scalp. The study again describes how much, basically until the scalp is left red but not bleeding.

The device has hundreds of tiny needles on it. Rolling it back and forth across the entire scalp basically produced thousands of "micro-trauma" sites that are punctures of the epidermis but not deep enough to bleed. This stimulates any stem cells in the scalp to move to the micro-trauma site and begin repairs - aka cell growth. Since Minoxidil encourages formation and growth of hair follicles, more micro-trauma sites means more chances for Minoxodil to cause a hair follicle to form instead of just skin cells.

According to the study, standard Minoxidil control patients (7 days a week twice a day) generated 22 hairs per square centimeter. Microneedling patients, however, generated an average of 96 hairs per square centimeter, more than 4 times as many as standard Minoxidil usage. Note that normal hair density is in the 100-150 hairs per square centimeter range so the micro-needling approach almost generates normal hair cover for some patients. (It's an average so some got more and some less.)

[FrancisAnn]

I am sorry I missed this earlier, Francis!

Microneedlers can be bought at Amazon for usually $12-$18. Once you have one, it will basically last years and years unless you abuse it.

The study I linked described the usage pattern. Normally Minoxidil is applied twice per day, seven days per week.

However, when microneedling, you use Minoxidil twice per day six days per week. On the seventh day you microneedle the scalp. The study again describes how much, basically until the scalp is left red but not bleeding.

The device has hundreds of tiny needles on it. Rolling it back and forth across the entire scalp basically produced thousands of "micro-trauma" sites that are punctures of the epidermis but not deep enough to bleed. This stimulates any stem cells in the scalp to move to the micro-trauma site and begin repairs - aka cell growth. Since Minoxidil encourages formation and growth of hair follicles, more micro-trauma sites means more chances for Minoxodil to cause a hair follicle to form instead of just skin cells.

According to the study, standard Minoxidil control patients (7 days a week twice a day) generated 22 hairs per square centimeter. Microneedling patients, however, generated an average of 96 hairs per square centimeter, more than 4 times as many as standard Minoxidil usage. Note that normal hair density is in the 100-150 hairs per square centimeter range so the micro-needling approach almost generates normal hair cover for some patients. (It's an average so some got more and some less.)

Thank you so much for your time & reply. I'm using Minoxidil as instructed. Guess I will order one on these microneedlers & try it. I'm not sure about needles into my scalp however to have nicer hair would be one of the nicest things in life I could imagine. I get so upset every time I see the TV commercial saying I'm a WEN girl I could scream. CIS women are so lucky. Thank you again so much & good luck to all of us.

[Sophie_85]

Can you use Dutasteride and finasteride together?

[NikkiJ]

I had a chance to talk to my SRS surgeon a couple of weeks ago, and he said that I was overdoing it taking Finasteride daily,

I'm thinking that I'll switch over to Durasteride though, as it sounds more effective. The microneedling sounds interesting too. One thing I can't stand about Rogaine is the greasy effect it has if I get it on any of my hair (the liquid, anyway).

[FrancisAnn]

Some advise please on Finasteride.  I see where other GF's are taking a much lower lever. I need all the help I can with trying to regrow my hair but I surely do not want to cause my body any harm.   Help?

[Christine167]

Unless you are on fin for prostate issues specifically

[FrancisAnn]

Unless you are on fin for prostate issues specifically

Thank you!

[Christine167]

I should preface that with a check with your doctor about the dosage as well. I'm on call and on 4 hours of sleep here.

From what I have read isn't necessarily dangerous it just becomes wasteful if your goal is hair loss prevention and to regrow hair.