Drug Treatment Before Signs Of Hair Loss Appear?

[Sumario]

Hello All,

First time posting here. I have recently heard about the medication Trump uses for hair loss, and have made an appointment with a dermatologist to discuss starting taking this drug as a preventive measure against hair loss, as I haven't actually started seeing signs of it yet. But I know it's just a matter of time before I do, because my dad at 60 no longer has a full head of hair. Maybe 30%.
So I would like to know your thoughts on this, considering the risks of the drug, and also how to bring this up with the doctor. If the doctor refuses to give me the drug, is there anything I can say to convince him to do so? Do you think this is a wise thing to do in general?


Cheers and thanks!

 

[shulk]

Personally i would not start and save it for when it is really necessary. What i would do is go to the expert and let them diagnose the current state of hair. Then return every 8 months or something (or when u think there is trouble) to asses the situation with the previous examination as baseline. When sh*t starts getting out of hand take action?

 

[g.i joey]

Get checkups every 6 months, as soon as yo see even the most minute sign get on finasteride, the longer you can hold off taking it, the longer it will most likely be effective

 

[kj6723]

Man why would you do this to yourself? None of us would be on this drug if we didn't need to be. Just keep a close eye and get a script the minute you notice signs of loss. If you catch it that early you will likely regain everything anyway

 

[Sumario]

Interesting... so the consensus is to wait until when it is needed... I was thinking if you start early you are better off because you avoid the problem from appearing in the first place... Thanks for the advice. I will be meeting with the doctor next week but I will wait for it to actually start then.

 

[Armando Jose]

Finas is not a preventive method.

 

[Sumario]

I saw the dermatologist today, and he actually said that I am already showing signs of early male pattern baldness. I asked him how he knew and he said it is less dense at the top than on the sides.

He has recommended that I take 1.25 mg of finasteride, 3x a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). He looked a few years older than me (I am 29), and he said he actually takes the drug himself at the same dosage for years.

What are your thoughts on this dosage? Is this enough to have the full effect? Does it matter if it is taken daily vs. 3x a week?

 

[abcdefg]

Its fine just follow what he says. No one here knows anything else anyway. Your getting 5mg in a week versus 1mg for the 5 days. I dont think it would make much of a difference

 

[Sumario]

Its fine just follow what he says. No one here knows anything else anyway. Your getting 5mg in a week versus 1mg for the 5 days. I dont think it would make much of a difference

Fair enough. The pharmacist said the generic version of Proscar (which is what the doctor prescribed) is the same as the brand name. But I insisted on getting the brand name cause the price difference is not much.

So what I would be doing is splitting the 5 mg tablet into 4x. That's what the doctor said he takes as well... though I wonder if it is better to have exact 1 mg tablets instead... also I read online that the manufacturer may have inconsistent concentration across one pill, so I'm a a little worried about that too.

This way, it will cost me around $180 a year for the medication. If I go with propecia, it will be in the thousands...