Increasing dosage of Propecia

Hi everyone

Have been using proscar tablets (5mg) & cutting them into 1/4.(I am sure u guys know the drill) After years of great results it’s stopped working 4 me & I’m shedding like crazy : (
I’ve had blood tests & my iron/zinc levels r ok,the manufacturer has told me that propecia DOES stop working in some ppl.Dr Bernstein of Bernstein Medical suggestsed that I increase the dosage to 1/2 a pill a day 2 stop sheading & that risk of side effect will rise only slightly. Anyone tried this ? Anyone know of any potential side effects ?
Please respond.I am desperate.

Hey Damon, how long have you been on it? May I ask were you doing great one day and all of a sudden it just started up like before you started taking it? If you see my post below I am in the exact same boat. I am contemplating upping the dosage too.

I switched from Propecia to half a Proscar every day, it helped somewhat but you still get that shed every 10 months or so. I don’t think we can avoid that. At least it s not as bad as the Avodart shed.

First of all,thank you for responding & sharing your experiences with me.

JabroneMalon:I’ve been on propecia/proscar since the day it was released.I can’t even remember how long it’s been.Approx 7-8 years ? I’ve had a good run up til the last few months.I noticed about 10 months ago that my temples started slowly receding.I didn’t think that much at 1st,I just thought that I was naturally shedding;The new hair pushing out the old hair-It’s a natural part of a hairs life.Over the months it got worse then these past few weeks all hell has broken loose.My head is raining hair !! Not only that,my hairs are miniaturising which means it’s not a natural shed but BALDING.The proscar pills aren’t working anymore.My hair is returning 2 the balding it was prior 2 me taking Proscar.I went through the same balding shed prior 2 taking propecia but propecia stopped the shed & regrew new hair.

Mr. Frodo:I don’t shed hair every 10 months on proscar,this is my first shed since I’ve been on propecia.

Guys,please keep in mind that shedding is a natural process.If ur hairs are miniaturising then the proscar ISN’T working anymore ur balding.If ur hairs aren’t miniaturising u may just b shedding & it will regrow.

I have come across some articles written by Dr Robert Bernstein which discusses increasing dosage.A Hair Transplant Surgeon that I have been consulting with for many years has concurred with Dr Bernsteins advice of increasing the dose & as of today I have started taking 1/2 a pill every day instead of a 1/4.My Doc has told me 2 wait another 6 weeks to see what happens on the increased dose.I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime,here r the articles that eased my concerns.Check them out & contact Dr Bernstein as I did.
Here r the links

http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/medical-treatments/propecia.php

(I often increase the dose when someone has been on the same dose of medication for about three years and then stops responding (begins to lose hair after being stable).When increasing the dose,I generally use generic finasteride 5mg,1/2 pill a day.)

(When patients do become acclimated to these drugs (which seem to be common after 3 to 5 years) we increase the daily dose of finasteride gradually up to 5mg and then consider switching to dutasteride 0.5mg a day.)

Contact details
http://www.bernsteinmedical.com/contact-us/ask-doctor.php

On a side note,trials for Avodart will end in June.Fingers crossed !!!

» Hi everyone
»
» Have been using proscar tablets (5mg) & cutting them into 1/4.(I am sure u
» guys know the drill) After years of great results it’s stopped working 4 me
» & I’m shedding like crazy : (
» I’ve had blood tests & my iron/zinc levels r ok,the manufacturer has told
» me that propecia DOES stop working in some ppl.Dr Bernstein of Bernstein
» Medical suggestsed that I increase the dosage to 1/2 a pill a day 2 stop
» sheading & that risk of side effect will rise only slightly. Anyone tried
» this ? Anyone know of any potential side effects ?
» Please respond.I am desperate.

I never trusted propecia… try saw palmetto and pygeum. Ether saw palmetto alone or together with pygeum and use organic root stimulator shampoo.
They’re all natural.

I would suggest adding a topical to the mix… possibly minoxidil.

I would not suggest dropping the fin, it is doing something for your hair loss… at least slowing it down.

I went off of propecia for a while and tried the natural route instead… with beta -sis, nettles, etc. I lost a lot of hair by doing that and my hair loss accelerated dramatically.

.

Any chance you got a phoney batch of Propecia? It happens with all drugs when someone can make a quick buck. I’d make sure you have the real deal.

