I will delete most comments that are unrelated to Dutasteride (Avodart). Post originally published in February 2015.
Update: June 2021 — New Dutasteride and Finasteride study sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Involved some esteemed scientists and advisors, including Dr. Manabu Ohyama.
“Dutasteride may be more potent than finasteride in modulating the expression levels of key hair growth genes (e.g. FGF7, IGF1 and WNT5a). This study provides supporting evidence that type I 5AR may be involved in hair growth in addition to type II 5AR”.
Update: February 2022 — A new study concludes that Dutasteride 0.5mg/day is the most effective male hair loss treatment.
Dutasteride (Avodart) for Hair Loss
I have written about Dutasteride (brand name Avodart) many times before on this blog. This drug was first approved by the FDA in 2002 to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostates).
Dutasteride has not yet been officially approved to treat hair loss in the US or EU. However, it was approved for that purpose in South Korea in 2010, and in Japan in 2015.
It seems like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) does not want to go through the approval process any more. They did do some clinical trials on Dutasteride and androgenetic alopecia. The results were published in 2018 and deemed a success.
In any event, the approval in South Korea and Japan is still a huge development. To date, only two drugs (Minoxidil in 1988 and Finasteride in 1997) have ever been approved by the US FDA to treat pattern hair loss. It has been almost 25 years since the last US approval of a drug to treat male pattern hair loss!
Before and After Photos
Make sure to see some before and after photos of people taking Dutasteride to treat their hair loss. Some of those are in people taking it in combination with Minoxidil. In the US, many people use generic Dutasteride (or brand name Avodart) off-label to treat their hair loss. The most famous of these is Ashton Kutcher. Also see this favorable Avodart experience from Rick Rosner.
Hair Growth Prospects and Side Effects
Based on many existing studies and anecdotal evidence, it is virtually guaranteed that Dutasteride will result in superior hair growth/regrowth in comparison to Finasteride. However, the former will also result in higher rates of side effects compared to the latter. These higher rates of side effects are unlikely to be drastic enough for the FDA to deny GlaxoSmithKline permission to market Avodart for hair loss.
One 2013 article that reviewed numerous recent Finasteride and Dutasteride related studies suggests a 5-9 percent chance of erectile dysfunction. In most cases, such side effects are not permanent, although some people have seen permanent problems even after complete cessation of drug ingestion.
The big question is whether GSK will deem it worthwhile to produce and market Avodart for hair loss. Potential market and revenue prospects might not be sufficient enough to proceed. And they will also have to consider potential losses based on recent lawsuits against Merck regarding Propecia (Finasteride) side effects. Dutasteride will definitely have more people complaining of side effects in comparison to Finasteride.
Make sure to also see my posts on topical Dutasteride and topical Finasteride. Also of interest is the new trend of mesotherapy with Dutasteride for hair growth. Also known as Dutasteride injections.
Dutasteride for Hair Loss Reviews
In the meantime, rather than wait for the FDA and GSK, I have decided to write this post. I hope to see numerous comments from people who have tried to use Avodart to treat hair loss. Success and failure testimonials are both welcome.
By now, there must be well over 100,000 men around the world who have used Avodart off-label to try to regrow hair. When the drug was first approved in 2002 to treat enlarged prostates, people on online hair loss forums went berserk with excitement.
I hope to see many testimonials and comments to this post in the coming years. I will try to only allow specific comments and concerns related to the drug itself. Including opinions about side effects, cost (including the cost of generic Dutasteride), dosage and so forth.
I hope that this post and your helpful Avodart for hair loss reviews ends up becoming extremely useful. On hair loss forums: Dutasteride related testimonials are either not broken out in a separate subcategory; or swamped in number by Finasteride related posts.
It should also be noted that balding older men who have taken Avodart to treat their enlarge prostates have sometimes noticed hair regrowth in areas of their scalps that have been totally barren for many decades. You can read some of these encouraging testimonials in several of the below links.
Regrowing hair in totally bald scalps is extremely difficult and akin to a miracle with weak existing treatments. Even when effective, current hair loss treatments usually only maintain hair. At best, they regrow only recently lost hair.
Dutasteride (Avodart) Reviews: Links of Interest
- Drugs.com reviews (all for BPH) have a few interesting ones regarding hair growth as a side effect.
- Webmd.com reviews (all for BPH) have a few interesting ones regarding hair growth as a side effect.
- Dutasteride and Finasteride dosage discussion.
Note: Dutasteride is not meant to be used by women who are planning to get pregnant.
28. Been on it 3 months after trying propecia for 8 months. Absolutely no effect other than thinning my body hair all over; hair continues to thin and recede fast. No REAL side effects, although lowered sperm count is fairly obvious. Libido unaffected.
are you using .5mg daily? which is the dose a major study published in pubmed utilized with great success…
I used 0.5mg daily, so I think I’ve got a noticable amount of new proper hairs on my crown which are filling in the bald spot I had. At my hairline I have quite afew small white hairs which are now falling out, I think that means propers hairs are going to replace them, not sure.
How’s your hair look now? I just started dutasteride a week ago. I’ve been on finasteride for 7 years, had great results, but recently started to noticed its losing its effect. So switched entirely to dutasteride.
Curious if it’s working for you? Let me know!
I’m about to do the same. How has your results been so far? I current do 5mg proscar, but want to add .5 dutasteride or switch completely… I’m scared to switch but eager too also.. I also do minoxidil and Nizoral
How has the results been now that it’s over a year
Hi,
I have just been advised by a Hair Transplant surgeon, that if you combine 1mg Finasteride Daily with 0.5mg Dutasteride Once A Week, you can expect re growth. He learnt this from a recent conference he attended, a hair specialist presented a paper which showed good results from combining Finateride regularly with just one capsule of Dutestaride per week on top.
I’m yet to try this but am willing to give it a go and just stop the Dutestaride if there is no change or bad side effects.
Dan
I have heard that theory too, Fin 6 days, Dut one day. I take Dut 3 days a week with oral Minox. Fin worked initially but then caused anemia. No problems with Dut and my hair does not shed after 8 months on it. No new hair but just started oral Minox. Something is working.
Just coming up to a month on Dutasteride 0.5g capsules. So far, no side effects (good) but no sign of any new hair either (not so good!)
Anyone had any similar experience? Is it a case of be patient, or am I (even at this early stage) just in the unlucky group of Dutasteride takers for whom this solution won’t work?
I’ve read of some people (perhaps heavier?) who took 2 0.5g capsules at first. I weigh 100kg (220lb or 15st 10lb) which is about right for my height 193cm (6’4″).
I’d be interested to receive replies on this.
Thanks.
BY
Not to fast.. you have to give it at least 4 months to see the results..
I am on avodart 0.5 about 8 mounths.. its fantastic result.
Is that 0.5 mg daily? Or weekly?
It is 0.5mg daily.
Yes friend u r right, my result also good at 8 month on dutasteride 0.5 mg daily
Were you on finasteride before? If so, how much and did you switch completely or use both at the same time?
Do you have any side effects and are you taking one capsule per day?
I’m experiencing the same side effect of body hair thinning, erection is 90% fine, ejaculation volume maybe affected
Can you take viagra with dutasteride?
Any changes? It’s been over 6 years now —
I’ve been taking for just over a year 0.5mg ED
pros:
Hair is thicker, darker, better overall quality.
No sides.
Reduced body hair growth
cons:
Hairline is slightly below baseline ie not stabilized.
Still have sheds.
Reduced beard growth.
Overall I’d give it a B-. Was hoping for some regrowth at the hairline or at the least stabilization but did not get it. However everywhere else seems to be stabilized and looks much better.
Hi,
I am suffering from hair loss for last 10 years. My crown is almost clear and remaining hair are too thin. Recently I came to know about Avodart .5mg. I am thinking to give it a try but I could not find any reliable online store where I can order it without prescription. Can anyone suggest me from where I can get it? I don’t want to see doctors now.
I forgot to mention, I am from Washington, US. Thank you.
Think you might just need to man up and face the little amount of embarrassment from going to the doctor or pharmacy in person otherwise you’ll never get your hair back
If in Mexico, you can purchase without a prescription.
You will likely get dutasteride cheaper by seeing a doctor. I went to a dermatologist for my hair loss, and she said she had no problem with writing me a prescription for dutasteride. She gave me a 90 day prescription, refillable 3 times for a year’s supply. I paid $30 for that 90 day prescription at Costco. The online hair loss clubs charge that much a month for dutasteride. I take it every day, and I feel no different.
Ive been on Avodart since last spring. Started with .5mg every other day and when I saw no benefit I upped it to (1) .5mg pill every day. Its now been close to a year and I cant say that ive seen any benefit. Hair still comes out, still thinning same as it did before I started Avodart.
I was on Fin for years before and it did seem to help me keep my hair, but it began to wear off after several years, that’s why I decided to switch. The Avodart doesn’t appear to be helping .
I have noticed some side effects. Im not quite as horny as I was a year ago. My energy seems to have dropped some. For awhile it seemed like it altered my blood pressure so that when I would stand up quickly I would get dizzy really easily. And for some reason I personally think that I look like Ive aged a couple years. I just look so much older after this last year. More wrinkles and skin looks dry and dull. Don’t know how that may be possible but I cannot think of anything else that would be the cause.
So for me, Avodart hasn’t been the miracle cure I was hoping for :(
And what’s your testosterone? What are your DHT levels? What is your SHBG? Your testimony looks rather like a typical internet hypochondriac scream without any real value.
I had a very similar experience on dutasteride .5mg daily for 90 days. My equilibrium was thrown off and I would feel hypotensive after lying down and trying to stand. I think my estradiol was forced too low. I also noticed a lessening of body hair.
I’ve been on Dutasteride for almost 2 weeks now, and I actually had the same loss of equilibrium. After a couple days I was running on a treadmill and kept losing balance and putting my feet in the wrong places.
One thing I noticed is that the side effects largely went away after 6-8 hours of taking the pill, so I actually started taking it at night before bed instead of in the morning. This has helped immensely, and noticeable sides have gone to near zero. I’m guessing they’ll all be gone in another month or two once my body is fully used to it.
Ditto me.
I have quite a lot of info but will try to keep it minimal.
Tried Finasteride a total of three or more times (each for about a year). Noticed NO EFFECT whatsoever on hair loss. However there was considerable ED the last time I took it.
Discovered dutasteride, around 2002 and have been taking it ever since. Yes, that is 13 YEARS of virtually non-stop dutasteride. Only in the last year I’ve reduced it from 0.5mg/day to 0.5mg every other day.
Dutasteride made a HUGE difference. I have a full head of hair which I would definitely not have if it wasn’t for that. I know this is beginning to sound like an ad but it’s my experience. The results came fast too. Within 2-3 weeks the shedding just stopped. I have noticed no side effects at all. Though I am concerned about the long term effects that it may cause. That’s one reason I halved the dosage (with the plan that should there be a severe shedding, I could step it up again).
As far as acquiring it is concerned, I found a source that I trust. Once I even sent in a few samples from that source to GSK for them to test if they’re genuine (they appreciated my help and I appreciated theirs) and they confirmed that they were genuine.
Adi, did you see any body hair reduction? Any link to your source? Thanks and congratulations.
Iv noticed body hair reduction from head to toe as well, but mostly on my arms which I guess I see everyday so it would obviously be the first thing I would notice the most, and I was hairy like pornstar from the ’80s hairy, I’ve been on it for 1 year now haven’t noticed much results on the head but I plan on taking it either way, not looking like sisquatch anymore is a plus
Where did you buy them and how much?
Hi, so what is the source to buy from them.
Hey Adi, where do you get yours from please?
Where did you purchased them?
Not to be skeptical, but I am a little. Why would you be on a hair loss forum, if you have a full set of hair? Not being mean, just a question.
Can you send me your source
This is so interesting, you had sexual sides on finasteride but not dutasteride?
Is there any long term use side effect?
I have been on dutasteride for 17 years and definitely halted and slowed my hair loss. I feel in the last couple years now that I’ve started to get libido and ED issues. I didn’t get them before so not sure if it is related to the drug but does feel like the plastic symptoms that you see older people reporting. I’m now 44
I couldn’t tell if there was a reduction in body hair.
The place I get it from is qhi.co.uk
Hi adi. Having done a lot of research around avodart for treatment of hairless it does seem like the most promising way of maintaining a tho k head of hair. However, my problem lies with the cost. For 30 x .5mg tabs qhi.co.uk are charging over €70 including shipping costs. Looking at testimonials from this site and others it seems like .5mg daily is necessary for regrowth and €70 a month for me is a lot to be spending. Have you sourced any alternative reliable suppliers since who sell avodart cheaper?
Hi,
I’ve just bought the capsules today, but yet to try them, from here – https://www.oxfordonlinepharmacy.co.uk/mens-health/avodart-dutasteride-0-5mg-30-capsules
£20.90 for 30 capsules but you need a private prescription or they can supply one for £25 and shipping was free.
I’ve read on many forums, that if you are currently taking Propecia, which i am, then 1 tablet a week is enough to top things up. But don’t quote me on that :)
Al the best
How is the Dutasteride from that UK source?
Working?
1 year later How is your results?
Thinking about buying it from them, im on finasterid right now but still keep loosing alot of hair.
I have taken Avodart for BPH for about five or so years now. I have definitely experienced frontal hair growth and thickening as well. My last passport picture taken a few months ago shows me with thicker hair than the one taken over 10 years ago.
Hey Steve
Pls. Tell us if it is helping your BPH .
My BPH is (120 gram prostate).
I’ve taken Dutasteride for about 8 years. Never any side effects, but I did go a bit loco about a year ago and was taking 2 mg day for awhile and did begin to get the dreaded Gynomastia, but I reduced back to 1mg every other day and it went away in a couple of months. My hair stopped falling out the first months I took it, and now I have a very full head of hair. There were places where it had thinned before (started in College), that never came back, but that just shows that when you lose it, it’s gone forever. Also, my hair went gray, the area on top and front where I assume I would’ve been bald, kept my brown color, that’s why I gathered it had something to do with the use of Dutasteride.
I’ve used Dutasteride for about 5 years (fin for 10 years before that). The Dut stopped my hair loss completely, and regrew maybe 15% of what I’d lost previously. I probably have 75% of the hair I had when I was 12. It’s a great drug. No side fx (save for lowered libido, but I don’t care about that).
Great to hear Rose! I assume you are male even though your name sounds female?
Hello all,
Is this really a only male chat/page?
Rose indeed are you a female? I am actually one myself and started to take avodart daily since 1 month. I would really hope to be exchanging with female experiencing these things like me and find the best cure/solutions if any.
I have seen my hair thinning for about 3 years and since last year really falling out, so started to get really scared and feeling very depressed.
3 years ago I did try minoxidil for less than a year and it did some effects but back then the idea of doing this spraying everyday for the rest of my life was running me nuts so I stopped and did extensions instead. Last year I suddenly noticed I really lost a lot of hairs and had really much less on the head on the front and side lines and on the back of my head. I was tested for low ferritine and very light thyroid issue in March this year which I treat for 3 months with iron pills and thyroid pill, but didn’t see yet any improvements in my hair loss so I read all kinds of websites and experiences and chats and found out to give it a try to advert even though I am a female. I am not sure I see any difference now for a month, even though perhaps less falling. My goal is to get back hairs and thickness as I really do hate this thinning looking hair that flies off with every wind that blows and that you can see my head through.
Any answer, suggestion, experience to share from someone on this?
Thanks
V
This is definitely NOT only for males! 45 percent of my readers are female. I just assumed Rose was a guy because most ppl who take these drugs are male, and virtually all who discuss libido are male. Maybe I was wrong and Rose will come by again soon.
hello every one!!
I am Sissi ( yes a lady) I have the same issue but I my hair is almost total gone..I try Avodart for 3 months with no results at all only big side effect I get daily excruciated migraines headaches .so I stop now my hair its almost gone I start a massive shed a month ago month and now I only have about 10% hair left.. I am very depress almost suicide.. I try everything nothing stop the massive shedding…..good luck you all and god bless you a
Hi Sissi. Please don’t be too downhearted. I know how depressing it can be. Have you tried Regaine (called Rogaine in some countries)? Perhaps also Proscar (which is the same as Propecia but twice the strength (and cheaper)). Best to use Regaine and Proscar together for greater effect. There are so many positive developments coming along so it’s only a matter of time before a cure is found. In the meantime stay positive and try the ones mentioned. Andy
Don’t be discouraged. My buddy who went bald years back. I started to see he got back some hair when I met him lately. He introduced me to this and said exactly this ” this drug is weird. The first 6 month nothing seems changed . But after 6 months it started to kick in and his hair started to grow !
Don’t quit
I too have tried all the meds and the hair just keeps going. But I am discovering there are some really great alternative hair systems that make me feel so much better about myself. Hair is definitely a big part of one’s emotional state, especially if they’re a woman, and you might want to look into options like Invisablend or CNC hair prosthetic (expensive). Having the look of a full head of hair without the wig look is amazing.
Hi Caro, Ive been thinking about going there CNC route could You please tell us more about your experiences with it? Is it comfortable & can you maintain it yourself or do you really need to attend the hair salon for that? TIA
Hi, I’m female age 67 and have had beautiful thick hair all my life until 2.5 years ago when I began HRT after my ovaries were removed. That led to increased testosterone which made me feel great, but DHT issues resulted. Doctors told me I have androgenetic alopecia and would have had it eventually even without HRT. So 10 days ago I began .5 mg of Avadart generic Dutasteride daily. My breasts are somewhat enlarged, but I like that except that might mean breast cancer concerns eventually. The doctors said I have to take this the rest of my life to keep a full head of hair. They also gave me a topical treatment, hair vitamins and a clear hair shampoo. I use all of them as directed. Shedding has been less, but still losing a lot after shampoo. I was told it will take about 3 months to see the effect of the drug, and about 1 year to experience a full effect. My libido is less, and I’m a very healthy 67 with no problems with libido until now. I was wondering if I drop to .5 mg every other day if that will solve the libido problem and continue to block DHT. I hope other women will respond to this because there seems to be little research for women about this drug.
Would love it if you would update us on your progress!!! Please. The one thing I read over and over again is people intermittently experience sheds while on Fin or Dut….but almost always they have CHANGED something in their process which causes it. Changing dosage, adding or deleting minox with the oral med. Something. Hair follicles like constancy. Really dislike change.
Maddy,
I have started dut 5months I also use mminoxidyl 5%, I was using 10% minox very expensive but effective for a couple of years can only by it in my derm’s office. I have used a lazer head band. The last 2 months I have noticed a lot of shedding more than in the past, I’m thinking to stop the minox but I am really scared to, I am a 62 perfectly healthy active female. I am so depressed right now and don’t know what I should do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi Waterman’s shampoo from the UK price £31.50, ( $ 17.27 ) is very good for thinking the hair you already have, but will not grow new hair.
V,
I am a woman and I have the same issue. I have always had an amazing hair (Cindy Crawford like) but two springs ago I started seeing some spaces in mu front sculp which was a shock to me. ( both my mum and my father, 76 have amazing hair)
I went to the best dermatologist/Tricologist) in Madrid, he did blood and orine analisys, took pictures with a special camera. He said that I had the ferritine low and vitamin D low, and he recommened me two products:
1. Avidart 0,5mg once a day only on weekdays for 6 months.
2. Keravit 2 a day for 6 months.
I am now in month 5 of the treatment. I am not sure that the hair is regrowing in the front, certainly I do not have as much hair as I has before in particular in my front part but I think that I am not loosing more. I will go back to the doctor in March, and I will see what he says. I will keep you posted.
I am desperate for my hair to come back. 47 female. Aga for 3 yrs. spiro made it worse. Desogen bcp helps with estrogen levels that apparently my hair needs. On low dose thyroid meds cause I have been diagnosed with hashimotos thru this hairloss journey. Using rogaine for 3 yrs now. On finasteride since aug 2016. I want to try dutasteride. Cannot get a dr to prescribe it. Soooo stupid! I’m on fin by rx. Doctors just don’t know or care about this. But I sure do. Rogaine filled in balding areas but only about one or two inch hairs. Rest of hair is like 12 or more inches long. I suffer miniaturization in my part & bangs area. I use nizoral & all hairloss shampoos/conditioners. Take loads of vitamins/minerals/hair loss supplements. Still can’t get the short hair areas to grow long :(
Totally and completely understand. I was wondering if BC pill called Diane-13 3 times a week to augment your treatment would help? The story of the Girl Boy in Thailand got all his hair back while using this (plus other meds) but had serious feminizing side effects. I think he was taking it daily with other hormones so wondered if a low dose would be anti estrogenic and not provide side effects. The key ingredient is Cyproterone which is not available in the U.S. I am not an expert on hormones and just wondering if added to one’s regimen, it might make a difference in hair growth….too bad there are no studies I am aware of in regard to Cyproterone….heard some wanted to try it though. . What is intriguing about all this is they are able to regain lost hair whereas treatments now only preserve what is there more or less. This is similar to MtF hormonal tx whereby balding men regrow hair like a female. Hair follicles do not die??
hello Ramona,
Can you give me the name of your doctor in Madrid?
V,
If your hair loss is in the front and around the sides, I would suggest you research frontal fibrosing alopecia.
Good luck.
J
I’m female V.
I need to talk with other females too.
Can u email me?
Jnifr70 AT aol DOT com?
On fin now. Want dutas.
Desperate
Same here. 3 yrs now with hairloss & im 47.
Please respond
Hi V, I too am female and have a very similar story to you including having extensions. I have just had them removed and replaced them with a hair topper. It feels much more natural. It was pretty expensive ($1100 CA), but really worth it. I hope to use it until I hopefully get good regrow. I have been on Dutasteride for one month and haven’t had any regrow yet, however hair loss seems to have reduced dramatically.
hiii.. I’m a female too planning on taking Avodart for fphl. its been 5 years since your comment, mind sharing how its going so far?
I too am a female. I have always had very thin hair but the last three years have been devastating. I started on 1mg of oral minoxidil and 0.5mg Dutasteride 2 months ago. I started shedding at week 4 but it has stopped. I am started to notice more body but still too soon. Hope to give better news in the nearest future.
Hi Any side effects? I want to start this exact protocol.
What specifically is your daily oral dosage for each Minoxidil and Dutasteride?
My doctor wanted to start me on .05 Dut every other day, but on liquid minoxidil instead, which I hate! She won’t do both oral b/c I guess if side effects arise.
Have you upped both meds yet and for how long? Results?
Rose, are you a woman? trying to find feedback from women
Rose – I am a female and I am having terrible hair loss after getting off of birth control pills (on for 20 plus years). It’s the DHT attacking my follicles. Are you female? Any females try this? I just picked up the prescription today. Kinda scared to take it, but I’m losing what hair I have FAST. Gonna have to resort to a wig if this doesn’t work :(
Yes it works dear.
Try avodart 0.5 everyday. Of thats to much for you go for.05 avodart twice or 3 thimes a week. It wil stop the hairloss completly after 6 months and aftet 1 year you wil see new hair growing
Hi Any side effects? I want to start this exact protocol.
