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Trump is taking hair loss drug, doctor says
Feb 3, 2017 | CNN
By Susan Scutti
President Trump is taking a prostate drug often prescribed for hair loss, his physician Dr. Harold N. Bornstein told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday. He also made a point of stating that the President has all of his hair. -
Trump Takes the Hair-Growth Drug Propecia. How Does It Work?
Feb 3, 2017 | New York Times
By Denise Grady
The revelation by his longtime doctor that President Trump takes a medication to prevent hair loss has piqued curiosity about the drug. -
Potential side effects of the drug Trump reportedly takes for hair loss
Feb 3, 2017 | Washington Post
By Daniel Marchalik
President Trump’s personal physician recently revealed that the president takes finasteride, a drug used to combat male-pattern baldness. The medication has potential side effects. -
Trump doctor reveals secret to US president's hair
Feb 3, 2017 | Guardian
By Nadia Khomami
The secret to Donald Trump’s hair has finally been revealed. The US president takes a prostate-related drug that stimulates hair growth, his longtime doctor has said. -
Trump Takes Propecia, A Hair-Loss Drug Associated With Mental Confusion, Impotence
Feb 3, 2017 | Huffington Post
By Ann Brenoff
In a snicker-worthy disclosure by President Donald Trump’s longtime personal physician, readers of The New York Times learned Thursday that the leader of the free world takes a small daily dose of the drug finasteride ― otherwise known as Propecia ― which is used to treat male-pattern baldness. -
Donald Trump hair loss medication causes sexual dysfunction and mental confusion
Feb 3, 2017 | International Business Times
Donald Trump takes small doses of the drug finasteride to treat male pattern baldness, the president's former physician told the New York Times. -
HAIR WE GO Is Donald Trump’s hair real or fake, what is prostate drug finasteride and who is Dr Harold Bornstein?
Feb 3, 2017 | The Sun
By Mark Hodge
Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times that the billionaire takes prostate-related drug ‘finasteride’ which stimulates hair growth and is marketed to treat male pattern baldness.
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Trump is taking hair loss drug, doctor says
Feb 3, 2017 | CNN
By Susan Scutti
President Trump is taking a prostate drug often prescribed for hair loss, his physician Dr. Harold N. Bornstein told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday. He also made a point of stating that the President has all of his hair.
The New York City gastroenterologist also said the President is taking antibiotics to control rosacea, a skin condition that causes redness.A senior White House official says Bornstein did not have Trump's permission to speak about his health to the Times.
The physician told the Times he has had no contact with his patient since Trump became president. Trump had visited his office every year since 1980 for annual checkups, colonoscopies and other routine tests.
During the campaign, Trump's longtime physician disclosed only that he was taking rosuvastatin and low-dose aspirin to reduce his risk of heart attack.Bornstein came under scrutiny for a letter he wrote describing Trump's physical health that concluded, "If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."
Other doctors found the letter's conclusion unprofessional and said Bornstein had used strange wording and medically incorrect terms when referring to his high-profile patient. Bornstein told CNN in September that he was rushed for time and had patients to see when writing the letter.
Propecia is a lower-dose formulation of finasteride that is prescribed to men with enlarged prostate glands under the brand name Proscar.
Originally, the Food and Drug Administration approved finasteride 5 mg (Proscar) in 1992 for the treatment of "bothersome symptoms in men" with an enlarged prostate, which is also referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia. At that time, the FDA also approved Proscar to reduce the need for surgery related to an enlarged prostate and possible urine retention.
In 1997, the agency approved a lower-dose formulation of finasteride (Propecia) for the treatment of male pattern hair loss, a gradual thinning that leads to either a receding hairline or balding on the top of the head. The FDA does not permit Propecia for treating hair loss in women or children.
"It is a very common medication," said Dr. Louis Kavoussi, chairman of urology at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, NY. He added that finasteride has been around for decades, so its long-term safety has been demonstrated.
The drug, which blocks the body's production of male hormones, is in a class of medications called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.
"The effectiveness varies," said Kavoussi, who has no ties to Merck or the companies that make generic versions of finasteride. Though some men who take it for hair loss find it "very effective," others do not. "Same for prostate," he said. "Some men gain quite a bit of symptom relief, other men more modest. It depends on the patient."
Possible side effects of the finasteride include decreased libido, problems with erection and ejaculation, pain in the testicles and depression. According to drugmaker Merck's prescribing information, patients taking the drug should promptly notify their doctor if they experience changes in their breasts, rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face or hands, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
According to Kavoussi, "most men tolerate it pretty well." Those who do get side effects simply stop taking the medicine, and the effects resolve.
