What happens if I stop taking Minoxidil and start taking Propecia (Finasteride)?

Question

I have been using minoxidol for about 13 months and now my hair started to fall again. I went to my doctor and was given propecia. when started using minoxidol my hair began to grow and looked full and nice. could you please tell whether or not I lose these hairs if I stop minoxidil and start taking finastide same time? Thank you very much.

Parsa Mohebi, MD, FISHRS · Answer

We have research that shows finasteride is more effective for treatment of male patterned baldness when compared with minoxidil so switching to finasteride should be a better choice if you are suffering from male patterned baldness.  Some people who stop using minoxidil after a while may have catch up hair loss in which they may lose hair in an accelerated rate until they catch up with whatever they were supposed to be if they never use finasteride.  This might not be a real risk since you are replacing minoxidil with finasteride.  However, I usually recumbend that the patients have a 1-2 week overlap that they use both medications and slowly taper minoxidil to minimize the risk of shock loss.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

This is a great question - and the short answer is nobody can predict for you what will happenIn general, those individuals who get an improvement with minoxidil and then stop - all the newly acquired hairs will be lost. Of course, that's not quite your situation. Can adding finasteride now prevent this loss? That's the key question!And the answer is that it can for some men but not all. In fact, a 2003 study confirmed that adding finasteride does not block the hair loss that comes with stopping finasterideTosti et al. Finasteride treatment may not prevent telogen effluvium after minoxidil withdrawal. Arch Dermatol. 2003 Sep;139(9):1221-2.In short, you'll know in 4-6 months if you are one of the individuals that finasteride can block the hair loss after stopping minoxidil - or not. I often advise my own patients to simply overlap the two treatments for 4 months and then stop minoxidil

What happens if I stop taking Minoxidil and start taking Propecia (Finasteride)?

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What happens if I stop taking Minoxidil and start taking Propecia (Finasteride)?

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about Hair Loss Treatment

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.