Propecia info
Propecia is currently the only licensed medicine in the UK for the treatment of men with male pattern baldness. Propecia is not licensed for use in women or children. Baldness is a condition which mainly affects men and can start even in your early teen or 20s, however about 50% of men will have experience it by their 50s.
Baldness (androgenetic alopecia) occurs when the hair on the scalp is sensitive to the hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This sensitivity leads to male pattern baldness by changing how the hairs grown making them shorter and thinner hair. DHT is believed to cause the hair follicles begin to shrink permanently stopping hair from growing back. Male pattern baldness normally begins in the temple or side region of the head or at the vertex, so you can look out for the first signs of thinning hair. Left untreated hairloss will continue to worsen over time. If you are concerned about losing your hair you should act quickly to slow down or reverse hair loss, and prevent hair follicles from being permanently damaged.
If you have a family history of hair loss on either side of your family, you may have an increased risk for male pattern hair loss.
Can I get Propecia from my NHS GP?
Whilst hairloss can be distressing for some men, your GP cannot prescribe the treatment on the NHS as hairloss is considered to be a cosmetic problem and the high costs of medication can not be justified within the restricted NHS budget.
How can I obtain hair loss medications?
Propecia is the only licensed prescription hair loss treatment available in the UK, so if you want to obtain treatment, it must be prescribed privately by a medical practitioner. When a private prescription is issued the patient must foot the bill for their own treatment.
Do not buy Propecia without a prescription and be wary of sites advertising to sell you the medications without either offering a doctor's service or asking for you to provide a paper prescription.
How much does Propecia cost?
The cost would depend on the doctor's fees and pharmacy retail price of the medication but should not be prohibitive. Prices can vary so it pays to shop around. It is important to find a reliable source, so be cautious of tablets advertised at just a few dollars, as the chances are the medications are fakes manufactured outside the EU with no regulations on safe production or distribution of drugs. Propecia must be taken on an on-going basis in order to maintain hair growth or prevent hairloss and in the long run can prove to be expensive.
Is it effective? How long does it take to see results?
Propecia is can help halt hairloss in about 33% per cent of men. This medication has been clinically shown encourage visible re-growth in about 67% percent of men, and in most of these cases it also helps hair to grow back.
Noticeable re-growth will appear in the first 3-6 months. The success of the treatment depends on how bad the hair loss has been and how long it has been happening, so generally the sooner you start the better.
Although results will vary, generally you will not be able to grow back all the hair you have lost.
If Propecia has not worked for you within 12 months, further treatment is unlikely to be of benefit, so it is recommended treatment is discontinued.
I've forgotten to take a tablet, will my hair fall out?
Continued use of this medicine is recommended to obtain the maximum benefit. Missing one tablet on rare occasions will not do any damage because to undo the effects of Finasteride you would have to stop taking the medication completely. Within 9 to 12 months you would lose any hair you have gained and normal hairloss would resume, so that really confirms that the treatment is only really cosmetic.
Propecia side effects
A small number of men (less than 2%) may experience certain sexual side effects, such as less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, or a decrease in the amount of semen.
The reported side effects disappear when treatment is stopped, and can disappear over time when continuing use of the medication.