What specifically is your daily oral dosage for each Minoxidil and Dutasteride?
My doctor wanted to start me on .05 Dut every other day, but on liquid minoxidil instead, which I hate! She won’t do both oral b/c I guess if side effects arise.
Have you upped both meds yet and for how long? Results?
Rose, is there any way I could email with you directly. I am 47 female who has hairloss 3 yrs. finally got fin last august, but I really want dutasteride now. Can’t get any dr’s to prescribe.
I’d just like to talk to another female. Mostly it’s men who have our problem.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, I’m 48 with AGA and want to get my hands on some Dutasteride also. Is it okay if I email you?
Hi Jen.
Musely will prescribe it. You do an online consultation with one of their doctors, not expensive and because it’s prescription, your HSA will cover it. I started on dut four months ago; haven’t noticed any regrowth but the shedding is much better.
Hi Rose,
I have used Dutasteride for 6 months, I also used a lazer Hair Band for the last 4 months. In the ls 2 months I’m having excessive shedding, I’m thinking of stopping the Dutasteride, thinking that this could be the reason for the shedding. I am getting very obsessed and depressed about the shedding! More that I have seen in a long time. I do see some baby hairs along my hair line. I’m very confused on what I should do. Please let me know what you think, and did you have the same side affect at the beggining? Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Don’t stop. It takes about 4 months to start seeing results. Shedding will stop soon.
Hi Rose,
May i ask you how old you are and if you have any effects on your skin like dry skin of wrinkles?
From Fin or Dut?
I have the idea that it have effect on my skin. Not sure i am 34 could be my age :/ But it sets in very fast last months. Same period as i am on the medication. Thanks
Are you a girl?
Hi, never took Dutasteride but I started taking Finasteride (1mg) when I was 18, 7 years ago, and my hair stop falling and got thicker. Althouth I never had side effects I’m worried about the long term effects of this drug. So I’m thinking of reducing to 1mg Finasteride day in day out and taking Viviscal or other supplement like saw palmeto. I would like your opinion on that please.
Also, I use Nizoral Shampo and use the I-Grow 2 day in day out.
I’m positive that one day soon there will be a drug that stops hair loss without any risk of side effects.
Best regards
I am losing hair since Last one year.. First I took fincar fir 8 months n hair fall reduced but there was some bad hair days too…But I started dutas 4 months back and after 2 months of dutas my hair fall increased SOO MUCH… Anyone knows why…
31 Years old.
Lost hair since I was 20 constantly. Started to take Avodart 1 1/2 year ago (.5 / day).
After 1 month hair loss stopped completely.
After 2 month my balls started to hurt a Little bit and sperm count was reduced significantly. Body hair growth reduced. But no other side effects (still as horny as ever).
After 6 month I regained the hair that I lost during the last 2 years before use. Then regrowth process stopped (probably the hair I lost more than 2 years ago is lost forever).
I then reduced dosis to 0.5 mg every 2 days, Still no hair loss, no other side effects than shown above.
To sum it up:
– Avodart let my hair re-grow to a status 2 years before first consumption (1 pill a day)
– Avodart is able to keep this status stable with half Dosis (1 pill / 2 days)
– Body hair growth reduced
– Balls hurt sometimes and sperm count is reduced
How did you measure sperm count and what percent of body hair did you loose? Any reduction in beard hair? Thanks for the update.
I got like a ball tingling feeling too, thought it was something serious but everything in ultra sound turned out ok, been taking for over ten years was wondering if I should switch to finasteride but worried I will experience dramatic hair loss
Starting taking avodart 6 years ago, initially the hair loss accelerated and I thought, Christ what have I done. After a period of stabilisation, hair loss reduced and regrowth began. 6 years on and I have maintained most of my thinning mane. Definately body hair reduction and possible decrease in lambido…. Or is that old age !? I would definitely recommend :-)
My son, 20 yrs. old has been on Avodart for 11 months now and shows amazing results, which we saw very quickly. We have genetic balding that runs in the family through 3 generations and maybe more. Especially in the males and some of the females. Grandfather, uncles and cousins are all bald. My son, started to show signs at at age 17. We started to see the receding temples. He went to 6 Flags and got a bad sunburn on the top of his head, where the hair was thin. We knew we needed to do something or he would loose all of his hair. We talked about it and he decided to try something. At 18, I started doing research. He was on Finasteride for 8 months with very little results. We needed something better. So, I found Avodart. We buy it out of Canada. We also use Minoxidil with .5mg of Avodart daily. He has a full head of hair. I have seen it grow back and thicken from the top of his head moving toward the front of his forehead. We also, see little hairs growing at the hairline. He does not seem to have any side effects. I have asked him repeatedly. Don’t know what the long term side effects will be. But, we are happy now.
It also has cleared up some acne, which is good.
Thanks and please update us every year! Congratulations for being pro-active.
Will do!
Hi there. I’m from Canada and don’t you need a prescription to get on Avodart. Where did you buy it from?
Maple Leaf Pharmacy out of Canada
Can these medicines be taken without the prescription of the doctor? I have a big forehead and I’m also starting to lose hair. I’m getting conscious. Someone suggested hair transplant and I booked an appointment next week at Canadian hair transplant center(Toronto) which is nearby. I’m 33 and I need a forever solution.
Hey admin, just wanted to let you know that after two years of fin (1year of it not working and having scalp pain) I got on dutasteride. I’ve been on it a month now (name brand avodart) and it hasn’t done anything what so ever for my shedding. I have zero side effects on the drug. No libido drop or raise for that matter, no brain fog, nothing. Hopefully setipiprant will be the answer because I seem to have a strong defense agains AA’s
Have been using Avodart for about ten years. Definitely more effective than Propecia. Much improvement in front and back for first six years, leveling off and reversing a little during the past two or three years, but still much better than before. Pre-Avodart, wife wouldn’t look at my forehead with its sad sprigs of hair plugs. Now looks mostly not horrible.
Thanks a lot Rick!! Guys you can follow this man here:
https://twitter.com/dumbassgenius
Are you still on Avodart Rick? That would be almost 13 years. Given your intellect, do you feel dutasteride has had any effect on your cognition? I am asking (for those who don’t know) due to dutasteride’s inhibition of 5AR type 1 which is responsible for allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid in the brain.
Also, do you feel the recent studies showing increased glucose and hepatic lipid accumulation are cause for any concern for long term dutasteride users? Are these risks maybe marginal for most people and something that could be offsett with other drugs/supplements?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4701851/
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/hmbci.2017.30.issue-3/hmbci-2017-0015/hmbci-2017-0015.xml
I would very much like to switch from finasteride to dutasteride and am looking for reassurance that these concerns are unfounded. Thanks in advance.
Hi
am indian and a 35year old female. I have been using oral cntraceptive pills for the past six months to combat irregular and heavy menstrual flow.Am also taking isotretinoin but thats only 10 mg and just once in 4 days.Result – Skin has been clear ever since i started on ocp and isotretinoin. But hair has become thinner
i dont think that isotretinoin is the reason as the dose is v.low.Maybe its the oral cntraceptive pills?what can i do to grow thicker hair,like i had in the past?can i take dutas?or should i just stop the ocp?i dont want to stop isotretinoin as its given me the kinda skin that i always wanted.
Kindly help
I have tried avodart 2 times in the past both times stopped after 1 month but by the end of the month both times I noticed hundreds of dark thin hairs sprouting on both temples they weren’t super thick but excellent sign I chickened out because of potential sex side effects and sex is very important to me now it’s been like 5 more years since last avodart dose ordered some through Canadian pharmacy was only 100 bux for 90 avodart including shipping part of me thinks maybe this is too good to be true price and I will be getting fake avodart is there any way I can tell if it’s fake avo? Then another part of me think yea maybe they can somehow avoid the regulatory scam ridden process of the U.S. pharmaceutical racket ?? We’ll see anyways I have extensive loss nw 5 pattern so hoping for the best this time and plan to stay on for much longer also interested in buying the pilox device still can’t find out how to order it
Hi
I have been taking fin for about four years, at first the result was amazing, but after 2 years my hair loss started. Recently I have mixed one pile of dut to my daily minoxidil (I still take fin) and after two weeks my hair loss reduced and I have experienced hair regrowth. But unfortunately now ,after a month of taking dut, I am experiencing hair loss again! I don’t know what happened, why it worked and then stopped working! Any suggestion or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I’ve been on Avodart since about 2002, so about 13 years, Originally, my hair grew in about as thick as it had been about 4 years earlier. Since 2008 I’ve noticed it has slowly been losing it’s effectiveness. I’ve had no side effects. I take .5 mg M-F. I think it has worked well for me besides it’s losing it’s effectiveness over time. I am 52 years old now.
Pretty good run. Hopefully you can keep it for a few more years.
Hey guys ,
Today my first dose of Dut was swallowed by me with consultation of my doc ..I was at first thinking for fin prescription but he directly kept me on that dut..talking about the past, I have been on minoxidil (sometimes 5%sometimes10%)for the last 15 months .it certainly helped me with the frontal part and gave me a full head of hairs( probably enough to cover up) but not the looks that i used to have in my teenage(around19) and for that i turned to dutasteride….should be tolerated by my body well..fingers crossed for now ….and yes I am 21 now …I am for India and talking about the cost of minoxidil it cost me around Rs 2000(roughly $35) for 3 months refills (10% solution,including doctor’s consultation fee) and for dutasteride its Rs 270(roughly $4.5) for 30 tablets(0.5mg) and that in total means …its damn cheap …you guys should consider buying it from some Indian stores…considering the originality of minoxidil, my hair growth is an example …but for Dutasteride I can’t be sure as I am also starting the course today ..but i strongly feel it will help me a lot …..I would share my progress with you all in a mean while till then …..pray for those bald shiny heads ……don’t hesitate for any help from me …
What is a good reliable indian pharmacy to order dutasteride from ? thanks so much
On Generic Dutasteride for the past 2 months. Took it thrice a week for the first two months and did not notice any effects. Started a daily dose since the previous month and after 4 weeks there is heavy shedding. Will wait it out for a few more months for a fair enough assessment.
I have been on dutasteride 500 mcg a Day, for about two years before that I was on Finasteride for something like 4 years and it did slow the hair loss process. But I never got around medication that wasn’t generic so I couldn’t tell if I had the most out of Finasteride, at that time the hair loss was big so I decided to switch to Dustateride and it was really good, it completely stopped the hair loss and regrew some of the hair on my hairline. Now it is tricky to get a doctor to prescribe it to you in Australia, and I’m done with the online pharmacies selling generics…. do you have any idea on how to get Avodart in Australia or a reliable online source
Get an appointment to see an actual hair Dr that specialises in it. He will prescribe avodart for you.
I have been using hair loss treatments since the age of 20 (I’m 40 now) starting with minoxidil which was rubbish. I then started using finasteride which stabilised my hair loss. At 26 I had 1200 hair transplant at the front as I was not experiencing any regrowth with finasteride. For the last 6 years I’ve been on dutasteride and not only have I kept all my hair but I have had huge regrowth and my hair now looks like it did when I was in my teens. You would never know I was ever losing it and these days I barely even think about hair loss. I have had no side effects. I take 5mg every few days and I buy from United pharmacies.
Congratulations Scott and thanks for the feedback! I am now convinced that I should get back on Dutasteride (tried it for a very short time some years ago).
Thats amazing. Do you use 5 or 0.5 mg? I know some use 1mg a day but 5 sounds like too high, and expensive.
I been on Avodart 0.5 for 2 weeks, no bad side effects, sexual function has actually increased. Hoping to regrow some and im willing to up my dose.
Bought my avodart in Manila over the counter at mercury drugs (theyre everywhere) no prescription needed at usd 1 per capsule.
admin, would one have to take advodart every day to see effects? I mean it stays in the body long.
Hii
I m milind (mbbs Student at nagpur india)
I lost my hair since 2 yr
My frnd suggest me to take dutasteroid 0.5 mg
Should I take it or consult Dr
What dose u take and of which brand
Scott I’m from india same age and I have also done hair transplant 15 days back now doctor prescribed dutasteroid .5
Will it work
Reply..
Hi i have been on propecia for almost 10 years doing great I am wondering should i switch to avodart for stonger effects and longer lasting results
Need a reliable site that will sell me it. No fakes!! From England
DRM Ltd. (Global Pharmacy) mate. Genuine GSK Avodart and very reliable. Just started ordering from them and have recieved 2 separate packages successfully. I’m praying the stuff works better than finasteride. Only problem is I read in a forum today that taking Avodart while recovering from a hair transplant can affect the new grafts and stop them from growing. This has to be incorrect surely?? Anyone ever heard or read about this?
P.s I just had a read of my comment above and it looks like I am a Rep for that online company. I am not. You should try to get your Doctor to prescribe it to you if possible. Mine would barely prescribe finasteride to me so I didn’t even try him for Avodart.
Haha Yeh This is incorrect cause new grafts are from permanant hair that doesn’t fall out becuase the follicles genitically block dht – and if anything adovart would help block the exisiting hair around the transplant site from falling out due to the anesthetic , shock loss and dht to the weaker hair
I tried to buy it from here, but they are asking for a prescription from my doctor. Anywhere online that sells legit stuff w/out a prescription? Thanks..
You can buy it when on vacation, sold without prescription over the counter in for example Turkey and Philippines, i assume also in for example Thailand and Cambodia. The full list would be long, very many countries sell prescription meds without prescription.
using Avodart .5mg from 10 days and shedding decreased to some extent , before this i have used propecia and minoxidil for 8 months which triggered shedding badly. i am optimistic about this drug.
Used fin for one year – stopped my hair loss untill month 3 then she’d all my hair from hairline and top —
Switched to adovart and loaded 3 capsules a day (1.5mg) My hair shed stopped in 3 days and my hair on top of my head grew back thicker almost immediately…
I dropped the dose after about 2 months to one capsule a day and my hair started shedding a little… I upped the dose then to two capsules a day and my hair was still shedding … So I stayed on 3 capsules a day …
My hair after one year was thick and full but my hairline was still receding at a minimal rate.
I stopped taking it all together and my hair remained the same for 4 months and then I started shedding really bad to the point I could see my scalp again.
So I am back on them in the morning taking 3 capsules a day an this time I won’t stop.
Side effects I experienced was my sperm count was reduced by half … I made sure I masturbated every day early on so i could make my body used to getting an erection still – this method is one I made up and Havnt researched if it works but in my head I wanted to make sure I could still get hard. Sometimes it was a little hard to release sperm but no pain and still a lot of sperm.
The main side effect was weight gain – if u don’t exercise and eat clean you will start experiencing weight gain especially around the chest and stomach and I put on 7 kilos over the year of taking it as oppose to always being around the same weight
Packs in australia cost about $26 from the chemist and ur gp can give u a prescription with a Max repeat of 14
30 capsules in a pack lasted 10 days
So. I have been using a combination of Avodart , Finasteride, Minoxidil and lastly Hairmax Comb. This treatment I listed has worked well for the last 4 years. Hair line recidation however does not benefit as much as everything else. When I say worked well I refer to increase in thickness and new hairs as well as keeping what was their to begin with. I personally advise anyone getting generic Avodart from inhousepharmacy to stop. They are a gamble 1/3 the time they will give you fake avo. I noticed this due to sometimes losing all benefits to regrowth from a different batch I ordered. I.E. Shedding to regrowth phases.
Been on various strengths of Minox since 1988; was 28 when I started and I’m now 55 years. Combined this with Propecia for approx. last 20 years. I started this regime when I first noticed my hair start to thin slightly, so I have always maintained what would be considered as a good head of hair. About 10 months ago my hair started increased thinning, more than I can ever remember; typically 200 – 300 each time I showered ( I pat dry with a towel and then slowly and carefully comb my hair forward from the crown to the forehead). I figured that perhaps the effects of the treatments were waning due to time of use and my age. I started with Avodart approx. 8 months ago (0.5 mg/day), saw no change for the first couple of months and an increased shedding in months 3 and 4. I discontinued Propecia at around month 4 and reduced Avodart to every other day. In month 6 my hair loss completely stopped and started to thicken. I barely find a single hair in my comb now, and I would assess that I have more hair now than when I first started Propecia. I have discontinued Minox recently and will reassess in approx. 3 months.
I am 63 y/o. I’ve used Fin for about 10 years then switched to Dut and have been using Dut for about 7 yrs. Dut is definitely better. I have been using Rogaine since the day it was available. I don’t think I’ve ever had any hair regrowth but the hair loss process has slowed drastically.
The side effects have been: reduced semen amount by about 3/4, less body hair, almost no loss of libido.
The lazer comb was worthless.
hi guys,
i’m back once again as i said earlier,after around 85 days(roughly 3 months) with great results from dutasteride …i’m on every other day schedule of it but then also i don’t find any regrets not taking daily dose…its like miracle for now…….my hair fall reduced to around 10-15 from 50-80(sometimes 150) every day ….now i’m watch for another 6 months for those new hairs growing on my head ….as i mentioned earlier i was also using minoxidil 10% ..but now i’m using 5%(2ml) at once every night ….if any one could please tell that should i go for daily dose or is it ok with e-o-d dose !!?? ( I’m not taking daily dose as i want to save it for future when dutasteride will loss its effectiveness)…
THANKS IN ADVANCE……
Hi Sunny, Could you please tell me the name of generic pill which you are taking for dutasteride? Is it Dutas .5 mg from Dr. Reddy or Duprost from Cipla?
Please help me as I was having finpecia 1 mg for last 6 or 7 months and had very good results in the begining but in the last 2 months I noticed thinning and hair fall issues and waited for 1 month to see if it’s happening due to hair cycle but didn’t get see any improvement in hair thinning or fall.
So now I have decided to switch from finpecia to finax 1mg to see if it works before moving from finasteride to Dutasteride. I wanted to give a try to Finasteride but with the different known brand in india. So now I am taking finax for last 2 days and will share the progress. Meanwhile please share the name of drug which you are taking for Dutasteride .5 mg.
Thanks
Taking dutasteride from the past 1 month and no effect. Infact I think hair fall is increase now. Should i stop taking this medicine or continue with this (As many of you has experienced heavy hair fall initially and then regrowth after some time). Please help
I started using propecia (proscar cut in 4) around 2 years ago. I was lucky enough to notice my hair loss at an early age which drastically reduced the thinning. Over christmas this year I noticed I was still losing hair and was thinner then ever. After doing some research on forums, I learned that there is certain types of DHT that propecia can’t block, so I started using Avodart. As soon as I started using it the shedding stopped. For the first month I took one every day, and after that I started taking 2-3 every week. I alternate it with proscar. I felt no real psychological side effect but I always made sure to take it before I got bed and not in the mornings, because on a few occasions I’ve experienced low mood after taking proscar during the day. If you’re worried about the expensive price of these drugs I bought mine when I was on holiday in Turkey and its the fraction of the price with a pack of 30 costing under 10 GBP. Proscar is also ridiculously cheap. There are plenty of countries out there which don’t require prescriptions, so why not go out there on a short holiday and buy your meds at the same time..
If you’re still not seeing any results I’d say keep taking it for another few months. You won’t grow your hair back but will definitely stop further loss! That is if there are no side effects of course. For me taking avodart and propecia help give me peace of mind because I know I’m doing everything I possible can. Hope this helps and good luck!
Re: Sunny
Average human hair loss is 150-200 a day so 10-15 or even 50-80 is too low.
No, average loss is 50-100 per day. And thinning depends a great deal on the regrowth of those follicles which shed, and the length of the growth phase. Hair loss generally is increased rate of shedding (unit hairs per day) plus a shorter growth phase…meaning they shed again after a shorter period of time. A normal growth phase believe it or not is 2-3 years.
6 years on dutasteride and cpmpletely stopped my hair loss. no real regrowth but stopped any further loss :)
How old are you?
I’m 26 years old male, & had started losing a lot of hair since 20-21.
I’ve started taking dutasteride (avodart) 500micrograms every second day & minoxidil (loniten) 5mg everyday, for about 4 weeks now.
I can’t say I can see much difference now (other than excessive shedding from my head), but what I’ve been advised by my hair transplant surgen, that it is definitely the best way to go, if you want to keep the hair from falling out.
I wonder if anyone has had a hair transplant surgery, whilst continuing using dutasteride? And is it worth it? I’m scheduled to have a transplant later this year, so I’m curious to see other people comments/experiences.
Thanks & good luck to everyone !
Hi Val,
I was using 1.66 mg/day proscar and minoxidil up until last last year when I got sick of using the minox and decided to get a HT to fill in temples. I slowly tapered off the minox and stopped about 5 weeks before the surgery. I wanted the surgeon to put grafts into my midscalp but he said it was too early and that the area was not thin enough. He then asked me to consider Avodart instead as he was confident that it would thicken up the midscalp nicely. I replied that my GP wouldn’t prescribe avodart and that I would continue to take the proscar.
I had my head shaved for the HT and after about a month I noticed that the hairs in my midscalp area were extremely slow to grow back. This is when I decided to start using avodart as it became abundantly clear that minox was the thing that was helping these thin hairs to grow.
I’m about 4.5 months post HT and ive been taking 0.5 mg/day avodart for about 3 months. I have yet to see any regrowth or thickening. I have noticed that my native hair at the very front, just behind where my grafts were placed, has thinned slightly – this is a major worry for me as there are a lot of stories out there about accelerated frontal thinning after starting avodart. I hope that this ‘thinness’ is because of stopping the minoxidil as I’ve heard it can be 8-12 months before the hair goes back to the way it would’ve been if I hadn’t used minox at all.
I really hope avodart thickens my existing hair but that has not been the case after 3 months use. I will continue to use for minimum 1 year before giving my final opinion.
progress?
I had a hair transplant about 10 years ago. At that time I started avodart .5mg daily and took it for 9 years with no side effects. The HT along with the avodart pretty much stabilized my hair loss. During that time If you would look at me you wouldn’t think I had a hairloss issue. I went off avodart about 9 months ago and started generic propecia about 9 months ago and now I notice a significant difference. It looks like I’ve lost considerable hair in the front even in the frontal 3rd where the transplant was done. Is it possible that by switching from avodart to propecia I would lose a lot of the benefits from the 9 years of Avodart? Others have noticed it too. Also if I were to go back on Avodart would I regain that which I have seemed to lost over the last 9 months? Not sure if I switch back. I’m also looking into another HT in the front. I had some online consults. Most of the docs came back with ranges from 1500-2300 grafts. received about 3200 in my 1st one. Thanks
Hello, Wanted to give my 2 cents, as im reading this blog here pretty often, I usually never talk about my hair loss.
34, male
Started propecia at 21 , stopped sometime for 2 years
Taking dutasteride now since 2 months , been on propecia (original) since about 4 years when I got my 1000 graft transplant done.
I’m having positive results with 0,5 dutasteride every 2 days, so about 3-4 pills a week, my hair is growing stronger and darker, I also see new hairs in the temple region coming, will update in 4 months. All in all very pleased about Duta results !
