What is Propecia?

Propecia, or finasteride 1mg, is a medication that works to help with treating male pattern hair loss. It works to help with growing back hair that is on the top of one’s head that has been naturally lost due to a standard process of baldness.

How does Propecia work?

Propecia works by targeting DHT, a hormone in the male body that is known to cause male pattern baldness. The DHT that is in a man’s scalp will work to progressive cause hair follicles to shrink to the point where the amount of hair on the scalp will decrease. Propecia will help to block the production of DHT by working through the bloodstream to target DHT as it is being produced. This is to help with making it easier for follicles that have shrunken due to DHT to grow back in size so that hair can become visible again.

How long will it take for Propecia to work?

It can generally take an entire year for Propecia to work. The progress for how it works goes as follows:

• After the first day Propecia will start to block DHT in the scalp.
• After three to six months the user will be able to notice a substantial decline in the level of hair loss that one is dealing with.
• Hair can start growing back as early as the ninth month of use. However the twelfth month is generally the key time to see how well the treatment has worked.

How effective is Propecia?

Studies from the Food and Drug Administration have found that ninety percent of all men who use Propecia have been able to experience some results. Some men were able to grow back their hair while others did not grow back hair but were able to prevent future hair loss from occurring. These results have helped to make Propecia the first and only medication that is approved by the FDA with regards to treating male pattern hair loss.

How often should Propecia be taken?

Propecia should be taken every day. In order for it to be more effective the user should take it at the same time every day.

What if a user stops taking Propecia?

If a man stops taking Propecia he will end up losing the benefits of the drug. Sticking with Propecia if it is working properly can help to keep DHT from getting back into the scalp. Any hair that has grown back from using Propecia will more than likely be lost if a user stops handling it.

Who can take Propecia?

Men with mild or medium level hair loss can use Propecia. There are no other real limits primarily because of how Propecia comes in only one dosage level. This is the one milligram level.

Some people can divide their pills in half to where 0.5mg doses can work. However, it is strongly recommended to take the entire Propecia pill in order for it to be more effective and to work properly.

Who should not take Propecia?

Men who have severe hair loss should not take Propecia because it will be ineffective to them due to the substantial losses in follicles in one’s scalp. Also, men who are allergic to any of the ingredients that work in Propecia should not take it.

What side effects work with Propecia?

The side effects of Propecia include back pains, rashes, headaches, diarrhea and erectile dysfunction. Rare side effects that can occur after using this include breast enlargement and lip swelling. While these side effects are the most common among men who take Propecia they do not occur as often. FDA studies show that these side effects will occur in less than two percent of all men that use this drug.

Can people with liver damage use Propecia?

They could but the main ingredient in Propecia is something that will have to be broken down by the liver. Therefore anyone with liver damage should be very cautious when it comes to using Propecia. Talking with one’s doctor is the best thing to do.

How can a man get Propecia?

A man will need to talk with one’s doctor about Propecia. A variety of different factors will need to be considered when talking with a doctor about this drug. The concern that one has for one’s hair loss and the amount of hair loss that has been experienced will need to be discussed. The rate of the hair loss and the past treatments that one has used to help with taking care of hair should be discussed as well.

Are there any generic options available?

There are two different generic options for Propecia. In addition to the standard form that is manufactured by Merck there is also Finpecia, which is made by Cipla, and Finax, which is made by Dr. Reddy’s. It helps to talk with a doctor to help with figuring out if a generic option can work for one’s needs.