I am now 29 and have been using propecia for around 6 years and my hair sitution has now got worse.
I was wondering With your expertise and vast knowledge if you would recommend me trying avodart to help my situation alongside propecia or take it by itself?
The studies that have been performed show that Avodart does work better than Propecia. The only problem is that we don’t know the long term consequences of taking it. You are blocking both forms of 5 alpha reductase. We don’t know if this will produce problems later on such as depression.
The other problem is we don’t know the proper dose because it has not been studied. People take it once a day or as little as once a week because it has a long half life. There are many patients on it because it works better than Propecia, but I’ve heard a few say that the Propecia worked better than the Avodart.
Shedding probably means it is working for you because hair shedding occurs when resting hairs return to the growing phase and push the old resting hair out. This means that the drug is stimulating growth or Anagen. Of course it could take up to one year before you see a noticable improvement. I think it will always work best when you have some existing hair. If your hair line is bald, don’t expect much benefit. If the hair line still has hair, then the Avodart could stimulate new growth. The main thing all these products do is prolong the life of hair. It is actually rare to see a significant improvement in coverage, but when it occurs, it can be amazing.
Do you recommend Zinc to treat hair loss
is a Zinc whitish metal that acts as an essential nutrient in humans. Its deficiency leads to a number of biochemical and physiological problems; it is required for hundreds of different biochemical reactions, so not having enough can affect many different systems in the body. Zinc helps the immune system stay strong so we can fight infection; it helps with growth and healing, and keeps our senses of smell and taste intact!
Some of the causes of zinc deficiency include chromic alcoholism, malnutrition, malabsorption (problems absorbing nutrients from the gut), vegetarianism (because plants provide much less zinc than animal products like meats), high intake of iron, and diarrhea. Dietary sources of zinc include meats, some seafood, dairy products, and nuts; people with meat/seafood in their diets absorb more zinc than people with largely plant proteins. Oysters have the highest zinc content of any food. Since zinc is known to have an effect on sexual function and fertility, perhaps this is where the age-old reputation oysters have as an aphrodisiac!
Supplementation of zinc may be necessary in some people prone to low zinc levels. Some people believe that in modern times our foods are so low in nutrients, that supplementing is always needed (although this is not the opinion of the scientific community as a whole). The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of zinc is around 10 mg per day for healthy adults. The upper limit considered safe is 40 mg per day for healthy adults. High intake of zinc (150 to 450 mg per day or more) may cause a number of health problems. Among these are low levels of copper, depressed immune system function with increased susceptibility to infection, retarded growth in children, loss of appetite, sexual dysfunction with erectile dysfunction in males, hair loss, diarrhea, delayed wound healing, slowed mental function, and altered taste and smell.
What scientific evidence is there for treating problems with zinc? There is strong evidence for using it to treat children in developing countries that have severe diarrhea, for treatment of stomach ulcers, and in the blood disease sickle cell anemia. There is good, but less strong evidence for the following:
- Acne
- ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- Down’s syndrome associated problems
- Fungus infections of the scalp
- Herpes virus infections
- High cholesterol
- Immune system boosting
- Plaque on teeth and gingivitis of the gums
Wilson’s disease, which causes abnormally high copper levels (remember how we said that too much zinc lowered copper levels in the body?)
