do you have to take propecia after a hair transplant surgery

[iven-youkhanna]

hey guys, I'm 23 years old turning 24 this year and I'm really thinking about getting a hair transplant. i have 2 brothers who are fully bald, one of them is 4 years older and the other is 2 years older. when they were my age they were already fully bald but i still have a good hairline and donor area, its been really slowly getting bad off the top, our father has more hair than us so I'm guessing the gene came from my mothers side of the family. anyways i was told to use rogaine for a year before consulting with a hair transplant doctor to basically see if it will get better or stay the same. I'm 6 months in and it didn't get worse. if anything just stayed the same if not a tiny bit better. it would seem like I'm still in the process of balding now i have 2 questions.

 

1. what is going to stop the balding if i get a hair transplant, and

 

2. if i do get the hair transplant do i have to be on meds like propecia after the surgery, and do i have to keep taking propecia?

 

I've heard some stories about propecia and the side effects it gives you, id basically rather not take it. is it something thats a complete must post surgery?

 

thanks

[MAGNUMpi]

Hi Iven,

It's good that you are here. If you are noticing your top thinning at 23 there is a good chance you will end up losing a lot of hair down the line (sorry about that). Really the BEST thing you can do right now is start taking propecia. It will slow your loss almost to halt. It will give you years longer with your hair. As for side effects, as you know all drugs have possible side effects. It would be worth your while to give it a try and see if it works for you. The chances are that you will not have any negative reaction to it and you will keep your hair.

In my (and most peoples) opinion you are far too young to be getting a hair transplant. There is just no way to know how much you will lose in the future.

About propecia and a HT. Yes it is advised to be on the medication for the rest of your life, or basically you will lose all the hair around the transplanted hairs and look very strange.

So my advise to you is:

1. Go to your doctor and ask to try propecia.

2. Spend a good amount of time on this forum reading threads so until you really understand what a HT can do and what it can't.

3. Wait a while before considering a HT. Do not rush this.

 

Welcome to the forum and keep asking questions.

Good luck, M.

[iven-youkhanna]

hey m,

thanks for the reply man. honestly my doctor was going to prescribe it to me but he read the possible side effects and it was just a big turn off for me. ontop of that I've done some research on propecia and a lot of law suits filed against the pharmaceutical company that makes it over here in Canada. people losing impotency even after they've stopped using it etc etc. thats a risk I'm not willing to take

 

iven

[iven-youkhanna]

ps. my hair started thinning since high school. its really starting to get noticeable now. this has been on my mind for a while, but taking propecia is a scary risk for me.

 

iven

[MAGNUMpi]

thanks for the reply man. honestly my doctor was going to prescribe it to me but he read the possible side effects and it was just a big turn off for me. ontop of that I've done some research on propecia and a lot of law suits filed against the pharmaceutical company that makes it over here in Canada. people losing impotency even after they've stopped using it etc etc. thats a risk I'm not willing to take

That, of course is your choice. Please do read up a bunch here on the forum for a while before you consider a HT. No need to rush.

If you post some photos the people here will gladly help you determine what stage your hair loss is at and where it might be going in the future.

[KO]

You will keep balding without propecia and once your native hair falls out, it will look very odd.

[CaliD3]

Hey there Mr. Youkhanna everyone is giving you the right advice. Take what you read online about Finasteride (name brand Propecia) with a grain of salt. A huge percentage of men here in the US claim to have some sexual dysfunction when they're over 40 so most likely it's not Propecia that caused it for most of them.

 

I've taken Finasteride for years and it's been a life saver. I strongly advice talking to your doctor about it. Btw I'm pretty sure we're the same Ethnicity

[gbhscot]

Hi mate,

 

I am in the exact same situation as you and also t roughly the same age, and have the exact same worries about taking propecia. I agree that you should take all the negative posts with a pinch of salt, but also the positive ones too. A few guys posting about its efficacy means nothing if you are one of the unlucky ones who gets side effects.. Was also at docs asking for it, doc was horrified and told me about a guy younger than me who he had prescribed it too who had just gone under plastic surgery to remove breasts, and was still unable to get any form of erection a year after stopping the drug. Scariest was, he wasn't on it long term apparently.

