Finasteride Propecia

When it comes to buying hair growth products the internet is the best way to make your purchases with the least amount of embarrassment. It is a great way to avoid awkward moments at the local pharmacy store and a very wise way to save money as well. You can avoid that excruciating moment at the check stand when the boisterous clerk decides to ask for a price check on “PROPECIA, the Hair Growth Product?!” The fact of the matter is anyone who buys products for their thinning hair knows exactly what I am talking about, and for anyone else, consider yourself lucky.

The acceptance is always the most painful part; you finally come to the realization that you cannot stop the loss of your hair without some help from hair growth products. You visit your local brick and mortar pharmacy store to buy Propecia. You just want to get in, get your product and get out without so much as a word to anyone other than the necessary ones said to the pharmacist regarding your order. Unfortunately, this never happens. Life never works that way.

You end up seeing someone you know as the pharmacist is helping you at the counter. This person just happens to be standing right behind you in line. It could be an old buddy, an old girlfriend or just someone you went to school with a long time ago. The pharmacist calls out your name to an assistant in the back as they search for your order. This prompts the person behind you to tap you on the shoulder to see if it you really are the person they think you are.

They are happy to see you at first, but they quickly notice that you are acting a little stand-offish and gradually their face changes to a look of curiosity. They glance down at the counter as the pharmacist throws your order down proclaiming “Okay that’s 180 1milligram Propecia tabs. That will be $527.32.” You are horrified in two different ways at the same time. The insensitivity of the clerk and the price of your order have suddenly sent your blood pressure level through the roof! You turn towards the clerk, and then back towards the person you know from the past. As you are fumbling for words to say to this person they glance up at your hair line. Their face turns to a pitiful look of sorrow as they turn back and make eye contact with you. They realize that you have come to that store to pick up your hair growth medicine. This person always has a full head of hair.

Alopecia (baldness) is a cruel disease. It is only relatively recently that science and medicine have come up with any kind of treatments. In the old days when a person was afflicted with this condition they just had to suffer. Your only option was to wear a wig or a hat, and both of those methods only covered the problem.

Nowadays there are several ways to treat the symptoms of hair loss and most of them have been proven to actually work rather well. Propecia is one of the best products available. It is a drug that blocks the hormone that is responsible for hair loss. A significant number of men using this product have shown an increase in hair growth. It is an FDA approved drug that has been around for years now and has withstood the test of time.

Buying Propecia online is like mowing your lawn with a tractor/mower. It is the act of performing a chore minus the hard work and loss of dignity. The internet takes away the risk of experiencing an embarrassing situation at your local brick and mortar pharmacy store. You get to carry out this task in the comfort of your own home. Your order arrives at your door the next day in a plain package by way of FEDEX delivery, and not even the delivery person is wise to the fact that you are taking products to help you grow more hair. The prices are also much better when you order online than if you buy at a local pharmacy store. There is very little overhead with an online pharmacy. Because they have no employee salaries or building leases to pay for they are able to pass the savings on to their customers.

Background Finasteride is a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that has proved to be an effective treatment for men with androgenetic alopecia. Objectives To investigate the hormonal influence of finasteride 1 mg daily on hormonal levels and hair growth in men of different ages and with different degrees of alopecia according to the Hamilton-Norwood scale. Methods Two hundred and seventy men aged 14-58 years with male androgenetic alopecia III-VI Hamilton-Norwood score (II-III Ebling score) were treated with finasteride 1 mg daily. Steroid hormone (free testosterone, 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate, delta4-androstenedione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone), prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and sebum levels, and trichogram changes were determined at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months of treatment. Results According to significant hormonal statistical analysis, the patients were divided by age (up to or over 26 years). In the group of patients </= 26 years, higher levels of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone were found at the beginning of the treatment, but there was a 50% decrease between the onset of treatment and month 12, particularly noticeable at 6 months (P < 0.05) of treatment, running parallel to an improvement of the alopecia and an increase of anagen hairs in the trichogram. At 1 year, PSA levels decreased 20%, particularly in patients > 26 years. No variations in sebum levels were observed. Conclusions High levels of 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone in patients </= 26 years at the beginning of treatment are a predictive factor of good response to treatment with finasteride 1 mg daily.

