Aldebaran

There aren't enough appropriate studies. The reports and lawsuit forced them to include the possibility. That said, to say that all the cases of serious side effects are psychosomatic is madness. Many of the people having the issues are in cure with serious practitioners and posses test results which show their hormone levels being out of whack. The cause is probably a genetic hypersensitivity. People with predisposition to hypersensitivity have their DHT lowered to practically zero when using finasteride, which it seems triggers a change in gene expression that practically shuts down Testosterone in affected men once they quit the treatment. This has in turn a serious cascade effect on the affected men's psiche and sexual fitness. I still believe that of the few thousands of people registered on propeciahelp.com, at best half or two thirds have the actual "post finasteride syndrome".

The main page of PROPECIAHELP: Unresolved Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & forum explains a lot about the cause of the side effects of Finasteride. The following page clarifies the way Finasteride operates and recommends a low dosage Plasma DHT levels 7 days after various Finasteride dosages It's interesting to note what kind of reasoning went behind the daily 1mg dose, since 1mg can keep DHT levels quite low for days. It may be advisable, as the thread recommends, to use much, much lower doses of the drug to control DHT rather than striking it down to minimum levels, considering DHT regulates many important processes. I remember reading the dosage complaints were ignored based on the reasoning that doses up to 1mg didn't present any bigger significant risk over much lower doses, such as 0.2mg, and only increased effectiveness of the drug, but that seems to be before the recent permanent dysfunction scandal. I have no credentials to give therapeutic advice, but i currently believe the safest method of Finasteride utilization may be the following: - Take an extended hormonal tally test to evaluate DHT levels and testosterone levels. Balding men tend to have low testosterone, i'm guessing because it is converted in excess into DHT, but that doesn't sound right. The values to test can be found at point 6 of the FAQ at Unresolved Propecia & Finasteride Side Effects - FAQ (Take note that every poster who wants to actually take the drug is automatically banned from the forums.) - Start with the smallest dose possible and the lowest effective frequency according to the thread i inserted earlier. - Increase the dosage slowly and progressively paying attention to all and any side effects, remembering frequency of usage is as important as dosage. - Take new hormonal tally tests to ensure your hormonal balance is maintained periodically In theory, a satisfactory level of DHT could be achieved before reaching the commonly prescribed dosage. - If unsustainable side effects present themselves, quit by "tapering out" the medication, reducing its dosage and frequency instead of quitting instantly. This should limit the shock on your body. - If side effects persist for months after stopping the drug, seek medical advice. Albeit many endocrinologists may scoff at the mention of finasteride side effects, having proof your hormonal balance was permanently altered will convince them that your case requires treatment. While this method doesn't assure you will be safe from side effects, it might ensure a lower impact and more sustainable recovery. The hormonal tests are important, because every person has fairly "personal" hormone levels and metabolic balance, thus taking tests before starting on finasteride will ensure you have a record of your natural hormonal balance, as a target for an eventual recovery therapy. Finally, i recommend reading all the information on PROPECIAHELP: Unresolved Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & forum and their forums.

I presume the final drug based on this research would be composed by a combination of prostaglandins... a mix of growth agents and inhibitors of inhibiting agents. Allergan has been testing bimatoprost since 2010 (Safety and Efficacy Study of Bimatoprost in the Treatment of Men With Androgenic Alopecia - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov), but i can't seem to find any recent news, other than a mention on Dr.Bauman's blog that testing is indeed in progress.

To add more clarity (or confusion), this research seems to confirm the role of activators and inhibitors prostaglandins exhibit in relation to hair growth in mice and humans. Prostaglandin F2α's analogous is already included in the FDA-approved topical drug Latisse(Bimatoprost) as a cosmetic eyelash-strengthener and testing is in progress of the effectiveness of higher doses of such drug in human hair loss cases. Just like prostaglandin F2α has exhibited the role of activator in the growth and multiplication of hair follicles, the newly studied prostaglandin D2 has undoubtedly shown its role as hair growth inhibitor. The true good news is that prostaglandins exhibit a multitude of different roles unrelated to hair loss and prostaglandin D2 in particular has already been correlated with ashtma. This means drugs which target prostaglandin D2's receptor are already being tested.