Did advodart reverse grey hair?
On the comment before with Rita I meant Duta. Sorry for the mistakes. Wanted also to say that my girlfriend got pregnant as I was on finasteride. My daughter is 3 and perfectly healthy ! Hopes this helps for the paranoia :)
might not have been same result if fetus was male. I think the chief concern is that it can feminize a male fetus if DHT is blocked.
In theory, at least, the effect of Dutasteride on a chromosomally male child could mimic the genetic condition “5α-reductase deficiency”.
What happens here is that what appears to be a girl baby is born, who grows into a happy little girl, but then at the age of puberty, “she” turns into a young man (healthy, sexually functioning, and fertile).
There is a community in the Dominican Republic where the gene for this condition is quite common, and everyone seems to have accepted it as fairly normal.
Where do you get Avodart from? I am located in the US and my doctor will not give me a prescription for it. I want to make sure I am getting the legit drug, and am a little suspicious about ordering from a random website.
Any advice? Thanks.
I posted in 2015. My son is taking .5 mg of Avodart. Well, we thought Avodart would keep all of my sons hair from falling out. We were hoping it was a miracle cure. It did help, in the beginning. I believe he would have lost more hair, if he did not take the avodart
He will be 21 this summer. He does have hair on the top, but it is staying thin. I see it has stopped helping.
I am sure with the strong genetic gene of hair loss that runs in the family, he would have to increase the dose.
I read above PIRANHA 32 is taking 3 pills (1.5mg) daily. Don’t know, if we will go in that direction. We will talk about it and then decide. I would like to know how old PIRANHA 32 is. Please respond.
I also read about someone taking Finasteride with the Avodart.
We will be going to the doctor next month. We will talk to him.
Just don’t know about the side effects of taking a higher dose.
What an awesome mother you are!! I wish my mom foresaw this hairloss and got me started on this stuff before I already started losing it and then realized on my own.
Anyway, where are you receiving your prescription from? I am in the US and cannot get my doctor to prescribe it for hair loss. Any chance you know of a reputable site online that does not require an RX?
Thanks.
Does anyone know of any doctors in NYC who would prescribe this for hair loss, or know of a reputable site that would send it without the prescription?
Thanks!
Anyone know of any labs you can send drugs to
Test their content?
Hi,
I found a place that has prescription strength minoxidil (12-15% concentrate) with little to no alcohol. Before purchasing, has anyone tried a similar product and have any results to share?
Thanks!
I started my hair loss at 21. My barber mentioned it and I said he was lying. He stared at me and said “Oh you are going to have trouble with this.” He was 100% correct. The hair loss really started going at about 25 and it significantly effected my looks and self esteem. Some guys actually better bald (ex Jason Stathum – LOL His hair sucked!). Unfortunately I do NOT come close to Stathum.
So at 45 yr old I’m at stage 4 on the Norwood chart. I started with Rogain and hated every minute of it. I had some results at the crown of my head but I also had MEGA SUPER POWERED DANDRUFF!! It was like my head was throwing dust at people. I hated that stuff. When Propecia came out I was all in. I had to drive 4 hrs to find a doc to prescribe it. I took it on and off for about 5 yrs and had good results – particularly in the crown area. A fiancee convinced me to stop because she was worried about side effects. I took it 3 months in secret before I finally gave in. OMG!!! Within a month or two (or very soon) all the gains (hair) fell out and I had a gaping bald spot!!! Thanks Tammy!
Now I’m starting Avodart 0.5mg. I have been on it for about a week and so far so good. I don’t take any meds so I’m hoping there will be no bad reactions. Sadly I have NOT had sex this week so the semen level ~ NOT sure yet. No difference in sex drive so far but it’s very early. I will give it a few months and try to report back.
Brad
One thing I wanted to mention but ran out of space before I could say it:
START EARLY!!!!
I could NOT start early because the treatments were just not there when I was young. My most successful drug was Propecia (just starting Avodart). When I think of how much that drug helped and how much hair loss has bothered me over the years ~ WOW!! I would have given anything to have been able to start treatment at the early signs.
I’m NOT a doctor – LOL – I don’t even claim to be smart but from what I have read it seems that recently killed hair follicles might have a chance. Follicles that died 10 years ago – IDK – that would be something…..something I hope we get to experience in our lifetimes. So for you young guys considering taking action – GO! HAHAHA!!! I believe and it’s just my opinion that if you start treatment early at the very least you can have hair longer than those of us who had to just go to the mirror everyday and watch our looks go downhill.
Good luck to all,
Brad
Brad, thanks for the excellent advice about starting early and please update us on your Dutasteride results.
Hi Admin,
Love your site but never post. Was just wondering if you knew a good online site to buy Dutasteride. Have been on Fin for 12 years and it did great but last 6 months losing major ground and think it has stopped working. You are giving so many hope with your site! Thank you so much!
Hi Rob, I purchase mine from Walgreens or Costco usually:-(
I’m still taking 0.5mg/day genuine avodart as stated above. I’m a week away from 4 months and unfortunately I still can’t see any improvement. But as I’ve detailed above I have to stress that before starting the avodart the hair in my midscalp was not growing/lengthening after having it shaved for the HT. I’m still hoping I’m in the middle of a shock loss period from stopping the minoxidil.
There are a couple of things that really worry me though:
1) A few times a day now I get an itchy feeling in my midscalp (sometimes referred to as MPB itch). I didn’t have this occasional itch while taking the finasteride.
2) I don’t lose many hairs from washing/drying/combing but the ones I do see coming out look very very weak. These are exactly the hairs that avodart should be strengthening so it’s a bit disheartening.
Does anyone here think there would be benefit in increasing my daily dose to 1mg avodart?
Jim
Also I should note that I have noticed a reduction/thinning of body hair in some areas of my body. I used to have to pluck hairs out of my unibrow :) once per week but I havnt had to do it in weeks. Beard hair is slower to grow back after shaving and has thinned slightly in the thinner areas on my cheeks. I can pull hair out of my chin reasonably easily now and the hairs that come out look very fair and light coloured. Hair on the back of my hands is not growing as strong and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that hair around the pubic area has thinned and is noticeably shedding which is very strange.
I had itching on scalp when started finasteride but eventually went away. Where it was itching is where the hair regrew thicker (personal experience).
Switched to Dutasteride 0.5mg and now for 2 month, itching starting again although in area where there is thinning. Losing a lot of hair recently (thin hairs) but when I look in mirror, everything looks thicker. Eventually the hair has to go through its cycle so I am not worried about it.
Everyone is different, maybe you having same experience as me or maybe not. Either case, your actions are stay or stop. Increasing dosage may not make much difference (see Dutasteride research on prostate for DHT reduction). Remember that DHT Blockers dont regrow hair, they just stop it from falling out. The hair regrowth is from something else in your body.
I have been on Advodart for about 2 months now. What I see is I still have a few hair coming when I wash my hair. Some are thin, also today I seen a very short thick hair on the brush. I would like to assume this was a new hair that started to grow and became weak or broke off. To me that is making me think. Also I had a treat 2 month ago that was a stem cell injection in my scalp that is like the prp & a cell. But this is different. It’s actuall female placenta stem cells which is suppose to help the hair follicles. I have noticed hair growing in my front hair line. They are thick and some are a little thin. Those seem to be strong. But for some reason I continue to lose hair on my crown. I am going to see how things look at 6 month on Advodart and my stem cell treatment.
I was taking a topical prescribed by my doctor. It was a mix of minoxidil and finesteriade and other stuff. But I stopped taking it. The minoxidil made my scalp peel and have flacky scalp. It happen a few times so I stopped taking it.
I had the same scalp problem but started using the foam and that solved the issue with scaling scalp
I am a woman and have been taking dutasteride for about 6 months. Hair started thinning about 5 years ago. Tried scalp Injections for alopecia. Also used propecia, spironolactone, and few other things along with Rogaine. Hair loss in to the front and temple area. Dutesteride has not stopped the thinning or slow loss.
Hi G, I am 67 and justed started Dutasturide .5 mg every day. 10 days in and I have noticed my breasts have enlarged , but no pain. Shedding seems to have lessened, but shower drain still shows a lot of hair when I wash. Are you still using this medication? What information can you share with me. I have been diagnosied with androgenic alopecia.
Keep in mind that Dut is used to treat androgenic alopecia, if your hairloss has other causes/other type of alopecia it will not work. Make sure youre correctly diagnosed before attempting Dut.
Gladys, what is your hormone profile like?
Thought I would write something since I read alot from here … Started Minoxidil 5% (generic) in Aug 2015 and had some improvement by Oct 2015 but wasnt resolving thin front part. Decided to take Finasteride 1mg and that did much better improvement by Apr 2016. Always wanted to take Dutasteride 0.5mg and spoke with my doctor after much research. Got 4 month Avodart (brand). Experienced strongest regrowth on Dutasteride 2 weeks in. Now 2 months ongoing while still on Minoxidil 5% but stopping Minoxidil today as everything is thickening except where I am putting Minoxidil . Thinking that the Minoxidil is interfering with the recovery by preventing hair cycle. Could be my imagination but this is what I see since it is where I am putting Minox. I expect transient hair loss for 2-3 months.
Went from estimated 65% hair density (of baseline from teenage years) to 90% at the moment since Aug 2015. Hair loss been going since early 20s (now 34) but very slowly (I am male).
Everyone is different and Dutasteride may or may not work for you. Do the research, weigh the (sexual) risks and decide to take it or not. For me it really works and lucky that I have no side effects to date from any of the above. Was really scared of possible side effects but all research says it is transient.
Will likely know final hair recovery level by Dec 2016 on just Dutasteride.
Last note – if you try it and reading this, write your experience here. People will appreciated it.
Thanks for the detailed update Eddy!
Thought I would post an update as it has been 1.5 months since I stopped minoxidil 5%.
Since stopping, the hair has been falling out quite often (as noted before) although before I was not seeing any thinning. Given that it is logical that if enough hair keeps falling out day and day (about 20-30 that I can see when I run my hand through my hair and then shake it), eventually it will start to show. Turns out that is about now. I have noticed that the front part of the scalp where I was putting minoxidil is thinning again.
This was largely expected and should be transient although would of thought that it would happen much earlier (like 2-3 weeks after stopping minoxidil) but is happening now at 6 weeks. Been on Dutasteride 0.5mg daily and going on 4th month. Have to go to doctor tomorrow to get next 6 months of Dutasteride.
Everywhere else is doing great in that it is quite thick everywhere and looking in the mirror I can see the back of the head is perfect (feels thick) and so does the top and sides. Only problem is the front part. To give some context, there is no bald spot on my head but there is a large tennis ball size area that is thinning just above the forehead going from front to back. The upside is that the hair follicle openings are all there with very thin but longish hair which tells me that things are not dead (else I would expect it to close up). The downside is that it feel crap to see myself losing hair again and there is this little part inside that wants to start using minoxidil again although rationally I got to let it pass and let the hair move through its cycle.
My hair is much longer (circa 12-15cm long) with side path and the length covers the thinning part although when outside in the sun and wind blowing, it shows.
Also given that I have been on Dutasteride for more than 3 months, the DHT levels should be suppressed by 90% and free-testosterone should be higher. Will likely go to the hospital in coming days to have the testosterone tested although there is no DHT test on the list so dont know if that can be done.
Realistically, I should expect further hair loss in the area where I was putting minoxidil for at least another 2 months. Will give it another month and then report back.
Minor update since previous post.
Still losing hair a lot. Every time I run my hand through my hair, hair comes out – some thin, some thick – both long and short. Surprising part is that it is coming from everywhere so minoxidil effect could of been more widespread or could also be dutasteride “shedding effect”. While it is normal to expect shedding from stopping minoxidil (studies + people experience), I cannot tell the difference between this and dutasteride shedding (if there is one at this point).
Also had blood taken (yesterday) to check all hormone levels (LH, Testosterone, DHT, etc). Results available in a week – will post anything of relevance.
Also making arrangements for PRP in the coming weeks (8ml blood extraction to create circa 0.5-1ml of PRP). Basis for PRP is that I am on Dutasteride (in 4th month) so root cause of problem of thinning hair should be been addressed and PRP should help restore the hair to before. Thinking is that if PRP restores the hair (ie. thicken hair), then Dutasteride should hold it together. Unfortunately, there are no studies on PRP + Dutasteride (or Finasteride) so I cannot gauge. Either way, I would be at the limits of what pharmacology can do here for recovering hair in a sustainable way (at this time).
For relevance, PRP continuously every year is not a sustainable situation considering the costs involved so the approach is 4x PRP (4-6 week intervals) and long term Dutasteride (0.5mg) for 30 years.
Will keep this thread (under my previous posts) updated as things progress for my own recordkeeping as well as for admin.
So it has been a little while and an update is required.
Had blood tests taken to get hormone levels and it turns out that my total testosterone is on the lower side (10.5 mnol/L) but still within normal range. Spoke to doctor about it and he said that “hormones very good” because LH and FSH also very low meaning that my body is making good use of the testosterone that my body is producing. Unfortunately, there was no test for DHT so I cannot tell what this level is. While I dont have the ratio of T/DHT is normal males aged 30-35, it must be on the surpressed side given the time I have been on Dutasteride (ending month 4).
It has been now almost 2.5 months since the stopping of Minoxidil (stopped 17 June 2016) and my theory of minoxidil holding back the recovery from using dutasteride seems correct (in my case at least). The tennis size area (actually a mango shape) is filling in and becoming darker (after shock loss due to minoxidil stoppage). There is still hair coming out although this is from the back end and likely still minoxidil effects (at least for another 1.5 months).
Overall, everything is improving and was thinking of just leaving it but had PRP today (2x 10cc of blood = 4ml of PRP). This particular process was really PRP + PPP activates with calcium. The final injection looked yellow whereas some online photos of PRP have a red / pink tinge to it (ie. has some red blood cells). It was 3 small syringes all in. Procedure was pretty straight forward and took around 15min. Spin was for 2min (single spin).
Is it going to do something? I cannot say because it is a 50/50 chance. The doctor said that he sees good results in about 1/3 of the people that request this procedure from him. I have to wait it out another 4 week to see if something positive happening. Again, I expect transient hair loss on the injection sites as the hair follicle will need to reorganize and this requires moving through its cycle again.
My hair status is around 80% of teenage years at the moment and it is also at a point where I am looking at it less and less and less. Previously I was looking at it like every 2 hours (literally) going to toilet within the office regularly to see it in different lights. This effectively is acting as the “standard” for determining if I am gaining or losing.
The issue is now more psychological in that previously I was at hair thickness level X and when it went thicker, I could say I am gaining. But now it has reached a point where it is not far from teenage that I am evaluation backwards (ie. how far am I from 100%?).
What does this all mean from Dutasteride? Well, same message as before which is that it is working for me without any sexual side effect (except less semen but this is expected).
I will keep posting from time to time for general recordkeeping and as long as I have any interesting update.
Thanks Eddy, much appreciated.
It has been almost another month but more importantly it is now 3 months since I stopped minoxidil.
Hair loss (shedding to be more precise) is still ongoing at the same pace as before however this does not seem to be minoxidil. Area of shedding is in the back by the crown / neck and is largely thin hair but still quite long (4cm-6cm). This shedding has to be from the Dutasteride (I assume).
Still shocked and amazed at just how much comes out however there is no visual density loss when I look at the mirror. The “mango area” in the front has already filled in to more than what it was with Minoxidil when I just stopped which is the reason for the post.
While officially it is finasteride + minoxidil that are approved for hair loss, I am finding much better results with dutasteride + PRP. Having been on both (now month 5 on dutasteride +3 weeks in from 1st PRP), I can say that there is a real difference between the two treatment approaches. The PRP likely isnt showing that much given the time that has passed but the Dutasteride is certainly having a strong effect as per my previous posts.
Had a hair cut last friday and hair is shorter (circa 5cm at the longest) and it looks pretty good. One wouldnt think that I had hair loss given the overall thickness and coverage. As mentioned before, I still have hair everywhere just thin in some places but it is filling in.
Still going todo another 3 sessions of PRP by the same doctor (cost is EUR 275). I know more about the procedure and protocol than the most of the doctors I was asking PRP from and some brief research on medical materials costs (Vacutainers with Calcium Gluconate, Syringes, disposables, etc) shows that EUR 275 is reasonable with materials likely not exceeding EUR 35. If the cost of materials is thousands nobody would be offering it because no-one would be able to afford it. Different protocols would have different effects but the aim is to get many platlets to the dermal papilla. Those charging very high prices likely are using a kit or system which will give more consistency but I doubt the “price-per-platlet” is worth it. For reference, the EUR 275 is “manual” in that it is spun in a generating centrifugal machine and manually extracted with a syringe with open tube (ie. no kit or system).
Overall, there is not really much more to expect in terms of updates as I would expect to continue shedding for months and some thickening over the coming months. Will still post just to keep track of status over time. Just keep in mind that if you going through shedding, it is the only way forward.
As a general note to everyone posting here on if their dutasteride is legit or not, I think is best you decide if this is really a good idea to buy something online (costing you money) and then you trying to figure out if you got the real medication or just a sugar pill. Just go to a doctor and get the script for the real thing and remove this variable. While I am on Avodart (the brand), I expect that the pharmacies here (the ones in buildings – not online) will replace the brand with the generic in the coming year for cost reasons. For clarity, I am paying full price (EUR 50 a month) but this is worth it as I would not trust any online pharmacy as medication is the 2nd most counterfeited item next to clothing.
It has been a month since the PRP and I can say that the shedding is quite pronounced. A lot of hair is falling out since the PRP for which I estimate could be up to 400 hairs per day. Running my hands through my head for 5 min has about 40-50 hairs coming out easy and it happens day after day to the point where it is showing the thin-ness and I am concerned about running my fingers through my head.
It is actually a stronger shock than stopping Minoxidil (could be the injection point or could be the PRP actually doing something). Not much todo at the moment but just to give it time. Next PRP is on Fri, 7 Oct. Will post towards the end of Oct again once more time has passed to see what is happening.
Still taking Dutasteride 0.5mg daily with no sexual side effects being experienced at this point (approaching end of 5 months).
Went for the 2nd PRP treatment earlier today. Having done further study, I know more about the procedure I got. In short it was 2x 4.5ml with sodium citrate (anti-coagulant) where the complete plasma (single spin 5min @ 7000g) was injected into the scalp (same as last time). I thought it was activated but it was not since I could see him preparing the syringe and nothing was added to the syringe. From what I read, it should not be an issue as the injection itself will break blood vessels which will trigger the clotting cascade and platlet activation.
Since the last PRP, my hair has been shedding a lot although it is “darkening” more evenly over the mango area (and also general top area). In one light it looks like it is having a positive effect whereas in the other I am seeing the shedding taking place (its a lot – circa 300 hairs per day). Looks at bit raw although evenly spread out. My mind is thinking that it could be around the areas of injection.
Having been able to figure out all the “medical consumables” used, the total cost for consumables would be < EUR 7. The rest is all labour and centrifuge investment cost. I write this to give a comparative perspective on treatment cost (EUR 250 this time) vs cost to make treatment (less than EUR 10 excl. centri + labour).
Will get the 3rd PRP treatment towards end of November. Dutasteride is still ongoing every day at 0.5mg daily. No other change to regime.
Will report back then or sooner if something relevant.
It has been a week since my 3rd PRP session. Still on Dutasteride 0.5mg daily (brand).
No much different to say from the last time other than the thickness is increasing in the front area further. A bit slow but improving.
Hair is shedding again and this is definitely from PRP. It is very consistent in that after a week from PRP injection, I start to shed hair everywhere. It is the kind of hair that has been growing for long time (6cm+) but is thin. The shedding will continue until about 5 weeks after injection.
The PRP is really making a difference (multiple comments by various people – hair dresser, doctor, people over drinks, etc) and the PRP I have is nothing special. It is not even “real PRP” as it is the complete plasma part (ie. PRP + PPP) that the Doc injects into the scalp using a 27G needle. This is very counter what I read about “good vs bad” PRP and can only explain the difference due to individual genetics (or bullsh*t research). This round of PRP preparation was done with BD Vacutainer SST II tubes (single complete wrist rotation – not the 8 recommended for platlet activation) with 5min centrifuge spin (dont know how many Gs). The Doc must of gotten a good deal on the tubes but since they cost EUR25 per 100, it may of been what was available / on special. Total whole blood volume was around 8ml. Also to note that I did not use any anaesthetic as it is shown to interfere with platlet function (it doesnt hurt that much anyways).
I have one more PRP session in January before I leave it for 6 months to see where things are. Dont expect much of a further update here outside of what I have written before. Minoxidil is not worth it (personal view) as it doesnt solve the problem and then eventually itself becomes a problem of its own. The dutasteride is working well. It will likely take another year before I see “full effect” which by this I mean sustained low DHT levels and how my hair recovers along with PRP.
If you read this far of my progress posts, it would be worth while to take note of what treatments I started / stopped when and also the experience as it progressed if it is of any interest to you. Rest is all down to how your body responds but my experience has been well documented here.
I started taking propecia 1mg a day at the age of 22 after realising my hairline was receeding and my hair in general was thinning. I am now 27 and although I have noticed my hairline has further receded slightly over the past 5 years the general thickness and appearance of my hair has improved. I’m sure that if I had not been taking it in would be experiencing far worse hair loss than at present. I am however concerned that over the next few years the propecia may begin to lose effectiveness due to the long term use, as I have read others stating that after six years some users begin to notice an increase in hair loss once again. I am therefore looking into switching to dutasteride but I am concerned about buying it online as I am based in the UK and can’t get it prescribed.
