Personal Experience: Propecia Results

Propecia is the brand name for finasteride approved for the treatment of MPB (male pattern baldness) by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997. In this author's personal experience, Propecia results in the slowing and outright stopping of hair loss with minimal side effects.

Before being prescribed Propecia by a dermatologist, the patient undergoes blood tests for thyroid problems that may be the cause of male pattern baldness, which Propecia will be ineffective in treating. Rather than targeting the hair itself, as other topical medications do, Propecia results take effect due to the inhibition of type II 5-alpha reductase. This enzyme converts testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which is the trigger for MPB in some men. In this author's personal experience, Propecia results in an immediate slowing of hair loss that eventually stops the hair loss altogether, at least for a time.

The doctor discussed potential side effects for the drug, which included:

• Impotence
• Decrease in libido
• Abnormal ejaculation
• Decrease in semen

In this author's personal experience, Propecia resulted in none of these side effects, which normally are present in between one and fifteen percent of Propecia users. Though the stopping of hair loss became complete after a time of it slowing down, hair loss has returned, but at a much less rapid, more natural rate than before beginning to take the medicine. In this author's personal experience, Propecia results are worth the effort in going to the doctor and getting prescribed the medication.

References:

The Drug Propecia and Hair Loss