Increasing the dose of Propecia -> proscar

[OneMission06]

I'm in a very similar situation to many of you posting. I'm 25 y/o and my once perfect hairline now looks like the Italian peninsula. I have been on propecia for 13-14 months without any slowing of my hair loss.

 

I consulted two HT surgeons for an evaluation. Although the first guy was willing to perform the surgery I decided to get another consult (actually never met him, only met his educator). I recently saw a more reputable doc, one who is discussed frequently on this site. He advised that I was not ready for the procedure because of my age and unpredicatbility of future loss. I respect him tremendously for his honest advice. However, he did recommend that I increase the dosage of propecia I was taking because 1mg was the recommended dose for the average 150lb man. Since I weigh nearly 200lbs he told me to take 2mg/day, and gave me a prescription for proscar since its cheaper (I asked for it). He advised me to take 1 pill every other day, which is a dose of 2.5mg finasteride/day.

 

What have other peoples' experiences been with increasing doseages? As I am hoping for improved results, I am also aware of the greater likelihood of side effects. Anyone's experience would be valuable to hear about.

[GuitarPlayer]

OneMission06,

 

Who did you consult with that recommended taking 2.5mg of finasteride per day. I have never heard of this approach. I have, however, heard of doctors telling patients to take less than 1mg per day. If finasteride is not working for you, maybe you want to talk to your doc about dutasteride (Avodart). I have read accounts of guys not having any results with finasteride, but then having great results with dutasteride.

 

GuitarPlayer

[OneMission06]

The doc I met was a very reputable doc out of NY. I did discuss dutasteride with him, but he does not recommend the drug because there aren't satisfactory trials to support its safety profile. Are there other doctors who would prescribe avodart for MPB refractory to propecia?

 

OneMission06

[kjp]

I wonder did you meet with Dr. Bernstein? He told me the same thing to increase dosage and start taking a 5mg proscar every other day instead of propecia once a day. Propecia he told me has a seven year bell curve and starts to lose its effect. I started taking the proscar this week. I am 37 and have been on propecia since 1998. I feel the last two years i have lost a good amount of hair in my crown area. Well i am giving it a shot. I wonder what other doc's think of this method?

[hairbank]

I'd like to hear other replies on this as well. I just started on finasteride about 3 weeks ago after my 2nd HT. Dr. Wong advised me to take 1.25mg every other day...........the thought process being finasteride has a life of 72 hours in the body so taking it every 48 hours will do the same as taking it every day. I've never heard any information on the doseage being related to weight. Does anyone have further information on this?

 

About duasteride..........if you're thinking of taking it you may want to read a recent thread I posted about the questionable long-term unknowns. You can read about it here. I'm aware of it's success against both types of DHT but at what cost?

[deekay]

I think everyone requires a different dosage. 5mg Proscar/finasteride has worked OK for me I buy the generic without a prescription here http://www.easy-to-use-pharmacy.com so I know it works.

Edited July 28, 2013 by deekay