Well , I started my hairloss at like 17 years old when my ever so thoughtful and tactful barber told me “yeah it looks like you will be going bald”. That comment started me on a long and very rocky road known as my personal relationship with hair loss. After going home and crying my eyes out for like what seemed like days I tried unsuccessfully to come to terms with it all and I can truthfully say that even now that I am 61 years old I still really havent come to terms with it and truthfully I never will. How anyone ever does is really beyond me. There probably hasn’t been a day in my life that I haven’t thought about it, obsessed about it, considered it or whatever-hell I even dream (or should I say nightmare) about losing all my hair. Whats crazy is that it has progressed very gradually with mostly just noticeable thinning of the crown of my head and stayed that way through my 20’s and 30’s but of course I still agonized over it the whole time. In my 40’s when propecia came along I jumped right on that hoping it would regrow some of what I lost but I never really saw that happen. I also added minoxidil and a laser cap to the mix hoping that it would also fortify the effects and perhaps grow some extra hair. Again I never noticed much regrowth but all in all it seemed to help keep most of the hair I had- although I also noticed that more scalp was getting visable on the sides and back of my head as the years went by. About the time I hit 54 I began to notice a strange and sudden waning of my libido which I am pretty sure is due to the cumulative effects of finasteride and this has worsened significantly since then with only occasional episodic brief returns. When I say low libido I mean that on a scale of 1-10 I was about a -3. In fact the whole sex thing seemed rather revolting to me. Along with that there was never any morning erections for years and the only way I could have sex was with levitra. Once I got going everything seemed to come back ok for that the act to be successful but between times I felt just totally asexual in every way. A beautiful naked woman could ride up on a bicycle and I would probably be thinking about what kind of cool bike it was or some such. I tried some testosterone sporadically mainly to try and restore some libido for my girlfriends and it did seem to work when I did it but of course I was very paranoid it would increase the hair loss because of generating more DHT even though I was on propecia to block it. I did the necessary bloodwork and always had relatively low levels of DHT so I assumed the propecia was working. What is really weird is that now after all these years of relative stability my hairloss has really been taking off. The old tried and true Finasteride/Propecia double threat just has just now seemed to stop working altogether. Destiny fulfilling itself I guess… *sigh*. I think hair follicles are like little time clocks and they are genetically programmed to die off perhaps by becoming sensitized to DHT in maybe even tiny amounts or just plain succumbing to pre-programmed cell death -who the hell knows. Now its like all the crazy obsessive hair thoughts and top of mind awareness around my hair loss has completely taken over my life. I can tug my fingers through any part of my hair be it back, front, sides, top, even the nape of my neck (WTF? I thought that hair was there for life !?) and get 5-6 hairs about every damn time. I both dread and hate taking showers because now the hair in the combs and brushes seems immense, I feel hair washing into my mouth when I shower – I see it on the towel, the pillow etc etc. And I used to love showers. I find myself staring at my hirsute friends heads whenever I’m around them and being secretly so very pissed off and jealous of their hairy ass scalps- I have some friends who you can’t even see a fricking part in their hair. Drives me completely crazy- and you’d think that being 61 years old (albeit a very young 61 who is into bodybuilding , latin dancing, snowboarding etc) I would be used to all this after all these years of living with it but you know what ? it just doesn’t seem to work that way. I look pretty young for my age and gawd if I just had a normal head of hair I could pass for like 40… Its like the horror never dies. Its the last thing I think about at night and the first thing I think about in the morning when I wake up..So now I have elected to add Dutasteride to the equation at .5 mg /day in one last ditch effort to save what (little) hair I have left. I have been on it for only a week with no effect noted as yet and used this forum for some advice about using it. Speaking of the (little) hair thing- I once went to Bosley thinking I could do the transplant thing only to be told that I don’t have enough density to do it. But the doc did say “wow its amazing how much hair you look like you have despite not having much” Well thank you, I think ? So now I figure that if it is finasteride that has destroyed my sex drive then the Dutasteride will likely shut it off completely once and for all. The research says that this side effect is only noted in about 2-4% of patients but I suspect it is much higher than that. Hell I might just as well go ahead and get castrated as we all know that will save your hair. But instead I elect to do it chemically like some sex offender would be court ordered to have done. But you know what ? When I envision how goofy and horrifying I would look with nothing but that little hippocratic horse shoe of hair around the bottom of my head I don’t even hesitate. Its like I pick hair over sex because with my physiology it appears that I can’t seem to have both. Weird huh? If I could shave my head and do the goatee thing I would do that in a New York minute but sadly I bear little if any resemblance to Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Stone Cold Steve Austin or the other countless studs with granite jaws and well shaped heads so I guess this is the only path for me. I just want to say to all of you that I certainly feel your pain and if you are young don’t hesitate to throw everything you can at this problem before it becomes the cursed infirmity/affliction that I certainly feel it is. Keeping fighting the fight, keep what hair you do have and pray like I do that the same minds who can land a man on the moon and put glow-in-the-dark fish genes in kittens can somehow find us a real solution to this horrible deformity before our lifetime here is done….
Mark, thanks for the detailed comment and please keep us updated. I am sure I would hate hair loss even in my 60s.
Damn that was a disturbing yet interesting comment to read altogether.You are good at commenting i mean it felt like a life story and i did not get bored for a a second to read it all haha. Anyway my friend hope you see improvement on duta.
Hello! Iam female 33 years old. I suffered from hair loss about already 4 years. Finally 5 months ago i started spironolactone and I had a lots of regrow. Then I wanted to try avodart since the back of my head was still thin. The first month of avodart I had the worse shedding ever. Iam in 2,5 month and my hair is more oily and still falling out. With spironolactone my experience was different. I had a little dred shedding but nothing major like with avodart. Plus spironolactone decrease my hair and face oiliness. But avodart brought back oily skin and hair.why?? Should I still wait a bit more or just stop avodart? Thank you Barbora
Barbara, people will react in different ways, and women will also have different reactions compared to men just due to their different hormonal makeup. Best to consult a local dermatologist who specializes in hair loss (and prescribes Avodart…many don’t). Since you are in Europe, it might even be worth driving down to Germany or elsewhere if the best hair loss doctors happen to be in another country. Here is a list that might help:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/hair-loss-research-around-the-world/
U should stop avodart and take bicalutamide 50mg with oral minox.
I read an interesting comment from the owner of the hairlossfight forum on here: https://hairlossfight.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1096
“Interesting anecdote, a relative of mine in his 70’s is on dutasteride for his prostate. He wasn’t taking it for hair loss, but he was basically 90% bald in the crown and vertex, but over the past 6 months he has grown a lot of hair! His vertex is filling up and he has tons of vellous hairs that look like they are going terminal. So there you go.”
Hey admin, hey everyone
I am on avodart now for 6 years.
At the beginning I think that I experimented regrowth. Today it is difficult to say, my hair loss is stabilized . I never had hard side effects. Maybe a small low in sexual activity and maybe a small gynecomastia. That’s all. I think in my case this is a small price to pay because I am sure that If I wasnt on Avodart, I would be blad today. It is truly more effective thant finasteride !!
Don’t hesitate to ask me information if you want
Hi Cornil, did you see any reduction in body hair?
cornil I read your post on Avodart. can you tell me how long before you had regrowth. I have been on Avodart now starting my third month. I was told it will take 4nto 6 months for results. Andy andyandjoh@verizon.net
No admin, I have no reduction in my hair body. Not on my chest or on my legs. I have to add that somtimes I do a cure for 6 months of 2,5 mg minoxidil oral pills ( topical like foam gives me dandruffs and irritations ).
I do have a theory about mpb. Like everybody knows it is linked to our sexual activity. Have you ever experimented like a thrill on the top of your head during an orgasm ? Take the test !! After one or several orgams you will see that your scalp will start to scratch and your hair will get oily ( that ‘s the reason why ketoconazole works for AGA )
It is related to an immune system reaction under the skin what it means PGD2 and DHT production. Many of your readers ask about the possibility to Wake up hair when they gone from many years. I have to admitt I was septic about that. But when you look the works of Dr christiano , the Jak inhibitors woke hair in AA gone for many years. When you look on the patient’s scalp, nothing let us beleive it could work this way. If it does work on AA why not for us too ?
Cornil – Do you have any references for this Dr. Christiano and his/her work on hair loss ?
Hello,
so keeping up telling you about my dutasteride experiment started february. one pill every 48h .
after better results than finasteride, i started the shedding I usually have in the summer, I upped the doses to one pill a day,
thats when the real shedding started, but new hair seem to grow right after again and healthier. I think my hair looks darker too.
I have stopped minoxidil completely since January too, as I wanted to see the results of Dutasteride by itself ( maybe shed a little because of minox stop but dutasteride is keeping my hair there ) will probably start minoxidil again in a few months mixed with dutasteride in a topical way. plus keeping oral dutasteride.
First I want to clear out if dutasteride is helping, now upped since 1 month to 1 pill every day. seem to work better ,,, hope its not just my imagination.. probably serum level got high very slowly with one pill every 48h and Im seeing the effects only now after 5 months, after i upped dosis since 1 month.
As we know it takes time to get the right serum concentration.
I will keep on like this for the next 5 months and Ill let you know.
Sides;
thinner body (chest) hair. looks blondish. thinner beard hair, got some white beard hair suddenly since on dutasteride but maybe im just turning 35…less oily face skin. less dandruff. dandruff almost completely stopped, no itching, wich is great for me.It drove me nuts.
sex is still good, lower semen level,
I feel sometimes a weird feeling under my skin after taking the pill… und my hair skin and body skin..like lots of ants walking.
I think it could be something about the receptors blocked
I strongly believe in a relation between baldness and hair body, I believe the follicles are sensitive and it induces the growth on a certain kind of epithelial structure and miniaturization in for example head skin.
“I feel sometimes a weird feeling under my skin after taking the pill… und my hair skin and body skin..like lots of ants walking.
I think it could be something about the receptors blocked”
I’ve the same feeling and I don’t what could it be.
This is not about blocking receptors because dutas don’t block the androgen receptors.
So I’m scared because I don’t know what is this.
I m taking galcare dutamax .5mg for last 11 months but there is no overall effect, my hair is still falling . I m 19 yrs old my hair is very thin and the density of my hair is decreasing very rapidly . Is it necessary to use dutamax minoxidil together to have better result? what is the success rate of dutasteride for hair loss……? Plz help , my self confidence is shattered by my hair loss… Plz plz reply if u have any tips for me…
Ashish- Your best shot is probably the dutasteride .5 per day – minoxidil at least every night and once more per day if you can swing it. Use Nizoral shampoo 2x per week and T-gel shampoo on the off days. Those 3 things have the best shot at success for you as they are all well proven to help if you are lucky enought to get a good response. At your age you are jeopardizing your sex life with the dutasteride as you will probably be on it for about forever if it seems to work. Given enought time it seems to chemically castrate a high number of young men. Probabably 20-25% though the manufacturor denies that. Best of luck as I know at your age this problem is beyond devastating…..
Stop taking Duta and go to the doctor to have your thyroid levels checked. Also forget about minoxidil and everything else, nothing will help until you have your thyroid level stabilised which alone is enough to make your hair grow back, it could take many years before you need dutasteride.
Hi all, I’m new to all this but thought I’d give Avodart ago sooner rather than later as I’m starting to thin a fair bit in the crown area and one front corner. My question is where can I get Genuine Avodart from without a prescription?? And how much should I be paying so I know I’m not getting ripped off? Any info is appreciated.
Sorry forgot to mention I’m in the UK :)
Hi all, firstly I’m 22 y/o, started receding at about 19 y/o. have lots of hair everywhere else, full scalp is thick. my hair is fine apart from hairline. It’s not horrible and looks normal if styled to suit. But it’s depressing. Ive just started taking dutasteride(dutagen) .5mg every day solely for hairline regrowth (touch wood hope it helps )If If I can remember I will try and update every few weeks or so. My plan is to try that for at least 6 months to 1 year for a real assessment . Haven’t noticed anything yet. Only been a few weeks. I’m from the UK and I get it from unitedpharmacies-uk.md. 6 months worth of dutagen at .5mg everyday for around £90 posted. Would highly recommend this pharmacy. Been buying various drugs off them for years and cannot fault. no I’m not advertising them lol.
Thanks in advance for any updates, and best of luck!
Also I have tried minox. I would say it’s not worth it. few months just to regrow tiny frontal hairs and when you stop minox they almost immediately vanish. also have tried finasteride and Nizoral shampoo. But haven’t stuck to them long enough to judge. I will most likely be using Nizoral shampoo again after a few months of dutasteride.
Hi Admin, do u personally try dutasteride and did it help u? Seems that some ppl experience shedding before regrowth. Are there any people who do not experience regrowth after shedding from dutasteride. I am thinking of trying dutasteride after reading through all the testimonials. Thanks a lot for your opinion.
Ray, I just started trying it two days ago. Not sure if I will stick with it yet.
Hi All,
I want to start dutasteride, do you suggest Brand Avodart (or) generic Dutasteride. I am In US and I will Buy from Local Pharmacy.
Thanks.
Hello,
I am really desperate. Can a girl take DUT ? Are they any risks for girls ? where can I get it (i am from Paris).
Thank you all
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746222/
Yes., a woman can take Dutasteride ; however, it does cause birth defects, so make sure you don’t get pregnant. I have been on it for 5 mths.
Any luck Vicki? I’m a woman and praying for a miracle. I have androgenetic alopecia and just got off birth control and I’m losing my hair rapidly. Praying this works!!
I am female. just went to a dermatologist this morning who specializes in hair loss for women. Thought I would research a bit before filling the prescription, found your sight. He prescribed Avodart.5 or generic Duta, Doryx and Soolantra , did a biopsy and blood work, will get results in 10 days to be sure his initial diagnosis is correct. He also recommends over-the-counter vitamins & Minerals: Biotin 5000 mcg daily, Folic Acid 800 mcg daily, Omega 3 – 2 gm and Vitamin D – 4000 mg Hoping this works
Ooops sorry, Doryx and Soolantra is not for hair loss, but for rosacea…..an unrelated dermo issue
I take 0.5 dutasteride and 1 mg oral minoxidil. 57 year old female. First month started shedding. Has stopped. I noticed more body but my doctor says I will start seeing positive effects in a couple of months.
Hi,
I am suffering from hair loss for last 10 years. My crown is almost clear and remaining hair are too thin. Recently I came to know about Avodart .5mg. I am thinking to give it a try but I could not find any reliable online store where I can order it without prescription. Can anyone suggest me from where I can get it? I don’t want to see doctors now. I am from Washington State, US.
Can I get it from walgreens, safeway or any other pharmacy without prescription?
Hi, admin
I have started losing my hair and my temples have receded. I am on Nizoral 1% and Alpecin Shampoo. I am confused whether I should go on Fin or Dut. Also I am afraid of the sides. Can you please suggest me something ?
Sorry I try not to recommend any drugs to people. Please talk to a dermatologist, and then decide based on your tolerance for risk and potential side effects.
Nearly two years back i was on 0.5 mg of Avodart daily and after 8 – 9 months I had to chuck the towel in. I seemed to go through a constant shed and overall made my hairless worse. I jumped back on propecia and that thickened hair up slightly. Only problem now is that propecia has completely stopped working. I’m now considering to give dutasteride another shot but at a lower does, say 1 pill a week. Has anyone had better results on a lower dose?
I also noticed when on dutasteride that my semen got thicker. From doing some research, it seems that people who experience watery semen have better success. Need to do something badly but running out of options.
hi Bernle, Can you please tell me how come you get these medicines so easily ? Do you consult any Dr. for that ? Or you get them without prescription?
I am from US. I am also looking for Avodart but i dont want to consult dr. any more. Can you tell me the options i have ?
Thanks
Hi. I did consult a doctor. It took some convincing but got there in the end…not that it helped me. I’m from the UK and did order the brand name Avodart from pharmacydirectgb. They ship and also do online consultations for extra money. It’s £20 for 30 capsules. Hope this helps.
Hi, old post but deserves a reply. Dutasteride does not work at low doses since its cleared out of the body so fast in single doses, it has very short half-life if you take once a week. However if you take dayly the “express route” saturates and it will be cleared out mostly via the “linear” route, halflife then increases to 3-5 weeks.
Posts i read about shedders on dut, they seem to have more success when increasing the dose. Some who used 0.5 a day has reported shedding when dropping to 0.5 every 2 days. You may need to increase, not reduce. Dut is dose dependent, unlike fin.
A little talked about but interesting fact regarding dustasteride that may be useful to some of you is that it has nonlinear elimination characteristics. What this means is that when it’s reached steady-state at the recommended dose of one Avodart/day, the half-life can be up to about 5 weeks long. On the other hand, when it’s reached steady-state at a dose of only 0.1 mg/day, the half-life is only around two or three days.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2014202/.
This is why some doctors suggest it may be more potent at two .5 mg capsules twice a week than one capsule per day.
two 0.5 mg capsules twice a week?
I have read all the comments and found this blog to be very informative and real. So I thought I should share as well. I am 45 and have been dealing with this since I was 17. I remember the fear back then of the thought of losing all my hair at a young age. The changes were happening so fast I thought it was going to be completely bald quickly. It can be a very difficult time for a young man. But don’t let it ruin you. After all stress/ worry can not add a single day to your life and is scientifically proven to lower your life span. I say that because stress is not the friend of hair loss. So start realizing things could be worse – a lot worse. And that you don’t want to add to the problem by constantly worrying. A good woman loves a man’s confidence more then his hairline. I also prayed to God that he would let me have my hair until I was 30 and found a wife. He graciously provided both. Knowing God is the meaning of life. I strongly recommend learning the Word of God and bringing all life’s problems to our Creator in the name of Jesus. Trust in Him to lead your way. As for my medical solutions I met up with a Dr Orentrich in NYC in the early 90’s and he heard early results from Avodart’s positive effect towards stopping hair loss. So I started taking it diligently over 20 years ago. It has helped. I have seen slow recession but strongly believe this has helped prevent loss. My sex drive has been fine. However one year ago I switched to the generic that came out to save $140 a month. My hair actually looks good and healthy but I have lost my side burns and beard on my cheeks. It looks like I have a groomed gotte. I have also seen a a loss in my eyebrows as well. So I’m thinking of going back to the Avodart brand. I was wondering if anyone else switched from Avodart to the generic and what their results have been. I also wanted to say that Michael Jordan was worried about losing his hair and then he shaved it off and started a movement that has freed many men of the stress of thinking about it. Try it. Or realize a good haircut makes a lot of difference. Pay for a good stylist not Super Cuts or a barber. There are popular styles today that can really make a difference. Stay calm. The meaning of life is not about our hair line. I know it can bother us all and if your younger it might be hard to know that now. God Bless. PS Please let me know if you have switched from Avodart to generic and what the results have been.
How much is a month supply of avodart. Did your dr prescribe.
I havent switched but on avodart i too am noticing reduced beard growth on the cheeks and the side burns.
Im not gonna switch, currently paying around us$1 per avodart 0.5, if ever i need to try a higher daily dose i will look into generic dutasteride.
I am a 20 year old male and have experienced hair loss for the past 3.5 years. I began with 1 mg, then 2.5 mg Propecia daily from ages 17 to 19. My hair thickened substantially and my hairline stabilized. Then, around 19, my hair began to shed and thin again, although not as aggressively as it had at 17. I switched to 0.5mg Avodart daily and have experienced slower yet consistent recession. Without Propecia and Avodart, I imagine I would be bald by now, and I am thankful that these two products have worked for as long as they have.
Hello guys.
Two questions if you dont mind:
-Is there any online and european based lab where i can send meds so they can test to see if it’s legit?
-I guess it’s fine to take avodart with an empty stomach?
Thank you.
Hello, you can phone GSK themselves, take the batch number from the box and they will tell you if it is a legitimate batch number.
I was on Propecia for 6 or 7 years, I was OK with it and my hairloss was under control but during last three months I felt it’s back and I was lossing too much hair, so I visited my doctor, she told me that my body is resisting against Propecia and suggested Avodart.
I’m taking the drug for last two weeks but the result is visible right now! My hair gone a bit thicker than three weeks ago but there is no sign of huge regrowth yet and it seems normal as it was before.
And there is also one problem, normally I’m a super horny beast but since I started to use the drug all the libido is gone and there is a huge sperm count reduction.
My doctor told me to take the drug for three months, I’ll share the side effect with her and if there wasn’t any solution for libido and sperm reduction, I will quit the drug and use something else, but if the libido is not a concern for you, the drug seems a valid solution.
Hi I’m 39 year old Asian American that has been using Avodart/Dutastateride since 2008 and Propecia prior, from 2006.
In 2008 my hair was down to my shoulders, growing it from 2005. Propecia helped a little. I was told about Avodart and seen positive results from my reference who swore by it. I did see quite a difference with thickness and texture. I was able to grow my hair longer, to my mid back.
I started using water based shampoos with a conditioning hair mud mask treatment and a therapeutic shampoo brush, massaging my scalp with it. My diet consisted of high proteins, seaweed and kelp. I found simple scalp massages to be effective as well!
So, it’s 2016. My hair is short and I am pretty satisfied with how my hairline and top crown; frontal and back of my head looks still. I am continuing my use of Dutasteride .5MG that I have been ordering in bulk, alternating from daily doses to every other day after a three months basis, in the chance that it may boost its effects from time to time.
I am 39 yo who really could have been bald due to the fact that it is unfortunately hereditary in my genes. I am grateful for Dutasteride and to my colleague back then for referring it to me. And now I am about to start my next aesthetic phase in growing my hair out to chin length. I would be happy to try and answer any of your inquiries regarding my experiences with Dutasteride.
Thank you for reading.
-Me
Great insight there.
Question — how often do u take dut?
Yep, I took Dutasteride (Avodart) to regrow hair. I took it for one year. At about 9 months in, I experienced moderate amount of shedding, but I persevered anyway, remembering what I’d read about hair cells waking up and that some shedding could be expected. My patience paid off and my hair came in noticeably thicker and denser. I was ecstatic. I took the moderate dose (can’t recall the exact amount, but the dose in the middle).
I stopped taking it though. The side effects were too much – lack of libido, weight gain, softness, basically I felt like I was turning into a woman. My doctor even told me my body was soft and womanly. And then, there was the cancer scare…yes, cancer is a possible side effect of Avodart, and not just any cancer, but an awful, aggressive, barely treatable form of prostate cancer. Too scarey for me.
I’ve stopped the Dutasteride (Avodart) now for almost a year and I think my hair may be thinner, but my hair dresser disagrees. I think she’s just trying to make me feel better. I seem to shed more than when I taking the Avodart.
Today I use only natural substances topically like Rosemary, Castor Oil, coconut oil, saw palmetto oil, and eat more vegetables and herbal supplements that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects, like resveratrol, black currant oil, modafinil, pumpkin seed oil, etc, etc. Hopefully that will keep the worst of the thinning at bay while a safer alternative is developed.
Hi Kevin thanks for your detailed update.
As far as prostate cancer goes, my understanding with the past Finasteride studies was that if you get prostate cancer when on Finasteride, it is harder to detect when the cancer is in the early stages because the Finasteride is interfering with the PSA and other related readings. Then you have a higher chance of only detecting the cancer when it is in the latter stages. However, Finasteride directly does not increase the risk of prostate cancer. I could be wrong, but if Finasteride really increased the actual risk of getting prostate cancer significantly, I would think that they would have banned the drug by now?
I would assume the same kind of phenomenon with Dutasteride?
FYI — the below linked study concludes a lowered risk of prostate cancer when on Finasteride:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25955319
The side effects you had dounds bad do its good you stopped avodart. The rest of your post is a shameless and provocative insult to everyone with MPB, insinuating that we could have had hair had we been more health aware and eat better. Utter and complete hokum, antiinflamatory crap with no proven antiinflamatory effect, but it sure proves that avodart made you into a woman. Oils and seeds? Man, you really know how to woman.
Hey guys,
37-year-old male, NW2, white.
I’ve been on Propecia for almost 10 months now.
Didn’t notice really anything until about month five, then the hair shed stopped. Best results were about six months from commencing treatment. Thicker hair, temples started filling in. Haven’t noticed as much growth in my crown area, so I started taking Rogaine simultaneously.