Male Hair Loss

MODERATOR:
Dr. Ziering. Thank you for joining us today. What are the primary causes
for hair loss in men?

ZIERING:
The
primary cause of hair loss is genetics. That’s inherited or androgenic
hair loss and makes up the majority. There are some medical reasons as
well, and that can be related to thyroid conditions, anemia or skin disorders such as Lupus. Another common cause is alopecia areata, which is like an autoimmune condition — the body recognizes its own hair as foreign and causes the hair to fall out.

By far the greatest reason is the genetic cause and it’s inherited
from either the mother or fathers’ side, and that’s where the DHT that
comes from testosterone attacks the hair follicles, which results in
miniaturization of hair follicles and hair loss. It’s important to
understand that this hair loss is progressive. So if you have it, it’s
best to treat it earlier than later.

MEMBER QUESTION:
If a man takes testosterone, will that speed up the hair loss?

ZIERING:
Hair
loss is not so much a factor of the amount of testosterone but the fact
that testosterone is present and gets converted to DHT — that’s the
bad actor.

If you take certain steroids, such as in body building, you can
increase the rate of loss or potentiate or initiate an inherited form
of hair loss that is waiting to take place — you can advance it or
initiate it.

MODERATOR:
Once the process of hair loss starts, can it be stopped?

ZIERING:
Hair
loss itself, by nature, is progressive, which means it continues. To
stop it we can use medications. There are two FDA-approved medications
for men. Rogaine, or minoxidil, which is a topical product, liquid, which is applied directly to the scalp twice a day, and Propecia or finasteride, which is an oral pill taken once a day.

These medications work alone or even better, in conjunction to stop
the progressive nature of hair loss and in many patients, are able to
reverse some of the miniaturization of the hair follicles. However,
only hair transplantation is the permanent solution to hair loss.

“Some confusion comes from the fact there are hair “thickeners” which add moisture to the hair shaft and seal in moisture and therefore create the appearance of thicker, fuller hair, which is beneficial but does not grow new hair.”

MEMBER QUESTION:
Do topical sprays which purport to bring blood to the surface of the scalp work to regrow hair?

ZIERING:
Many
over-the-counter preparations claim to restore hair or regrow hair.
However only the two that we mentioned have been approved by the FDA
and have been studied in double blind clinical trials with proven
benefits.

Some products contain the topical preparation minoxidil in them; if
they do –as an ingredient — they will get the benefit of that
ingredient as if it was used alone.

MEMBER QUESTION:
What about shampoo treatments?

ZIERING:
Shampoos
are important for general hair care in that they remove dirt and oils
from the hair which cause the hair to be flat and lay in clumps.
Therefore shampoos can restore moisture to the hair shafts and give it
a healthier and shinier experience, but will not grow new hair.

Notice that even if humans shave their scalp, there
are no life-threatening effects that would result from the
none-existence of hair in one’s body. Scalp and body hair is not really
essential in human’s physical health. However, hair is a big help to
protect humans or all kinds of mammals for that matter, from excessive
cold or heat.Order finasteride propecia if you know you have problems with the hair loss.

The hair on the scalp grows at 6 inches length
annually. That is 0.3 to 0.4 mm everyday. There are no definite season
or cycle in the shedding of human hair. One may experience hair loss
any moment. At the same time, random number of hair strands may undergo
any of the three stages of hair shedding and hair growth. These stages
are anagen, catagen and telogen. During the anagen phase, 1 centimeter
is added to the existing hair length every 28 days and the scalp
remains in this active growth stage for at least two years till six
years. The catagen phase, the next stage after anagen, is the end of
the growth of the active hair. Catagen stage is the phase where the
body produces new hair and usually lasts from two to three weeks. The
last stage is the telogen, wherein eight percent of the hair is usually
at rest. When a hair undergoing telogen phase has been pulled out from
the scalp, it will reveal a dry, white, hard material at the root and
typically lasts for about 100 days for the hairs located at the scalp.

