Hair Loss (Service)

This service is suitable for you if you:

• Are male (birth sex).
• 18 years of age or older.
• You have male pattern hair loss.

This service is not suitable for you if you:

• Are female (birth sex).
• Under 18 years of age.
• Require a prescription for a medication not listed in our application form.
• Are already using medication to treat benign prostate conditions.
• Have a history of breast or prostate cancer.

Male pattern hair loss is the most common type of hair loss in men (androgenic alopecia). Men can begin to notice a receding hairline or scalp hair loss any time after puberty.

It affects around 30% of men by 30 years of age, and 50% by the age of 50 years. For some men, this normal ageing process can cause significant psychological distress, particularly if it is excessive, or occurs in early adult life.

This pattern of hair loss can sometimes occur in females. Unfortunately, we are NOT able to provide this treatment for females safely via our prescription service.

Male pattern hair loss is caused by a combination of hormonal and genetic factors. The hormone testosterone is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which causes hair follicles to shrink and hair to fall out sooner.

This process has more of an effect on some individuals than others and is usually more pronounced if you have a family history of male pattern hair loss, which can be inherited from either parent.

There are many other causes of hair loss in men; stress, certain other illnesses, some medications, cancer treatments, and some hairstyle treatments.

The hair loss may be temporary or permanent. If you are concerned about another cause for your hair loss, you should speak with a doctor for advice.

Unfortunately, the treatment offered by our service is for male pattern hair loss ONLY and will not help other causes of hair loss.

There is no cure for male pattern hair loss, but we can arrange a prescription for tablets (a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor) to help prevent further loss and encourage growth, subject to clinical suitability.

Treatment will not recover any significant hair already lost and will only maintain improvements for as long as you are taking the medication. Benefits will be lost within 6 months of stopping treatment.

A daily dose of 1mg or 1.25 mg is taken orally daily. We can issue prescriptions for 1mg or 5mg tablets (more cost effective). 

The 1mg tablets are taken once daily. The 5mg tablets can easily be cut into quarters using a tablet cutter (available at any pharmacy) and a dose of 1.25mg is taken once daily. The 5mg tablets prescription will be for 46 tablets, which (when cut into quarters) is enough for 6 months of treatment.

It can take 3-6 months of continuous use before any benefit is seen. There is no evidence that an increased dose will provide better or faster results.

If no improvement is observed by 12 months of continuous treatment, it is unlikely this treatment will work for you and you should stop it.

Please be aware, this is an “off-licence” use of the 5mg medication.

Every medicine must have a licence for its specified use, issued by the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority. However, some medications have additional therapeutic uses outside of their intended use.

This 5mg medication has a product licence to treat prostate problems but can be used at lower doses to treat hair loss in men in an “off-licence” manner, a well recognised use of this medication.

A licensed version of this medication (1mg tablets) is also now available on the Irish market and can also be requested. Please let us know your preferred dosage during the request process.

This medication blocks the conversion of the hormone testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT causes male hair loss by causing the hair follicles to shrink and stop working. By decreasing the levels of DHT that can act on the hair follicles in the scalp, hair loss is reduced.

This medication will only stimulate hair growth on the scalp, it will not stimulate hair growth on other areas of the body.

Side effects of this treatment are uncommon and are usually mild:

• Rash.
• Erectile dysfunction.
• Decreased libido.
• Tenderness in/ around the nipple area.
• Low mood/ suicidal thoughts.

It is important to note that a small number of men (less than 2%) may experience erectile dysfunction and decreased libido. This often settles without having to stop the medication but very rarely, it can persist (become permanent) after the medication has been stopped.

If you experience any changes in the breast tissue (lumps, discharge, swelling, pain) please seek medical advice. This is because there have been a few very rare reports of breast cancer in men taking this treatment.

If you notice any change or deterioration in your mood when taking this medication, please stop this medication and seek medical advice.

If you develop side effects that you feel are related to this medication (even if they are not listed), stop the medication and seek medical review.

For full information about this medication, it is important to read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine before you start taking it.

If you are trying to conceive you should not use this medication. It can affect sperm quality.

This medication may cause harm to an unborn baby.

• Pregnant women MUST avoid handling these tablets once they have been removed from the protective packing.
• If your partner is pregnant or might be pregnant you MUST use condoms.

Our doctors can only treat patients who are physically located in the Republic of Ireland at the time of the consultation.