Q: I’m male, early thirties and in the early stages of hair loss, too early for hair transplants. I am experiencing extreme shedding. I took Avodart for 6 weeks, but because of the shedding I stopped. Now, it still continues as strong as ever. I’ve been losing about 200 hairs every day in the shower. 3 months ago I had so much more hair, what is going on? I heard that shedding can happen, but not like this. Could this have caused telogen effluvium, or something else?
A: Since Avodart (dutasteride) is a more potent medication than Propecia (finasteride), the shedding (telogen effluvium) may be more dramatic. If you have made a decision to use Avodart, then you need to tolerate this short-term effect. It should subside within the first 6 months on the drug.
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Topic: Drugs (Medications)
Tags: Avodart/Dutasteride, Early Hair Loss, Hair Loss Medication, Propecia/Finasteride, Shedding, Shedding at Start of Treatment with Medication, Telogen Effluvium
Posted by Robert M. Bernstein M.D. at 3:19 am
Can Propecia cause an increase in miniaturization/loss?
Q: I am currently 19 years old and I have been taking Propecia for 3 months now. Prior to treatment, I had a thick head of hair with the exception of a deep receding hairline at the temples and a small amount of hair loss at the vertex. About one month after I began treatment however, I noticed a great deal of miniaturization on the top and back of my head and I’ve also been shedding dramatically all over (including the sides of my head). I’ve been told that shedding implies that the medication is working yet I’m concerned about my recently developing miniaturization and shedding in places that were thick before treatment (sides and back). Is this normal or should I consider dropping the medication?
Dr. Bernstein: Propecia will not cause miniaturization. You have not given the medication enough time to work. It takes about a year to see the full effects of Finasteride and there is a lot of patient-to-patient variability. It is possible that your hair loss is rapid and it will not respond to Finasteride, but there is no way to know at this point.