Will I Continue Losing My Hair if I Stop Taking Finasteride?
Persistence is Key When It Comes to Treating Hair Loss
Persistence usually pays off. You might have to wait longer than you’d like for things like weight loss, building muscle or your investments to start showing results and pay off, but if you stick to most things long enough, they’ll turn out the way you hoped.
The same is true for hair loss treatments. Foams and sprays like minoxidil, or prescription medicine like finasteride take a few months to start working. The good news, for the latter treatment, after a year of continuous use, most men will see some positive effects with respect to slowing down hair loss and even growing new hairs. But what happens if you stop the treatment, even after a year or two of positive results?
Finasteride works by halting the body’s natural process of converting testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) — a hormone that is believed to play an important role in male-pattern baldness. Finasteride only has a half-life of about 5–6 hours in men 18–60 years of age, increasing to 8 hours past the age of 70. That’s why it’s prescribed to be taken on a daily basis.
As your body processes the dose and it’s eventually excreted from the body, the active ingredient wears off and your body’s normal DHT conversion process will resume. Since DHT affects the way hair grows, making them thinner and more likely to fall out, the more highly it’s concentrated on the scalp, the more likely you are to lose hair, depending on your genetic predisposition.
All this to say, finasteride is not a cure for hair loss. You can’t simply use it until you regrow some hair and then discontinue use, you’ll need to keep using it to see positive effects. Which begs the question: is long term use of finasteride safe?
Since it’s been used for years as a treatment for both benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and male-pattern baldness, lots of research has been conducted to evaluate finasteride’s safety. One massive study, entitled the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, evaluated more than 18,000 men who had been taking finasteride on a daily basis for seven years. The study concluded long term finasteride use posed little risk — good news for anyone counting on the treatment to help out with male-pattern baldness.
Like with most prescription drugs however, there is a risk of side effects. Most notbaly, a small percentage (2.1–3.8%) of men have reported experiencing sexual side effects as a result of taking finasteride. The most common sexual side effects were related to ejaculation (less semen than normal), decreased sex drive, and erectile dysfunction. The side effects were important enough for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to force the makers of finasteride to update their labels in 2012.
Sexual side effects do not persist for most men after they discontinue using finasteride. In one academic review of finasteride, it found that side effects were reversible in five days. But some experience longer term side effects. Given how important sexual health is to overall health, anyone experiencing these side effects should tell their doctor immediately. All prescription drugs come with some risk, so men should only take finasteride if prescribed by a certified physician.
The Takeaway
Since male-pattern baldness affects up to 50 percent of all men, it’s no wonder an effective treatment is highly sought-after. Here are a few important points about finasteride:
- Finasteride can be effective in slowing down male-pattern baldness and encouraging new hair growth.
- Finasteride can take months, or even a year, to produce results; and has to be taken daily
- Discontinuing the use of finasteride will allow the body to resume its normal process of converting testosterone into DHT.
- Long term use of finasteride is generally seen as safe, but there is a risk of sexual side effects.
- Most side effects will disappear once finasteride is no longer being taken
If you’re looking to check out treatments to help you stand up to hair loss, consult a doctor to assess your current situation and explore your options. And remember, whether it’s hair loss, exercise, or anything in between — persistence pays off.
