Can You Take A "Break" From Using Finasteride?

[Jefff]

I've been a daily user of Finasteride for approximately 7-8 years. I recently discovered that I have very low Testosterone and will probably have to go on Androgel in the near future.

 

I'd like to take a break from the Fin. for a few months to see if it's actually helping me keep my hair (I still have almost a full head of hair).

 

What can I expect to happen? Will I dramatically lose hair if it's been helping me keep it? And can I just simply resume taking it again after a few months when I want to (or need to when I get the Androgel)?

 

Thanks very much for any help/advice.

[Jotronic]

If you think that finasteride has helped you to keep some of your hair this is what will happen when you stop taking it. You will begin to see a shed that will pick up in intensity and you will lose what you have maintained in a very short period of time. If you held some of you hair for seven to eight years you could potentially lose everything that was maintained in the span of six to twelve months. It could take longer and you may not lose anything but that would mean that you were not genetically pre-dispositioned to lose any to begin with.

[Thehairupthere]

Everyone is different but if you stop taking the medication for several months you can lose quite a bit of native hair that you were helping. Some people may lose more faster than others, but this is something you need to watch. Starting the medication again once you stopped for a few months means you'll have to start over again, meaning it will take about 4-6 months to start working properly again.

[Jefff]

If you think that finasteride has helped you to keep some of your hair this is what will happen when you stop taking it. You will begin to see a shed that will pick up in intensity and you will lose what you have maintained in a very short period of time. If you held some of you hair for seven to eight years you could potentially lose everything that was maintained in the span of six to twelve months. It could take longer and you may not lose anything but that would mean that you were not genetically pre-dispositioned to lose any to begin with.

 

Wow, thanks a lot for the quick reply!

 

The problem is that I don't know if it has been helping me keep my hair or if I've just been keeping it naturally. I have almost a full head of hair and it doesn't seem to have changed at all since I started with the Fin. I suffer from BiPolar disorder and occasionally I experience times where I strongly think that I'm balding... this started when I was 19 and Im now 43.

 

I probably don't have as much hair as I did when I was 19, but as I said I still have a full head of hair and if I was balding I think I would see some obvious signs by now. It, the mental illness, at times makes it so difficult to logically realize whats actually going on with my hair.

 

I just wanted to take maybe a 3 month break from the Fin. but I certainly dont want to experience any rapid shedding/etc. And unfortunately the only way to know if the Fin. is actually helping me would be to stop it for awhile. Ugh... what a dilemma.

Thanks again for the rapid reply!

[Jefff]

Everyone is different but if you stop taking the medication for several months you can lose quite a bit of native hair that you were helping. Some people may lose more faster than others, but this is something you need to watch. Starting the medication again once you stopped for a few months means you'll have to start over again, meaning it will take about 4-6 months to start working properly again.

 

Thank you to you too. Again though, what a dilemma. It seems like Im stuck of this medication as the only way to know if it's working is to potentially lose hair.

[Jotronic]

Hey Jeff, one way to at least get an idea is to look at your family history. Is there anyone bald or balding in your immediate family? Dad? Mom? Uncles? Grandparents?

[Jefff]

Hey Jeff, one way to at least get an idea is to look at your family history. Is there anyone bald or balding in your immediate family? Dad? Mom? Uncles? Grandparents?

 

Howdy again. Well my father died at 78 with a full head of hair. My mother isn't balding. My fathers father also had full hair as did my mothers father. However, my mothers cousin was very bald and one of my fathers brothers was bald-ing.

I have two older brothers who both have thinning hair - but they have a different father than I have. I don't know about their father though.

 

So it gets confusing when I look at my relatives... I don't know who I should look towards. I have some immediate ones with excellent hair, but then there's that few that have a problem. :confused:

[El Nino]

Well my father died at 78 with a full head of hair.

 

There is a very good chance you have the same hair genes as your Father.

 

Take a chance and try and get off Finasteride is my advice.

[Jefff]

There is a very good chance you have the same hair genes as your Father.

 

Take a chance and try and get off Finasteride is my advice.