I’ve noticing recently some shed again, but I think it’s too early to assume my body’s resisting the drug. I’ve noticed no other side effects beside higher free testosterone (based on blood work), so I’ll continue taking it until it stops working. Hopefully the Propecia will save most of my hair until next-generation treatments hit the market.
Where do I start , well in a nutshell started losing hair at 17( my dad has not one hair on his head even on the sides) went for a procedure at 19 called Nido , what a disaster , they put artifical hairs in scalp , then these hairs get infected and fall out , damaged the front of my scalp permantly.Needed a solution and flew to the U.S. For a flap surgery to replace the damaged area with my own hair taken from the back , gave thickness but a bit harsh on the hairline this is when I was 25 , so had mini transplants to the front to give more natural look. The hair at the back and middle was thinning , tried proscar, worked for a while maybe 5 years then started going south again, now I’m 45 and been using dud 0.5 for 2 years and must say has kept the hair towards the back still thin a bit but use toppik to cover some thinning , while things have turned out not ideal, I would have rather shaved my head if I could have seen the future , I don’t look to bad , mostly people don’t notice the extensive work I’ve had only a few that are really looking close . But dut does work , but I was using it .5 every 3 days , then up the dose to everyday , started getting chest pains , not to bad but noticeable . Dropped back to .5 every 3 days.
Well… It’s a little more complicated for me. I’m undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and am on Lupron and Avodart.
My hair is growing back in places that hasn’t seen hair in 20 years.
I have no idea if it is just the Avodart or the combination with Lupron.
Just to let you know – Lupron is the devil’s drug. The side effects are horrible.
“My hair is growing back in places that hasn’t seen hair in 20 years.”
Is it growing back as real hairs or miniaturized hairs?
Scott, just fyi. Lupron is an GnHR agonist, it causes the Hypothalumus to crank up production of gonadotropin releasing hormone to a point where the pituitary can’t cope with it (GnHR resistance), and it ignores it. And shuts off FSH/LH production. Problem is there are GnHR receptors elsewhere in the body. So that huge flux may be the cause of your other symptoms. There is a new oral GnHR antagonist, which shuts down GnHR production rather than hyperstimulation by the name of Elagolix by company Neurocrine. New Drug App early 2017. Clinical studies on Endometriosis and fibroids for women. But there will be wider applications.
Ive been on avodart for 1 year and 2 months now and ive continued to lose hair, thin out, and my hairline has receded more along with itching and sore skin. I used finasteride for 2 years before this so i dont know what the reason is for me not responding and continuing to lose hair. I am going to attempt oral minoxidil as a last resort, but i used it topically with little results a while back.
Moral of this story, dutasteride and finasteride are NOT fixes. I caught my loss MEGA early and my hair is anout 60% thinner now with hairline recession. Look into other options before wasting money, time and yourself to hairloss
Thats very unfortunate but not typical. You are a very bad responder to both Finasteride and Dutasteride but Duta is still the best for most others.
I suspect you do not have male pattern baldness, its important to be diagnosed correctly before starting, in your case its extremely likely that you been taking medications you shouldnt have touched, this happens too often with finasteride users who rush into things at an early stage not really knowing why they lose hair.
Dutasteride is great, but ONLY if the hairloss is caused by inherited DHT sensitivity in hair follicles, aka MPB or male pattern baldness. Everyone else, DO NOT USE!
3 weeks on avodart, tiny miniaturized hairs coming out all over the head including forehead that has been bald for 25 years now, and even below what was my hairline when i was 17. If any of these hairs will grow into something useful is still an open question but things are certainly happening at a fast rate here.
No sides other than positive things, experiencing symptoms of increased testosterone levels which is exclusively a good thing. Its also easier to ejaculate many times in a row and on the third and fourth intercourse erections are now fuller. Its great, even if i dont get the hair to grow Avodart is well worth taking.
You became horny on avodart.!?
No not more horny but increased sexual ability. Finasteride had a similar initial short term effect on me, with Dutasteride its more persistent, more than 3 weeks and its still there. Before i would often encounter weaker erection, like the head wouldnt reach its full size, the 3rd or 4th round of sex, which of course made it harder to reach the goal of ejeaculating, and thats not an issue since starting on avodart.
Only the first days after starting Avodart did i experience some excessive horniness, thats back to normal now but the sexual capacity remains elevated.
Its not uncommon to have positive sexual side effects on Duta, it increases free testosterone by an average of 15%, and even more in men who are borderline deficient. 15% increase would put me back to the T level i was when i was around 25 years old and that is undeniable a good thing =)
Update: around 6 weeks on avodart now, some seemingly useable hairs have emerged on the top of the head but too few to make a difference at all, for now. The good sideeffects continue, with good erections also after repeated ejaculations. Had areas of dry skin with dandruff a while but it got better without any treatment, no itch. Beard growth has slowed on the sides of the face, normal growth on front.
Bottom line on avodart for me: still love it.
maybe he had low testosterone, and now that it is not converting to DHT he has higher T?
I had quite normal T, has well above average bone density, and even before starting dut i had a sexual capacity that made me wonder when other guys brag they did it 3 times, i thought everyone could do 10 times a day, or 6 times during a few morning hours, turned out it was me who was the special case. So Not high T but definitely not low, been tested many times over the decades, im not in the lower acceptable area and not in the high.
My theory is that the lower dht has made my body try to compensate by producing more T so more could be converted to DHT, remotely compareable to what happens when you try to block estrogen conversion in premenopause women: the body compensates by overproducing, and they end up with far more E than they originally had.
And maddy as i alresdy said to fadi: its not uncommon to have positive sexual side effects when on 5ar inhibitors, on finasteride its so common that its almost the norm but on fin the good effect taper off after some days. Dut is far better in that way, the effect stays.
very common and the effect is stronger than you would expect. Just another proof that dht isnt needed for sexual ability, the lower the dht the better. those who lose sexual ability could be experiencing testosterone decline or estrogen increase or a combo thereof.
More than 6 weeks since i started avodart and now several of the soft microhairs has grown, even individual hairs are thick enough to be (barely) felt with the finger now, on top and in a thin line extending forward halway to the fore head. Its like a miracle, its really growing back from nothing after all these years, and in the process giving me only positive side effects. Did i mention my age… 45 and started heavy hairloss at 17.
Excellent news:-)
Admin, did you do any research on the possibility that excess estrogens caused by aromstase coversion of testosterone could be the reason for many of the side effects on fin and especially on dut? Maybe one should ask how are the people on dut+aromatase inhibitors doing?
The current prevailing line of thought that 5ar inhibitor sideeffects come from low DHT is not well thought through, then we would all get sides, its naive to think its that simple.
My theory is that we dont need dht as adults, i base that partly on the facts that dht has no effect on muscle growth and little effect on sexual capacity, both those are done by testosterone. DHT make us feel sexual lust but its testosterone that enables us to actually have sex.
Maybe lots of fin-dut sides can be remedied by aromatase inhibitors, lower the conversion of T to E.
Study on testosterone increase when taking anastrozole, group 1: 1 mg daily (n = 12); group 2: 1 mg twice weekly.
“Mean ± sd bioavailable testosterone increased from 99 ± 31 to 207 ± 65 ng/dl in group 1 and from 115 ± 37 to 178 ± 55 ng/dl in group 2”
Theres also numbers for decrease in estrogens. My idea is that the increase in testosterone will help a little, and that the very significant increase in the T:E ratio will help even more. We already know E increase when taking dutasteride and can lead to gynecomastia, anastrozole is proven effective for this by a large number of bodybuilders on steroids, many of them also taking dutasteride to counter the increase in DHT caused by the steroids.
Im definitely getting some anastrozole on monday, plan to start with 0.25mg every other day and double it after two weeks.
Bought Letrozole instead of anastrozole, more effective and can dose lower so it will be cheaper too. Took around 1/8 of a 2.5mg tablet, thats already enough for two days.
How it works: inhibits conversion of testosterone to estradiol, which on dut/fin increases slightly and is the reason why some get mild gynecomastia from dut/fin, also known as puffy nipples. Who knows, estradiol reduction can also remove some other side effects for some hairlossers on 5ari medication. Ps, this is my personal experimentation, i do not encourage others to try, sharing my experiences with medicines is ment as information and not inspiration. However if anyone has combined these or similar meds i love to hear your experiences.
Strongly advice to not touch letrozole, even microdoses, unless you are on a high dose anabolic cycle and have a serious problem with aromatizing, and even then its probably a very bad idea. Me, who didnt have any excess estrogen got quite sick from both the letrozole itself and the low estrogen level that followed. Really terrible medicine.
If anyone who need this info should come across this comment i elaborate on what happened. Today is monday again a week after i took letrozole while on dutasteride. The first night was weird with incredible vivid lifelike dreams, and that was scary enough, i have never thought it possible, these dreams are so real they can follow you into the day! Beware.
Now i was in ok shape this day after, but the second night the insomnia hit hard and continued for days, if i fell asleep it was so short and unresting, plus the dreams, got up early, its third day on letrozole. And now the hypoestrogenic symptoms hit, hard, and got worse the next days. Felt so miserable and had bad headaches due to liw estrogen levels but whenever i forced myself to exercise i had very good stamina and good strength, i really think testosterone increased a little. However on day 5 and 6 i was too sick to exercise, day 7 the sideeffects got better and sleep had been very good, but was still nervous and could not enjoy exercise, and still lowered appetite that had been there since day 3. Now, Day 8 and evening, finally feeling well, had a big dinner and no discomfort afterwards, 2 exercise sessions today but one was only light cardio, the last thing i want now is too much ketones in the blood, so have to be careful still. If you read advices online to take letrozole for elevating your testosterone: Dont. Yes it elevates T but the sides will stop you from enjoying it. And especially dont mix with dutasteride, learn from my mistake and dont go near letrozole.
What dosage you use? 2,5mg or 5mg?
0.5 mg, thats 500 micrograms. 1 capsule every. Thats the Avodart brand, not any generic type.
However, i want to remind that im still bald, need a lot more regrowth before i can say i got any hair on top, but im impressed that anything at all could grow back.
8 weeks and nothing new, disappointing after such a great and promising start, the regrown hairs are no more than they were 10 days ago. One thing however happened, ejaculations gotten longer and with good intensity and looking like sperm volume is higher. I had a fairly low volume as a side effect from taking finasteride some years ago, this continued after discontinuation but by my best estimates it seem to have increased by a decent amount after starting avodart.
Possibly related thing: wife brought home a digital blood pressure meter, my readings are below the usual, very near the 120/80 guideline. According to several online sources this can happen with increased testosterone levels, if so i have to give the credits to avodart.
To sum up: progress has been great and includes regrowth, but slowing down now after week 7, side effects are of the good kinds.
So its 10 weeks on Avodart already i think, the regrown hairs up front are starting to turn into a mat thats visible from 3-4 feet distance now, this would look good of i had dark hair but since i am blonde they still arent too obvious. Given that i had absolutely nothing there, not even vellus hairs, only 10 weeks ago i now dare to be optimistic that this will eventually become something useful. Simply amazing, almost unreal.
Hey. I was wondering if you know for sure that the avodart versions in Korea actually state that the drug is indicated for androgenic alopecia ? please reply
I’m 34 yeas old, I only realized the potential benefit of Dutasteride/Avodart only after stopping it.
I started shedding hair 4-5 years back but never was a concern for me as I had a full head of thick hair. With time, shedding increased and 1.5 years back I decided to start Minoxidil and Propecia. After 1 year, I didn’t see any improvements in terms of reduced hair loss but I’ve seen some periods of sudden and increased hair loss(like 100+/day) which made me panic and switch to Dutasteride/Avodart. After a month or so, a dermatologist advised me to stop Avodart due to its risk of sides even though I didn’t notice anything wrong so I stopped it and got back on Propecia. Like 1 month after stopping Avodart, shedding completely stopped and I was so happy to think that my hair loss was cured. However I was wrong, 1 month later I had a sudden and increased loss again with lot of thin hair mainly from the top of my head and little on the sides. Another panic period, I even had doubt that I have MPB because there’s no pattern loss, hairline is fine, I lose the hair mainly from the top, something like diffuse thinning. It could be even that I have Telogen Effluvium but the fact that I lose lot of thin hair makes me think that this is due to DHT, I might even have both. Anyway now I’m still on the same regimen(Propecia+Minoxidil) but I’ll give myself another 2 weeks, if the shedding continues, I’ll switch back to Avodart. What I’m presuming is that when my hair loss stopped, it was a period around 1 month after taking Avodart, so it might be the time when its effect has started and then when I stopped it and went back to Propecia the hair loss resumed. I’ll have to do another experiment with my hair loss story, I hope I’ll be able to identify what has really helped stopping my hair loss in that period.
I use it internally & externally after 10 years on generic Propecia ran it’s course and stopped working. I was losing it fast until I found Abodart…which worked for about a year. Now I mix 10 caps per bottle of Minoxidil, and apply once daily at night ..along with 5 caps – once every five days, and have had positive results (retention & growth).
However ..beware the bitch-tits!
Interesting trade off, eh?
The oral dose, youre doing it wrong, very wrong. Taken in large single doses Duta has very short half life, you really need to take one capsule a day.
“At low serum concentrations (less than 3ng/mL), dutasteride is cleared rapidly by both the concentration dependent and concentration independent elimination pathways. Single doses of 5 mg or less showed evidence of rapid clearance and a short half-life of 3 to 9 days.
At therapeutic concentrations, following repeat dosing of 0.5 mg/day, the slower, linear elimination pathway is dominating and the half-life is approx. 3-5 weeks.”
What about (Duta + Minoxidil + Bortzu + Samumed + Histogen) cream?
Minoxidil has none to marginal effect, several doctors recommend to use dutasteride or finasteride alone and dont waste time and effort on things with no proven long term effect. I have used and know many others who used monoxidil and the only thing we have in common is that we were all bald long before 30.
Ps, beware of side effect of minoxidil: permanent black rings around the eyes.
Everyone reacts differently. I gave minox 5% a try with zero expectations but had excellent results. Enough so that I hopped on fin a month later with renewed optimism.
Got the dark circles under the eyes but that’s simply from it rubbing off on your pillow and onto your face. The eye mask thing ppl use to help them sleep was a simple remedy. No more puffy eyes.
I’m 27, and have been using dutasteride (2mg/day) for about 5 years, and it makes a HUGE difference (most my relatives where bald at this age).
I have two periods of time where I stopped using dutasteride. One for 3 months, the other for about 8 months. And that’s when you notice how incredibly effective it is.
I also use minoxidil, but I tend to have periods where I completely forget about it with no visible difference. So I can’t tell how much difference I makes, despite my dermatologist heavily insisting that I must use it.
Luckily I’m from Argentina, where medicine is really cheap, and Avodart only costs me about 25 usd per months.
I have also tried masotherapy and platet-rich plasma, which are also very effective, but can be pretty expensive. Starting at 100 and 200 usd per month here.
Can someone give me an advice of starting avodart; since finasteride slowed only the baldness process.
Just start, 1 capsule a day, theres not much more to say.
Is anyone worried about penis atrophy, I saw the same side effect listed on a report recently for finasteride (my Dr showed me) and as we know duasteride is much stronger…
It seems like duasteride makes me tingle down there but I might just be paranoid!!!
I dont believe the atrophy stories on finasteride, all men has sheinking penis with higher age, finasteride been around long time and someone who started at age 35 and is now 60+ and lost an inch penis length did so for natural reasons. We will all experience it, half to one inch lost and less girth, with or without duta. More extreme cases probably have explanations connected to genetics and disese.
Same as ED, some claim its due to finasteride but look how many men who dont use fina and get ED over a period of only 10 years. 20% of men lose their sexual ability between 40 and 60 without ever touching finasteride.
I have been using Avodart since 2002, switched to generic last year when it became available. I was on propecia before that, probably since 1997. Also have been using Rogaine. I started losing my hair fairly quickly in 1995 or 1996 when I was 25, was likely on track to be completely bald in a few years like my Grandfather. The Rogaine slowed the loss but I’d not stop it. The Propecia seemed to slow it further and possibly stop it. The Avodart seemed to stop it completely and seemed to bring back hair on the top of my head, and also some to my front hairline, although to a lesser extent.
I have always been able to get it via “off label” prescriptions from my Doctor. I have changed doctors a couple of times over the years due to me movingly, etc, they have never had a problem giving me prescriptions. Sometimes I have even hadn’t it covered by my insurance but most of the time I have had to pay out of pocket. It got pricey in 2014 and 2015, sometimes costing around 2000 per year. Now that the generic is out the price has dropped dramatically, down to around $250 a year and still dropping. I was thinking of going to .5mg every other day when it was pricey but now I have no issue with the cost of taking it every day. I have pretty much what is considered a full head of hair when I would have been bald otherwise.
I have had no side effects, sexual drive and semen volume were always above average for me and that has continued.
Sorry for my english but is not my first Language.
I´ve had MPB since 21 (maybe eralier). At that age I started on Fin. Did it for 13 years, From Norwood 1 to 2 in 13 years. After that time I left it for 1 year. And one day I notice I was a Norwood 3. I started it again with minox and and atrted loosing more hair Norwood 3,5. Then started Dut, first month uretra pain. Then nothing. at six month I saw no regroth, so one night broke a pill and rubbed in my scalp, instantly my hair was like strong and strait. Been doing it for 6 month now every day. First 4-5 month no regroth. month 5 i have seen some regrowth, not big… but defentively more hair… Is like I´m the same norwood but with more hair. Hope to keep the regrowth. I´m also trying to make a new Brotzy study. I thought to buy caverject (Alprostadil, PGE1) and mixed with minoxidil, trying to get at least a 0,1% PGE1 (Brotzu uses 0,2%). My only problem with that is that i read that Alprostadil oxidates to fast and can even be bad for health at that point. Someone here now some Chemestry to help me in this experiment. All best and thanks for the site Admin.
Sorry after 9 month of Dut, I noticed i had much stronger erections than before. All best.
Hello again.
Im 35 I started Avodart 11 months ago, first one pill (0,5mg) and after 4 months one pill everyday. on weekends I stop 2 days.
I also stopped minox 11 month ago when I started Duta. so my regimen is only Duta once a day 5 times a week.
pro:
Hairloss has really slowed down after 11 months. bit of regrow, maybe 5-10%, hair feels stronger.
less itching, less dandruff
still regrowing a bit..noticed some vellus hair in front turning darker and stronger. back is defintely stronger.
didnt loose any ground since 11 month ago where my MPB started getting much more agressive.
cons: not much; less semen, body hair grows a bit slower
on top I maybe will start to solve the pills topical with minox.
Im not sure if I want to jump on the minox train again though, to swallow just a pill makes thing much more easier for me.
im loosing hope anyway. getting used with the idea of cuttin my hair real short even though i really dont like my head shape.
maybe Dutasteride will keep my hair like this over the next 5 years, we will see, ill tel you after the next 6 months.
I had a little procedure done by doc Gho in the netherlands,with 29, i was satisfied at first but after 3 years I was loosing ground again…
if you read this ..replicel shiseido…tsuji … please do something ! time is running up….
I have been taking dutasteride for about 12 years, with several breaks of a year or two (for various reasons, such as a supplier disapearing, or ceasing to ship to Australia).
My dosing regime has been 1/day for ten days initial loading-up, then three pills (0.5mg) per week thereafter.
I have taken at least three generic brands (Dutas, Dutagen, Duprost), chosen only by availability and price.
I have not noticed any side effects.
I still have fairly good hair at age 54 – but I can’t say for sure that I would have lost it without dutasteride, as I started taking it when I first thought that it might be receding, and I might have been over-imagining things.
Based on family members, I had calculated that I had, a priori, a 1/4 chance of having male pattern baldness, as one of my mother’s sister’s sons appears to have this.
Hi Adam, do you mind sharing with me where you order your dutasteride online in Australia? Struggling to find a reputable place.
I`ve been on dutasteride for 5 weeks now and I can´t say that I have noticed anything as of yet. I used finasteride for 13 months with no improvement before switching over. For the people who have had success with dut:
When did you notice any results?
Woman here late 20s. I have a looong story of hair thinning and an eating disorder which may have precipitated it, and the entire situation was once a complete nightmare. I sympathize with a lot of the sad comments on here. It sucks for females especially considering most people don’t even know that female pattern baldness is a *thing*. Suffice to say I attempted taking Dutasteride 0.5mg once/daily two separate times with no other changes in my hair loss regimen, and they were complete failures. Both were awhile ago but from what I remember the time period was between 8-10 months. Perhaps not long enough to conclude results but after the first month or two my hair began falling out more and more, and literally did not stop until soon after I quit the drug. Very devastating. Side effects included: increased oiliness in my skin and hair requiring more frequent showers, along with pimples (I normally have beautifully clear skin, which I like to think is a redeeming quality for my wispy, flyaway hair), increased sex drive, and was more prone to excessive anger and irritability. Like others have said I think the blocked DHT increases free testosterone as these seemed like masculinizing traits. I’d be interested to hear other women’s perspectives. There’s a big block on this and similar drugs for women due to possible pregnancy, but I am adamantly child-free so this is not an issue. Someone else also mentioned on here that failure on Avodart may signal that MPB is not the problem – I wonder if this is true for women as well? I’ve been wondering lately if CTE is my problem. Though I’ve had considerable help from Minoxidil, Spironolactone, and Diane 35 birth control pills. Wish I could share something here more helpful. Wishing well to all.
Great comment Tasha, and too bad Dut and Fin do not work so great in women.
Hi,
I think I am in a similar situation. I started taking Dutasteride 3-4 weeks ago (before that I had Dut mesotherapy sessions every 2 months but it did not help a lot, though my shedding did decrease a bit). Well, now I’m shedding handfuls of hair and my scalp feels oilier and inflamed. At first I also had pimples which is quite rare for me.
I will probably stop taking this, but nobody wants to prescribe anything else. I am on birth control pills, I did try Diane35 once but it was a complete catastrophe (inflammation of the stomach lining), but I’m willing to try again next month. Anything just to stop this nightmare.
Thank you for your post
Mira
Tasha, I think I know what is your problem. Plz try progesterone cream (you can easily buy online at iherb I use the one brand named ‘now’) cuz you’d got help from minoxidil and birth control pills.
and also think about the blood vessels on your scalp. I took some injection which helps to enlarge blood vessels on scalp called prp. prp is also similar way that works minoxidil does but more permanent effect.
40 yo male. Losing hair since 18.
DUT .5mg oral ED for 3 months.
Pros: Shedding completely stopped. Increase in hair density. Increase in beard & nape hair.
Cons: BIG decrease in energy & motivation. Some memory difficulties.
Pete, did you experience any increased shedding prior to it stopping?
I’m at week 6 with Dut and shedding has increased. Before Dut and on Fin (4 years) I was shedding ~15 hairs in the shower…now shedding about 50. It’s scary to see all that hair on the ground but I’m going to keep at it. I have been using minox 2x/day for about 4 years.
did you cease using minox when you started Dut? or continue to use it along with Dut?
