Can Women Take Finasteride
Women of childbearing age should avoid taking finasteride as it increases the risk of external genital deformity in male offspring . Pre-menopausal and/or post-menopausal women can go for doctor-prescribed finasteride for reducing androgenic alopecia, only if other treatment options are not effective.
Hair loss is a common hair issue faced by all people of all genders. It affects your self-esteem and social life. One of the treatments recommended to manage and reduce hair loss is finasteride. While you can use finasteride for hair regrowth, there are some side effects that it may cause.
Lactating and pregnant women should steer clear of this drug. They can try the PRP treatment instead, which shows results in 6 months to a year. To promote healthy hair growth naturally, you should focus on eating healthy, exercising daily, sleeping well, and stress relief. Following a regular hair care regimen with steps like oiling your hair can promote hair growth.
Since it has adverse effects, you can try other natural alternatives that are healthier and safer. These alternatives work effectively without causing side effects. These natural ingredients contain anti-androgenic properties that can reduce hair loss. But, you should use these anti DHT-blends with caution.
How Does Finasteride Work For Both Male Pattern Hair Loss And Bph
To some, these two conditions probably seem worlds apart from each other, so how does the same medication work for both?
When you get down to the root of both of these issues, it is a problem of too much of one hormone – Dihydrotestosterone .
DHT can be made in the body when testosterone comes into contact with an enzyme called 5-Alpha Reductase.
Some DHT is fine, but too much can cause hair loss issues and an enlarged prostate.
Finasteride fits in here by blocking that 5-Alpha Reductase conversion enzyme, keeping the testosterone as testosterone, and delivering benefits to both conditions.
Finasteride Oral Tablet For Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Finasteride is prescribed to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia in adult males.
With BPH, the prostate grows too large, which can slow or block urine from passing through the urethra . The prostate is a gland that is part of the male reproductive system. It plays a role in semen and hormone production, and it also helps regulate urine flow.
Its thought that hormones called androgens are responsible for causing BPH. Finasteride helps treat BPH by lowering the amount of certain androgens in the body. For the details of how finasteride does this, see the How finasteride oral tablet works section below.
Symptoms of BPH include:
- weak or interrupted urine stream
- frequently waking at night to urinate
When used to treat BPH, finasteride has been shown to:
- ease BPH symptoms
- reduce the risk of urinary retention
- reduce the need for surgery to treat BPH
Effectiveness for benign prostatic hyperplasia
Clinical studies have found finasteride to be effective for treating BPH. To learn how well the drug worked to treat this condition, check out finasterides prescribing information.
American Urological Association guidelines from 2014 recommend 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, such as finasteride, for treating symptoms of BPH. These guidelines also recommend this class of drug for reducing the need for future prostate-related surgery.
If you have additional questions about how well finasteride works for treating BHP, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
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Other Finasteride Combination Treatments
Finasteride is a highly effective, FDA-approved treatment for hair loss. Oral finasteride is sometimes used alongside dutasteride . Both are dihydrotestosterone blockers. They work to block DHT binding to the hair follicles, which is one of the main causes of androgenic alopecia. This combination is not yet FDA-approved, but research suggests it could be more effective than taking finasteride alone .
Oral finasteride can be taken alongside topical ketoconazole, an antifungal DHT-blocking medicine thought to increase hair growth . Research shows that these combinations could be highly effective at reducing hair loss and promoting increased hair growth .
People often take natural supplements and other topical treatments alongside oral finasteride to try to speed up hair growth and improve their outcomes. Its important to note that these combination treatments are not recommended by the FDA or any other equivalent authority. Little research has been done into their results and side effects when used in combination.
Whats The Best Finasteride Dosage
The standard dosage of finasteride for hair loss is 1mg per day. If you buy generic finasteride or the brand Propecia® online or from a drugstore, this is dosage youll typically receive.
Used at a 1mg per day dosage, research shows that finasteride is extremely effective at slowing down and stopping hair loss from male pattern baldness.
For example, a large-scale study carried out in Japan looked at the effects of finasteride over 10 years in men with male pattern baldness. More than 530 men used finasteride daily at a typical dosage of 1mg, with their progress recorded via scalp photographs and a questionnaire.
