Changing Proscar Dosages

[Time]

Hi guys,

I started proscar about 10 months ago. My temples started to recede and the hair at the front, hairline and in behind it, started thinning out pretty quickly.

My doctor gave me proscar and said to take 1/5 every day. I did get a reduced sex drive from this but I kept with it. Then about 2 - 3 months ago I met with a hair transplant guy in Sydney and he told me to switch to taking 1/4 every other day so that my sex drive would improve. He said that the dosage would still be just as effective.

My hair has continued getting worse. The temples seem like they are starting to cut in now and the top and front is so thin that even in low light you can see through it. In the sun it just looks ridiculous.

If anyone can help I would really appreciate some advice.

Firstly, was I wrong to switch the dosage to every other day? I know it is a bit cynical but I have thought that it would have been in a hair transplant clinics best interest for me to lose more hair, so maybe his advice was not too reliable.

Second, could changing the dosage have caused a massive shed? And if so, will it grow back?

And lastly, should I switch back to 1/5 per day? and if I do will this cause a shed?

I really had high hopes for this to help me and stop my hair loss where it was, but things have just progressed over the last year without slowing down. I can even see the difference in how I looked just 4 months ago!

Anyway guess I am at a bit of a loss as to what I should do know to help my situation, or if I should even continue.

If anyone can help me out I would really appreciate it.

Thank you

 

[Dr Tom]

I would personally recommend 1/5 or 1/4 every day. That is the most common and most studied dose. Some people suggest that it can cause a shed but in my experience most people do not when changing dose.

Are you using minoxidil? If not, start using this as well. Also consider ketoconazole once or twice a week.

 

[bullitnut]

I currently use a quarter of 5mg every day of finasteride but used to use half every other day and never experienced a shed when I changed dosage.

 

[Time]

Hey, thanks for the response.

I am not currently using anything else besides the proscar. I was told that proscar would stop the loss, which is what I was after, and that minoxidil would increase the thickness of miniaturised shafts.

The problem is I don't have the time to leave it on my head all day and I can't really go to work with the greasy head everyone talks about. I know it is a trade off with baldness but this would be not a good move for me.

I really just want to halt the loss where I am now and then look at a HT in the future to fill in what has gone.

Does ketoconazole shampoo work the same way as minoxidil, is it just a shampoo or does it need to stay on all day as well? Also, what effect does it actually have on someone on proscar and not using minoxidil?

 

[bullitnut]

I use the regaine(minoxidil) foam dude once a day before bed and then wash off in the morning, that way there's no problems through the day. The ketoconazole is an ingrediant used in anti fungal and dandruff shampoo like Nizoral which some consider part of the big 3, personally I don't think it aids hairloss but it is a very good shampoo, and I used it for years until I was introduced to regenepure, which coincidently has the ketoconazole in too.