Hair Transplant, Hair Restoration & Repair
110 East 55th Street, New York, NY
Telephone: 212-826-2400
Q: I heard that Propecia stops working after five years. Is this true and why in five years?
A: That is not correct. Although the effects of Propecia (finasteride 1mg) will diminish over time, it does continue to work. Using finasteride long-term will still be better than stopping it at some arbitrary interval. In clinical practice, I often increase the dose of finasteride, after someone had been on the medication 3 to 5 years, to help maintain its effectiveness.
Q: I have a friend who has been using Propecia 1mg a day for twelve months without having any regrowth. Is he likely to experience regrowth at this stage?
A: Your friend is unlikely to get any significant regrowth after one year, but that doesn’t mean that the medication is not working. He may have had even more hair loss without the medication.
Propecia, the brand name for finasteride, is the only FDA approved oral medication for hair loss. Read more about how propecia (finasteride) helps prevent hair loss.
Q: I have a 19-year-old son who is suffering from hair loss. I wonder if that will affect him in years to come if he starts taking it? A: Finasteride was approved in 1992 as Proscar and as Propecia in 1997, so there is a lot of clinical data so far. Remember that over time, [...]
3.00 stars from 1 vote(s)Q: I have early thinning on the top of my scalp and I was told to use Propecia, but I heard that is was only for men. What do you think?
A: Women can’t take Propecia during the child-bearing years because, if ingested, it can cause birth defects in male offspring.
In post-menopausal women, where we see the greatest frequency of hair loss, it doesn’t seem to be effective.
In pre-menopausal women who do not plan to become pregnant or who already have children, we are still cautious about using the medication, since there effectiveness has not been proven and it’s long-term safety in this population has not been tested.
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