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.