 

What i'm saying with this is, really think about it and weigh up the pro's and con's, Maybe get DHT checked, and definitely look at alternatives first of all. If you still have a lot of hair, maybe a natural supplement like nettle leaf, PSO or SP could help. Like i said, i'm in the same situation and am also still considering propecia, but if it doesn't work the consequences are worse than baldness.

 

(btw, my current htinking is getting a HT now without propecia relying on it looking okay for the next 5-10 years as by then there will be better meds to deal with hair loss, or i'll just shave it and deal with it. If you've faced this young, it's a huge deal, I think it's easier to deal with when older)

[iven-youkhanna]

Hey guys. Thanks for all the advice. I really appreciate it. Honestly it's not even the side effects that scared me about Propecia. It's the long term effects. Some people still have side effects even after being off of Propecia. And yeah honestly I feel like if I wait it out some other drug will be made much better than propecia lol. I'm still going to do some more research

[mahhong]

It's a tough decision to make. I think the truth is that Propecia is likely to be tolerated by the vast majority of men who are taking it. You have to remember there are probably millions out there who are or have taken Propecia who do not seem to have seen any short or long term effects or persistent side effects.

 

However, there is a growing body of evidence that sexual and neurological side effects may be more common and more damaging than first thought in a small but significant minority of men, and that they may be persistent in some men too.

 

It's important to note nothing has been conclusively established. To my knowledge there is further work being done to establish exactly if and how Propecia causes these seemingly bad side effects in some men, and if anything can be done to prevent them or identify the men at risk.

 

The long-term effects are even less poorly understood, and of course it will take longer to establish if there are any. There have been men on the drug for over two decades who appear to be doing well with no significant problems, but that doesn't guarantee the drug could be considered safe over the many decades you would need to take it to maintain your hair.

 

I think, as usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle. I do not believe Propecia is "poison", as some would understandably but, in my opinion erroneously, suggest. But I do believe it can, for reasons unknown, have a significant and possibly persistent negative effect on some men for reasons not yet entirely understood. After all, it does fundamentally alter the balance of your hormones, which are a very delicately tuned ecosystem of your fundamental biology. And there is no doubt DHT and 5AR are potent and essential elements of a man's biological system - reducing it does not seem to cause problems in most men, but it is certainly not inconceivable it could cause major problems in a few.

 

Ultimately, I think the bottom line is Propecia carries a low but not insubstantial risk of temporary or perhaps persistent sexual and neurological side effects - and there is a growing understanding that its effects on the body are perhaps more complex and more serious than was first thought. But, to balance that, there are a great many men all over the world taking the drug as athletes, scholars, professionals and more - so it is not true that the drug is destructive in a total sense.

 

I personally tried it twice and got minor and temporary, but worrying sexual side effects. They resolved after stopping the drug both times, but ultimately I have not been able to bring myself to try the drug again. This is a personal decision - I have lost a lot of hair as a result of my decision (which is frustrating), but I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of taking a pill every day for the rest of my life with the potential consequences, even if the risk was small. It's a big commitment and if at any point I felt I needed to stop the drug in the future, I'd lose all my gains or maintenance - it's sort of an all or nothing decision.

 

Carry on with your research - there are hopefully some quality studies concluding in the next year or so which may shed more light on exactly the risks Propecia might pose, and why it might affect a small number of men so seriously. These may identify ways to make taking the drug safer, or suggest ways to screen men.

 

There will also, hopefully, in the next 3-5 years be one or two more treatments that could become a viable alternative to Propecia. This is very much unknown, but there is some encouraging research into new drugs (PGD2 antagonists, Replicel, Histogen etc.). However it's important to note none of these will likely be a "cure" to completely reverse hair loss, or anything close - but they could in theory represent safer and/or slightly more effective ways to treat hair loss than the currently available treatments. There is no guarantee at all that any of these treatments will eventually prove effective, affordable or even come to market however - so it's important not to assume there will be anything new any time soon, although it does look likely something will be here within 5 years.

