Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Community Conversation => Transitioning => Hormone replacement therapy => Topic started by: lori25 on April 18, 2018, 03:32:40 AM

Title: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: lori25 on April 18, 2018, 03:32:40 AM
Maybe I misread somewhere, but I got the impression that bical can make you lose hair on your scalp.  If this is true, is this directly linked in the same way as losing body hair with bical?  I've been on bical for a few weeks and am freaking out because I have a full head of hair and then some.  It seems that people have tried taking bical to regrow hair, but this is often from cis men/women experiencing hair loss.

I've tried looking up sources online, but the majority of them only mention "body hair" or "hair" in general.  I just need some confirmation on this.  The hair growth/loss process in general has always been confusing to me and is something I just can't seem to understand.
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: Chloe on April 18, 2018, 04:56:46 AM
Lori, been on Casodex for years, am "older", and have a full head of fine, long hair so short answer is "No", you don't lose head hair (and beard growth does seem to have slowed)!  ;)
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: Dani on April 18, 2018, 05:18:32 AM
Male pattern hair loss is associated with DHT.

Bicalutamide blocks the receptor site of DHT to make the DHT completely ineffective, so that you cannot get hair loss from DHT.
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: lori25 on April 18, 2018, 06:28:55 AM
Quote from: Kiera on April 18, 2018, 04:56:46 AM
Lori, been on Casodex for years, am "older", and have a full head of fine, long hair so short answer is "No", you don't lose head hair (and beard growth does seem to have slowed)!  ;)

Did you also lose body hair, and if so how long did that take?


I went from taking spiro (didn't really tapper off that much) to the bical, so I was also concerned of that being an issue as they interact with T differently.
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: KayXo on April 18, 2018, 08:08:35 AM
Spironolactone blocks T and DHT and also sometimes suppresses androgens while bicalutamide only blocks androgens.
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: lori25 on April 18, 2018, 03:57:07 PM
Quote from: KayXo on April 18, 2018, 08:08:35 AM
Spironolactone blocks T and DHT and also sometimes suppresses androgens while bicalutamide only blocks androgens.

Ok I knew it was something like that, and still trying to wrap my head around this (sorry, learning disability here and trouble with simple connections at times).

I'm not sure if I should continue the bical or ask to go back to spiro.  I may have come off of spiro a bit too prematurely, so then the DHT could be coming back agressively and I could potentially lose some of my hair that spiro helped me gain?  If so, will that be a permanent loss of hair?
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: Chloe on April 19, 2018, 04:09:37 AM
Quote from: lori25 on April 18, 2018, 06:28:55 AM
Did you also lose body hair, and if so how long did that take?

Stick with the Casodex, less is better, it works it's magic over a year or so. It is an absolute T/DHT block that has nothing but positive (trans-girl) "side-effects".

from wikipedia: Since bicalutamide will block the effect of testosterone on all tissues, there will be no response by the body to the increased androgen levels, but the rising sex hormone production will increase the estrogen levels in the man to be much higher than they would be in a man who has not been taking bicalutamide

Due to high insolubility with water (ie: in your body) it has a 4-5 day half-life which means it NOT something that has to be taken every day. I speak only from personal experience, have since stopped taking it completely, and have permanently lost all underarm, chest and leg hair.

As a treatment for women lookup "bicalutamide hirsutism"  8)

Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: Ellement_of_Freedom on April 19, 2018, 04:52:32 AM
Quote from: Kiera on April 19, 2018, 04:09:37 AM
Stick with the Casodex, less is better, it works it's magic over a year or so. It is an absolute T/DHT block that has nothing but positive (trans-girl) "side-effects".

from wikipedia: Since bicalutamide will block the effect of testosterone on all tissues, there will be no response by the body to the increased androgen levels, but the rising sex hormone production will increase the estrogen levels in the man to be much higher than they would be in a man who has not been taking bicalutamide

Due to high insolubility with water (ie: in your body) it has a 4-5 day half-life which means it NOT something that has to be taken every day. I speak only from personal experience, have since stopped taking it completely, and have permanently lost all underarm, chest and leg hair.

As a treatment for women lookup "bicalutamide hirsutism"  8)



Aww.. I asked my doctor about it who is trans herself and she never heard of it. :(

She has me on Androcur.
Title: Re: Can bicalutamide make you lose head hair?
Post by: Chloe on April 19, 2018, 04:57:47 AM
Quote from: Ellement_of_Freedom on April 19, 2018, 04:52:32 AM
Aww.. she never heard of it. :(

*sigh* how old is she? It's only been around a relatively short while:

Bicalutamide was patented in 1982 and approved for medical use in 1995.[28] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system

"Essential Medicine"? Ooo I love the concept!