Long term finasteride studies

[Spanker]

So I was doing some reading and on one site it said that 65 percent of men were above their baseline after 5 years. Another said 86 percent of men were above baseline after 10 years. Which one of these studies do you believe. I would link the pages but I am sure it would get deleted as there were hair adds on the sidebar when I went to the site, so you will have to study it yourself. I am interested in your opinions on this. I am closing in on 4 years on fin and doing well with the top of my head.

[Since21]

What do you mean 'above their baselines?' I've been using it since 1997 - so for 17 years. It seems to have lost quite a bit of its effectiveness on my crown, especially in the last couple of years. I recently saw a picture of me taken 4 years ago from above and my crown was bushy and completely camouflaged with hair. That's no longer the case. I have to spend a little bit of time combing it a certain way for coverage. It's becoming see-through in some places.

[Spanker]

Above their baseline means more hair, which the percentages might include having the same amount of hair, as when they started using it (numbers I believe are from the crown).

 

If would seem that you are not the best responder to finasteride, but it does sound like it let it stick around much longer than it would have otherwise.

[Since21]

If would seem that you are not the best responder to finasteride...

 

Not necessarily. You mentioned 5 and 10 year studies. In my case it started losing its effectiveness after 10 years, so I'd say I was a good responder. Especially when you consider the MPB in my family. Both my brother and father were pretty slick by the time they were 30. I'm in my late 40s and still have thin coverage in my mid-scalp and crown and had better than that until the past several years. I also think my HT might have contributed to more thinning, but would have to have my surgeon weigh in on that when he sees me again.

[Jessop]

I've been taking it a few years on and off and have definitely lost more hair.

[Rootz]

Wow, either result from those studies sounds great to me. I was under the impression after 10+ years you should not expect to have as much hair as when you started, you would just be losing hair at a drastically reduced rate. If most people actually have more hair at that point, that's amazing.

[Spanker]

One of them days 65 percent after 5 and doesn't mention year ten. Also, a lot of the studies talk about hair count but don't mention actual volume (hair shaft diameter).

[hsrp10]

I've been taking it a few years on and off and have definitely lost more hair.

 

I'm a crazy responder on this drug, some of my hair gets thicker while others fall out.

May restart at 2x week Monday and Friday (already been through the 2-3 year trial at ED & EOD).

Would be nice to have a guaranteed treatment that lasts the long term for sure.

[Akashgpt862]

everyone says use finasteride it is good and helped them in regrowth ot halting the hair loss but when the before after pictures concerned no one shows there results and there very limited before after pictures of finasteride users , sometimes i doubt , does finasteride really help and make hair thick or regrow ?

 

i am currently on fin from 2 months

[Spanker]

There have been pics of some really good responders, but the best proof that it works is not losing hair. The study that showed the worst efficacy was the one that said 65 percent of users were at or above where they were as far as their hair count after 5 years, while 100 percent of the control group had less hair.

 

However, the other study says 86 percent are at or above after 10 years, so I don't know which study to believe and there hasn't been much input from others.

[RG]

I apologize for my ignorance up front. Where are the studies? I'd like to read them. And I guess my criteria would be:

 

1. First and foremost…who funded the study?

2. Who conducted the study?

3. How big was the sample group?

4. What physicians were involved?

5. Sounds silly, but how were the percentages presented? I've read books on how you can make percentages work to show your case.

 

I guess at the end of the day, it all has to be broken down. It would be great if an independent, non for profit group would evaluate and breakdown studies that come from the pharmaceutical field. Maybe it's done….I just haven't researched and/or paid enough attention to it. However, I'm now beginning to do some research on the topic. More so because I'm a NW 5 with high sides. It seems as though I've stabilized the past eight (8) years or so (I just turned 45). But I just had my surgery with Dr. Konior and I'm not really a candidate for additional surgeries (maybe some touch up work with FUE). So…complete stabilization is important for me……as are the sides associated with the drugs.

[Mickey85]

Really really wish the drug did not have potential side effects... I'm too scared to even try it.

[KO]

Finasteride's goal is to slow down and stop hair loss. So if you're losing hair after 10 years, then that doesn't mean fin is not working for you anymore, but more likely, you'd be a lot balder without it.

 

As for very long term studies, well good luck finding it. It's not clear to me why any non profit group would conduct a 20 year study on fin. But in any case I've attached the 10 year study Spanker referred to.

 

 

Oh, and Propecia was only released in 1997, Proscar in 1994.

