Propecia: finasteride against hair loss

Propecia is a drug prescribed for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)..

Its working principle is based on finasteride, an inhibitor of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme.

The drug acts by preventing at the base the process that leads to hair loss.

The side effects related to its use for alopecia mainly concern the sexual sphere.

What is Propecia

The term Propecia refers to a medication prescribed to treat the symptoms of BPH and androgenetic alopecia. Depending on the use, tablets taken orally have a different concentration of active ingredient of finasteride: 1mg for hair loss and 5mg for BPH.

The drug is one of the very few approved by the U.S. FDA agency for the treatment of hair loss and you can buy it at any pharmacy.

How does the medicine for alopecia

Hair loss is an increasingly common problem that affects both men and women.

By taking  1mg of Propecia, the body is able to counteract the underlying mechanism that leads to hair loss. Specifically, the drug has within it a specific content of finasteride that inhibits the formation of DHT. This hormone, formed from testosterone by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, binds to the androgen receptors of hair follicles and leads to their progressive miniaturization.

By inhibiting in principle the action of the enzyme mentioned above, Propecia allows to stop hair loss..

The results are visible after a few weeks from the beginning of the therapy and concern the stop of the hair loss, a greater density of the hair and in some cases even a regrowth.

Can the medication be used forever?

Use of the medication must be regulated by a treating physician. If there are no contraindications or side effects, you can decide to prolong the intake of the medication even for years..

A more in-depth look at this issue can be found at the following link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11809594/.

Contraindications and side effects of Propecia

The contraindications concern those who are allergic to the active ingredient contained in the drug, children and women. In the latter case, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, even physical contact with this medicine should be avoided as the active ingredient of finasteride contained in Propecia could lead to genital malformations in the male fetus.

Although it is not something very frequent, the side effects of the medicine mainly concern the sexual sphere. In particular, decreased libido, reduced ejaculate volume and problems with erection may occur.

Other less frequent side effects include testicular pain, tachycardia and increased feelings of anxiety.

Alternatives to Propecia

Depending on individual conditions and the presence of contraindications or side effects, some alternatives may be more suitable.

For example, a therapy based on minoxidil, another drug, results in an improvement in the general condition of the hair and scalp, with strengthening of the stems and stronger regrowth.

An effective alternative to Propecia is definitely the hair transplantation. Through this procedure it is possible to regrow hair where they have fallen out completely.

Some pre-post hair transplant results can be found at the following link.