I’m still using minox 2x/day. For me minox grew back tons of hair for at 4 months and has since diminished after 4 years, but it is still the best regrowth treatment out there….for me anyways.
hey man, how is your hair condition now?
I am using dut from one month, the shedding is very much. I was using fin before for 6 months, it was working good for me but dut is making my skin very oily and result is not good than fin
I am now at 2 months with Dut and minox and shedding has decreased back to the same amount as when i switched from Fin. It’s a big relief because now i know the initial big shed was a good sign. I’m hoping the shed will continue to slow down, and I’m praying for some regrowth. So far Dut is doing something different…I can feel it more than Fin. The only side i had was tenderness in the left chest area, but that is now gone.
i am taking finasteride 1mg per day and considering to switch to dutasteride. i was wondering whether if the dutasteride versions being sold in korea actually clearly mention that the med is for alopecia treatment. can anyone attest to this ?
Hi Sissi, You should use Toppik hair fattener serum ! It is excellent for thinking very thin hair ! Only need to use 2 or 3 times a week. Use on damp hair, non’t need much just rub into your scalp and is drys in minutes. I use just before I go to bed because it makes hair look flat, so in the morning I Use my shampoo only so hair not flat looking. You should start to see your hair thinking up in a few days. Lasts, It’s GREAT STUFF ! Can buy from Amazon or eBay. You should see a dermatologist, help you more! As well.
Honestly this Avodart sounds fantastic and I want to try, so far in this thread I have only seen recommendations for UK providers, but does anyone have a verified source in the US (that is hopefully inexpensive?)
I get mine at Costco and the pharmacy is called Breckenridge. It’s $38 for 90-day supply. So far it’s working great.
How do you get you prescription?
Tried this off and on but decided to stick it out this time for 6 months at least I felt propecia was wearing off I’d been on it for 6 years,, I’m just over 3 months in I’ve had tons of shedding on this medication (im told this is a good sign) I’m taking brand name real Avodart. my hair was very brittle before, it feels stronger, I will say my libido seems to have taken a turn for the worse after the 3 month mark, I find it hard now to get and maintain an errection and I’m definatly putting that down to the DUT, I don’t know if I can handle it much more and might revert back to propecia as it’s impacting on my relationship, I have warned you guys so try it at your own risk
You can just take Some Sildenafil or Tadalafil to solve that problem ..im experiencing that too sometimes.I take 4 dutasteride 0,5 a week since 2 years. Tadalafil (cialis) works really well. also remember we are getting older, testosterone is decreasing already after the 30s
:)
Generics in the United started are required by law to be the exact same active ingredient as the brand name drug, generic Dutasteride is ‘real’
Hi
I am a female and have a significant sudden hair loss .
All blood test are clear but my tricholosist and Gp has said that an event has triggered my hair loss and set alopecia .
I have been using La Biostrat amps for at least a month and now using minoxidil 5% and now Avodart once a day .
Will keep you posted as how I progress.
Trying to keep positive and hope that I am lucky
I am now at 3.5 months and very happy I made the switch from fin to dut. Shedding has gone way down and a couple days ago my wife commented on my hair looking thicker. I’m seeing little hairs becoming terminal at the hairline where it was bare before. If this keeps up, I’d be extremely happy by month 6. No sides except for the initial sore left chest area which went away after 1 week. The initial shed was scary but now i know it was a good sign. Fin did not do anything for me. I’m still using minox 5%.
I am finding it impossible to order Dutas to Canada. Can anyone help? I used to order from India and an amazing price but customs nom longer allow them through. Thanks
Hey Sam Can I know the brand name?
Hi All,
Started Avodart 2 months ago and I am growing hair back to the front and it’s really working!
I’ve had no major side effects but have started to grow more body hair (never really had any chest or stomach hair) and also more facial hair (always patchy and hardly ever had a moustache).
Only issue I do have is that my penis has shrunk although remains unchanged when erect so I can live with that!
Very happy as I took Propecia for years and had minimal gains and also changed my state of mind. I became a real a55hole and never really knew it but my family did and hence I came off it.
I guess the problem is that as human beings were all different and hence why are results are different!
I’m very happy with my results after 2 months will keep updating
Dan
Tried generic dutasteride in an intermittent fashion for 3 months (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) before switching to a regular dosage. The regular dosage increased by libido initially and have me a crazy shed where my diffuse hair got even worse. I decided to take the plunge and shave it off. Continued with the regular dosage for seven months without any noticeable change and then switched back to generic finasteride. Added topical finasteride alongwith oral a few months ago followed by generic dutasteride for 3 days in a week. Noticed remarkable gains and at 31, I seem to have turned back the clock. Hair looks thick and full like it were pre-hair loss. Now, while wet, some thinning is still noticeable but my hair loss is more or less a non issue at this point.
I also follow a strict diet and exercise regimen. In my opinion lifestyle changes coupled with the right medication can do wonders.
@Lionel, when you went back to generic dutasteride 3day/wk at the end, were you still taking oral finasteride everyday? If so, would you say combination of oral finasteride and dutasteride is what works best?
Yes, my hair has seemingly rejuvenated. It looks very lush and full now like there was no hair loss to begin. I take topical fin + min and dutas thrice a week. Both are generics; finpecia and dutas.
Other factors to note: Gluten free diet. Lots of water. Fasting plus dermarolling.
Hey guys. I’m planning to switch from fin to dut. What is the optimal dose and frequency of taking the drug? Appreciate it if someone gives their insight. Thanks.
best is 0.5mg Dutasteride everyday
No need to mix with something else
Did anyone have skin changes after duta or Fin?
I’m 63, NW6. I can live with baldness though I’d rather not.In that spirit every now and then I’ve tried what might be promising. Minox did me no good. Two months ago I started on 0.5 mg Avodart daily, purchased through Oxford online pharmacy. I’m also dermarolling once a week. I believe I’m seeing new baby hair growth on crown and vertex and some darker hairs closer to existing hairline. Not a lot, but enough to persevere with. I think I have some loss of libido, though not of functionality (thankfully). No man boobs.
Dutasteride is a DHT blocker, you can expect to raise testosterone by 15%
Dutasteride is not a anti androgen molecule. You will not get boobs.
Your logic is wrong. Useless more testerone trans to ostragaine and that makes man boobs.
After seeing positive results at 3.5 months in with Dut, I started getting major sheds at month 4 (July) and continued until last week (mid Oct). So far this week the shed has slowed down but my hairline has been decimated and my whole head is thinner (sides and back too). I’d say i lost 30% from when I started Dut 7 months ago. I’m not sure to stick with it or not but the shed has slowed down some over the last week so maybe I’ll wait and see. Just wanted to share my experience and would like to hear from others if they recovered after a major shed period or not.
Waiting – can we get an update on your progress? Did DUT end up winning out? Any sides?
Hi AP, if you read further down you’ll see my updates. I’m currently taking the Avodart brand because for me, the Camber generic version was not effective. Sides are watery semen and slightly lower libido. I initially had some slight tenderness in my left chest when i started Dut but it went away within a couple weeks.
Hi everyone! I stumbled across this site and thought I’d post my story.
I’m 25 and probably started losing my hair around 21-22. I started Propecia when I was 23 and remained on it for 18 months. Finasteride definitely maintained my hair, but I wanted better results. I was probably a solid NW2 when I started, and as of now I’m hopefully creeping to a 1.5.
I’ve been on DUT for two and a half months now, and so far my hair has only thinned throughout. However, I do notice small dark hairs coming up at the hairline now which is definitely a new development. I’m going to be patient, stay positive, and keep a level head. There’s no reason DUT should be worse than FIN.
My current regimen is 0.5mg generic DUT a day, 5% minox once minimum daily, 2% niz two times a week, and dermaroller on sundays.
I know from experience that these are the only products that actually work. I’ve tried scalp massage, saw palmetto, pumpkin seed, biotin, vitamins, etc. The cold hard truth is that right now the only thing close to a guarantee to keep your hair is Dut, and we’re all taking a risk by consuming it. For me, my looks matter a lot and I’m prepared to take the risk.
I’ll keep you all posted. Thanks for the great site admin.
Hello,
I am a 26 year old female, and currently taking Dutasteride 0.5 mg every other day for the last 3-4 weeks. Before that I had Dutasteride mesotherapy sessions every 2 months for more than a year (I changed because my hair loss slowed a bit and I had very slight regrowth but it was not enough, I still felt and looked disgusting). I have had my hair loss issues for almost 3 years – I did have a lot of health problems which are eliminated by now, I feel completely fine at last. I am also taking birth control pills because I have elevated androgen levels coming from the adrenals (no identifiable illness, just more androgens than normal).
For the last few weeks my hair has started coming out in handfuls, just like when it all started, when I was not on any treatments yet. Also having the same scalp inflammation when my hair loss first began. I don’t know what to do anymore, I have hip length beautiful dark hair but at the front and top it is very ugly also my hairline is receding on the left side. In the middle front there is a patch which is almost completely hairless now.
I want to save my hair but the doctors don’t care about me though I could have other choices such as Spironolactone and Cyproterone Acetate. They just send me away saying it will stop. It won’t.
Please help me what to do.
Sad from reading your story ;'(
I feel for you. I am female too en now 7 years of struggle with my hairloss. My beautiful long hair is gone for half what i used to have and with that a lot of my self confidence.
English is not my mother language so sorry for wrong words.
I know with duta it needs time to work.
But I understand your concern and questiom where this sudden hairloss comes from.
It is sometimes not understandable :( All the best for you. Hopefully it will get better
Thank you for your kind words :)
My shedding is even worse now. Although the scalp inflammation is gone. Skin oiliness also reduced greatly, which is good I think.
My body hair is growing slower and maybe getting thinner.
I guess I’ll wait another 2 months if the shedding does not stop I’m quitting Dutasteride.
Hi Mira,
How are you now?
I am thinking about duta but i’m worries about my skin. I’ve heard it can give you aging skin and wrinkles
Fina dried my skin totally!
I hope you are doing well
Hi,
You should also see a dermetologist about taking minoxidil in tablet form but only a low dose .25 mg
australian dermetologist Professor Rodney Sinclair says that a small dose is just as affective at taking a high dose of minoxidil tablet,
I do urge you to give this a try along with Dutasteride, From articles I have read .25mg works wonders.
Dutasteride can make you losing your hair. I am a generic pills maker, after reading your story I am worry about you taking Androcur, even Dutasteride!. I would need a complete blood analyse to understand your condition.
I suggest to see a serious doctor taking care of your condition
Hi-
I’m 30 years old and have been on generic dut for 11 months. I keep waiting for a time when the shedding will slow down, but unfortunately it hasn’t yet. Prior to getting on Dutasteride I was on propecia for about 5/6 years. Propecia seemed to help slow down my hair loss until about 2 years ago, and finally as a last resort I started .5 mil Dutasteride daily. My hair loss has not only seemed to increase in my crown, temple, and forelock area, but also the sides and back of my head seems to be thinning out a bit. In addition to dut I use 5% minox at least once every day and use nizeral aprox 2-3 times per week. Even with the nizeral my head feels moderately itchy (sometimes more intense than others) through areas that seem to be thinning the worst pretty much all the time now. Needless to say this has been frustrating (!) as I hoped Dutasteride would at least stop further loss. I’ve been hoping that the shedding and thinning out overall was a “good” shed and one that would lead to thicker regrowth but so far my hair has just gotten worse. Has anyone experienced this many months without positive results then gone on and felt like the drug began to work and stop their hair loss? I’m hoping that within the next month or so I’ll start seeing a reel reduction shedding (right now I can run my hands though my hair over the sink and about 30-40 hairs come falling down at any time I do that). The side effects I’ve had have been slight loss of sex drive- not devastatingly though. Increased depression (continuous hair loss a factor!). And some brain fog where I can’t seem to think straight.
If anyone has had a similar experience 11 months or a year in please respond! Also if anyone has had superior results from switching off generic to brand name (I get mine via Rite Aid)
Hello there!
Been using Avodart for about 14-15 years, started taking effect around month 6. Hair significantly stopped falling out. My hair is even possibly slightly thicker than it was prior to using the drug. I wouldn’t say I had any real ‘hair growth’ but I did notice tiny ‘fluff’ hairs appear in lots of places that seemed to help a little with over thickness. In terms of side effects, only thing I’ve really noticed is reduced sperm, perhaps not quite as horny but definitely perfectly acceptable. Gents, if your worried about losing your hair, avodart will stop hairloss in it’s tracks but some of us have to be patient. I believe (and this is only my opinion) the main reason avodart wasn’t given FDA approval for hairloss back in the early 2000s is because there wasn’t enough data at the time to significantly differentiate it from propecia so they didn’t see the point spending any more money on the research, furthermore, propecia was a ‘successful’ drug in its own right and why market something that is ‘somewhat better’ so to speak.
Always a pleasure to hear feedback from long-term users. Do you still take 0.5mg/day?
I was on Finasteride for close to 20 years and started to loose ground the last five. Switched to Dutasteride two years ago and it’s halted the loss. Wish I could make up the lost ground but there’s other factors involved, e.g. age, Dr. Lee being shut down, etc.
Yes, still 0.5mg per day
Hi Nommy,
Are you taking the generic form of Dut? I’m almost a the 1 year mark and am frustrated I’m still losing so much hair- if I run my hands through my hair over the bathroom sink I count 20-30 every time. I’m a diffuse thinner and have noticed the sides of my head weirdly getting thinner as well as the vertex, hairline and crown. Any advice from you or anyone else would be Highly appreciated!!
Hi,
I use the generic stuff now and it works absolutely fine. I used to order it online but had one bad experience a few years ago when I suddenly switched my supplier because of cheaper costs and what I got was fakes. My hair started to fall out again so I learned my lesson. In any case, I just buy over the counter nowadays as its less hassle. The pills you use, do they look legitimate? It might even be an idea to have them checked. Make sure whoever you are ordering it from are reputable. I wouldn’t lose faith just yet Andy as everybody sheds hair EVERYDAY. Hope things work out for you.
I’ve also been shedding like crazy for the past 18 months after stopping minoxidil for 1 month. After that one month of no minioxidil and resuming minox right after that, I’ve been losing 120+ hair each day. 20-30 hair every time I run my hand they my hair. I added fin the same time I resumed minoxidil. Still no improvement. I had a major shed again last month, with 200+ hair each day. So I don’t think it’s dut that is screwing up your hair per se. It might be that your body is shedding hair and dut is not helping enough.
Very interesting. Me too I was without Minoxidil for a couple of weeks after using almost daily for 5 years, and I have also started shedding like crazy since. Have resumed Minoxidil and also considering 0,5mg daily finasteride.
DHT isn’t the only cause of hair loss, if your shedding is really that diffuse you should research and ask your doctor about Telogen Effluvium it can be caused by a number of different factors, but is usually temporary and very treatable once you find the cause. Alopecia Arrieta is like MPB, but you lose hair in a diffuse nature as well. Unfortunately, if you have Alopecia Arrieta there’s not much you can do besides take finasteride or duasteride unless there’s another underlying condition causing it.
Having issues with your thyroid can cause diffuse hair loss in both men and women, but it usually returns completely to normal once you get treatment for hypothyroidism (or hyperthyroidism).
Shedding 50-100 hairs per day is considered normal by dermatologists. Anyone will get a few hairs after running their hands through their hair, if you notice a ton when you wash your hair or a lot piling up on and around your pillow (assuming you aren’t a slob and change your bedding at least every other week) then you might be shedding more than normal.
However, with ANY hair loss treatment (especially minoxidil, it definitely messes with anagen and telogen phases) you are going to through a shedding phase, possibly multiple shedding phases… Usually this is a good thing because when the hair grows back it will be thicker (when you start to lose your hair it becomes thinner and thinner before it stops growing, when you are regrowing hair – or just keeping the hair you have left – the hairs will get thicker but they have to fall out first). So going through a shedding period or two (or three) is necessary to regrow hair or make the hair you have left thicker.
I know it sucks when going through a shedding phase. I had to start TRT at 31 years old my testosterone levels got so low (about 3 months later I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism as well). I had no hair loss up to that point in my life, I might have been a NW1-1. 5, but that was just my natural hairline since a kid (I had pretty thick hair too). At the time my hair was very long and I noticed some extra hair in my hands after washing my hair, but I didn’t pay any attention to it. *Testosterone Replacement Therapy does NOT cause hair loss, but it can speed up the process if you have MPB*. No one in my entire extended family has hair loss on my mom’s side, on my dad’s side only my dad (he’s had two hair transplants, but he never even tried finasteride or duasteride and honestly he’s crazy so he probably didn’t need them) and to a lesser extent his brother so my genetics should be pretty good for not losing my hair. When I finally got my haircut short after about 6 months on TRT I was shocked at how much hair I’d lost and how thin it was getting especially in the front (probably NW3 at worst, but still I had no idea it was happening). I freaked out, researching hair loss like crazy. Turns out that it was mostly Telogen Effluvium and 6 months later after starting treatment for hypothyroidism and taking duasteride just in case I’m already back at NW2 and I’m still seeing new hair growth. I may have slight MPB in addition to my bout with Telogen Effluvium plus duasteride protects your prostate which can become a problem on TRT (again TRT doesn’t cause it, but if you are predisposed to prostrate problems it can make them happen faster or get worse) so I’m staying on the Duasteride.
I had multiple shedding phases, in fact I’m going through another mild one as we speak. It definitely sucks in the short term, but longterm it’s usually a good thing (unless you are just a non-responder or you’re insanely sensitive to DHT then there’s not much you can do, just shave your head and own it).
Long story short, you HAVE TO SHED in order to grow back thicker hair and grow hair back that you’ve lost. It’s how the body works naturally, but the hormone changes cause the Telogen and Anagen phases to change.
I’ve had zero side effects on Duasteride except for a little excess body hair growth, but when you are on TRT it actually blocks any of the Finasteride or Duasteride side effects because it only acts on your skin, scalp and prostate (there’s multiple studies that show this, just Google TRT and Finasteride Research).
Sorry for the long response, but I’m just providing accurate information. Everything I said except for my personal experience is based on scientific research.
I would also like to add, that for men, going bald isn’t a big deal. Obviously, I’m a little vain because I’d like to keep my hair at just 33 years old, but if I had any side effects from Duasteride I would just drop it and go with a buzz cut (or completely shave my head) and keep my beard/goatee making any hair loss less noticeable. I once mentioned to the lady that cuts my hair to leave certain areas longer while I was going through a shedding phase, she said that she didn’t even notice it and that she doesn’t care if you have hair on your head as long as you have good facial hair lol.
The point is, I understand the frustration, but men stress about this WAY TOO MUCH and women usually don’t care especially if you make sure that you take care of the rest of your body, keep your hair short (for the love of God don’t try long hair combover shit), grow facial hair to draw attention away from your scalp and dress well. In the end your hair is just a tiny part of your overall appearance, for men if you are funny and confident your looks don’t really matter as much anyway.
I hope everyone hear has some success regrowing/keeping their hair, but if you don’t or have awful side effects just to keep it then just embrace it. Keep it cut short so it’s less noticeable, maybe grow some facial hair and focus on the rest of your body, but embrace it. Own it. You’ll be a lot happier once you learn how to do that.
I have had amazing results with Generic Dutasteride and Topical Finpecia/Minox combo. It took me 18 months to see results being a diffuse thinner (suffered for 7 years using oral fin and topical minox to stop the hair loss).
Use Dutasteride 0.5 mg on Friday/Sat/Sunday (3 times a week) coupled with topical finasteride/minox once a day. Also, combine it with dermarolling (1mm) and intermittent fasting.
Has any one tried getting a prescription from medical wellness center online.
Yes i get a few scripts through them. I have them call it into my local pharmacy.
My big shed stopped at 9 months in. I lost about 30% but my hair is getting thicker even at the hairline. Things are looking good at 10.5 months and I’m hoping it will continue to get better. Dut does work. Just need to be patient. As for sides, my libido is slightly down but it is no different than Propecia. I workout and feel that Dut has helped build and maintain muscle. I’m still using minox 2x/day.
Hope you keep seeing more improvements!
Thanks admin! I will keep updating as I go…fingers crossed.
I had been on propecia alone for 15 years. Noticed hair started to thin again in 2016. Added avodart in Jan 2017 and I can honestly say my hair is better and thicker than all the years on just propecia.
I take propecia every day and one 0.5 avodart once a week.
Never had any sides at all.
I did have a shed when I added the avodart but stick with it and within about 4 months I could feel and see new hairs. My hairline is better than I can remember.
It has taken one full year of this dosage to fully appreciate just how effective it has been. I will continue until things change and then reassess but hopefully that won’t be for a very long time.
Hi Tom. You are only taking one Avodart a week in addition to daily Propecia? That’s all?
Hi Jeff
That’s correct I’m amazed how effective it has been. I’ve done this since January 2017 and even now I still have new hairs appearing at the hairline.
That’s great! Are you using genuine Avodart? And if so, do you mind if I ask where you get it from?
I have been using Finasteride for over 20 years now (along with minoxidil), and for the past few years or so, my thinning has seemed to kick back into high gear. Adding an Avodart to daily Finasteride sounds very tempting to try.
Hi Jeff
I buy genuine avodart which costs about £21 for 30 capsules. I buy 2 packs and with the prescription it’s about £65 that’s over 1 years supply.
I buy it from Oxford Online Pharmacy.
I also buy genuine propecia.
Take a look at The Westminster Clinic website in the news section back in 2016 is where I discovered this method and I’m glad I did.
Thanks so much, Tom. I am in the States, so I’m not sure where to get genuine Avodart. I’m assuming your doctor writes you a script?
I buy it online at that website and you complete a questionnaire and an online doctor approves the medication (or not) that costs about £25. Money back if you are refused the medication.
So you don’t need to see your own doctor.
I have only ever bought genuine medication I would personally not risk swapping to something cheaper as this has worked well for me.
Take a look to see if they ship it overseas.
Hi Tom. Hope you get this. Been trying your method (1.25 mg of fin a day and one Dut capsule a week) for the last three months, and it has really thinned out the front 3rd of my scalp (diffuse loss).
Did you experience a heavy shed when you switched to this method? What is your loss pattern like? FYI, both my meds are from local pharmacies, so they are legit.
Thanks!
I’m also a finasteride user for 7 years now. I started taking it after i had my FUT procedure way back 2013. I’m using generic finasteride btw. I just heard recently that taking avodart is a lot better compared with taking fin alone as far as hair loss is concern. Im taking 1.25 mg of fin daily and 0.5 mg of avodart once a week. I’m now on my 6th week of taking avodart. I noticed a lot of hair fall (mostly coming from my crown) especially when I’m taking a shower. This happened to me only after taking dutasteride for the past 6 weeks. My crown tends to get itchy as well even after using Nizoral shampoo. I’ve read that this is normal for some people taking dutasteride as it speeds up the telogen phase as the drug promotes rapid hair growth. Tom, did you also experience some itching on your scalp on your first 6 weeks of taking dut?
