| My Experiences With Propecia |
| Dave Decker (Intro by Karen Marie Shelton) |
| Revised - 10/17/2007 - Original Publication
Date:9/16/1998 |
Introduction
There has been a lot of recent press about the hair loss wonder
drug known as Propecia. The news about Propecia is that it seems to work in a large number
of cases for the men who take it. Unfortunately, because of known side effects, Propecia
is not available for women (as of 9/98).
Whenever there is a new drug like Propecia, a lot of people are willing to try it
without the benefit of knowing whether it works or not.
In those situations it is always best, when possible, to get the first hand experience
of a regular user of the drug. The Hair Boutique's hair loss expert, Spencer David Kobren, has
had a lot of experience with Propecia
and it has worked very well for him.
We decided that we wanted to hear feedback directly from a new user of
Propecia. We
felt that a new user could give us current information on using this new hair loss drug.
The Hair Boutique recently asked one of our regular guest authors to write about his new
experiences with Propecia.
Dave Decker shares with the Hair Boutique visitors what he has experienced since he
started taking Propecia.
While Dave has very long hair, he has reported "that hair loss is also a
concern".
Dave states that "I feel fortunate that my hair loss has been progressing very
slowly. If male relatives (genetics) are any indication, my prognosis is both good and
bad. Bad in that I won't be able to keep all of my hair, but good in that I will be able
to keep most of it. All of my elder male relatives have hair that has thinned on top, but
none have gone bald on top."
Hair Boutique Note: Be sure to read Dave's great article
on detangling long
hair.
Dave also commented that "since I love and have long hair, hair loss is a big
concern for me. My hairline has been receding at my temples by about one inch from the
original hairline. Although the process started almost five years ago, I want to arrest it
and reverse it if possible."
Dave
read Spencer David Kobren's book about PropeciaThe Bald Truth: The First Complete Guide to Preventing and Treating Hair Loss as
well as taking and using supplemental herbs. As a result, Dave purchased the laundry list
of items Kobren recommend, and started taking them all.
One side benefit Dave mentioned is that "he has been feeling better overall".
For more information about
Propecia, you can read the AskSpencer column or
check out an additional Hair Boutique propecia book Propecia by
Othniel J. Seiden.
Visit the Hair
Loss Forum on Hair Boutique to post or review hair loss questions and issues.
Thanks Dave.
Article
As of this writing, I have been taking Propecia (Finasteride) in 1 mg pills each day
for the past two months. I have also been concurrently taking one tablet of each of the
following on a daily basis as well:
- Pygeum
- Saw Palmetto
- Green Tea
- B-Complex
- Zinc
So I cannot attribute the results I have seen so far to either Propecia or the herbs
and minerals in isolation, but only in combination.
The results? Within the first two or three weeks of this drug/herb/vitamin regimen, I
noticed two things: that my scalp (and the hair near the scalp) was noticeably less oily,
and that the rate at which my hair "fell out" on a daily basis was also
noticeably reduced.
I plan to continue with the described regimen indefinitely, and I'm hoping that in time
I will see regrowth in the areas in which I have suffered hair loss.
Other Related Hair Boutique Links & Articles Of Interest
If you have comments or questions for Dave you can post a message for him
on the Hair Politics or the Hair Talk
board. Please be sure and post your email address if you want Dave to correspond
with you. |