Is A Doctor Recommended Before Starting finasteride?

[catch21]

So, I posted here awhile ago and my hair is still slowly shedding out. I tried minoxidil 5 percent and had a negative reaction, I saw a dermatologist and he just said try biotin and nizo. I've been using Regenepure DR with no improvement but my scalp does feel nicer, for about a year now. My hairline is receding and the top of my head has thinned out quite a bit compared to what it used to be. If I could stop the loss right now, i'd be more or less fine with my head of hair still, so i'd be interested in starting finasteride but wanted the wisdom of the more inclined here. Should I begin taking it under doctor instruction, what is the best/quality method to obtain it (my insurance doesn't cover hair loss treatment I believe), is there a good way to find out if you're prone to side effects or, a dosage ramp up, or just anything?

Basically, aside advice on the best way to start, would having doctor observation be important since my last trip to the derm yielded him going 'yep you're going bald that sucks' and not much else.

 

[kj6723]

So, I posted here awhile ago and my hair is still slowly shedding out. I tried minoxidil 5 percent and had a negative reaction, I saw a dermatologist and he just said try biotin and nizo. I've been using Regenepure DR with no improvement but my scalp does feel nicer, for about a year now. My hairline is receding and the top of my head has thinned out quite a bit compared to what it used to be. If I could stop the loss right now, i'd be more or less fine with my head of hair still, so i'd be interested in starting finasteride but wanted the wisdom of the more inclined here. Should I begin taking it under doctor instruction, what is the best/quality method to obtain it (my insurance doesn't cover hair loss treatment I believe), is there a good way to find out if you're prone to side effects or, a dosage ramp up, or just anything?

Basically, aside advice on the best way to start, would having doctor observation be important since my last trip to the derm yielded him going 'yep you're going bald that sucks' and not much else.

Recommending biotin as a solution to his patients? Holy f*ck. This dude should have his medical license revoked

 

[catch21]

Yeah I did try it but looked into it when I began and the results seemed.. Well, never good. He also said he didn't want to prescribe finasteride because i'll get man boobs and never be able to get life insurance because it can mask prostate cancer, etc, so, I didn't really know what to do from there. What I do know is my hair is still shedding

 

[kj6723]

Find a new doctor. Call ahead to a dermatologist office and ask to speak with a doctor. Most good doctors will return your calls, I believe. Ask if she/he prescribes finasteride. Keep doing this until you find one who does, then make an appointment with that Doctor.

 

[abcdefg]

Well finasteride does increase estrogen, but if you look at any studies on finasteride the amount of gyno occurrences was minimal like 1 or 2 out of the whole group which might not even have been from finasteride. Assuming the studies are accurate which we never for sure if they did it multiple times to get favorable outcomes and just submitted the best ones.
Gyno chances are very very low, and masking the PSA is as simple as telling them so they can double the number to account for it. Not a big deal

 

[catch21]

That's encouraging to hear. If my insurance doesn't cover finasteride (it won't I assume) then what is the best way to get a quality/safe version of it that is cost effective? is there any studies that determine the general success or failure rate? I see horror stories here but I assume that is more people who do have bad reactions being louder than those who are happy..

 

[ern]

What I would recommend to someone getting on finasteride is to go to a doctor and get some blood work done. Have them test your testosterone levels, and maybe follicule stimulating hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, and maybe thyroid hormones as well. DHT too. But testosterone for sure. This way you will have some baseline pre finasteride numbers available for reference and comparison after you get on finasteride, or should you quit finasteride...which I would not recommend at all..

 

[alexpie2]

Recommending biotin as a solution to his patients? Holy f*ck. This dude should have his medical license revoked

So many people nowadays are deficient in biotin; it would not hurt to recommend it.

 

[kj6723]

So many people nowadays are deficient in biotin; it would not hurt to recommend it.

I don't know what country OP is in, but here in the US people pay hundreds of dollars, if not to the Doctor then to their insurance to see medical professionals. This dude sought out the expensive time of a "professional" specifically for his Androgenetic Alopecia and was told to take a vitamin pill rather than a clincally proven treatment.

Situation is beyond f*cked up if you ask me

 

[abcdefg]

Yeah all the doctors are so scared of the risks like sides they all want to avoid it as long as they can. So they tell you all the easier stuff first like try minoxidil/nizoral which we all know wont stop baldness long term just regrow some hair only in the spots where you apply it.
The blood tests before finasteride would probably be nice to have, but not necessary really. 99 percent of the time you would never care about the numbers anyway unless there was a problem. So you dont need it really unless it makes you feel better.

 

[alscarmuzza]

Just find another dermatologist. You might need to do a bit of research to fiind the right fit for you. I made an appointment with mine when I noticed that hairloss was one of the listed conditions treated on her website. If you have a prescription plan as part of your insurance, then you should be able to get finasteride at a decent price from your pharmacy if it's partially covered. She used a diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis. Gave me scripts for corticosteroid topical, retin A, nizoral 2%, and finasteride.

 

[Johnmpb]

Just find another dermatologist. You might need to do a bit of research to fiind the right fit for you. I made an appointment with mine when I noticed that hairloss was one of the listed conditions treated on her website. If you have a prescription plan as part of your insurance, then you should be able to get finasteride at a decent price from your pharmacy if it's partially covered. She used a diagnosis of seborrheic dermatitis. Gave me scripts for corticosteroid topical, retin A, nizoral 2%, and finasteride.

She gave u retin a to use for hair loss?

 

[alexpie2]

I don't know what country OP is in, but here in the US people pay hundreds of dollars, if not to the Doctor then to their insurance to see medical professionals. This dude sought out the expensive time of a "professional" specifically for his Androgenetic Alopecia and was told to take a vitamin pill rather than a clincally proven treatment.

Situation is beyond f*cked up if you ask me

I have visited THREE dermatologists, all with the same mindset that finasteride is bad for people because of the side effects that came about from previous patients. My father, who is also a physician, states the same thing. There are many medical professionals who believe this is the case, so it would make no sense for them to continue prescribing a drug that they know has caused more harm than good to their patients. It is in the doctor's best interest to protect the patient from any harm. Just because a doctor has the authority to prescribe certain drugs does not mean it is in his best interest to prescribe them, even though they are "clinically proven" to work.

Also, vitamin pills are largely studied in a clinical environments, and saying that a vitamin pill cannot be a clinically proven treatment is very wrong/misleading.