For some years, Merck has been a defendant in liability lawsuits regarding Propecia/Proscar.
About 1,370 lawsuits have been filed as of September 30 by people who claim that they have experienced persistent sexual side effects after cessation of treatment with Propecia and/or Proscar. About 50 of the plaintiffs also allege that the drug has caused or can cause prostate cancer, testicular cancer or male breast cancer.
Dr. Irwin Goldstein, founder of San Diego Sexual Medicine, is serving as an expert witness against Merck in the ligation, work for which he is being paid. He said people come to his clinic "from all over the world" for help with finasteride-associated symptoms.
Many patients experience "a sudden or significant change in libido," he said, while another common side effect is erectile dysfunction. Along with these sexual effects, Goldstein said the drug can cause problems with both mood and cognition, including harmful effects on memory and decision-making.
Some patients believe they suffer from "post-finasteride syndrome," in which their symptoms continue after they stop taking the drug.
As of March 2015, the syndrome is listed on the National Institutes of Health's Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, with the disclaimer that this is not intended as "official recognition" of the syndrome. Still, the National Institutes of Health has sponsored studies, which are now underway, to better understand the effects of finasteride.
"You don't want people to shy away -- and that's the bad thing about lawsuits; people get the impression that something is very bad," Kavoussi said, adding, "it's helped a lot of men."
Merck listed 2015 sales of the drug at $183 million, down from a peak of $447 million in 2010. Other drug manufacturers began producing generic versions in 2013.
Efforts to contact Bornstein for comment have not been successful.
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Trump Takes the Hair-Growth Drug Propecia. How Does It Work?
Feb 3, 2017 | New York Times
By Denise Grady
The revelation by his longtime doctor that President Trump takes a medication to prevent hair loss has piqued curiosity about the drug.
In an interview with The New York Times, the physician, Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, said that Mr. Trump takes finasteride, also marketed as Propecia.
The drug, a one-a-day pill, is a popular treatment for so-called male-pattern hair loss, in which the hairline recedes and hair thins at the temples and crown, sometimes to the point of leaving just a horseshoe-shaped fringe around the sides and the back of the head.
The culprit in this type of baldness is a male hormone, dihydrotestosterone or DHT. In some men, hair follicles are particularly sensitive to it, probably based on genetics. DHT forms when an enzyme converts testosterone into it; finasteride blocks the enzyme, lowering DHT levels.
The drug is better at stopping hair loss than at bringing back what’s already gone.
“I set expectations from the beginning, realistic expectations” about the drug, said Dr. Andrew Alexis, the chairman of the dermatology department at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West in New York. “The thing I emphasize the most is stopping progression and preserving the hair you have. I think it’s very successful at doing that. “
Dr. Alexis is not involved with Mr. Trump’s care.
Most men with this type of hair loss start treatment with a different drug, minoxidil, also sold as Rogaine, which is rubbed into the scalp, Dr. Alexis said. If they do not see enough of an effect, they can add finasteride. Many of his patients wind up using both drugs, Dr. Alexis said. The treatment works best on the top of the head, and not as well at the temples and the receding hairline.
For both drugs, the effects on hair loss were discovered by accident, when patients were taking them for other reasons. Minoxidil, in pill form, was used to treat high blood pressure, and finasteride was prescribed for prostate enlargement. But balding patients noticed that some hair grew back.
Finasteride can have side effects, including decreased sex drive, erectile problems and a decreased volume of ejaculate. But those reactions are not common, affecting less than 2 percent of the men in studies.
Dr. Alexis said he warns patients about the potential problems, and that some men decline the drug as a result. But many decide to try it, and they generally stick with it, he said.
The drug also carries a warning that men 55 and over who take it may have an increased risk of an aggressive type of prostate cancer. But the warning is based on studies of a dose five times higher than the dose used for hair loss. The higher dose is used to treat enlarged prostates.
The risk, if any, for men taking the smaller dose is not known, Dr. Alexis said.
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Potential side effects of the drug Trump reportedly takes for hair loss
Feb 3, 2017 | Washington Post
By Daniel Marchalik
President Trump’s personal physician recently revealed that the president takes finasteride, a drug used to combat male-pattern baldness. The medication has potential side effects.