 

 

Thanks for the input El Nino. I'm just terrified that if I stop the Fin I will start losing. :confused:

[Jotronic]

I wouldn't do anything before you speak to your doctor. My gut tells me you are following in your father's footsteps but there is always that chance, regardless of how small, that you aren't. Ask your doctor what he knows about finasteride and if he has any experience with it.Too many doctors don't but some do so if he does then he can give you solid advice hopefully.

[Bobilero]

I had an issue with really low test levels also after 4 years of Finasteride use. And thats why i quit the stuff.

[jsnw]

Jefff – It seems that everyone reacts differently to the drug. I can speak to my experience. I’m almost 42, been on Propecia about 15yrs or so I guess. I had those same thoughts, that I had been on the drug for so long, is it actually doing anything for me? Some time ago I decided to start lowering my dosage over time. Eventually I got down to 1mg a week. I don’t know the exact time it took me to get down to 1mg, less than a year I guess. Up until that point I had a decent head of hair. I can tell you that during that period I lost most of my hair, I guess it happened gradually so I didn’t catch it quick enough. Went to a transplant doc a few months ago and he told me I had lost about 80% of the hair on my head. The worst part is that I did this to myself. Propecia was working great I just had forgotten about it.

 

I’ve since been back on 1mg a day or every other day, as well as adding in Rogaine, but so far the hair is not really coming back. It sucks. I’ve never had any sides from the drug that I read about. Long story short, a couple of years ago I noticed my body slowing down. To me it was just part of getting older but I'm really active so it was frustrating that my body was not quite keeping up with my mind. I went to my doc and we discussed hormone replacement. Did the blood work and my testosterone was in the lower range, but still normal. I tried the cream you had mentioned but this made my hair fall out in a bad way, since then I switched to shots a couple times a week which works really well and my hair is stable. Doing my blood work every few months I’ve noticed that my DHT levels don’t change whether I’m taking 1mg a day or 1mg every other day. Every time my doc looks at the blood work she always says the same thing, the Propecia is definitely doing its job.

 

Who knows with the family history. My dad and my grandfather were pretty much bald by the time they were in their mid 30’s. Unfortunately I got that gene. My older brother on the other hand still has the same head of hair he did when he was 12. He complains about getting grey hair and I want to slap him, I always say at least you still have f'n hair! I'm glad one of us came out ahead. I would discuss everything with your doctor, hopefully they have the knowledge and guide you in the right direction. Personally I wouldn’t be as scared of stopping Propecia if my dad had a full head of hair. Just keep a close eye on it if you do.. Good luck

[TeacherNJ]

yuo may start losing as I did but have to say it wasnt bad and have been off all yr - transplant was good enough for me

[Jefff]

Jefff – It seems that everyone reacts differently to the drug. I can speak to my experience. I’m almost 42, been on Propecia about 15yrs or so I guess. I had those same thoughts, that I had been on the drug for so long, is it actually doing anything for me? Some time ago I decided to start lowering my dosage over time. Eventually I got down to 1mg a week. I don’t know the exact time it took me to get down to 1mg, less than a year I guess. Up until that point I had a decent head of hair. I can tell you that during that period I lost most of my hair, I guess it happened gradually so I didn’t catch it quick enough. Went to a transplant doc a few months ago and he told me I had lost about 80% of the hair on my head. The worst part is that I did this to myself. Propecia was working great I just had forgotten about it.

 

I’ve since been back on 1mg a day or every other day, as well as adding in Rogaine, but so far the hair is not really coming back. It sucks. I’ve never had any sides from the drug that I read about. Long story short, a couple of years ago I noticed my body slowing down. To me it was just part of getting older but I'm really active so it was frustrating that my body was not quite keeping up with my mind. I went to my doc and we discussed hormone replacement. Did the blood work and my testosterone was in the lower range, but still normal. I tried the cream you had mentioned but this made my hair fall out in a bad way, since then I switched to shots a couple times a week which works really well and my hair is stable. Doing my blood work every few months I’ve noticed that my DHT levels don’t change whether I’m taking 1mg a day or 1mg every other day. Every time my doc looks at the blood work she always says the same thing, the Propecia is definitely doing its job.

