General Information

The main indication for taking Propecia is genetically determined androgenetic alopecia. This is a hormone disruption, which is characterized by a pathological hair loss in men.

Androgenic alopecia can be observed even in young men. A young man can notice the first signs of baldness already at the age of twenty years . A small bald spot start to form on a man’s head. There can be a complete loss of hair follicles if the patient does not take well-timed action to treat the hormone disruption. As a result, baldness becomes sustained, the severity of the disease elevates repidly, which requires more active and prolonged medical maintenance.

The reason of hair loss is a surplus of dihydrotestosterone. This substance accumulates in the hair follicles when the concentration of the active form of testosterone in the blood rises. An increase of dihydrotestosterone in hair follicles provokes thinning and discoloration of hair.

For quite a long time there was no way to treat genetical alopecia. It was believed that this is inextirpable disease. Now everything is different. A qualitative effective medicine of Propecia appeared in the market.

The medicine suppresses the excessive production of the male hormone dihydrotestosterone, which normally accumulates in hair follicles. Propecia helps in 95% of cases of male pattern baldness.

The active component of Propecia is Finasteride. It was certified for use under the name Proscar in 1992. Generic propecia tablets contain 1 mg of Finasteride.

Finasteride refers to synthetic agents and exhibits an antiandrogenic effect. The active medicine substance blocks the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which dramatically increases the activity of testosterone, turning it into another compound – dihydrotestostron. As a result, its concentration in the blood decreases. It is known that the “male hormone” promotes baldness: this problem often occurs in patients with high level of testosterone . In addition, a high level of hormones in the blood increases the size of the prostate gland.
Propecia is available in the form of tablets. Each tablet contains 1 mg of Finasteride (active ingredient). Form and type of tablets may vary. As a rule, the tablets have a brownish hue, an octagonal shape and are covered with a shell. Each tablet is engraved on one side with “PROPECIA 1”, and on the other side – “MRK 71”

Propecia is intended to treat only the androgenic form of alopecia (male pattern baldness, hereditary alopecia).
What forms of baldness should not be treated with this medication?

The medicine is not intended for treatment of alopecia areata, baldness caused by a lack of vitamins and nutrients and similar forms of baldness. The nature of these forms of alopecia is completely different than in the case of androgenic alopecia.
Propecia will not help against alopecia in case the level of hormones is normal or low. On the contrary, it will cause side effects that will be associated with the oppression of the male function. The most common symptoms are gynecomastia or enlargement of the mammary glands.

The use of Propecia is strictly prohibited to women, as this can lead to serious side effects.

Precautions

The medicine can be used only by men and only after consultating a specialist (trichologist) in case if a doctor diagnoses alopecia. The first step is to determine the blood androgen level.

The drug should not be taken by women and men in which hair loss was diagnosed before they reached the age of 18 – 20.
The medicament is contraindicated to men with diseases of ductless glands. Propecia is contraindicated in case of severe liver and renal impairment failure and in case of allergic reaction or intolerance of the drug.

How to take?

It is necessary to take one tablet of finasteride 5mg every day.

It is necessary to take Propecia daily for three months or more, so that the effect becomes noticeable. After 6 months of use, you can notice your hair starts growing again. It will not be a peach fuzz but real hair. The use of Propecia does not make sense if you do not let the medicine to work for twelve months at least. Failure to take the medicine on time can lead to loss of restored hair, even if the use of Propecia proved effective.

You should continue your medication regimen in case you missed a scheduled intake of Propecia Online. Take just one tablet the next day. Do not try to compensate for missed receptions using higher doses or more tablets. Propecia will not act better or faster if you take more than one tablet a day. You will rather get side effects.

Special instructions and individual applications of the medicinal product

Treatment of allopecia is directly related to the level of hormones. The level of hormones depends on the dosage of the drug. Therefore, it is possible to increase the dosage from 1 to 5 mg per day as the instruction allows however with a due control of the level of blood hormones.

Since Finasteride is used not only for baldness but for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia it is necessary to get assessment by an urologist and exclude prostate and urethral diseases especially prostatitis and urogenital infections before taking the tablets.

