Hair loss after briefly stopping, then restarting, Finasteride.

Question

I've been taking Finasteride for 12 years now. Worked great -- loss has been very gradual. Last 5 years i've been taking it about 4 times a week - no issues This November, due to some issues with getting my RX, I went 10 days without taking it. After that break, I resumed. About 4 or 5 weeks later I started experiencing rapid loss / thinning. Do you think this is permanently lost hair due to 10 days of stopping? Or could it be shedding triggered by the stop and restart, and will return?

Parsa Mohebi, MD, FISHRS · Answer

Finasteride
was helping you keep the hair you have however, once you stopped it the hair
loss will resume.  Since you restarted
finasteride, keep in mind, that it will not regrow hair it will merely keep the
hair loss at bay as best it can.

Craig L. Ziering, DO · Answer

In
general, if you stop Finasteride you will eventually lose the benefit that you
gained from taking it consistently. The half-life of Finasteride is relatively
short, and that is why the consistency of taking 1 milligram daily is
recommended. In general missing a day or two won’t have an effect, but you want
to avoid sporadically taking it. If a lower dose is desired, you can take .5
milligrams per day. Realize it won’t be as effective as the 1 milligram dose,
however, it can decrease the potential side effects. Studies have shown that if
you stop Finasteride for a significant amount of time (generally longer than 10
days) and restart the medication, you will again see the benefits but not
regained to the same level at which you were originally at. In this particular
case, there may be another reason for your rapid shedding or it may be related
to the fact that you were taking it 4 times a week and then stopped for a 10-day
period. With consistent use you should regain what was shed, however, if the
loss persists, you should be evaluated for other factors which may have caused
loss.

Robert Nettles, MD · Answer

One thing to be aware of with finasteride is that it only reduces circulating DHT by 63%. Depending on your personal DHT levels it is likely you need to reduce the number by more than 63% to be completely effective.ng hair loss.  Finasteride additionally blocks only one of the 3 DHT receptors and has a very short half life which means it is not effective all day.  I would recommend seeing a hair loss Dr who specializes not only in stopping hair loss but regrowing the miniaturized hair that you have as well.  It is possible to save your hair and regrow it without surgery now and using more effective treatments than Finasteride.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

It is somewhat usual to have the degree of hair loss you mention with just 10 days off the medication. However, it is possible. I'd be surprised if 10 days off carried major long term risk to jeopardize your treatment plan. You might shed now a month or so. I would encourage you to get a scalp exam and review your health with your doc just to make sure another issue isn't also contributing to hair loss

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

When you are taking finasteride and are losing hair, and if the finasteride works at stopping it, if you should stop the drug for more than 6 days you might then go back into rapid hair loss. Many people who do find that restarting it again does not help as much and some of the hair loss becomes permanent.

Hair loss after briefly stopping, then restarting, Finasteride.

Answers (5)

Answer: Effects of stopping finasteride

Answer: Effects of stopping finasteride

Answer: Hair loss and finasteride

Answer: Hair loss and finasteride

Recommended reading

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.

Hair loss after briefly stopping, then restarting, Finasteride.

Answers (5)

Answer: Effects of stopping finasteride

Answer: Effects of stopping finasteride

Answer: Hair loss and finasteride

Answer: Hair loss and finasteride

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

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.