Top 4 Things You Can Do To Prevent Hair Loss From Steroids
by CED59, October 19th 2011
I’m not much for “Top” lists, but I’ve gotten several emails (and private messages) asking what and how are the most important steps for preventing hair loss from steroids. So I decided to do a “top 4” list, in order of importance. Make sure your physician approves and do not attempt to experiment with anabolic steroids or hair loss medications without the approval and appropriate prescriptions from a legitimate medical professional. The first 4 suggestions I feel are mandatory, any other treatments may be helpful but optional.
1. Avoid overly androgenic steroids.
The most crucial aspect of preventing hair loss from steroids is not using overly androgenic steroids. Trenbolone, Dianabol, Winstrol, Masteron, Anadrol and high doses of any analogue of testosterone are off limits! These androgens readily convert to DHT. If you are prone to male baldness, excessive DHT levels will speed up the process dramatically. You best options, with a valid prescription, are Anavar, Turinabol, Superdrol (currently over-the-counter) and low doses of testosterone in combination with finasteride. Avoiding androgenic steroids is by far the most important aspect of preventing hair loss from steroids. If you are prone to male pattern baldness and use excessively androgenic steroids, your hair will start falling out – regardless of what hair loss prevention medications or treatments you use. For a list of the best and worst steroids for hair loss check out:
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2. Get finasteride.
Ask your doctor to prescribe you finasteride and get it from a legitimate American pharamacy. Propecia is the brand name. You can also get Proscar, which is 5mg finasteride and cut them into fourths, if your doctor approves (most will). Propecia, not available as a generic until early 2013(?), costs $69/month. But Proscar, available as a generic, costs about $49 for a 3 month supply. Get the Proscar if you want to save money.
In short, finasteride reduces your DHT levels. Less DHT, less potential hair loss. Finasteride, however, only inhibits DHT that is created by the 5-ar reductase, from testosterone. Finasteride will only lower DHT from testosterone-based steroids. It will not lower DHT or prevent hair loss from any other steroids.
Invalid Link Removed (or in our case, defense) against male pattern baldness. According to the clinical trial sponsored by Merck (the manufacturer of Propecia) 1 mg of finasteride, taken daily, can lower DHT levels up to 70%. There is an Australian study that concluded that 1 mg, taken every 3 days, can lower DHT levels up to 66%. A 66% to 70% reduction in DHT is will stop just about any and all hair loss for most men.
I often get emails asking if the side effects of finasteride are common and permanent – loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, potential gynecomastia (from elevated estrogen levels), etc. I can only speak from my own experience – but my answer is: no and no. As with all prescriptions drugs (and over-the-counter medications), some people will experience side effects. I am not one of them. Any sort of lack of libido can be increased with a higher testosterone dose (don’t go over 500mg, in my opinion). If worst came to worst, hormone replacement therapy would get your DHT and testosterone levels back into range. You aren’t going to be castrated for life. The half-life of finasteride is about 12-14 hours, if you start experiencing side effects – stop taking it. A lot of guys out there run steroid cycles for 3 to 6 months at a time and are able to recovery their testosterone levels in 4 to 6 weeks.
This is not to downplay the legitimate potential or severity of the side effects but consider that hundreds of thousands of adult males take finasteride for male pattern baldness or benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and do not suffer any side effects. The reward greatly outweighs the risk; the risk can be minimized simply by discontinuing the medication. If you think your sex drive is lowered, stop taking it. The people that experience lasting side effects were likely on the medication for long periods of time. Proceed with optimism and caution. This is my opinion. I’ve used it for 10 years.
3. Get a high-quality minoxidil formula that contains 5% azelaic acid.
Minoxidil is clinically proven and FDA-approved to regrow hair. For most guys, it probably won’t yield significant regrowth. But it will minimize the amount of hair you lose. I find that I lose far less hair when showering if I’m using minoxidil on a daily basis. In fact,
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Most guys, including myself haven’t had much luck with most generic cheap minoxidil formulas. Minoxidil formulas with azelaic acid are significantly better in my experience. Azelaic acid is clinically proven as detailed in the
Invalid Link Removed to inhibit up to 100% of type-1 and type-2 DHT. This shouldn’t lead you lead believe that simply applying azelaic acid to your scalp will prevent 100% of your potential hair loss – but it does help, significantly – in my experience. I personally use and suggest
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4. Get a ketoconazole shampoo.
Ketoconazole is the only shampoo ingredient that is clinically proven to inhibit DHT synthesis and promote hair growth. In a study published in the
Invalid Link Removed Belgian researchers concluded that ketoconazole, when applied topically to the scalp in a shampoo carrier, was as effective as 2% minoxidil in the "long-term" treatment of genetic pattern androgenic thinning hair. In a study published in the
Invalid Link Removed Japanese researchers found that ketoconazole, applied topically, can stimulate hair growth and aid the treatment of thinning hair.
I suggest that you wash your hair every other day with the ketoconazole shampoo – leaving it on your head for 5 minutes at a time.
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5. Get a high-quality hair growth shampoo.*
Suggestion five is optional, but it certainly won't hurt. For most guys, Minoxidil and ketoconazole can certainly dry out your scalp and not really promote the most “growth friendly” environment. Although it not the main factor in hair loss (a genetic sensitivity to DHT is), poor scalp health and inflammation will only accelerate male pattern baldness. A high-quality hair growth shampoo can, in theory, improve the effects of minoxidil and seemingly help you regrow hair lost to DHT – and ALL hair lost (or shed) due to non-androgenic causes. Keeping as many hairs as possible in the anagen (growth phase) will minimize how much is lost. This suggestion obviously ranks significantly after suggestion 1 and 2, but may help some guy, particularly guys that are only moderately prone to androgenic alopecia. My suggestion is N2Shampoo from Need2BuildMuscle. It’s GREAT stuff, it makes my hair grow super fast.
So as of October 19[SUP]th[/SUP] 2011, those are the top 4 things you should do to prevent hair loss from steroids. They will help, but will likely not prevent hair loss if you are running high amounts of androgenic compounds. Ultimately, the amount of hair loss you experience from steroids or in your lifetime is simply based on [literally] how many hairs on your head are not genetically programmed to resist DHT.
I’ve had 2 small hair restoration procedures and the results were really great – so if you’ve lost hair and you want it back – it can be done. If your concerned about hair loss and “just shave your head bro,” isn’t you for – I believe these suggestions will help. Please note that these suggestions will likely not regrow significant amounts of hair – but rather to prevent further hair loss.
A lot of us want to “have our cake and eat it too…” or “have our juice and… you get the point.”
* please note that some of the links on this post I will get a 4% commission from if you purchase the product. If you do, thanks! If not, it’s all good! I truly hope this help you out regardless! 
