How common is shedding on finasteride?

[swarpo]

Hi,

I've been trying to do research on this for a long time now by reading bulletin boards, hours on end. But I can't seem to get a good a idea of how big the chances are that propecia leads to shedding!?

Some people talk about it like it's a certainty while other's report that they've had no shedding at all and that everything is just a dance on roses. So I guess I can conclude that some people shed and some don't. That's all fine, but I have no idea if it's like 50/50 or if it's more like 80% do and 20% don't or vice versa. As far as I know it's not even listed as an official side-effect, so it's all very confusing to someone who hasn't begun the treatment.

Does anybody have a general idea about this at all? Like a ball-park estimate of how big a percentage actually shed?

 

[Hari]

I shedded more more on my fourth month

 

[swarpo]

The more I learn about this drug, the more confused I get as to why it could possibly cause shedding... and if it does, how it could be a good sign? finasteride supposedly only lowers your DHT levels, it doesn't have any direct interaction with the hair follicles or their growth cycle. Everybody seems to react so incredibly differently, it's impossible to form even a general idea of what to expect from the treatment. I have no reason to assume all the anecdotal evidence about shedding is incorrect but logically speaking, I don't understand how it could cause any growth cycles to restart or sync up?

 

[Vlatch]

I had no increased shedding on finasteride or dutasteride, it's been a year on dutasteride and I lose less hair now (there used to be 20-30 hairs in the sink after combing in the morning, now it's more like 3-5).

In theory, by allowing miniaturizing follicles to heal, finasteride pushes them into a new anagen phase, so hair in telogen phase (10-20% of your hair) falls out prematurely to be replaced by a new hair, hence the increased shedding on finasteride.

Though it may be partly psychological. You're losing hair, then you take a drug to stop that, you continue to lose hair for several months and then it stops abruptly. So you conclude you had a shedding phase during the first months when it may just have been your regular pre-treatment hair loss.

 

[ryan1]

ouch

 

[JHCL1990]

I've been shedding for almost 11 months on finasteride.

 

[Andrew21]

I'm still losing hair on Propecia after 1 year of usage.

 

[MI92]

Wow some of these experiences don't really bode well for me. Guess it is a lottery or not regarding response to finasteride/dutasteride. To those that have seen no cessation of shedding, do you also experience little to no sides from finasteride?