Over the course of 10 years, 99.1 percent of the men that took part in the study experienced a prevention of male pattern baldness progression. Put simply, their hair loss stopped after they started using finasteride, with no worsening over a 10-year period.
91.5 percent of the men in the study experienced a slight, moderate or significant improvement in their hair growth over the course of the 10-year study period.
In other words, despite being genetically prone to male pattern baldness, almost all of the men that took part in the study saw their hair either stop falling out or grow back after they started to use finasteride at a 1mg daily dosage.
In the same trials, 66 percent of men who used finasteride at 1mg per day saw improvements in hair growth.
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Finasteride For Hair Loss
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For those experiencing hair loss, medication is one of the most popular treatment options. People typically begin with topical treatments like minoxidil because it can be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription.
If minoxidil doesnt work to their satisfaction, they usually talk to their doctor about the oral medication finasteride . Finasteride is the first medication of its kind, and has proven to be effective in the vast majority of people who take it.
But those who have tried almost every medication on the market are usually skeptical that an oral medication would do any good. And rightly so there are a lot of products that arent effective whatsoever and plenty of people have wasted far too much money on them.
So what makes this solution any different? Does finasteride actually work?
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Contents
Does 5mg Finasteride Work For Hair Loss: Which Strengths Are Best
Finasteride comes in 5mg and 1mg doses, but which one is most commonly used for hair loss and why? Learn more about Finasteride strengths here.
Finasteride is one of the only 2 medications currently available which are FDA approved for male pattern hair loss treatment, also known as androgenic or androgenetic alopecia .
It is easy to come across Finasteride when you are on a hair loss treatment journey, but for some, it may be confusing to find that Finasteride tablets come in 2 strengths .
Below, we will cover the story behind Finasteride and the strengths used for male pattern hair loss, including why you should always listen to your doctor when it comes to dosing decisions.
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Warnings For Other Groups
For pregnant women: This drug is not prescribed for use in women, and should never be used during pregnancy.
For women who are breastfeeding: Finasteride should never be used in breastfeeding women. It is not known if finasteride passes through breast milk.
This drug is not prescribed for use in women.
For children: The safety and effectiveness of finasteride in children have not been established. This drug is not prescribed for use in children.
All possible dosages and forms may not be included here. Your dose, form, and how often you take it will depend on:
- your age
- how severe your condition is
- other medical conditions you have
- how you react to the first dose
When To Stop Taking Finasteride
If you experience side effects, particularly of a sexual nature, speak to your doctor immediately. Together you can decide how to approach this problem.
Working together with your doctor, you can decide to:
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Half A Dose Doesnt Necessarily Mean Half The Side Effects
The side effect profile of low-dose Propecia vs the standard dose hasnt been studied to my knowledge. But I think its safe to say that there is not necessarily a direct correlation between dosage and side effects. Just because you take 75% less Propecia per day doesnt mean youre 75% less likely to develop ED, depression, or any other side effect that can accompany the use of the drug.
What Is Finasteride And How Does It Work
Finasteride is an FDA-approved prescription drug used for treating androgenic alopecia. It works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone, the male sex hormone, to dihydrotestosterone . High levels of DHT shrink the hair follicles and shorten the hair cell growth cycle, making hair prone to falling %2C%20also,the%20same%20as%20in%20men.” rel=”nofollow”> 4). The drug may help reduce the risk of female pattern hair loss in women and male pattern hair loss in men.
But is this mechanism backed by any scientific evidence? Read on to know what research has to say about finasteride as a treatment for hair loss.
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Topical Finasteride Vs Oral Finasteride
Dihydrotestosterone is a hormone derived from testosterone. Its known to be the primary cause of androgenetic alopecia. Finasteride is a DHT blocker used to treat this condition. In its oral form, its approved by the FDA for the treatment of pattern hair loss. The topical formulation of finasteride is still being tested.
Finasteride is taken daily in pill form at a dose of 1 milligram. Although its been proven to be highly effective, this drug acts systemically . This method of action causes potential side effects, including sexual dysfunction.
Topical finasteride works similarly, blocking excess DHT to treat androgenic alopecia. Its applied onto the scalp, which targets hair follicles directly. Topical finasteride is typically used in concentrations between 0.2275 milligrams and 0.91 milligrams . This localized application means systemic side effects are rarely reported, although they are possible.
