Propecia is a licensed medicine for the treatment of men with male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) to increase hair growth and prevent further hair loss. Propecia is not licensed for use in women.
If you do not already have a prescription for Propecia then please visit Pharmacy2U's recommended provider of online consultations for Propecia click here:
Male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) is the most common form of hair loss in men, occurring in 30% of men by the age of 30, and 50% of men by the age of 50. In the year 2000 it was estimated that 6.5 million men were losing their hair.
Propecia can be prescribed to alleviate this problem.
In male pattern baldness or androgenetic alopecia the way hair grows changes. The affected hairs become thinner and lighter in colour. Eventually some hairs become impossible to see making you look bald. Propecia can help reverse this process.
Some men are genetically at risk of male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). In these men, hormones in the blood supply to the scalp causes each hair to grow for a shorter length of time, and this creates the thinning and light hair. Over a number of hair growth cycles, this results in the thin, pale hair that we see with male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia).
If left untreated, male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) will tend to get worse with time. This will happen at different rates for different people.
Despite being a very common condition male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) can have a serious effect on the sufferer and Propecia can help in many cases. Male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) can be associated with a poor body image, make people feel old and unattractive and in general have low self-esteem. This leads to a greater likelihood of depression and other psychological problems. In general first impressions are very important and having male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) can strongly affect whether or not a man perceives himself as attractive to others, and studies show that this perception can be correct as male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) can affect men's perceived sexual attractiveness.
Propecia (Finasteride) is the only prescription tablet in the UK for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia).
Propecia (Finasteride) belongs to a group of medicines called 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. It is a tan octagonal tablet, which is swallowed and is available in just one strength - 1mg.
Propecia (Finasteride) works by blocking the enzyme, Type II 5 alpha-reductase, and in doing so it reduces the level of the hormone in the scalp which shortens the hair growth cycle and allows hairs to revert to a normal growth cycle. This can result in stopping further hair loss and increasing new hair growth in men with male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Continuous use once a day for 36 months is required before benefit is seen, and effects are reversed 612 months after treatment is discontinued so continuous use is recommended to sustain benefit.
Clinical trials conducted on thousands of men have shown that after 2 years of use 66% (two thirds) of men showed increased hair growth. 30% of men showed a slight improvement, 31% moderate improvement and 5% great increase. 83% of men in the trial showed no further hair loss.
When taken at the recommended dose, the possible side effects of Propecia (Finasteride) are usually mild and generally have not caused the men to stop taking the medicine.
Possible side effects that have been identified with Propecia (Finasteride) include decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, decreased volume of ejaculate, breast tenderness and enlargement; rashes, itching and swelling of the lips and face; and testicular pain.
Propecia (Finasteride) should only be taken if your doctor has prescribed it for you.
Propecia (Finasteride) is only for men and should not be used by women due to serious risks in pregnancy and breast feeding.
Propecia (Finasteride) is not for use in children and adolescents.
'Propecia' should not be taken by men who are taking 'Proscar' (finasteride 5 mg) or any other 5a-reductase inhibitor for benign prostatic hyperplasia or any other condition.
You need a prescription from your doctor to legally obtain Propecia (Finasteride). Companies offering Propecia without a valid prescription are breaking the law, and you may be putting your health at risk.
For many men who are prescribed treatments for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), taking their prescription to the pharmacy represents an embarrassing hurdle which some may not overcome.
Pharmacy2U offers one option to avoid this hurdle. Pharmacy2U is an NHS contracted, fully registered pharmacy that specialises in national home delivery of medicines, including the common treatments for male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia). Pharmacy2U offers patients a professionally controlled and discreet service. All medicines are conveniently delivered in plain packaging to your chosen delivery address, so there is no need to go into a pharmacy. Medicines are dispatched by recorded delivery on the same day the prescription is received at Pharmacy2U.
The NHS does not pay for Propecia (Finasteride). This means your doctor will give you a private prescription that means you have to pay for the full cost of the medicine and also any dispensing fee the pharmacist chooses to charge. Big differences can exist depending on where you take your prescription to be dispensed. This means that it is important for you to find the best price available to you.
If you are going bald you should consider using Propecia to halt or even reverse your hair loss. While there is no Hair Loss Cure, hair loss drugs like Propecia can often stop or even reverse alopecia in most people.
Studies have shown that almost 80% of men using Propecia stopped or even reversed their hair loss to some degree.
