I hear that for some patients, finasteride may begin to loose its effectiveness after several years of usage. Have you guys ever entertained the idea of cycling finasteride, or reducing the dosage for a period of time, to prevent the body from becoming acclimatized to the drug and subsequently making adjustments to receptors causing this? This method is commonly used by bodybuilders and others in the sports profession to elicit the maximum effect from the drugs they employ. Any comments?

hey....

my HT Doc told me to take finasteride every other day to accomplish just what you talk about...

rp1979-

I understand what you're saying about a "variable" regimen, but I'm not sure if it has been documented what that may or may not do for you.

I take Fin EOD and it works for me. Coming up to the 1 1/2 year mark and so far so good.

rp1979,

I agree with hairbank. As far as I know, there is nothing documented of this approach, so we can't predict what will happen. Keep in mind, however, that your philosophy may be flawed (I have no proof...just playing devil's advocate). Here's why:

If your body has become immune to the current dosage and not as effective, clearly reducing the quantity of the drug for a time will diminish the effectiveness of the drug even further, potentially causing more hair loss. Let's say at best, after you increase the dosage again, it becomes once again, as effective as it used to. Since finasteride is mostly used to KEEP hair, you will most likely not regrow the hair you lost during the time you decreased the medication.

Of course, this is all speculation...I can't confirm any of it.

Falc