In fact, approximately 1,370 lawsuits have been filed against Merck, which markets finasteride. A class-action lawsuit against the company will examine the pharmaceutical giant’s culpability in the multitude of reported sexual side effects potentially associated with the drug. Merck did not respond to a request for comment.
Merck sells finasteride under the brand name Propecia, a 1-milligram formulation of the medication. It is available as a prescription for treatment of male-pattern hair loss. Its big brother, Proscar, is a 5 mg preparation commonly prescribed for the treatment of symptoms associated with enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, and has been prescribed to more than 1 million American men since its introduction to the market.
Together, finasteride and a closely related compound dutasteride (sold under the brand name Avodart) are a class of drugs called 5-alpha-reductase-inhibitors (5-ARIs) which work by blocking the conversion of testosterone to its more potent form, dihydrotestosterone.
Between Propecia, Proscar and Avodart, 5-ARIs comprise a substantial portion of medications prescribed to men every year. As a urologist, I prescribe or see men who have been prescribed these medications quite often. After all, the drugs have a variety of important uses in older men with enlarged prostates. But in speaking to my patients, I have come to realize how often men are not aware of the potentially life-changing and irreversible side effects that may be associated with these medications.
The constellation of potential symptoms, sometimes referred to as post-finasteride syndrome, may include sexual, physical and psychological changes. Of these, the sexual side effects are perhaps the most extensively reported. In fact, in 2012, the Food and Drug Administration announced a label change for Propecia and Proscar, requiring the manufacturer to warn that the medication may be associated with “libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders that continued after discontinuation of the drug.”
The systematic study of the side effects of finasteride can be traced back to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1992 — the year Proscar was initially approved by the FDA for its use in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Studying both the 1 mg and 5 mg doses of finasteride, the researchers demonstrated a higher incidence of impotence, ejaculatory disorders and decreased libido in both treatment groups when compared with a placebo. Although these complications were consistently studied over subsequent years, the conversation remained far from the public sphere, in part because of the older age of patients taking Proscar for enlarged prostate.
Then, in 1997, the FDA’s approval of Propecia for use in hair loss created a sudden increase in finasteride prescriptions in a new group of patients — younger men. With it came a heightened concern of potential sexual side effects, because this cohort was much less likely than older men with enlarged prostates to already have underlying sexual dysfunction.
In 1998, two year-long trials were conducted with more than 1,500 men ages 18 to 41 receiving either Propecia or a placebo. The rate of sexual dysfunction in the finasteride group was about double that of the placebo group (4.2 percent compared with 2.2 percent). Because this trial was designed to study the hair-restoring qualities of finasteride, and the assessment of sexual side effects does not appear to have been rigorously conducted, the extent of the side effects may very well have been underreported.
An even larger concern surfaced when reports arose of men having persistent side effects even after the medication was discontinued. A 2012 study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine attempted to determine whether the symptoms really could be long-lasting or irreversible. Fifty-four men under 40 who had continued sexual dysfunction despite a three-month cessation of finasteride therapy were reassessed at an average of 14 months. Ninety-six percent of these men continued to have persistent sexual dysfunction despite no further treatment with finasteride.
Earlier this year, a review of 17 randomized controlled trials (including more than 17,000 patients) demonstrated a nearly twofold increase in sexual, ejaculatory and orgasmic dysfunction in young men using Propecia for male pattern hair loss.
At the same time, a recent study demonstrated changes in the levels of certain steroids in cerebrospinal fluid of men taking finasteride for hair loss. These steroids have been shown to influence brain function, and their presence may help explain the profound psychological changes such as depression and suicidality that have been associated with finasteride use.
This research should cause us to think more carefully about this commonly encountered medication. It is perhaps most worrisome because Propecia tends to target younger men, who have a relatively low rate of sexual dysfunction. And the ease with which it is prescribed for purely cosmetic reasons makes the potential risk of side effects even harder to justify.
For those of us in urology, finasteride will inevitably remain an important treatment tool for certain medical conditions. But because recent data suggests that finasteride-associated side effects may persist even after the medication is stopped, the key intervention must consist of both adequately counseling patients on the potential harms of these drugs and of carefully selecting the patients who are best candidates for receiving this medication in the first place.
Whether this medication is safe for individuals holding political office remains to be seen.
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Trump doctor reveals secret to US president's hair
Feb 3, 2017 | Guardian
By Nadia Khomami
The secret to Donald Trump’s hair has finally been revealed. The US president takes a prostate-related drug that stimulates hair growth, his longtime doctor has said.
Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times during a series of recent interviews that Trump, who at 70 is the oldest person to become US president, takes a small dose of the drug finasteride, which lowers levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, and is marketed as Propecia to treat male pattern baldness.
Bornstein, 69, said he also took the drug to maintain his own shoulder-length hair. “He has all his hair,” the doctor said. “I have all my hair.”
The drug prevents testosterone from converting into a hormone called DHT (dihydrotestosterone), which can cause male pattern baldness by blocking the absorption of nutrients needed for healthy hair follicles.
Trump’s hair has been compared to that of his late mother, Mary, who also had a penchant for sweeping her hair over to one side.
Bornstein has been Trump’s personal doctor for 36 years. He became part of the presidential campaign in December 2015, when Trump published a doctor’s letter from him that declared the then Republican nominee would be the “healthiest individual elected to the presidency”.
The letter also revealed that Trump had low levels of PSA – which is a marker for prostate cancer. At the time, urologists who were not linked to Trump said he must have received medical care for an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer. But Trump’s intake of finasteride would also explain why his PSA was 0.15. Bornstein attributed Trump’s low PSA level to the medication and told the New York Times he had had no prostate-related care.
According to advice on patient.info, side-effects of finasteride “may include a loss of sex drive and a reduced ability to get an erection”.
Bornstein also said Trump took antibiotics to control rosacea, a common skin problem, a statin for elevated blood cholesterol and lipids, as well as a daily baby aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack. He told the New York Times that the US president was healthy and his medical care was “exactly up to date”.
Bornstein has a private practice in New York, was educated at Tufts University and did a fellowship in gastroenterology at Yale. His father, Jacob Bornstein, was Trump’s previous doctor.
He told NBC in August that the letter was written in five minutes while Trump’s limousine waited outside. But he insisted it was written by him, despite containing phrasing similar to that of Trump. He repeated his endorsement of the candidate’s fitness for the office of president.
Bornstein’s letter said Trump’s blood pressure and laboratory test results were “astonishingly excellent” and that his “physical strength and stamina are extraordinary”.
While Trump is a self-confessed “germophobe,” Bornstein said he had never discussed the issue with him. However, he added: “We are very careful to keep the examining rooms spotlessly clean, which we do anyway. He always stands there and changes the paper on the table himself. Other than that, nothing.”
The Guardian reported in September that Bornstein once paid tens of thousands of dollars to settle a lawsuit after being accused of malpractice that led to the death of a patient.
He told the New York Times that he had had no contact with Trump since he took office, and no one from the White House had asked for copies of his records.
White House officials are yet to comment on the information provided by the doctor.
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Trump Takes Propecia, A Hair-Loss Drug Associated With Mental Confusion, Impotence
Feb 3, 2017 | Huffington Post
By Ann Brenoff
In a snicker-worthy disclosure by President Donald Trump’s longtime personal physician, readers of The New York Times learned Thursday that the leader of the free world takes a small daily dose of the drug finasteride ― otherwise known as Propecia ― which is used to treat male-pattern baldness.
The revelation by Dr. Harold N. Bornstein that the president uses a prostate-related drug to grow scalp hair was not previously known publicly, according to the Times story, and appears to explain why Trump has a very low level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, a marker sometimes used to diagnose prostate cancer. The newspaper said it had four telephone conversations with Bornstein, whose office is in Manhattan, about Trump’s overall health.
Bornstein, 69, said he takes finasteride himself and credited it with helping maintain his own shoulder-length hair. “[Trump] has all his hair,” Bornstein said. “I have all my hair.”
Bornstein, who said he hasn’t seen Trump since his ascension to the presidency, first came on the public radar in December 2015, when he released a four-paragraph letter extolling Trump’s health.
“If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” Bornstein wrote. Trump, 70, is also the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. Eight months after writing the letter, Bornstein said he dashed it off in five minutes while a Trump limousine waited for him to finish.
Of course, with the revelation that Trump is taking finasteride, many rushed to warn of possible side effects ― including mental confusion and permanent sexual dysfunction.
Punchlines aside, the safety of the drug has been challenged.
“The FDA-approved pill has been called into question, with emerging research and a slew of lawsuits suggesting that finasteride may be more dangerous than previously believed,” reported Men’s Journal. “Users report that its side effects — inability to orgasm, painful erections, chronic depression, insomnia, brain fog, and suicidal thoughts — can last long after patients stop taking the pill.”