Propecia (Finasteride) was originally a drug called Proscar, which was used to treat and reduce mens prostate conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Its parent company, Merck & Co., soon realized that the drug had a unique side effect - it grew hair on bald men's heads. In December 22, 1997 the FDA approved Propecia as a hair loss pill. Merck & Co. then marketed the drug as a hair loss treatment under the trade name of Propecia.
Baldness is largely the result of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) interacting with those hair follicles that are genetically vulnerable to their effects.
DHT is essentially the active ingredient or catalyst for the hair loss process. DHT binds with the receptor sites of genetically vulnerable follicles and gradually degrades the follicles ability to produce healthy hair. This eventually results in baldness in the affected areas.
Propecia works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into "DHT". By reducing the DHT present in the scalp the thinning process is slowed and some times even reversed.
However, Propecia has not been proven to restore hair in the frontal areas. For reasons yet unknown these drugs, along with Rogaine, generally only work in regrowing thinning hair in crown area of the scalp. Only hair transplant surgery has been successful in restoring hair in the frontal hairline area once it has been lost.
Propecia is also less effective in growing hair in older men. These hair loss drugs work best for men who have been balding for less than five years.
Most of the physicians recommended on this site will prescribe Propecia to halt a patients hair loss and then restore the hair already lost with hair transplant surgery. These treatments in combination can work synergistically. The drugs work to halt the hair loss, while hair restoration surgery restores what was lost.
Finasteride (brand name Propecia) is an orally administered medication for male pattern hair loss (MPHL). It is the only specific MPHL treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prescription by a physician. Several years of investigation and use by more than a million patients show that finasteride has long-term effectiveness and safety in treating MPHL in men of all ages and all ethnic backgrounds. Finasteride is sometimes used alone or in combination with minoxidil to complement hair transplantation. Finasteride is not recommended for use in women.
Finasteride's effects in slowing hair loss and stimulating new hair growth work best for early to moderate degrees of hair loss. Men with extensive hair loss are unlikely to experience much regrowth with finasteride; these men are better candidates for hair transplantation or other surgical approach to hair restoration.
Finasteride is most effective in stimulating hair regrowth over the crown of the scalp. It is less effective in stimulating regrowth at the front of the scalp-where hair loss is commonly called a "receding hairline". Physician hair restoration specialists may prescribe finasteride to prevent further hair loss by the patient, and carry out hair transplantation to provide coverage at the frontal hairline.
Finasteride: How It Works
Finasteride works at the molecular level to halt hair loss and stimulate new hair growth. It is a medication that selectively inhibits the activity of an enzyme that converts the "male hormone" testosterone into a form that is active in hair follicles.
Androgenic ("male") hormones such as testosterone have multiple effects in the body, including actions in the skin, hair follicles and prostate gland. Hair follicles and sebaceous (oil-producing) glands in the skin are particularly responsive to androgenic hormones.
Testosterone is the most potent of the androgenic hormones. Its actions on hair follicles, skin and prostate tissue is not direct however; These tissues are responsive to a form of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT); testosterone is converted to DHT by the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase. Finasteride acts by inhibiting the action of 5-alpha-reductase and thus inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into DHT.
Investigators over a number of years found that 5-alpha-reductase occurs in two forms identified as Type I and Type II, and that finasteride is effective in inhibition of Type II. Type I of the enzyme predominates in sebaceous glands. Type II occurs most abundantly in hair follicles and prostate tissue. Investigators found that:
Finasteride-an agent that inhibits the activity of Type II alpha-reductase and thus lowers the level of DHT in target cells-was first developed more than a decade ago to treat benign prostate enlargement. Prescribed under the brand name PROSCAR), at a dose of 5 milligrams a day it is used in treatment of benign prostate enlargement in men.
Following the lead of finasteride's effectiveness in treating benign prostate enlargement, investigators studied its use in treating MPHL. These studies confirmed that at a dose of 1 milligram per day, finasteride (brand name Propecia) is effective in treating MPHL in some but not all men.
Questions about the potential for Propecia to be associated with development or progression of prostate cancer have been addressed in a study reported in 2003.
Finasteride for treatment of hair loss should be prescribed only after examination by a physician hair restoration specialist.
Finasteride is not approved the use in women, and particularly in women who are pregnant or who become pregnant. The drug has potential for interfering with sexual development of a fetus.