Jeff, you must be an old guy like me! I used fin for 20 years, it started to lose it’s effectiveness a few years ago. I switched to Dut 2 years ago which help to halt the shedding but I added RU about 9 months ago and this combo (along with Minox) has really helped. While not a silver bullet I feel fairly comfortable where I’m at with no shedding and thickening of thinning follicles. All this with virtually zero sides.
Congrats, Yoda! I’m not sure I’m ready to jump on RU just yet, but would definitely like to give Dutasteride a chance. Mind if I ask where you buy yours?
I’m based in the USA, I get the RX from my GP (showed her a study to demonstrate it’s safety and effectiveness) and get the generic at costco, $38 for 90 pills. I will say, I bumped up my 1.25 mg of fin to the full 5mg pill just for a few months before switching to Dut. It may have been having a positive effect but I didn’t want to to take a chance, impatience took over and hopped on Dut. As stated, it stopped the loss but thickening didn’t occur till I added RU. My old genes are ramping up the genetics to be bald so guess I needed multiple avenues to attack the DHT. I totally understand your apprehension to try RU, I felt that way too. Unproven Chinese chemicals from sketchy suppliers. I gave it a shot, no problems and has definitely made a positive impact. Good Luck!
I’m based in the USA, I get the RX from my GP (showed her a study to demonstrate it’s safety and effectiveness) and get the generic at costco, $38 for 90 pills. I will say, I bumped up my 1.25 mg of fin to the full 5mg pill just for a few months before switching to Dut. It may have been having a positive effect but I didn’t want to to take a chance, impatience took over and hopped on Dut. As stated, it stopped the loss but thickening didn’t occur till I added RU. My old genes are ramping up the genetics to be bald so guess I needed multiple avenues to attack the DHT. I totally understand your apprehension to try RU, I felt that way too. Unproven Chinese chemicals from sketchy suppliers. I gave it a shot, no problems and has definitely made a positive impact. Good Luck!
Thanks!!!
Hi Tom,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I plan to do exactly what you are doing. Add 1 dut a week to my finasteride regimen. That seems like the most logical incremental approach. How are things going one year later?
Appreciate it,
Hey did you have any itchy or greasy scalp during your shedds?
Hey, where can I order Dutasteride online? Or atleast how do I convince a dermatologist to prescribe the drug to me?
Hello i have been using avodart for 4 years .i did not loose my hairs anymore (had some re growth but not that much )
No real side effect
Je I were N2 when I started taking the drug at the age of 21 ( I am 25 now )
I am 22.. have been using dutasteride and minoxidil from 4 months….I have seen that my hairline has became worse than before..my right temporal moved an inch back and top front hair was thinning and I lost my hair density and I am worried about my hair . As am looking bald now..is it the position sign or am not good responder of this medication or I have to wait for a year to see positive results..I don’t wanna a be bald at this age. Can I recover myhair back with this medicine please help me with ur experience
I first started taking Dut about 10 years ago in my early 30s due to a friend’s magnificent results,I have been taking it periodically since and have just restarted a course about 3 weeks ago and have noticed my hair has gone really really thin which has surprised me because it’s never been this thin since before I first started and I have come on here just to seek some reassurance that this is what happens.
What’s bothering me is I’m starting to wonder whether my age (41) is preventing the growth I expected or that I have left it too long since I stopped taking it last time which I think must have been between a year and 18 month gap.
When I think back to my first introduction to Dut I’m pretty sure I went really thin too and after approx 4 months my hair just grew back like wildfire,so much so I felt able to take breaks from taking it for months at a time,I had a thin patch on the crown which never thickened up and I was told this was because the follicles had died and would never regrow although I was quite lucky in that I could still have the hairstyles I wanted because the thin part was just thinking and not completely bald.
Thing is now that technology has moved on I’m going to invest in an FUE hair transplant for the really think part at the back as my thinking is I can go back to periodically taking dutasteride when I feel I need to and hopefully keeping a full thick enough full head of hair.
At the moment though I’m just fretting whether my thin hair all over the top of my head is just the natural course Dut takes before regrowing back with it just being a matter of time and patience and hopefully not me being too old or having let good follicles die with having quite a long period off dut.
Lastly,after reading some of the posts I have definately lost some libido but that’s ok because I’m not in a relationship at the moment whereas 10 years ago I was and can remember it being a slight issue,I’ve also noticed my penis feels smaller lol but not when erect thankfully!
One more thing I’d like to add is that I have been taking Fluoxetine anti depressant for the last year and I’m wondering if this drug has any affect on dut working as it should although I am gradually coming off Fluoxetine.
Again I’m just hoping the dut requires time and patience as i shall be going straight to the hair clinic to transplant the part which won’t thicken up.
So patience and fingers crossed.
Oh and one other thing I’ve noticed again which I can remember happened before,I’m pissing like a racehorse haha
Thanks James. I added your second comment as the last sentence to your first comment.
When you say your friend had magnificent results, can you describe them in a bit more detail? How old is he? How long did he take Dutasteride? Is he still taking it and seeing results?
I have had some regrowth from Dut, but do have major shedding for a couple of days once every few months it seems.
Currently on month 4 of Dut, no libido changes and haven’t experienced shedding/regrowth. Though I seemed to have gained some body fat since starting….will update later on
Anyone that is using the Dutasteride gel from farmacia parati???
Hi Everyone, Well I am 26 years old been on Dutasteride for 4 months now results have been good my hair is growing thicker and i see hair growth even in my hairline. I would say I have 80 percent of the hair I had when I was 16, but I did lose a bit in my hairline and my temple. Bottomline I think dutasteride is not for everyone some genotypes just don’t react well to it. Nevertheless you have to keep at it if you see that its working you have to be patient. But DHT blocking is only part of the equation one has to make sure not to stress, stress causes hair loss unrelated to MPB. You must exercise and get good cardio going and eat healthy so as to allow good blood flow throughtout your body. Take cold showers when you are washing your hair dont wash your hair with hot water. You also need to be confident and find a hair cut that looks good with the amount of hair you have. There probably will be more innovations in the future I read about a drug called way 316606 thats supposedly miraculous for hair growth, is still being reseached of course.
Hi Oscar,
How do you get your Dut? And how often do you take it ? I’m also 26 and have been on Finasteride for 10 months with no changes.
Update: Month 8 of Dut, experienced some shedding the past week, and I can say that my sex drive hasn’t changed at all since first starting this drug which is a relief. Only real notable change is gaining some (slight) body fat all around. I may update again if I see that the Dut has stopped further loss or experience regrowth as AA runs in my family. Though as most of my loss is at my hairline I suspect I’d have to be very lucky for any regrowth with Dut alone.
After having success with Dut for about a year I started thinning again since April this year. It wasn’t until July that i realized Costco Pharmacy had switched generic manufacturers on me back in February. I lost all my gains and now way below baseline. They had switched from Breckenridge to Camber. Breckenridge works really well. DO NOT get generics with Camber Pharmaceuticals!! I googled and found others experiencing the same nightmare with Camber but with other drugs I immediately switched back to Breckenridge late July but the damage has been done. I’m going through the big shed (> 100/day) now but it’s most likely because the DUT is good and is working again. I’m.not sure how much longer this shed will last, but it worked good last year so I’m going to fight it out. I mainly wanted to warn everyone here about Camber Pharmaceuticals with headquarter in India….go figure!
I’m based in the USA, I get the RX from my GP (showed her a study to demonstrate it’s safety and effectiveness) and get the generic at costco, $38 for 90 pills. I will say, I bumped up my 1.25 mg of fin to the full 5mg pill just for a few months before switching to Dut. It may have been having a positive effect but I didn’t want to to take a chance, impatience took over and hopped on Dut. As stated, it stopped the loss but thickening didn’t occur till I added RU. My old genes are ramping up the genetics to be bald so guess I needed multiple avenues to attack the DHT. I totally understand your apprehension to try RU, I felt that way too. Unproven Chinese chemicals from sketchy suppliers. I gave it a shot, no problems and has definitely made a positive impact. Good Luck!
Two years on Dut and I haven’t lost any more hair. I’m 27 now and my hair is just as good as it was 4 years ago when I first started finasteride. I also use the laser comb, minox, and Nizoral 2% twice a week, so I’m basically doing everything I can. In studies, 0.5mg dut reduced dht by 94+or-3.4 so even the worse responder got 90% inhibition. Dut will work for everyone!
What brand of Dut are you using, Leo?
Hi Jeff! I’m using a generic version called Act-
Dutasteride from Costco. Best of luck!
Thanks Leo!
Hi Leo,
Where do you get your Dut ?i get my finasteride prescription from my GP but curious if it’s easy to get Dut that way as well.
can some one tell me where can I buy Dutestride in Australia please?
I wrote here last november.
Dutasteride f my hair, shedding never stopped, it only got worse. Took it for 10 months. Now I’m on Cyproterone Acetate (Androcur) for the second month but I don’t think the damage can be resolved. Still shedding handfuls….
Hey sorry to hear….maybe you can help me out…. Did you have an itchy scalp during your dut shed?
Hi all,
I’m 20 years old and diffuse thinning. I went to a dermatologist last week that prescribed me 0.15 mg of dutasteride. Any advice if I should go for it or try finasteride first?
Hello,
I’ve used Dutasteride 0.15mg for 3,5 years now without any significant results. The doctor said that after 3.5 years I should see the final result.
I am female but the doctor prescribed it because I have very thin hair :(.
Hi, was on finasteride for about 13 years, which possibly slowed my hairloss without ever halting it. However, was noticing far more hairs in the shower from about a year ago, so fearing the meds were losing their efficacy, I switched to dutasteride/Avodart earlier this year.
I’ve literally just reached the 6 month mark and all I’ve noticed to date is continued heavy shedding. I’ve been universally advised to stick with the meds as need to give them at least a year. Sometimes shedding can be construed as a sign that they’re working?
Must admit, it’s very hard to not get freaked out by the shedding and wondering if there’s anything else I can add to my regimen. I currently use Nizoral and Regenepure DR too. If Dutasteride doesn’t work for me, not sure what else I can do. Outlook feels quite bleak at present.
Sorry to hear:-( Make sure to pick a reputable brand of Dutasteride if using generic.
Steve, are you using Minox in conjunction with Dut? You need a growth simulator. I was in a similar boat as you except when I switched from fin to Dut it did help slow the loss. I added RU about a year later and this really helped my situation. However, I’m not advocating you do the same as RU is an unregulated chemical from somewhat dodgy Chinese manufacturers.
Hi Yoda, no, not using Minox. Wanted to avoid going down the Minox route as it’s a bit of a pain to apply with all the concealer and hairspray I use, and it is a big commitment. Plus, I tried it for a year when I was about 19 and don’t recall ever getting any results from it. However, is it all about the combination of products? It was a LONG time since I tried it and I think maybe the products have improved.
I’m quite intrigued by RU though. It seems to be getting some positive news in the forums. I noticed there was one site that sells a mixture already made-up which is linked to from the forums. Not sure if that’s worth a go for a few months to see what happens. Are the suppliers potentially dodgy?
Otherwise, I’m thinking of trying PRP, as well as keeping an eye on other new treatments in the pipeline such as the one Shuseido is testing, and that controversial stuff from Italy, which is launching later this year…
Thanks for the comments guys!
Oh, and I’m using Avodart for my Dut!
Yoda – do you mix up your own solution of RU? Is it easy to do?
And do you apply it after a shower each morning? I’ve always been reluctant to add a topical product to my regimen because of it clashing with my styling products/concealer. But maybe I’ll need to ?
Was on Finasteride from end of February 2018 to 20th of September 2018 and switched to Avodart right away. Started with 3 pills and then 2 now everyday. Today is the 24th of October. I could easily say I am seeing improvements on a weekly basis. I could obviously see improvements in photographs and my hair feels fuller. I do shed the small maniturized hairs, but I am seeing my scalp fuller every week. I am a diffuse thinner. Finasteride has ruined my hair earlier. I have seen nothing but sheds in the 7 months of Finasteride usage. Lost a lot of hair and density. My baseline pics were a slight receding hairline and a small spot in the middle of my scalp. Lost over 30% of my hair on Finasteride, but it’s filling in quickly on Dutasteride. Very impressed with Dutasteride in my first month. I don’t use minoxidil or any other treatments. Dutasteride is seriously Magic.
Hi Mark! That’s nice to hear. I’m on my 6th week of dutasteride medication. I’m taking 1mg of fin daily and 0.5 mg of Avodart once a week. Did you also experience some itching on your scalp on your 1st to the 2nd month of taking dutasteride?
Hi Mark,
Just to clarify, You are taking two .5mg of dutasteride daily ?
I have just started taking avidart. I am a female 66 years old and for some reason on the last several years have experienced a lot of shedding…. have been taking monoxidil 5 percent for 7 months with little success if any. Has any female in this group found success with this treatment or any side affects??
Grace, are you sure your hairloss is related to DHT? If not, Dut and Fin would not be the right choice for you. I hope you’ve had blood tests and been evaluated by a doctor.
So far the dutasteride from Breckenridge has worked great for me, however, they have just been discontinued this past August and my bottle ran out 10 days ago. Camber Pharma was horrible…didn’t work at all for me. I had to get a new prescription with Amneal. Has anyone had bad or good experience with Amneal? Costco also source from Epic, has anyone had experience with Epic?
Having looked through all the comments I am surprised to see there is no mention of one serious side effect of Avodart which I have been on for the past 10 years to reduce the size of my prostate gland – any reduction in hair loss at 70yrs of age is a bonus. Recent studies have shown that long term use of Avodart will result in NAFLD (Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) which I am now under investigation for after some recent Liver Function Blood Tests. I would be interested to hear from other longer term Avodart users if they have experienced the same results.
Bump. Anyone have any comments on this?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4701851/
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/hmbci.2017.30.issue-3/hmbci-2017-0015/hmbci-2017-0015.xml
Can anyone refute these studies? I want to take dut, am on fin and losing ground, but these studies do concern me for long term use. I don’t want to end up with high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and NAFLD after 5-10 years.
Do any of you long term Dut users get blood work done?
Any input is appreciated.
Yoda, where are you buying your RU?
Jeff, lucky I saw this! Anagen, easy, great service and seems to be doing the job for me. I use the premix, powder didn’t pencil out to much of a savings and a kind of a pain. 5% in pg.
Steve, I apply mid day between minox applications but I don’t think that’s essential.
Thanks so much, Yoda! I actually have 3 bottles of the pre-mixed from Anagen, but I’ve been hesitant to pull the trigger. How many ml’s are you applying per day? I can’t see 1 ml being enough to cover the whole scalp.
I completely understand about being hesitant to pull the trigger dude, it is an unregulated, little clinically tested chemical from China after all! I’m only thinning at the front 1/3 of my scalp, I use 1.25 ml to 1.5 ml per one application, once per day. Would more or higher concentration make additional progress? Possibly, but I’ll go with this for the foreseeable future. Mind you, I’m also on Dut and use high strength minox, currently 15%.
Yoda, I have the exact same loss pattern! Crown is thick and full, but thinning in the frontal 1/3rd. Now you’ve REALLY got me curious to try it. Would love to build up some density there. Currently I use 1 mg Fin a day, 0.5 mgs of Dut once a week, and minox twice a day (foam in morning, liquid at night), and 2% Nizoral twice a week.
Jeff, unfortunately nothing is a cure all and will give you back your adolescent hairline. Even though I still seek more hair I’m grateful for what I’ve been able to maintain and thicken. Not sure of your situation but you might look into higher concentration of Minox. I’ve been at this for over 30 years and always had to up the strength to maintain results. I’ve even used Murray’s 30% cream, hard to apply but works…not sure how much better than 15% which has been my go to for years. Another factor here is age and also what works for one may not work for the other…good luck!
Thanks, Yoda!
Yoda, did you get any side effects from RU? Also, I would like to keep applying minoxidil foam twice a day. How would you suggest I apply RU in conjunction with twice a day minox?
No real sides, maybe dry eyes but that could be age. :-( I’d apply the RU as long as possible in between minox apps but at least 4 hours after minox and at the very least 10 minutes before.
I’m 22, at 20 I suddenly came to the realization that my temples have receded to between NW 1 and 2. Receding started very young (16-17). I instantly went on 1mg of finasteride (propecia) once per day and 1ml of minoxidil once per day. I’ve been on fin and minoxidil for 18 months at this point. No sides at all from either drug. Yesterday I noticed that my crown is thinning very slightly (can only see in a certain light and the area is about 1 square centimeter large). I’m not sure if this has always been there or not since I didn’t really ever check that part thoroughly. Consequently I decided to completely NUKE my hairloss to make sure I don’t lose any more. I think my temples are almost the same as they were when I discovered my hairloss, might have receded just a tad but I’m not sure. Minox has grown tiny baby hairs on my temples, but nothing major. Fills it out a bit, which is nice.
I ordered RU58841 from anageninc, and have an appointment with my dermatologist this week to hopefully score a dutasteride prescription. I plan on taking RU every day, and dut once per week (0.5mg, avodart) to start. I will continue with the fin and minoxidil and plan on keeping the dosage the same. I’ll update the situation in the weeks/months to come. Thanks for the page, read through all of it in one go.
Go for Dutasteride if you can, but please have the backing of your Doctor. Never take a decision without medical guidance. I can tell you Finasteride wasn’t the best for me, and Dutasteride is awesome. Finasteride made my hair so much worse and Dutasteride improved my condition a lot in two months. If you start Dutasteride, you won’t need Ru. I guarantee this. I am not a fan of minoxidil myself, but I am sure it works since it’s FDA approved.
Hi, Do you take dutasteride daily?
Seems like an overly aggressive treatment for someone so young Bob. I know as well as anyone the impatience and fear one feels when loosing hair at an early age. However, I’d urge you to stick with Minox and Fin for at least a year before moving onto anything else. And if you did try something else I recommend higher % minox before Dut and certainly RU.
Took Fin from The first of Feb 2018 to 20th of September (almost 8 month). It made my hair thinner and diffused loss everywhere. Finasteride made me look bald, when I had hair loss and just a receding hairline and just some thinning which wasn’t very obvious. Just a bald patch on top which wasn’t very obvious. I switched to Dutasteride everyday from 20th of September and in two months I am seeing lots of regrowth and my hair is much fuller. Went from terribly thin to so much better in two months. I am still bellow baseline, but if growth continues at this rate, I will have my hair fully back in a few months. I did shed a lot on Dutasteride and fin. Shedding is less but it never stops. People need to realize that shedding won’t make your hair thinner, if it’s getting healthy. Although it does shed you find yourself having more hair because your hair grows. It’s normal. Another thing to always keep track of for balding men is speed of hair growth on top and the sides. When my hair was at its worst with fin, and before fin, hair growth on the sides was a lot faster than the top. Now I can feel it’s normal. I strongly recommend anyone who is balding to ask your doctor for a prescription of Dutasteride. It’s a magic pill. Always track the hairs you shed too in order to know how effective your treatment is. Since I started Dutasteride, the only hairs I shed are small miniturized hairs, and growth is spectacular so far. Let’s hope for more results. I guess we all react to meds differently, but always experemint with what works for you, and find a dermatologist who can help you do what you want, and monitor you to help you reach your goals. Keep track of your hair twice a month with pics. I have pics of before Dutasteride and before fin, which is why I know what’s happening on my head too.
Hi Anonymous, can you please tell me which pharmaceutical your Dutasteride is from?
I am 31 years from china. I noticed my hair lossing from one year ago. I tried Fina 6 months every day,but it’s ineffective… So I switched into Duta from last week.
I take one pill everyday,you know,it’s my last chance,I can not find other solution anymore… I hope it will be effective. God bless me.
I just started my Dutasteride prescription last week and will update you guys when I go to my next PRP injection.
Hey, im just 20 years. And my hairfall started 1 year back. But somehow usage of oild got it stabled and even regrowth was visible. This year june it got worse and worse and i started losing excess hair from right side of my head. I at last i had to see the doctor who prescribed me multi vitamins + minoxidil+ dutasteride. Should i go for dutasteride? I have heard it caused impotency! Please suggest me. This hairfall is causing a huge downfall in my confidence.
What website do y’all order your dutasteride generic or avodart from. Every website I’ve tried I have been getting fake pills from India. I’ve gone to four dermatologists and asked for a prescription, but they all say they do not prescribe dutasteride for alopecia.
Hi !!!
I am from Brazil, and my english is not good
I use 10 year finasteride ( since 33 year age)
And I use together dutasteride 2 times a week,
In Brasil dutasteride is very easy to find in drugstores and not need prescription.
My father and grandfathers have hairloss in 30 age
My father use dutasteride to prostate hiperplasic and your hair come back
No side effects to me
I do blood tests every ear
Thanks
I have been taking fin for almost 3 years 1 time daily. I found dermo to prescribe me duta 1 day per week (take it Monday mornings). I also use Rogaine 2x daily and hair max laser comb every other day. I felt like this has def worked for me. I use regenepure hair products everyday, I use neutrogena residue free shampoo once per week, and use palmers olive oil deep conditioner once a week too. The addition of duta has further improved things. Hoping this continues for years to come.
Hi Josh. Can you definitely say the addition of Dut once a week has definitely helped regrowth? What’s your loss pattern like? And are you currently using 1.25 mg of Proscar daily, or 1 mg of Propecia daily in addition to Dut on Mondays?
Admin, you might want to do some mod stuff and delete some irrelevant posts in order to keep this strictly about testimonies of dutasteride users. Maybe it’s hard for others to go through the posts like it is now and it makes ir harder for others to decide whether or not to take it. Anyways, just a thought.
That having said: I’m a 21 y/o male and have been taking 0.5mg dutasteride (almost) daily for almost 4 years now. I started taking it about 3 months before I turned 18. I used to really take it every day, but the last 2 years I’ve been slacking a bit. Sometimes there are periods where I only take it once every few days, and sometimes I even forget taking it a week. In general, I think I do take it 4 or 5 days out of 7 days.
My hair has basically stayed the same compared to 4 years ago. Maybe my hair line moved a few milimetres but it’s just a gut feeling. Still a NW2 like when I begun and it’s as thick (likely thicker) compared to when I started. I don’t have any noticeable sides such as loss of libido or gynecomastia. But then again (regarding libido), I’m still young and it might not affect me as much yet…
I’m getting more and more scared each year about long term side effects though. It’s not a super old drug (in terms of modern medicine) and I sometimes worry about infertility or brain related stuff in the long run. I say this in vague terms because I sometimes read stuff online about how supression of DHT can have negative impacts on various things, or I read stuff about dutasteride possibly having negative effects on other stuff. I don’t really understand most of that science-heavy stuff unfortunately.
All in all, it works really well for hair loss for me but due to the drug its relatively short history I’m growing increasingly worried about taking it for a very long time. I’m not sure if I would take this till my 40th (22-23 years of dut usage). But even if dut gives any side effects, some might be hard to pinpoint on dutasteride (brain related stuff) even if they are caused by it.