Side effects

It can still cause side effects despite the fact that the safety of the drug has been reliably proven. They occur extremely rarely and pass very quickly.

The side effects noted in the clinical trials of medicinal product were rare and were not relevant for most men. Men experienced any of the following side effects related to the sexual sphere in about 0.5% of cases:

• problems of potency;
• decreased sexual vigor;
• reduction of sperm quantity.
• There is no one-sided opinion about Propecia’s involvement in these side effects for two reasons:
• Side-effects disappeared in most men (58%) who continued to take Propecia.

In the control set who took placebo instead of Propecia the same side-effects were observed!

Overdose

• You can take a maximum of 5 mg of the drug in one day.
• An overdose occurs if this amount is exceeded. It is similar to an allergic reaction, however much more intense. This condition can be dangerous for the health.
• Symptoms of overdose suggest the need to stop taking the medicine and go to the hospital to remove the substance from the blood.
  Use the product in recommended dosage to avoid overdose. You need to consult an expert if you notice a deterioration in the quality of sexual life while taking Propecia.

Interactions

Propecia can be taken in combination with other medicines. Studies have not shown drug interaction with the other drugs.

Drug and Alcohol

• Propecia can be taken with food and without food.
• The combination of the drug with alcoholic beverages does not reduce the effectiveness of tablets.
• It is advisable to adhere to proper nutrition during treatment.
• The diet should include more foods rich in calcium, iron, vitamins and minerals.
• The menu should include green vegetables, fruits, sea cabbage, milk and legumes, products with gelatin content, sea fish, poultry meat and nuts. Refrain from eating fatty, spicy, salty, fried or spicy food. Avoid sweet pastries and confectionery.

Propecia usually produces very good results allowing to restore hair growth not only on the parietal region but also in the region of the frontal bald patches. These areas are usually difficult to treat.

The effectiveness of Propecia in the fight against alopecia is manifested by the fact that approximately 34% of men who took Propecia had the same amount of hair or increased, while 66% had a significant number of new hair instead of those which had fallen out. And these were not peach fuzz (the feeling that something seems to be growing there), but real normal hair. Clinical investigations have shown that the overwhelming majority of patients using Propecia at least completely retain the amount of hair that they have today. Imagine that if you come to the mirror after two or three years you will see that you have the same hairstyle as this morning, and the chances are high that a completely different person with normal hair will look at you in the mirror.

According to clinical investigations it is necessary to take Propecia daily for 3 months or more, so that the effect of slowing and stopping the process of hair loss becomes noticeable. You can notice growing hair again after 6 months of use. Further application of Propecia is most likely impractical in the event that it has not worked for twelve months.

Clinical investigations show that prolonged use of a medication can not have a detrimental effect on a man’s health.

Reviews

Dominik: This is a very good medicine. I took it strictly according to the instructions and after 6 months I observe a positive result.
Ken: I take the drug for more than 2.5 years. I started when I was 25 years old. Everything was fine a year and a half after the start but then my libido decreased sharply. I stopped taking it for a week and then continued with 1/4 of the pill, then gradually increased to 1/2 – 1/3. Now everything is normal.

Garry: I am 34 years old. Two years ago my hair brightened, became dull and thin, and then began to fall out. This was particularly pronounced in the parietal region of the head. I started to take Propecia. People started to say that my hair looks much healthier after 5 months. I noticed it myself! Hair became thicker and darker and they again began to shine. Hair on the vertex became thick, as in childhood. The front line of the hair has not recovered so well, but it does not get any worse.

Olly: I started to notice that the hair thinned and started to appear in the bald patches a year ago. I started taking Propecia. I took one tablet once a day. I did not notice a change in my sexual desires. Sexual life continues. Three months later my hair became thicker and darker. My bald patches decreased considerably after a year of daily intake. I am very pleased with the result and will continue to take the drug further.

Nuri: This medicine did not help me. It just got worse. I started to seek doctor’s help. After the examination it turned out that my baldness is not genetic. I need to take tests and determine the cause of hair loss. Always consult a doctor before use! Do not repeat my mistakes.