Do you lose hair GAINED & MAINTAINED on stopping Propeci

[iUnknown]

Hi All,

I posted a message similar to this on thebaldtruth forum and got a mixed response. I'm hoping someone knows some definite FACTS on this one here. I have scoured the net and also find mixed information on this topic with no definite answer anywhere. The question is if you were to be taking Propecia for some time and then you stop would you lose JUST the hair GAINED or also the hair you MAINTAINED for the time you took it. So would you have this rapid fallout as it catches up on the years the baldness would have been progressing or does it just continue at the pace of balding it was before starting the propecia treatment (with only the fall out of the hair gained). The liturature from Propecia is a little unclear on this as well (I wonder if this is intentional) - they state you will lose the hair GAINED with 12 months - no mention of losing what you maintained.

I'm hoping someone on this board can clear this question up for me.

Regards

 

[Stingray]

Your genetics will always catch up to you. So yes to both.

 

[flux]

I've been under the impression that there would be NO rapid fall out, that your hair will start to fall out at the pace it was before.

Reading Stingrays response about "genetics catching up', Sting, maybe you missed the quitting propecia part? You will eventually lose your hair on propecia, sure, which is how that answer makes sense.

 

[iUnknown]

So the confusion is over here too.
Stingray - you say you lose the hair you maintained - you are probably right - that is my hunch - but where did you get this information?

 

[Scott]

Hello,

I'm fairly new to all this but I feel inclined to respond here. I would think that if you stoped taking propecia from the research I have done on this that you would just restart the process of hair loss at its normal speed. Reason being is that propecia is a DHT blocker and since your hair folicles have not been going through the process of shrinking with each cycle of shedding (they aren't shrinking because you are blocking the DHT) so once you stop blocking the DHT your hair folicles would just restart the normal process of shrinking with each cycle of hair shed, therefore restarting the normal process of balding at its normal speed wich of course is genetically determined by your mommy and daddy.

If you aren't familar with the process of hair loss and what I mean by shrinking of hair folicles you can do some research on the web about the process of hair loss and what causes this on this web site and many many others out there.

those are my thoughts which make sense to me, so take it for what its worth!

Later,
Scott

 

[drinkrum]

Most likely (as this works differently with different people) your genetics will catch up with you. The hair you gained/maintained on Propecia is the first to go, since it's the most DHT-susceptible. And this hair tends to go fast.

If you quit Propecia, your DHT levels will return to non-Propecia levels, but your hair might have grown more susceptible to DHT in those few years, and so you might experience accerelated loss. Once again, this all depends on your genetics.

D.

 

[iUnknown]

I remember hearing of some case where there were two twins and one had a problem with the enzyme that turn testosterone to DHT - his brother was bald and he had a head of hair. When they up'ed the DHT for the brother with hair he lost it all to the same level of his brother within a year - suggesting there is some kind of memory effect which kicks in when the DHT kicks back up and you lose everything you should have lost before lowering DHT. Now I do not know why this is and I hope what that this is not the case but it sounds like it is.

What is this memory effect then? The logic would suggest to me that your hair having not been ravaged by DHT for years would just start where it left off so if it does not - WHY NOT? what continues to deteriate in the hair follical that makes it fall out as soon as the dht is switched back on?

I wonder why there is not more information on this on the net and in newsgroups as it seems a very important issue for those taking or thinking of taking Propecia. I would certainly feel a lot better knowing that when I stop it all my hair doesn't fall out within 12 months.

 

[iUnknown]

Well after going through nearly every newsgroup posting I could find on this subject it is still a mystery with no definite answer. Much of the speculation is based on this one twin study, but there seems to be no studies that show the same rapid hairloss of all the maintained would happen from quitting Propecia. Some say that if you tappered off slowly this would not happen as you would curb the initial shock on the DHT sensitive follicles. So basically as yet it is a big unknown.

 

[NilesTilden]

I quit finasteride a bit over 6 months ago and started using minoxidil twice a day and 2% spironolactone. I'd used finasteride for over 2 yrs. For my last year on finasteride I only took 1/4 fincar every 2-3 days.

My minoxidil results have been my best ever. Regrowth of hairline hairs esp. at the temples and good thickening all over.

In the last several weeks however, I've been going thru what I'm sure is a mega-shed of my finasteride saved hairs, 6 months after complete stoppage. Most are coming out of the crown area, which hasn't been a prob since starting finasteride.(finasteride did nada for my hairline)

My hair is still looking much better than 7 months ago 'cuz of minoxidil, but I'm back on the fincar.

NT