Generic propecia - Finasteride

Last night I spent a fascinating hour talking with Spencer David Kobren, the author of The Bald Truth, recently published by Pocket Books. After chatting with Spencer, I discovered a very caring man, passionate about helping people avoid the agonies he endured in his own battle with hair loss. I listened carefully to what Spencer had to say and can promise you that this man is the consumer advocate of the hair loss world. Move over Ralph Nader! At the early age of 22, Spencer knew from watching his own family, that baldness was only a matter of time for him. He chose to take on the fight to save his hair and he won. He is still winning with a full head of hair in 1998.

What could be more reassuring than information from a man who has fought and won the battle of hair loss? Spencer personally spent over $20,000 chasing his hair and demanding answers. He finally discovered success with Propecia. As Spencer explained to me last night, “I was using Propecia even before it was in the clinical trial phase”.

Finasteride — known by its brand name Propecia — a medication approved to treat hair loss in men, may also improve the condition in women when combined with oral contraceptives, according to an article in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology. Find out more about this breaking news now.

As many as half of all women experience female pattern hair loss during their lifetimes, according to background information in the article. Women who are affected often report feelings of embarrassment and social anxiety and the condition often worsens if left untreated. Current treatment generally involves minoxidil (Rogaine), a medication typically applied to the scalp to encourage hair regrowth, which is effective but not always well accepted by patients, the authors report.

Matilde Iorizzo, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Bologna, Italy, evaluated the effectiveness of 2.5 milligrams of finasteride taken by mouth daily and combined with an oral contraceptive in 37 women aged 19 to 50 years who consulted a physician about their hair loss. The contraceptive was necessary to prevent pregnancy in women in the study, because finasteride is known to cause birth defects. The researchers selected a type of contraceptive that reduces levels of male hormones, because that effect may also contribute to the treatment of hair loss. They took photographs of the patients’ heads and assessed their hair density with a technique known as computerized light videodermoscopy at the beginning of the study and after they had taken the two medications for 12 months.

At the one-year mark, 23 (62 percent) patients were rated as improved using comparisons of the photographs. Thirteen patients did not improve, and one patient’s condition worsened. Hair density scores increased in 12 patients. On a questionnaire, 29 patients reported that their condition improved after 12 months, eight said that it had stabilized and none reported that it had worsened. None of the participants had adverse reactions to the treatment.

“This treatment was well accepted by the patients, who judged the results to be even better than did the investigators,” the authors write. “The clinical results using global photography, hair density scores and patient self-assessment provide a basis for future work. Further studies are needed to establish the optimal dosage and mode of administration of finasteride in premenopausal women and to definitively assess the efficacy of this drug compared with oral antiandrogens.”

For the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in men who have mild to moderate scalp hair loss of the vertex and anterior mid-scalp. Clinical studies were conducted in men between 18 to 41 years of age.

Not indicated for use in women or children.