A systematic review of topical finasteride showed that in some cases an increase in liver enzymes occurred, as well as reports of testicular pain, headaches, presyncope and oropharyngeal pain . However, these side effects are rare.
Developing research shows that topical finasteride can be highly effective at treating androgenic alopecia . However, its not yet approved by the FDA. It is sometimes combined with other topical treatments, like minoxidil .
Where To Buy Topical Finasteride
Topical finasteride is relatively new in the market. As a result, only a few companies are currently producing it.
These companies may manufacture topical finasteride as a single medication or in combination with minoxidil. One of the popular sellers of topical finasteride is MinoxidilMax, which offers the following solution:
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Topical Finasteride Side Effects Still Possible
While theoretically your risk of developing side effects should be lower with topical finasteride, side effects still may occur. Sexual side effects in the initial Propecia studies were reported in about 1-2% of users, though the actual rate may be much higher due to the so-called nocebo effect.
Users have anecdotally reported similar, sexual problems on the topical version of finasteride. Dermatological side effects such as redness and general irritation are also possible.
To learn more about the best ways to ATTACK balding in 2021, see my in-depth hair loss treatment guide, which contains no snake oils or miracle cures.
Is Propecia The Same Thing As Finasteride
Propecia and finasteride are the same medication. Propecia is a common brand name for finasteride.
Finasteride is a treatment for androgenetic alopecia. This drug is in a class of medicines called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. It works by blocking the enzymes that turn testosterone into a hormone known as dihydrotestosterone .
DHT contributes to the progression of pattern hair loss. DHT-blocking drugs like finasteride have been proven to prevent further hair loss in more than 80 percent of patients, promoting hair regrowth .
Branded medications like Propecia contain finasteride as their active ingredient. You might also see finasteride sold under the brand names Proscar, Aindeem, Finastat, Finabald, and more. Different countries may recommend specific brands for use as hair loss treatments.
While brand-name drugs and generic finasteride are essentially the same medications, they contain slight differences in their binding and inactive ingredients. These differences mean you may experience slightly different side effects from the generic drug versus the brand-name drug.
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Does Finasteride Treat Prevent Or Cause Prostate Cancer
Finasteride isnt approved to treat or prevent prostate cancer.
In fact, clinical studies suggest 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors such as finasteride may increase the risk of prostate cancer. In particular, finasteride may increase a persons risk for a more serious form of prostate cancer.
If you take finasteride, your doctor will order blood tests to monitor you for prostate cancer. They can also answer any questions you may have about finasteride and your risk for prostate cancer.
Other Treatments For Hair Loss In Men
For most men, finasteride is an effective option for treating and preventing hair loss from male pattern baldness.
However, its not the only hair loss treatment thats available. Other affordable and effective hair loss treatment options include:
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Minoxidil. A topical medication, minoxidil helps to improve blood flow to the scalp and stimulate hair growth. Research shows that minoxidil is particularly effective when its used at the same time as finasteride. We offer minoxidil solution and minoxidil foam online. You can also purchase finasteride and minoxidil together in our Hair Power Pack.
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Hair loss prevention shampoo. Many shampoos, including those that contain active ingredients such as saw palmetto and ketoconazole, are formulated to prevent excess hair shedding and promote optimal hair growth. Our Hair Thickening Shampoo uses saw palmetto to target DHT at the scalp level and promote volume and moisture.
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Is More Better With Finasteride When It Comes To Hair Improvements
Researchers have concluded that the 1mg strength of Finasteride and the 5mg strength produce similar hair improvements, so taking more than the recommended 1mg Finasteride strength to help improve your hair will likely not give you much better results.
Also, there is a small risk of potential side effects with Finasteride, including erectile dysfunction, ejaculation disorder, decreased ejaculate volume, decreased sperm counts, and a reduced sex drive.
So, if you take a higher strength of Finasteride than recommended by your doctor for hair loss, you will likely not see more hair improvements, but you may be at a higher risk of developing unwanted side effects.
âBottom Line: More is not always better, and higher doses may increase your risk of side effects. Always follow the instructions from your doctor and pharmacist when it comes to dosing and never change your dose or regimen without consulting with a doctor first.