Will My Hair Fall Out If I Stop Taking Propecia?

Several years ago, at the ripe old age of 22, I began to notice that my hair was falling out. Over the next year, I saw myself continue to get balder and balder, until I decided that I had to do something about it. I began to do some research, and realized that there are really only 3 medical options to treat male pattern baldness-a topical medication called Minoxidil (Rogaine), a prescription pill called Propecia, or hair transplantation surgery. After some deliberation, I decided to give the drug Propecia a try and I went to my dermatologist to get a prescription (for a more detailed account of this process, please see my previous Associated Content article).

After about six months of taking a Propecia pill once a day, I began to see a noticeable improvement in the thickness of the hair on my head. Areas of my scalp that had been visibly thinning just months before were once again thick with youthful hair. After another 6 months on Propecia, I noticed that my previously-receding hairline had begun to creep back up to its normal position. I have to say that I was impressed-Propecia really did seem to stop my hair loss in its tracks and even reversed the process somewhat. No longer was I facing the prospect of being completely bald by the age of 30.

There's just one little catch to treating your hair loss with Propecia-it's an expensive drug that you have to take every day for the rest of your life. Merck, the manufacturer of Propecia, and my dermatologist were very clear about that fact from the beginning. Of course, at the age of 22, you don't really listen to anything you're told, so the warning kind of went in one ear and out the other.

Three years after starting Propecia, I experienced some changes in my career and I was without a steady income for about 9 months. During that time, expenses had to be cut, and the $2-per-pill Propecia was one of the first things to go. I hadn't really even thought about my hair loss in quite some time, and I couldn't imagine that I would just start going bald overnight if I stopped taking my daily dose of the drug. For the first 2 months or so, I didn't notice any difference. My hair was still thick and full, and didn't seem to be falling out.

The thing about hair loss, though, is it creeps up on you. One day, around the third month of being off Propecia, I looked in the mirror after a shower and noticed thinning areas that I hadn't seen in quite some time. Maybe I was just freaked out and looking closer, but I would also swear that about the same time I began to notice hair falling out everywhere - on my pillow, in the sink, on my desk. The shedding of hair came on quick and was substantial.

At about 6 months off the drug, I would say that my hair loss had progressed to the point where it was when I originally sought treatment. Call me crazy, but for some reason, I thought it would stop there...it didn't. Over the next 3 months, my hair continued to get thinner and thinner, and my hairline quickly receded, exposing more and more of my forehead. After 9 months, I couldn't stand looking at my hair in the mirror anymore, so I scraped up the money to start taking Propecia again.

When I re-started the drug, I have to say that results came much slower than before. Slowly but surely I am noticing an improvement in the thickness of my hair, but I am not sure that it will ever return to where it was before I stopped taking Propecia. Plus, as many Propecia users know, you may experience increased hair loss when first starting Propecia as newer, healthier hairs start to grow; by stopping the drug and then starting again, you have to go through this embarrassing period all over. To answer the question posed in the headline of the article: Yes, your hair will absolutely fall out if you stop taking Propecia, quicker and more significantly than you probably think. If you are on Propecia and are happy with the results, do yourself a favor and don't stop taking the drug. No matter what you think, you won't be able to cheat the laws of biology.