» Hi everyone
»
» Have been using proscar tablets (5mg) & cutting them into 1/4.(I am sure u
» guys know the drill) After years of great results it’s stopped working 4 me
» & I’m shedding like crazy : (
» I’ve had blood tests & my iron/zinc levels r ok,the manufacturer has told
» me that propecia DOES stop working in some ppl.Dr Bernstein of Bernstein
» Medical suggestsed that I increase the dosage to 1/2 a pill a day 2 stop
» sheading & that risk of side effect will rise only slightly. Anyone tried
» this ? Anyone know of any potential side effects ?
» Please respond.I am desperate.

Damon wrote: “Natural remedies = B.S (nt)”

I have to disagree with you. I believe that natural treatments as well as diet have their place and can be effective in treating mpb.

Xairyhay1; The only phoney thing I got was a hair transplant.
The propecia & proscar pills are the real deal.They have just stopped working for me,as they have stopped for MANY other people.I have upped the dose & now I just have to wait and see what happens.
There have been rumours on many hair forums that Merck aren’t distributing the Fin in the proscar tablets evenly to stop people from buying proscar and 1/4 the pills.These rumours are moronic ! That would b impossible 2 do.

U know what I’ve concluded? I CANNOT win the war on MPB : (
I tried grafts but at the time the sessions were very small (hundred grats) so the results were laughable.It was a waste of time,money & not to mention the trauma strip surgery puts the body through.
I tried Minoxodil,hair regrew but my scalp was irritated so I had to stop.
I tried the herbal route,chinese meds,acupuncture,the works & NOTHING ! NADA ! ZIP ! Not a single strand of hair.
Tried a wig for a couple of days but felt like a loser so I threw it out.
I tried a mega session & was butchered beyond repair.
I tried propecia & it stopped my shedding for years & now the propecia isn’t working & I’m badling again.Hopefully the increased dose of proscar will help.
As you can see,I JUST CAN’T WIN : (
I am destined to be a balding loser for the rest of my miserable life.
You know what’s really unfair?
All the innocent people who died in September 11,the Bali Bombings,the innocent kids killed by that Korean nut at the high school in the U.S;they were all happy people,full of life enjoying their lives.They didn’t want to die.
I look at myself,no life,no friends,nothing to look forward to,I spend every day wishing I was dead yet I am forced to live.
Life truly is unfair.

» Damon wrote: “Natural remedies = B.S (nt)”
»
» I have to disagree with you. I believe that natural treatments as well as
» diet have their place and can be effective in treating mpb.

This is true. Diet plays a big role. I think it’s more about blocking the dht in combination with topical formulas to stimulate growth.

Propecia and Proscar have stopped working for me or at least they are not as effective as they were in the beginning. I am still using it I think it keeps what I have so far. There was a time when I stopped and I had major hair loss in just a couple of months.

Damon, why don’t you try Avodart?

I really feel your pain with the hair loss struggle… mine is not as dramatic but still pretty crappy as well… I started on Avodart about 5 months ago. I am hoping for the best.

I can’t get Avodart without a prescription & no Doc will give me a prescription because it isn’t FDA approved.My only alternatives are to buy it from Mexico/India & my Doc has warned me against buying pills from those countries.Some people claim to have bought it through Canada but I had no luck there either.
For now,I will just have to increase the proscar dose to 1/2 & wait for a miracle cure or hope I get hit by a bus.
Truthfully,Avodart will only maintain what I have now,it’s no magic bullet.
These drugs are for people who have just started balding,not people like myself who are bald & scarred.

Maybe it’s not a case of the tablets not working but that this is as much re growth as you are going to get.If your not losing anymore hair count your blessings.If you are still shedding why don’t you try increasing the dose ?

Stopping Propecia/proscar WILL result in a loss of hair so don’t ever stop.

Do you guys realise that we will have to take these pills for the rest of our lives ? I find that really depressing.

» Do you guys realise that we will have to take these pills for the rest of
» our lives ? I find that really depressing.

That’s why I say try saw palmetto and pygeum which are all plant based and shown to have the same effects as propecia.

I did change to Proscar, it’s slightly better, not by much. I am worried about these gyno side effects horrible stories so I went back to Propecia.

Well,I upped the dose & the shedding has stopped but its taking longer to stand to attention & a definate decrease in the amount of semen released :frowning:
I’ll give it untll the end of the week to draw a final conclusion
I WISH I WAS DEAD !!!