Since 2011, at least 1,245 lawsuits have been filed against Propecia’s manufacturer, Merck, alleging that the company didn’t sufficiently warn users of sexual and cognitive side effects. Patients and physicians reportedly call the effects “Post-Finasteride Syndrome” because, they say, symptoms often persist after discontinuing the drug. The National Institutes of Health has added PFS to its rare-diseases database. Merck told Men’s Journal the the company “stands behind the demonstrated safety and efficacy profile of Propecia.”
And of course, the disclosure about the president taking Propecia spurred many to ask: What other drugs does he take? The Washington Post noted that Trump had multiple opportunities to mention his Propecia use, but didn’t.
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Donald Trump hair loss medication causes sexual dysfunction and mental confusion
Feb 3, 2017 | International Business Times
Donald Trump takes small doses of the drug finasteride to treat male pattern baldness, the president's former physician told the New York Times.
The drug has been associated with sexual dysfunction and depression.
The revelation that Trump uses a prostate-related drug to grow scalp hair appears to explain why Trump has a very low level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, a marker sometimes used to diagnose prostate cancer, the Times reported after interviewing Dr. Harold N. Bornstein.
Bornstein, 69, credited the drug with helping him keep his own shoulder-length locks.
"[Trump] has all his hair," Bornstein said. "I have all my hair."
However the drug is associated with several negative side effects, including mental confusion and impotence.
According to a 2003 study published in science journal Urology, 15% of the men on finasteride suffered sexual side effects, compared with only 7% of the men on placebos.
Since 2011, approximately 1,245 lawsuits have been filed against Propecia's manufacturer, Merck, alleging that the company failed to warn users of a number of sexual and cognitive side effects.
After Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency, Bornstein released a statement, in which he claimed "If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." He later said he wrote the note in five minutes while in a limousine sent by Trump, which was waiting outside.
Bornstein claimed to have been Trump's personal physician since 1980 but admitted he had not had contact with Trump since the 2016 election.
He also stated that the president takes a handful of other medications, including daily aspirin to lower the risk of heart attack, an antibiotic to treat the skin condition rosacea, and a statin to lower cholesterol
The White House would not comment on the information provided by Dr Bornstein, and refused to confirm to the New York Times whether Dr Bornstein had been Trump's physician.
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Feb 3, 2017 | The Sun
By Mark Hodge
Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times that the billionaire takes prostate-related drug ‘finasteride’ which stimulates hair growth and is marketed to treat male pattern baldness.
Despite speculation that Trump wears a wig, his doctor has confirmed The Donald still has his natural locks.
Dr Bornstein, who has treated the property tycoon for 36 years, revealed his famous patient takes a small dose of finasteride every day.
The New York-based doctor said that he also takes the drug as well – to maintain his flowing shoulder length hair.
He said: “He (Trump) has all his hair. I have all my hair.”
In November, a hair stylist who worked on Trump’s hair during his stint on the Apprentice TV show revealed she thought the President’s infamous comb-over was cut by either his wife or his daughter.
Speaking with the Mirror, Amy Lasch said: “When I looked at the back of his hair I could tell it was not a hairdresser cutting it. It was scary.
“The colour was so inconsistent…. They just coloured the top and did not colour what was underneath properly.
“It was someone in his inner-circle who was cutting and colouring his hair. His wife or maybe his daughter.”What is drug finasteride?
Finasteride lower the levels of PSA or prostate-specific antigen (a toxin or substance which causes an immune response in the body) and in turn stimulates hair growth.
The drug, which Trump takes in small doses, stops testosterone from converting into a hormone which causes male pattern baldness.
Side-effects of finasteride include can include a lowered sex drive and erection problems, reports the Guardian.
Trump’s medical report, which was written by Bornstein and released prior to the November election, showed the 70-year-old had low levels of PSA.
While medical experts claimed this showed Trump could have had prostate problems in the past – such as an enlarged prostate or even prostate cancer – his doctor now explains that this was due to his use of finasteride.Who is Dr Harold Bornstein?
Harold Bornstein, M.D., is the 69-year-old personal physician of President Donald Trump.
He has treated Trump for 36 years. The President’s previous doctor was Harold’s father Jacob Bornstein.
Dr Bornstein is Jewish and was raised in a Yiddish-speaking household.
Last year, he made headlines with his medical report for Trump which included the line: “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
He later told NBC that he wrote the letter in five minutes while the former Apprentice host’s limo waited outside.
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