Hair Loss Drugs and Athletes

All-to-often, professional athletes are failing drug tests because of hair loss medications, at least that's what a handful of athletes are claiming. Apparently, Finasteride (the active ingredient in the hair loss drug Propecia) doesn't just prevent future hair loss in males, it can also be used to conceal illegal performance enhancing drugs. I have come across several instances where athletes have been banned for testing positive for Finasteride.

One of which was the case of Scott Boothby, who failed out of a competition drug for Finasteride. Coincidentally, several months after claiming the positive was a result of his prescribed hair loss drug, Boothby tested positive for illegal steroids.

A more recent  case occurred when US Skeleton Slider Zach Lund was banned just before the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy a positive for Finasteride. Lund has just finished serving serving a 1 year ban from the sport and still claims he is innocent. He might have actually been wronged; after all, he followed the rules and  submitted the proper paper work claiming use of Finasteride for hair loss treatment.

Comments

[oakley]

You can share some of your article, I'm like you write something, really very good! I will continue to focus on.

[usana]

There is actually nothing to do with hair loos.

[usana]

There is actually nothing to do with hair loos.

[Scott Boothby]

Hello again,
I am on spring break, so my normal e-mail is down, but I wanted to thank you for your response. I am still being tested by USADA and have a use exemption on file for finasteride, so will not be sanctioned for its use. My doctor provided copies of his prescriptions to me, which is what an athlete must do to avoid sanction of a medically prescribed banned substance.
As far as my hair loss story goes I had extremely thick hair as a kid, but while in high school noticed it MIGHT be thinning. No real worries until college, where I could no longer deny IT WAS THINNING. My junior year of college my best friend became my dorm room mirror and a hand-held one I worked together to study my receding hairline and thinning top (What a waste of my time as I probably lost even more from this torturous ritual). I am 33 years of age now and have tried everything under the sun starting around 1996 (when I was 22).
It started with an expensive medicated shampoo and conditioner I heard about on a radio-infomercial (and a fancy brush came with “the kit” to pull out more hair I presume). I am a Christian and figured a Christian radio station that advertised a product costing 100.00 a month would surely be the “real-deal”! It guaranteed to bring back my thick mane of old (the commercial even had interviews with men that went from bald to thick in no time so I was hooked). It actually caused more harm than good I think considering it took 30 minutes longer to shower and my girlfriend probably wondered “What the ?!!&^%$! Is he doing in that shower???” I tried Rogaine, which was prescription then, and again noticed nothing at all, just hundreds of dark hairs on my white towel after showering and a loss of 50.00. In the late 90's/early 2000 (I graduated from college in 1998) I found out about propecia and its effects on hair loss. Prior to my finasteride use I would literally count the hairs on my towel and one night combed out and logged what was on the towel and I think it was like…300 hairs (Seriously)!!! I thought back to the remake of the fly (Jeff Goldblume) and felt I was living in the Brundle museum!!!
With Propecia I had ZERO expectations, as nothing had worked in the past, but the results were/are truely amazing. I re-grew massive amounts of hair. My loss stopped within about 1 week, and while my hair is still a bit thin in the back my hairline thickened up and my mid head became dense as well. I actually watched light fuzz becoming darker each week on my hairine. I probably regrew 30% of what was lost and now am able to cut my hair short and not worry about any “creative combing” or the horror of wind blowing up my bangs to expose a receded hairline. My advice is that anyone losing hair needs to get on 1mg of finasteride PRONTO! I also believe that (being in my mid/late 20's) starting on the product helped my results. I no longer worry about my hair (not too much at least) and feel fortunate that with modern technology I will never be bald and my son (if he begins thinning) can take propecia at the onset of his thinning (unless he wants to be bald like his grandpa, great-grandpa, and that will be cool with me if he does!)
On a final note…some people look great bald and I admire those that can shave their heads or wear the thick sided horse-shoe and feel sexy. I am simply not one of them! My current hair looks above average for 33, but my forehead is a bit larger than what I feel is a great 33 year olds hairline (My hairline measures 7-7.25 cm from my eyebrows/ I am a decent size guy though at 6-1 235 pounds). I think your site is a phenomenal educational tool! The key to getting the look people want is studying up and doing your research. I feel very bad for those before the age of the internet that spent thousands on plug transplants or the thousands that flew to Voorhees NJ’s Hair Club of Death to pay big bank $$$ to have a wig stitched into their scalp using strips of their own flesh (This could be a good horror flick?). I feel your results are great and keep up the good work educating people on hair loss!
I currently use the following for my hair:

Daily/ Semi-Daily Nizoral Shampoo 2%
1 mg finasteride (Mon-Fri) 2mg Sat & Sun (This is the KEY)*
Occasionally Rogaine although I still think it does ZERO
Daily USANA high grade multi-vitamin mineral packs

One final note: I have noticed ZERO side effects and have had two healthy kids since using finasteride! I now purchase my finasteride as Proscar out of Mexico and pay about 30.00 per month (maybe less) compared to hundreds a month for Propecia which is the same thing!
+Thicker Hair everyday since 1999!!! I AM NOT A PROPECIA SPOKESPERSON, BUT WOULD LOVE TO BE!!!

Thanks again,
Scott Boothby
Retired USATF Athlete
Athletic Website http://www.cityudan.org/user33/hammerindex.html

[Seth]

Scott,

I am happy you contacted me. Though I will admit to being suprised. I can completely sympathize with your angst over my entry and plan to dedicate an entire blog entry to your rebuttal. After all, if you are as you say, innocent, you're at the least entitled to defend yourself.

Best of luck to you in your battle; both with hair loss and court.
-Seth

p.s. How is your hair looking? Has Propecia helped? or Did you stop taking it?

[Scott Boothby]

Hello I just saw your website and wanted to respond to what you put up about me. I never tested positive for any steroids and hope you will change what you have published. I like yourself suffer from androgenic allopecia and was prescribed finasteride to combat hairloss. I retired from track in 05 and that is when finasteride was added to the banned list. My second offense was due to an over the counter food supplement called 6oxo http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ergo/6oxo.html
I have a lawyer that is helping me fight this as the company told me (BB.com) the supplements I was taking were 100% safe, natural, and not on any banned list. Just for clairification 6 oxo is an anti-estrogen and is as much a steroid as finasteride is (not at all). Anyhow I hope you can edit your page on me as I am a teacher and your comment comes up on a google search.
You can also search on USADA's website and it's listed as 6 oxo-andro. This is because the 6 oxo causes your body to naturally produce more testosterone due to the lowering of estrogen levels. i never knew this when BB.com sold me the product. I should have probably known better, but I had ordered from BB.com since I was a senior in college in 1998 and had 100% trust in their products.
Your website is pretty cool!
Scott Boothby
Retired USATF Hammer Thrower
2005 World Championship Team Member