Everybody
is experiencing these three stages of hair growth. However, due to
several aspects, from environment to genetics, the result is varied,
causing alopecia or baldness for some. And since there are different
causes, there are also different types of hair loss and treatments.If you want
to treat your disease buy finasteride propecia at our online blog.
The
most common type of hair loss is the Androgenetic Alopecia or the
so-called Male/Female Pattern Baldness. Hair loss can be seen on most
top parts of the scalp. For men, receding hair line is the most visible
sign of androgentic alopecia.

The second most common type of hair
loss is the Telogen Effluvium (TE). This type of alopecia is commonly
related to severe or sudden stress that causes the hair to shed.
Although happens to men and women, the latter are usually affected by
TE due to certain events that only they can experience such as
childbirth, discontinued intake of oral contraceptives, and
miscarriage. In most cases, TE is a temporary phase of hair loss and
hair will soon grow back when the person has already recovered from
stress.

We also have the auto-immune hair disease called Alopecia
Areata which can be first experienced during childhood. Like the two
mentioned types of alopecia, it also affects both men and women. The
first sign of Alopecia Areata is the patchy hair loss usually happens
on the scalp. One who has Alopecia Areata may also undergo severe hair
loss causing all of the scalp hair to shed. There are also some cases
of Alopecia Areata where one does not only experience scalp hair loss
but loss of all body hair as well.Alopecia treatment buy finasteride propecia.

PROSCAR* (finasteride), a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound, is a specific inhibitor of steroid Type II 5α-reductase, an intracellular enzyme that converts the androgen testosterone into 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

Finasteride is 4-azaandrost-1-ene-17-carboxamide, N-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-3-oxo-,(5α,17β)-. The empirical formula of finasteride is C₂₃H₃₆N₂O₂ and its molecular weight is 372.55. Its structural formula is:

Finasteride is a white crystalline powder with a melting point near 250°C. It is freely soluble in chloroform and in lower alcohol solvents, but is practically insoluble in water.

PROSCAR (finasteride) tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets that contain 5 mg of finasteride and the following inactive ingredients: hydrous lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake and yellow iron oxide.

The study suggests that finasteride will cause little or no sexual dysfunction for most men who decide to take it, conclude the authors.

Men and their physicians need not hesitate to use a drug proven effective in preventing prostate cancer out of concern that it is likely to cause sexual dysfunction, say authors of a study conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group.

The authors, who surveyed more than 17,000 men 55 and older for seven years, reported their results in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The study found that men given finasteride reported on average more dysfunction than did men given a placebo. That small effect diminished over the seven years.

The results allay concerns about a negative side effect associated with finasteride up till now. Physicians usually warn that sexual dysfunction is a possibility when they discuss the drug with patients. Finasteride is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, but it is not yet FDA-approved for the prevention or reduction in risk for prostate cancer.

The study’s large sample and long follow-up period allowed researchers to examine whether or not finasteride negatively affected sexual function and, if so, whether this effect was lasting, said Carol Moinpour, Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle, the study’s lead author. She coordinates quality-of-life studies for the Southwest Oncology Group, the nation’s largest National Cancer Institute-funded clinical trials network.

The study grew out of the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, a large double-blind National Cancer Institute-funded study which found that finasteride, a drug which curbs the proliferation of prostate gland cells, is effective at preventing prostate cancer in men age 55 and older. The 2003 results of that trial, conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group in more than 18,000 men, showed that finasteride could reduce a man’s chances of getting prostate cancer by almost 25 percent.

The authors of the newly published sexual function results wanted to assess how many men in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial reported experiencing sexual dysfunction, and whether the problems decreased or increased over time. In earlier studies, some men taking finasteride reported decreased libido, impotence and other signs of diminished sexual function. But these studies were short-term and didn’t try to assess the effects of age and other health factors, as well as individual variation.

