If you are an aging man, then you have probably heard of Finasteride. This is because this drug helps with some problems that commonly effect older men. Finasteride is generally used for two reasons. One is to decrease the size of the prostate, and the other is to help combat male patter balding.
It works in helping with both of these problems, because it is essentially treating the same hormone, which is responsible for both problems. That male hormone is called DHT. When a man grows older, the amounts of DHT that are produced increase, and this is mainly what leads to both having an enlarged prostate gland and losing your hair.
When you have an enlarged prostate, you will usually notice the symptom of having problems urinating. Usually, you will not be able to urinate with a regular stream, but rather through slow and sometimes painful dripping. Sometimes you will feel a burning sensation as well and in many cases, the urine will drip even when you are not going to the bathroom, so you might notice stains on your underwear from that.
Male pattern balding is also caused by heightened levels of DHT. This is the hormone that causes your hair follicles to weaken and fall out. What Finasteride does is that it works towards forcing the body to produce less DHT, which should, in theory remedy both problems.
In any case, and no matter which ailment you are suffering from, you definitely need to talk to your doctor before starting to use Finasteride. This is a serious drug and it should not be taken lightly. This is important to mention, because there are many generic brands of Finasteride being produced now that are sold online without a prescription. This is not a safe route to take. If you are interested in taking Finasteride you should talk to a doctor first in order to find out whether it is safe for you to take and whether it will do what you want it to do.
As far as helping with male pattern balding goes, Finasteride is not really a guaranteed solution. It works for a lot of people, but it does not work for just as many. There is about a 50 percent chance that it will work for you. If you are buying the drug for this problem, then you will probably be buying Propecia, which is the commercially sold drug for which Finasteride is the main active ingredient. Usually, if it is going to help, you will see some hair growth and positive change after about three months of taking the medication.
If you take it for over a year and you are not seeing any results, then there is a good chance that Finasteride simply will not work for you and cannot help you to regrow your hair or stop your hair loss. However, Finasteride is used more prominently for treating the problems related to an enlarged prostate, and it is more effective in treating that condition than it is in stopping male pattern balding.