 

Who knows with the family history. My dad and my grandfather were pretty much bald by the time they were in their mid 30’s. Unfortunately I got that gene. My older brother on the other hand still has the same head of hair he did when he was 12. He complains about getting grey hair and I want to slap him, I always say at least you still have f'n hair! I'm glad one of us came out ahead. I would discuss everything with your doctor, hopefully they have the knowledge and guide you in the right direction. Personally I wouldn’t be as scared of stopping Propecia if my dad had a full head of hair. Just keep a close eye on it if you do.. Good luck

 

Thanks so much for the detailed reply.

Im sorry to hear about your disappointing results from stopping the Fin. It's funny that you mentioned your low Testosterone since this past December I was diagnosed with the same thing. Mine was a 219 on a scale from 300-800!! This is the reason I was thinking of taking a Fin. break... because I knew once I started the TRT I'd most likely need it so I just wanted to see how it went without it for awhile.

 

How did you get your Dr to prescribe the shots? Are you doing IM or SQ? I know I can do the SQ but the IM scares me a lot... looks very painful and daunting.

Everything I've read ( a lot from a Testosterone message board) says that using the Androgel will convert much more into DHT and obviously we don't want that to happen.

 

Also, have you noticed any testicle shrinkage? Everything I've read also says that testicle shrinkage is pretty much guaranteed with any type of TRT unless you do shots of HCG (which apparently is very difficult or impossible to get a Dr to prescribe).

I'm absolutely terrified of having my testes shrink as well as raising my DHT. I recently moved to another state so I've only seen my Dr. once so I haven't discussed any type of TRT with him, but I'm extremely reluctant to try any TRT because of those two reasons.

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback you have on this,

Thanks again jsnw.

[Bobilero]

TRT is an absolute last resort as it shuts down your natural test production and can do permantly so you need it for life.

 

You should look to try get your levels rebounding naturally first.

[Jefff]

TRT is an absolute last resort as it shuts down your natural test production and can do permantly so you need it for life.

 

You should look to try get your levels rebounding naturally first.

 

I know. I do need to lose 50 lbs which Im working on and am taking a bunch of vitamins, but other than that I don't know what else to do. Can you recommend anything?

[jsnw]

I used to do IM once a week, but I found that I feel better doing two smaller doses (Sunday/Wed) per week SQ. The first couple of weeks it’s a little intimidating but now I don’t think twice about the SQ shots in my quads. You would think it would hurt like hell but I hardly ever feel it. They also have me using HCG a couple times a week which keeps everything normal in size. Never had any issues with shrinkage. I had to experiment a little to get everything correct. They had me on a much larger dose than I needed originally. You would think more is better with the test shots, but most guys on trt will tell you it’s not. I actually feel much better on a smaller dosage.

 

I don’t want to sound like I’m encouraging you to start, I’m not. I just read your post and could relate. It’s not something to play around with. For me it was the solution, but everyone is different. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be as worried about stopping the Propecia. I also just read your last post about the 50lbs. Before you consider a trt protocol, I would lose that weight then see what you feel like. I would guess a hell of a lot better! That’s probably driving your T levels down more than anything. Just my two cents..

[Bobilero]

Yes you got to try it first as theres no way back once your on test. Get that weight off , take up weight training. High protein diet and dont smoke and limit alcohol.

 

Plenty of sleep and fruit & Vegs. A lifestyle overall perhaps but it works for a lot of people. You can look in to natural test boosters too . Lots you can try .

[Jefff]

I used to do IM once a week, but I found that I feel better doing two smaller doses (Sunday/Wed) per week SQ. The first couple of weeks it’s a little intimidating but now I don’t think twice about the SQ shots in my quads. You would think it would hurt like hell but I hardly ever feel it. They also have me using HCG a couple times a week which keeps everything normal in size. Never had any issues with shrinkage. I had to experiment a little to get everything correct. They had me on a much larger dose than I needed originally. You would think more is better with the test shots, but most guys on trt will tell you it’s not. I actually feel much better on a smaller dosage.

 

I don’t want to sound like I’m encouraging you to start, I’m not. I just read your post and could relate. It’s not something to play around with. For me it was the solution, but everyone is different. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be as worried about stopping the Propecia. I also just read your last post about the 50lbs. Before you consider a trt protocol, I would lose that weight then see what you feel like. I would guess a hell of a lot better! That’s probably driving your T levels down more than anything. Just my two cents..