[iven-youkhanna]

It's like you said man. A pill that you have to commit to forever for that risk. I feel exactly the same way about it. I don't think it's worth the risk

[mahhong]

That's how I felt after weighing it all up.

 

I'm a lot more bald as a result, and it does make considering things like HTs riskier, but I figured what if I get on Propecia, get a HT or two a year later and it looks great, and then 4 years later find myself getting intolerable side effects from Propecia? I think it's fair to say most men don't have this problem, but some do. You do read a lot of stories about men having breaks, lowering dosages, having continued concerns etc. The only thing riskier than having a HT without Propecia is having a HT and then essentially being forced to stop taking it through circumstances beyond your control.

 

It's important to say, though, from a hair perspective, it is a good drug, and about the only one we have at the moment that would appear to have a serious chance of slowing your hair loss down over a long period of time. I don't want to come across as hardcore anti-Propecia because there's a lot of men for whom the only effect is having a lot more hair. But the drug works by altering your endocrine system in ways that, ultimately, we don't yet fully understand, and that does concern me somewhat.

 

I do think that solutions and answers will be found. As I say, I don't believe Propecia is a "poison", I just think some men have either a major susceptibility to endocrine imbalance or undiagnosed disorders that makes them extremely sensitive to Propecia.

 

In the longer term though, I don't think that systemic DHT inhibition is the right answer to treating hairloss (local DHT inhibition is another story, but that's much more complicated). And, once again, Propecia is really a life-long, all or nothing approach. If I start it now, I could well be on it 30, 40 or even 50+ years later. I'm hoping that better solutions and less controversial targeted therapy will be available in the next 5-10 years. Nothing in the immediate future will be likely to seriously regrow lost hair, but if you can halt future hairloss, maybe regrow 10-30% of lost density with a safer treatment, and combine that with a good surgical strategy, it's not unfeasible to regain a good head of hair in the not too distant future. Of course, there are a lot of unknowns along the way, to see if we reach that point. Unfortunately, the only way to really save hair today is to get on Propecia.

[iven-youkhanna]

I'm on Rogaine foam right now. I can't say anything has changed. My barber said it might have gotten a tiny bit better but it definitely isn't getting worse. And I started in March. But I'm not even sure I wanna continue using it. I think I'm going to be one of the people waiting for a better solution in the next 5 years. Is it even worth it to continue using Rogaine until?

[mahhong]

It's up to you, I guess. I think the general consensus is that Rogaine can produce some good results, but they're usually not particularly dramatic or as long lasting as with Propecia. Most people combine Propecia with Rogaine for the best results.

 

I think if you've started using it, you should give it a fair go. If you really don't see any benefits in 6-12 months, then perhaps you could consider quitting it. Also, bear in mind often people go through a shed or a period where Rogaine doesn't really appear to be doing much. It could end up being more effective than it seemed at first.

[mav23100gunther]

Buddy, get on Propicia staright away, and if you don't experience any side effects stay on it. I absolutely wish I had gone on Propecia when I was your age - golly, I wouldn't be in this mess right now if I had. Don't chance, just get on it, see what happens, and if you start to experience any side effects, then you can stop.

 

No ethical HT surgeon should agree to operate on you at your age if you are not on Fin. Sure you will find one that will, but don't do it man.

[LondonHTseeker]

I should have gone on Propecia years ago, it would have stopped me thinning. I've been on Avodart for nearly two months and apart from a few sides for a short period it's fine. After 6 months I'll swap to Propecia.

Edited August 11, 2015 by LondonHTseeker

[KO]

You don't think there is any downside to getting an HT without meds? You are going to be in for a rude awakening.

[Melvin- Admin]

Bro try RU58841 it's topical, it's not supposed to give you systemstic side effects like fin, but even if it does the side effects stop once you stop, there's no permenant damage like fin. You definitely have to stabilize it, I went from Norwood 2 to Norwood 6 from 24 to 29. Don't want to scare you, but this is how bad things could get if you don't stop it in the beginning. Catching hair loss when the hairs are starting to miniaturize will allow it to reverse, but once it's too late there's little that could be done.