The study authors used two surveys, a widely used Sexual Problems Scale and another questionnaire which they created, the Sexual Activity Scale. They also gathered other data to take into account other health factors that affect sexual function, such as age, medical conditions and smoking status. They surveyed the subjects three times in the first year and then annually for seven years.

“Was this average decrease (in sexual function) an important difference” We concluded it was not,” Moinpour said, adding that there were much larger differences due simply to individual variation among men in the trial.

Finasteride

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. No COMMON side effects have been reported with Finasteride .

Finasteride

Finasteride 5 mg tablets are generally well tolerated; adverse reactions usually have been mild and transient.

4-Year Placebo-Controlled Study

In PLESS, 1524 patients treated with Finasteride 5 mg tablets and 1516 patients treated with placebo were evaluated for safety over a period of 4 years. The most frequently reported adverse reactions were related to sexual function. 3.7% (57 patients) treated with Finasteride 5 mg tablets and 2.1% (32 patients) treated with placebo discontinued therapy as a result of adverse reactions related to sexual function, which are the most frequently reported adverse reactions.

Table 4 presents the only clinical adverse reactions considered possibly, probably or definitely drug related by the investigator, for which the incidence on Finasteride 5 mg tablets were ≥1% and greater than placebo over the 4 years of the study. In years 2-4 of the study, there was no significant difference between treatment groups in the incidences of impotence, decreased libido and ejaculation disorder.

Phase III Studies and 5-Year Open Extensions

The adverse experience profile in the 1-year, placebo-controlled, Phase III studies, the 5-year open extensions, and PLESS were similar.

Medical Therapy of Prostatic Symptoms (MTOPS) Study

The incidence rates of drug-related adverse experiences reported by ≥2% of patients in any treatment group in the MTOPS Study are listed in Table 5.

The individual adverse effects which occurred more frequently in the combination group compared to either drug alone were: asthenia, postural hypotension, peripheral edema, dizziness, decreased libido, rhinitis, abnormal ejaculation, impotence and abnormal sexual function. Of these, the incidence of abnormal ejaculation in patients receiving combination therapy was comparable to the sum of the incidences of this adverse experience reported for the two monotherapies.

Combination therapy with Finasteride and doxazosin was associated with no new clinical adverse experience.

Four patients in MTOPS reported the adverse experience breast cancer. Three of these patients were on Finasteride only and one was on combination therapy.

The MTOPS Study was not specifically designed to make statistical comparisons between groups for reported adverse experiences. In addition, direct comparisons of safety data between the MTOPS study and previous studies of the single agents may not be appropriate based upon differences in patient population, dosage or dose regimen, and other procedural and study design elements.

Long-Term Data

There is no evidence of increased adverse experiences with increased duration of treatment with Finasteride 5 mg tablets. New reports of drug-related sexual adverse experiences decreased with duration of therapy.

During the 4- to 6-year placebo- and comparator-controlled MTOPS study that enrolled 3047 men, there were 4 cases of breast cancer in men treated with Finasteride but no cases in men not treated with Finasteride. During the 4-year, placebo-controlled PLESS study that enrolled 3040 men, there were 2 cases of breast cancer in placebo-treated men, but no cases were reported in men treated with Finasteride. The relationship between long-term use of Finasteride and male breast neoplasia is currently unknown.

In a 7-year placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 18,882 healthy men, 9060 had prostate needle biopsy data available for analysis. In the Finasteride 5 mg tablets group, 280 (6.4%) men had prostate cancer with Gleason scores of 7-10 detected on needle biopsy vs. 237 (5.1%) men in the placebo group. Of the total cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in this study, approximately 98% were classified as intracapsular (stage T1 or T2). The clinical significance of these findings is unknown. This information from the literature (Thompson IM, Goodman PJ, Tangen CM, et al. The influence of Finasteride on the development of prostatecancer. N Engl J Med 2003;349:213-22) is provided for consideration by physicians when Finasteride 5 mg tablets are used as indicated. Finasteride 5 mg tablets are not approved to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.