Fin 10 year study.pdf

[djgLXXII]

I started taking Propecia almost exactly ten years ago (I was 32 at the time). I had a VERY good response and experienced significant regrowth. Granted, my hair loss probably wasn't detectable to most people but, to me, it was noticeably less dense on my frontal and mid scalp areas.

 

I think after about 3-4 years on Fin I noticed density dropping again. I switched to Avodart (dutasteride) about 4 years ago and have been on that ever since. I never had any significant regrowth with Avodart but it does seem like my hair loss is at a very slow rate. Regardless, the frontal area continues to degrade and my hairline is very thin. Crown looks totally fine but it's hard to say if my loss pattern would extend that far back anyway (maybe it would? My father is a Norwood 7).

 

I never experienced any noticeable side effects. It may have affected my libido, but I never had a raging one to begin with.

[Jessop]

I have never had any side effects that I know of on finasteride.

[TommyLucchese]

Posted my woes many times with feeling like Propecia is losing effectiveness, I add some Avodart once/twice a week when my hair feels thinne. Had a scare recently but right now though everything is great. Been on propecia since 2010.

[Rootz]

Really really wish the drug did not have potential side effects... I'm too scared to even try it.

 

If you drive to work, there is a very small chance you'll get into a collision and die.

 

If you try Fin, there is a very small chance you'll get permanent side effects.

 

I drive to work and take Fin. Very solid decision on my part... because I need to get to work.

[hsrp10]

I remember reading a while back on another site (hair loss help ??) that the real way to make Fin effective in the long run is to actually take a break from it after a two to three year period, lasting a month or so. Then get back on again.

 

As someone who has been on/off Fin, I would have to agree that when restarting I do get boom type of regrowth again in certain parts of my head, though darn sheds in others.

[KO]

^That is a very poor idea. I would strongly, strongly discourage you from doing that.

[hsrp10]

why have you tried it?

[Blake Bloxham]

Spanker,

 

Feel free to PM me the link and I will copy and paste the studies (or you can copy and paste yourself, if you'd like!).

 

Altogether, more long-term research would be interesting. I would also like to see additional research regarding the efficacy and incidence of side effects with low dose finasteride therapy. I've reviewed one study claiming 0.2mg a day is effective, and this would be huge for a lot of hair loss sufferers if the reduction in dosage retained efficacy while also decreasing the frequency of side effects. Obviously additional research on the incidence of sexual dysfunction and the potential for permanent or long-term sexual dysfunction would be great as well.

[JonesESQ]

I started Fin 4 months. I'm a 26 year old male.

 

I too was paranoid of the sexual side effects, mostly because sex is very important to me.

 

I have had a strange issue with it, but it can't be isolated at all. I experienced ED a few times during sex, with women I was very attracted too, but it didn't last very long, and within a few minutes I'd be ready to go.

 

For the last 5 weeks I've been with the same girl, and the first night I was with the girl BOOM, ED within 10 minutes, I was actually kind of laughing at the situation.

 

5 weeks in, sex on average 3-4 times a day, I've never had a single issue with it.

 

I can't isolate it because also I was under massive stress due to law school, and other medications such as adderall.

 

That's my experience.

[KO]

why have you tried it?

 

No, but if you are off finasteride for a month, your androgen levels will rise, and you will get hit with catch-up loss very quickly. There's just no reason to believe that taking breaks will maintain finasteride's effectiveness.

[hsrp10]

yeah it's certainly an alternative approach to making Fin last longer and I don't recommend it to everyone.

 

after around 2 years and eight months of constant dosage of Fin my hair was looking worse overall, so I stopped.

I had another HT for the hairline and got back on it eventually, and the bam type of regrowth and hair thickening while on Fin was quite amazing, unfortunately it causes sheds for me in the hairline which I can't deal with

[Rootz]

I started Fin 4 months. I'm a 26 year old male.

 

I too was paranoid of the sexual side effects, mostly because sex is very important to me.

 

I have had a strange issue with it, but it can't be isolated at all. I experienced ED a few times during sex, with women I was very attracted too, but it didn't last very long, and within a few minutes I'd be ready to go.

 

For the last 5 weeks I've been with the same girl, and the first night I was with the girl BOOM, ED within 10 minutes, I was actually kind of laughing at the situation.

 

5 weeks in, sex on average 3-4 times a day, I've never had a single issue with it.

 

I can't isolate it because also I was under massive stress due to law school, and other medications such as adderall.

 

That's my experience.

 

Sounds like it was probably psychological