Cycling Propecia with Saw Palmetto

[silverstreak]

I just had my 1st transplant about 2500 grafts. I want to do my best to keep the hair I have left. I was originally going to go the natural route of Saw Palmetto, Pygeume, Pumpkin Seed Oil etc... so I wouldn't have to worry about short term and long term propecia side effects.

 

But I just read some interesting literature online saying that taking propecia 1x every 3 days is almost as effective as taking it every day in regards to keeping the DHT levels down! So now I'm thinking about doing that and taking the saw palmetto on the days where I'm not taking propecia.

 

Any thoughts as to if this seems like a good option? Get the added benefit of propecia, beef it up with the Saw Palmetto on the off days, and HOPEFULLY limit propecia side effects?

[TakingThePlunge]

When I was taking finasteride, I used a MWF schedule in order to reduce side effects. In my opinion, it was a good balance.

 

As far as adding saw palmetto on the off days goes, I couldn't say how much m ore effective it would be but it certainly couldn't hurt.

[KO]

That makes no sense. Every three days should not be as effective as every day. Let's assume you're right, and it is just as good. How will you avoid long term side effects? You're still taking it right?

[TakingThePlunge]

KO,

 

I want to make clear that I did not say that taking it every three days was "as effective". I'm a big proponent of following FDA approved and clinically proven doses whenever possible. However, many docs will recommend to patients who have experienced side effects on finasteride to reduce the dosage before giving it up completely. The idea being that some DHT suppression is better than none at all.

 

I no longer take finasteride as I've discussed publicly in the thread, Stopping Finasteride for Now. But, I am considering restarting it and have discussed that possibility with Dr. Alexander.

 

I experimented with a number of options. Since I was cutting a 5mg generic tablet, I first tried cutting into smaller parts but I found that it was too difficult. Anything less than quarters crumbled to bits. I also tried an every other day regimen but found that I had a hard time keeping track of what day to take it since it was always on a different day. Ultimately I tried taking 1/4 tablet MWF and felt that I was getting benefits with only very mild sides.

 

With the recent release of generic 1mg, I would probably cut those in two and take a half tablet daily.

 

It seems that I used to have links to some studies regarding finasteride dosing studies but can't find them at the moment. You may find this discussion helpful, propecia every other day?.

 

In the above topic, Dr. Cooley states that he recommends his patients take the recommended 1mg daily dose. But, he goes on to state,

 

" Most of my patients choose to take it on a Mon-Wed-Fri schedule, which is rational from my point of view. Many of my younger patients take it daily 'just to be sure' while my older patients are happy to take it two or three times a week. There are no clinical studies showing that less than daily dosing is as effective at treating hair loss as daily dosing and for obvious financial reasons, the pharmaceutical company making finasteride has no incentive to fund such a study."

 

Hope this helps!

[HARIRI]

Great write up David. The M-W-F plan sounds very reasonable. Dr. Cooley makes sense in his comments. However is it 0.25mg every M-W-F is efficient enough? Im thinking of it lately!

[KO]

KO,

 

I want to make clear that I did not say that taking it every three days was "as effective". I'm a big proponent of following FDA approved and clinically proven doses whenever possible. However, many docs will recommend to patients who have experienced side effects on finasteride to reduce the dosage before giving it up completely.

 

 

I was actually responding to the OP's comment. Please note that the OP has not actually gotten any side effects.

[TakingThePlunge]

Hariri,

 

Thanks! Yes, I was taking 1.25mg MWF. As I'm sure you know, there is some debate regarding Merck's data indicating a 1mg daily dose as the most effective treatment. I've seen arguments that as little as .2 mg daily is enough to treat hair loss.

 

Personally, if I were to purchase 1 mg tablets, I'd try .5 mg daily and see how I respond to it.

 

I originally quit to two reasons, my wife and I were planning to start a family and I was experiencing severe acne. The good news is that my wife is pregnant and due in August. I don't plan to have anymore kids so that's no longer an issue. But, I've continued to deal with bouts of pretty harsh cystic acne even after quitting finasteride. My gut feeling is that the drug awakened something in my body that's causing this and I've been unable to get any answers from three dermatologists and my GP. So, I'm a little apprehensive about staring again.

 

KO,

 

I wasn't sure if you were addressing me or the OP but hopefully my response addressed your question. I see that he also stated that a three day per week regimen is "almost as effective" and not as effective. I think that is an important distinction.

 

Not being a doctor, I would never advise anyone to increase dosage without consulting with their prescribing physician. But, I don't think there is ever any harm in reducing dosage on a drug that is treating a non-life threatening condition such as hair loss if the alternative is not taking it at all. Although he is not experiencing side effects, he is obviously concerned about the potential for side effects.

[KO]

I understand your point, and I agree that it is a good idea to reduce dosage if you have sides, I was merely pointing out that it's best to start off at the recommended dosage, when sides have not happened, rather than start with a low dosage out of fear of them. Just IMO.

 

Reason being, the OP was concerned about LT side effects, but if he is taking propecia 3x/week, he is still ingesting the drug on a regular basis, and so it is not clear that he will necessarily avoid these potential sides.

[TakingThePlunge]

I agree. As I think the best case is always to follow recommended doses if possible.

 

Spex posted an interesting idea a while back in the thread, Propecia (Finasteride) "Transition" Theory. If I were going to restart finasteride, I'd probably also give this a try.

 

For me, the minor sexual sides I was experiencing were something I could live with but I did have annoying testicle pain at the start. Perhaps this method would help avoid that.

[varsman]

saw palmetto didn't help me

[mikeey]

Try Beta sitosterol 375 Mg , it has helped me a lot , but will take a year to be really effective , esp. for frontal hairloss