 

Thanks again. I'm definitely planning on losing the weight... 50lbs is a lot of extra weight!

Would you mind telling me how much you pay for a months worth of HCG? And was it difficult getting your Doc to prescribe it for you? I was really surprised to hear that you take it as Ive read so much about it being so difficult to get.

[antony]

Hi Jefff. I memtioned my experience with propecia in another thread. Apparently you have not had any problems with propecia after 8 years, you're fortunate. I, on the other hand, after less than four years have developed gynocomastia, enlargement of the breasts, ..... not very nice. I have come of off this medication in hopes that the problem will resolve or i am looking at breast reduction surgery. The propecia was working so well too. I guess when something works so well in one department, murphy's law it will cause havoc in another department, at least in my case. Hope it works out for you.

[jsnw]

I pay around $70 a month for the HCG, $120 for the T, and $30 or so for the anti-estrogen pills. My regular doc of 15 or so years does not prescribe any of this. It comes from another TRT doctor. My regular doc is in the loop though, and signed off on everything I’m doing, plus we do blood work every 3 months. Makes me feel better knowing my regular doc is involved. The TRT doc does blood work every 6 months. I just go to their website and order what I need online then it’s delivered a few days later, pretty simple.

[Jefff]

Hi Jefff. I memtioned my experience with propecia in another thread. Apparently you have not had any problems with propecia after 8 years, you're fortunate. I, on the other hand, after less than four years have developed gynocomastia, enlargement of the breasts, ..... not very nice. I have come of off this medication in hopes that the problem will resolve or i am looking at breast reduction surgery. The propecia was working so well too. I guess when something works so well in one department, murphy's law it will cause havoc in another department, at least in my case. Hope it works out for you.

 

Actually I did develop gynecomastia about 10 years ago... I'm almost positive it was a couple years before I started taking the Fin but it's been so long that it's hard to remember correctly. I drink and eat a lot of soy products which I understand may cause it. From what I understand/have read even if you go off the Fin it won't correct the Gyno (and like you said it's up to surgery to get rid of it which I haven't had the thousands of $$ for yet).

Good luck on your case though... I hope coming off the Fin does correct it for you though.

 

Please update the thread with your progress... I'd love to hear that you've had success coming off it (with your hair too).

[Jefff]

I pay around $70 a month for the HCG, $120 for the T, and $30 or so for the anti-estrogen pills. My regular doc of 15 or so years does not prescribe any of this. It comes from another TRT doctor. My regular doc is in the loop though, and signed off on everything I’m doing, plus we do blood work every 3 months. Makes me feel better knowing my regular doc is involved. The TRT doc does blood work every 6 months. I just go to their website and order what I need online then it’s delivered a few days later, pretty simple.

 

Thanks a lot for all the info jsnw. I don't think I even have a TRT Doc in my new area but I'll have to check some more. I'm hoping my regular Doc will just prescribe me with what I need if or when I decide to go on all of this but everything Ive read leads me to be skeptical about that.

So do you take any Finasteride for any potential hair loss the T may cause?

[antony]

Did you do anything about the gyno Jefff? Like i said, for me if it doesn't resolve on its own than i am looking at reduction surgery. Its hard to believe though that it will resolve spontaniously because i figure once breast tissue has developed it is not just going to go away. Another poster on a separate thread told me that he developed gyno from propecia as well but it resolved on its own once he stopped, so that is encouraging. Right now i am embarassed to take of my shirt.

[jsnw]

Jefff - I've been taking Propecia for about 15 years. I started out using a T cream, and my hair started to shed pretty quick, even with the Propecia. I don't remember the exact wording but my doc told me something to the effect that my body was converting the cream to DHT, and that was the reason for the shed. I stopped using the cream maybe 3 weeks after I started. My doc recommended trying the shots and to date I've not experienced any further loss due to the T shots. Everyone is different but for me the shots work much better all the way around.

 

There are several steroid forums out there that have sections for trt and are a good source for information. There are a lot of guys out there our age that are posting. Some good info to keep up with, same as this forum..