I hope this helps people who are in doubt regarding to taking it or not. When I was younger, I was like them too. Just know that if you decide to take it, you will most likely be safe in the short and medium run. But in the long run, no one really knows for sure.
Thanks Illusion, great comment and I am worried about side effects too. Hopefully, we are lucky like Ashton Kutcher (read my post on him and Avodart if you have not already).
Hi Illusion, may i ask which pharmacy or manufacturer do you get your dutasteride from? I’m currently taking Strides Pharma and they seem to work okay but not as good as Breckenridge (discontinued). Thanks!
Hi waiting, sorry for the late response but I almost never check hair loss sites/forums anymore. Anyway, as for your question, I used to get the “real deal” aka Avodart from GlaxoSmithKline. That was very expensive though (30eu / month). Nowadays, I take something called Dutasteride Aurobindo (like 5eu / month). Both are gel capsules containing 0.5 mg dutasteride per capsule.
I have a connection who is a pharmacist and he gets me the dutasteride for the purchase price, so that’s why it’s so cheap for me. So both medicine come straight from a real pharmacist (physical drug store), hence I assume the quality control is good.
However, there shouldn’t be much difference between dutasteride meds with the same dosage. After all, dutasteride is dutasteride. The inert compounds in medication might differ but these seldom affect the efficacy of the active compound (it’s the very definition of an inert compound to not react with the active compound).
There is the possibility though that your medication does not contain dutasteride or as much dutasteride as indicated though. There’s quite a big fake-medicine market out there (google it sometime, I believe especially India produces a lot of fake stuff) so you should be careful with buying online. I don’t know either of these brands/pharmacies you just mentioned, so I can’t help you with that unfortunately.
Hi Illusion, thank you for your response. Dutasteride is not approved for hair loss here in the U.S. therefore my insurance won’t cover. The generics are relatively cheap but the Avodart brand costs $215 / month and that’s with a coupon. I’d be ecstatic to pay 30eu / month. I know generics are supposed to be the same as brand but i’ve experienced a difference in quality even amongst the generic manufacturers.
Hi Illusion,
Thanks for this! I’m 26 been on finstaeride for 10 months with no results and would love to get on dutasteride (got the finasteride prescription from my general practitioner). Who prescribed your dutasteride ?
Hi Merritt,
Again, my apologies for not responding but I visit this testimonial section about once a year because that’s when my paranoia regarding hair loss plays up hehe… By now you’ve probably already found someone to prescribe you dutasteride. But, to answer your question and to maybe help others: dutasteride was prescribed to me by a doctor who worked at a private hair clinic. That was a pretty expensive consult but in my experience, “regular” doctors like dermatologists at a regular hospital or general practicioners (I think some of them might prescribe finasteride from time to time) do not really prescribe dutasteride for hair loss all that often, probably because it is not approved for this cause.
So if you’re really dedicated to getting that dutasteride prescription, then you can try to get it through a regular dermatologist but chances are you’re not going to get it. I think a consult with a dermatologist at a private hair clinic is going to increase your chances of getting a dutasteride prescription.
Hi. Aside from shedding, does anyone here experience some itching on their scalp after a month or two of taking dutasteride? TIA :)
Hi guys.
I am a latecomer to this blog. I am 21years old and have been losing hair since 17 years old (when I started swimming that is). Before that, I used to have a really thick hair with no receding hairline and I could even have it pompadour styled. But now, I don’t even dare to walk out in public without my cap. It is so thin you could actually see my scalp from all sides.
I was in a really stressful place when I was 20 years old, and I think this was the main reason that my hair loss drastically increased. I discussed with my parents and at 20 years old, I had a hair transplant surgery (1500 grafts). After the surgery, the doctor prescribed me with Zagallo (which is a brand of medicine that contains Dut as the main ingredient) and 5% minoxidil spray. I have been using them on and off since I am a college student and sometimes missing dosages and forgetting all about it during final weeks. I have to say my hair is really bad as of now, but I do see some baby hairs growing. However, whenever I shampoo, I see that the hairs that are lost, while drying with a towel or a dryer, are mainly baby hairs. So I have no other option as of now to just continue using the meds but I am looking forward to the 2020 cure with the Stem Cell Transplant.
All in short, I would trade my soul to get back my thick head of hair.
I have been taking .5mg Avodart on Tuesday and Friday for exactly two months. I can see a relatively big improvement. Maybe I’m lucky. I also notice quite a lot of hair around my nibles. It is amazing that Avodart works wonder on a 58 year old man.
Paul, make sure to tell the community about all the side effects you have…which is probably little to none. Just want another testimonial for the “Everyone will get sides” crowd, that it’s simply untrue.
First started taking avodart once a week then after two months twice a week. Then after about three months I started taking it every other day. Shedded first couple months.
Aside from a slight decrease in libido I have no other side effect so far.
It has been about two weeks since I started taking it every other day and I can already see improvement.
I’ll wait and see what will happen. Hope I can regrow all the hair I lost. Fingers crossed
Well it has been about two months since I started taking avodart every other day. My hair became thicker overall and I noticed a small number of hair appearing where my hairline used to be. But today I took a shower and I don’t know why I didn’t notice earlier but I noticed thinning on the front. I don’t know if this is shedding or not. Just hoping it will regrow. Maybe I should take avodart every day. Any helpful advice would be more than welcome.
I would suggest that you follow the recommended dosage of one 0.5mg of Dutasteride capsule per day if you want positive results.
Not 1 capsule every other day.
Not 1 capsule twice a week.
Not 1 capsule once a week.
Take it at the same time each and every day.
This drug isn’t meant to be stopped and restarted.
This stuff needs to be taken as directed.
Shedding and regrowth are totally normal for the way this drug works.
Thin, weak hairs are useless, so they are are forced to shed in order to eventually make room for stronger thick hairs.
Think of it this way. Your future full head of thick hair is literally in your hands. Literally if you stop taking Dutasteride.
Thanks for the reply.
I will start using it everyday from tomorrow and will drop finasteride. I hope it will work this time because there is thinning on the frontline.
Lets see what happens.
One month update:
I have been using avodart everyday. The libido is back to normal after dropping finasteride and starting to use avodart everyday. Perhaps an increase in testosterone is the cause for this.
No side effects so far.
Today I noticed a slight loss in the temples and frontline, I guess this is the initial shedding phase. Will wait for a couple of months to give you guys another update.
Three and a half months update:
There is still shedding but not that extreme like some users report. Further hair loss is not visible but there is also no hair regrowth visible in the front. The hair in general look thicker. There is no side effect so far.
My dermatologist put me on 0.5 mg daily of Dutasteride and I’ve been amazed at the results. When I turned 55 I noticed that my hair was thinning. Within a year, my hair loss was profound, mainly on the top and sides. It took about 6 months before I noticed a difference in hair growth but almost immediately upon starting Dutasteride, my hair loss virtually stopped. It’s been 18 months and I actually have a full head of hair. I can’t recommend this drug enough! And no side effects!
hii.. sara are you a girl? whats your age?
I read this forum religiously when Propecia stopped holding my hair and it gave me hope that I could take Dut whenever I needed to and it would restore my hair. Most of the posters here seem extremely positive about it but after reading other forums (particularly Hairlosstalk) I would say that there are at least as many people for whom Avodart did nothing or just worked in the back of their heads. For me it brought back the hair at the back of my head as if there had been no hair loss, however the front continued to thin at about the same rate as on Propecia, which was extremely fast. This time last year I had a full, thick head of hair and now it looks amazing at the back but the front is almost completely gone. The difference between the front and back is night and day. My advice to anyone that is thinking of starting Avodart is to start right now, because it may not stabilise you, particularly after Finasteride has stopped holding your hair. I wish I had started it earlier so I would have had more time to add further treatments to try and stabilise. I am now trying to protect the front with RU58841 in addition to daily dutasteride because I am in a desperate place
Í am looking for a reputable online source for Dutasteride. I am from Australia. I am worried that if I just buy indiscriminately I may simply be purchasing fake pills. Any suggestions?
I’ve done a lot of research into Avodart since starting it a year ago and honestly I think a lot of the comments on here are viral advertising. Avodart is really not that much more effective than Propecia. Almost every Avodart experience that I have read on other sources says that it worked at the back but the hair line continued to thin on this drug. After finasteride fails it seems very unlikely that Avodart‘s extra 20% DHT inhibition is going to grow much hair back. Honestly you’ll be lucky to maintain again after finasteride fails. This is my experience and also almost every other anecdotal experience that I have read. This website seems unrealistically positive about Avodart, it seems a bit fishy… Dutasteride is really nothing special
I make absolutely no money from mentioning Dutasteride or Avodart. Most studies say it is more effective than Finasteride (albeit with higher rates of side effects). You will also find many negative testimonials in the comments that I never remove. My own positive results from Dutasteride have stopped in the past year as I have mentioned a few times in comments and posts. Strange accusation out of nowhere on your part.
Hey Admin, I’m definitely not saying that you are advertising the drug, I’m saying that the glowing reviews left by other posters might be. There is obviously no reason for you to advertise it- there would be no benefit for you or even Glaxo to do this either. However, online suppliers might have reason too. I worked in a viral advertising company years ago and that was exactly the type of thing we used to do. I feel that Avodart is definitely better than Propecia but not by much, it generally just provides slightly stronger maintenance. As stated previously, my motivation for putting this information here is because a year ago I believed Avodart was a ‘miracle cure’ type hair loss drug because my information source was these comments. So I left it too late to switch from fin, assuming I’d at least get maintenance. A year later I am massively underwhelmed and through research and messaging other users on hairlosstalk it seems many others are too- it’s a myth that it’s this is a ‘miracle’ drug. It’s just slightly more effective than finasteride
In all these year, only a couple of commentators to this post ever left links to where they purchased Dutasteride or Avodart from online. And I removed those links asap I am pretty sure.
Otherwise, at this point, I would guess that less 20 percent of the comments to this post are actual positive reviews from unique users of the drug (so if the same person has a few comments, count as one). A lot less than I would have expected based on the numerous favorable studies out there. Even well known people such as Ashton Kutcher and Rick Rosner have praised Avodart for growing their hair back very well, so I do not think the relatively few excellent hair growth experiences in these comments are fraudulent.
Most people buy cheap generic Dutasteride from pharmacies (at least in the US), rather than from any online sites doing viral marketing. Walgreens, Walmart and Costco really do not have time to viral market generic Dutasteride hair growth results on this blog :-)
And no-one claims that Dutasteride is a miracle hair loss cure anymore, and no-one would think so from reading these comments. Basically, if this was a Yelp page, the average review of Dutasteride or Avodart for hair growth would be 2.5/5 stars at most based on averaging the comment reviews.
FYI — Generic Dutasteride definitely worked well for me for 3 years, and it was significantly better than generic Finasteride. Unfortunately, the positive effect has largely stopped in the past 6-12 months.
Admin, what do you mean by “the positive effect has stopped” in the last 6-12 months?
Are you shedding? Losing ground?
I hear reports of people shedding but still maintaining which is why I ask.
And have you considered doing bloodwork? Something I’d love to see is dutasteride/fin users measuring their DHT levels. It’s possible it’s not supressed enough. There’s no reason someone would continue losing hair with 90% of their DHT supressed. It’s baffling to me, it should be within female levels. So maybe the drug isn’t doing it’s job and you may be insensitive to it?
I’m just trying to piece things together, I’m trying dutasteride myself, and intend to test hormones too (it’s just gonna take a while to get an appointment for this during corona where I am)
Hi DiaperBoy, my hair quality and quantity have both declined in the past 6-12 months. So not exactly maintaining, but not yet too far gone. I have considered bloodwork for all the hormones, but keep delaying it. Might go later this year.
Sorry to hear that admin. In any case I’d stay on the dutasteride. It’s very possible it’s still slowing down your hairloss drastically despite losing ground.
It’s interesting that dutasteride doesn’t stop balding completely like hormone therapy for transwomen does.
DHT seems to be the only culprit of Male pattern baldness, since men born with a natural 5-alpha reductase type 2 deficiency never ever go bald. There wasnt a single case of them ever balding, which is interesting because only type 2 was affected.
The only reason I believe that dutasteride doesn’t work is that either:
1. It doesnt work on your individual biology, doesnt bind well enough and doesnt reduce DHT sufficiently. A blood test can confirm if that’s the case.
And most importantly:
2. Dutasteride doesn’t fully inhibit scalp DHT. I was kinda shocked when I found out that it only supressed scalp DHT by 51%. Since the DHT is also literally produced in the hair follicles, dutasteride isnt nearly effective as we all assume. Serum DHT levels arent the whole story. And it’s just not enough to completely halt hairloss premanently for most ppl. I’ve seen that dosages of 2.5 dut per day block more scalp dht (and studies do show that it produces better haircount) but it’s usually pretty costly to take 5 pills per day. But it’s the last thing I can think of, one could do.
Hi all, just want to share my experience. I started losing hair at around age 28. I went on 1mg generic fin in 2008 (and still use it). I was then still of the appearance of a full head of hair though my crown was thinning a lot. Fin may have helped maintain but did nothing in terms of regrowth. In 2012 I added duta 0.5 first once a week for 6 months. i then went in it daily along with the fin. This was just in hope of hair gains and fear that tstopping fin would result in further hair loss. At that point I also started rogaine twice a day. Liquid first and then changed to foam after a year. It appeared that this combo it was working as I would often get compliments on my hair. BTW I come from a family of mostly mpb from both parents. In 2014 my hair took a turn and was in a bad state but I plodded along with the same regime. After another year it looked like I didn’t have mpb. However things did not remain peachy. From 2018 my mpb went in overdrive. I saw a dermo who prescribed me oral min at 0.25 mg daily. I don’t think it did much. I am now reconsidering my options. I may go for 1.0 mg of dut daily as I think that is the most effective of the big 3 or 4 if you count oral min. In the last month I have shed alot of hair above my ears and front mid section. In my 10 year battle I would strongly recommend a couple of things. I do have tiny vellus hair appearing on my temples so I’m still optimistic. A few tips I have –
1.get on fin right way. Be consistent in taking it. Stick to what ever brand you choose. If you have sides, try a lower dose and increase till you get to 1mg. Give it a year at least. It should buy you time. Ride out the sheds.
2. Stay strong. Sheds are to be expected as mentioned above several times. Brent’s post is excellent. You cannot expect regrowth without shedding first. And remember shedding happens in cycles. It won’t be just the once.it appears that a shed could have a great number of hairs expelled at the same time which is why why people think they are losing ground. Ride it out and have faith. I know it doesn’t end well for everyone. My derm says these kind of meds will not accelerate the hairloss. It’s just our mpb is too strong.
3.Get a good concealer and get good at applying it. That along with a good haircut will help you stress less.
4.Try not to stress. My derm thinks my recent acceleration of hairloss is due to CTE caused by stress. He might be right.
5. If fin doesn’t help get on dutasteride. Once a week initially. Then daily if required. In all my 10 years on fin and 8 on dut I have hardly had any sides. I think I had a pain in the testicle a few times when I started dut but nothing with fin.
6. Find a good derm who will measure hair shafts. Ideally you want to know if the hair is miniaturising. Remember it’s not so important how much you shed but how much you have on your head.
7.Every time you change pill manufacturer, your clock restarts. Allow at least 3 months for the changes to take effect.
8.Quit all junk food. Stay active and hydrated.
9.If I could go back and start again I would avoid topical min and just start on dut. Of course this is not for everyone but just my thoughts.
10.An HT may not achieve what you want or be successful. You may need more than one anyway.
11.Get a good anti inflammatory shampoo and apply once a week. Research how scalp inflammation affects hair. You will be amazed. And it will help with the mpb itch.
12.if you are using fish/omega 3 supplements… Consider stopping them . Research how they accelerate hair loss. I noticed my hairloss increased when I started omega 3 about 2 years ago. This in conjunction with the CTE may be what’s causing further hairloss. My remaining hair is still quite thick in terms of diameter.This I believe I owe to dut as I noticed the shafts thickening in 2013 but the hairline continued to recede.
Without doubt I believe all these meds have helped me otherwise I would be completely bald by now. I hope this helps some of you out there. Thanks to admin for such a great site.
Great comment. Did you get any side effects from Dutasteride or Oral Minoxidil?
Maybe slight testicular pain with dut but nothing long term. Slightly more hair on cheeks and ears but that could be with age.
To be clear.. Hairy cheeks from oral min.. And the testicular pain from dut. But nothing that caused worry
Thanks!
i am going to add dutasteride 0.5mg one day in a week
and the other 6 days for finasteride 1 mg, using nizoral every 2 weeks, and the ordinary serum each day.
hi i am looking for dutasteride tablet but not a soft gel capsule
can some one help
Hello all,
Here’s a little bit of my story:
I am 20 years old and noticed balding when I was 18. From this day till now I try my hardest to not think about it, since I am extremely anxious as I’ve got a very long, handsome straight dark blonde hair. For instance, last year I literally had a panic attack when my ex-girlfriend noticed some tiny spots shining on my head. Literally had to go to the hospital to take some pills to calm down.
One might think I am exaggerating, but it is really, really painful when you are so young yet struggle with this ridiculous disease; and even worse when all your friends, colleagues and family, even people way older than you have a head full of hair… For genealogic background, my maternal grandpa had a head full of hair until his 50s and some of my cousins too. My paternal had until his 40s and my dad started around his late 20s. And here I am, starting after finishing high school! It almost seems a silly joke or competition…
Well, let’s see what really matters.
Regarding the treatment, went to dermatologist on Sept-2018 and started applying once a day 5mg topical minoxidil since. Only noticed pros were that the existent hair got way more dark and thicker, but didn’t notice any growth. Unfortunately, last year was truly a low year for me and had some personal issues around September. Consequently, from that month until Feb-2020 I fully stopped applying and as expected there were some cons as the hair got thinner, however didn’t notice any huge losses.
From Feb-2020 until May-2020 started once again the same treatment, but again struggled w/ application. This time it was due to my tight daily routine as I started working plus studying. However, w/ COVID-19 it got better and my dermatologist also realized that topical minoxidil wasn’t really much handful for me so she switched it to oral, starting w/ 1mg pills once a day and also started microneedling finasteride and minoxidil into my scalp.
For the first month the results of that combo were AMAZING. I’ve never had so much pros all together. Hair got darker, thicker and also noticed some gains on the front. However, for the back/top of my head (which is the most affected area) it hasn’t changed one bit. I am now on my 3 out of 4 microneediling sessions and daily takes oral minoxidil, but for the two last months haven’t really noticed any further gain, it just seems to have finally stabilized as my hair strands simply stopped falling (if 15 strands fall in one day it is too much).
One day I plan to finally embrace baldness but ONLY after I got married w/kids so there’s still a long way to go… With that said, what advises would you recommend me to keep it from falling and maybe grow again on the back/top?
Thank you!
Note 1: My baldness is really mild. I still got a bunch of hair, which is very long and split in half. The main issue is with the back/top of my scalp as it seems to have a really tiny, but noticeable, white spot.
Note2: It’s also important to state that this time I am really following the treatment as expected, missed just 4 days within 4 months!
Hi
I have done 2 hair transplant surgeries. And I was on propecia and proscar for a while then stopped for years. I did the first surgery 1 years ago and did it again last year and started taking the dutasteride. It has been 8 months now and I can honestly say it has worked for me. I feel my hair is much thicker.
@admin,
Are you still using dutasteride? If so, could you please update us on your results and tell if you have suffered any side effects?
Thanks!
Used propecia and minoxidil combination for 9 years but started to lose ground after probably 6 years. Just started to add 1 0.5mg dutasteride a week. After a few months I noticed some side effects so decided to stop. Definitely a much more powerful drug than finasteride which I have never had side effects from.
What do dutasteride free radicals eat? Will eating it cause a risk of poisoning?
My objection to dutasteride on the one hand is the significant side effects that are difficult to treat and on the other hand, when stopping treatment, the hair will fall out again. I was advised to stay away from dutasteride until a definitive treatment without side effects appears.
Been using Avodart since January 2020 and I can tell you guys the hair loss has stopped on its tracks. The regrowth of already lost hair is mediocre, but I am happy that the hair loss is stopped. No serious side effects. But I am thinking about having a child in the near future so I am afraid I should discontinue it for a month or so.
What do you think?
I took fin for 5 years and always had more than 100 hairs shedding per day. I feel like i did not lose ground tho. This year I have been super scared that i might lose ground tho since hairloss is slow….suddenly you are bald so i startet dut twice a week and fin on the other days… While taking fin everyday i lost mostly long hair. Now i am taking dut since around 12 weeks and i am losing less hair but the hair I am losing are small thin hair….. That could actually a bad sign no?
The second thing is that i thought that, losing the small thin hair must be bad because it looks like i lost a bit of ground in the back of my head. Just directly after washing they look very dense… After some hours they look thin.
Today i realized that, its because my hair are getting oily too fast on dut. Its like not washing your hair for 3 days….they get oily and stick together…than you can see a bit thru the scalp.
Anyone had also oily hair on dut? Did it stop? I am washing my hair with baby shampoo everyday now… Since its BH neutral I can wash it everyday…..
Background
Hair transplant when I was 23 in Canada, 4300 Strip on hairline and top section of my head, very pleased with results, you wouldn’t know I had a HT, perfect experience, but very painful. Knocked 10yrs off my age.
Taken fin from 22-33 and done some liquid minoxidil but never stuck with it, horrid stuff to apply every day.
Had another HT at 30, on crown 2000, less successful sadly. Terrible experience.
Been on Oral minoxidil (5mg) and Dutes since I was 33. Since then I feel regrow on my crown is a lot better with hairs which were transplanted growing thicker and stronger and my hairline, which did start to thin, has thickened.
I had side effects with dutes initially like loss of libido but after a month everything went back to normal.
I feel a lot of people stop taking dutes when they have issues with libido. For me at least it was 100% temporary.
I keep taking both and I’m happy with the results. For me I can’t say which played a bigger part dutes or minoxidil as I started them at similar times. I did however run of oral minoxidil for 4 months over lockdown and didn’t see any increased loss.
I now see my friends who all have receding hairlines and I’m thankful I’ve gone to the time and expense to maintain my hair, I still look 10yrs younger than I am. I’ve probably spend £22k on HTs and drugs over ~15yrs. Presently drugs cost £300 per year.
I know another friend who went to a well known clinic in London and got rinsed for £7k for liquid minoxidil and some light comb thing. I feel doing research is critical to not being ripped off.
Hope this helps someone.
I would like to know if you had a child during the period that you used dutasteride?
Because I am thinking about having one and I still have not made up my mind whether I should discontinue dutasteride to prevent any potential harm to the baby.
Yes, I stopped fin when trying for a baby with my wife.I know this is an old post, but anyone trying to have a baby should stop fin and especially dut. Dut will take 5 months to remove from system due ot half life.Fin, much shorter.
26, been taking fin/dut for the last 5 years (fin for the first 4, dut for the last year to present). I started noticing some temple thinning at 21. I had already lost my juvenile hairline in high school, which I didn’t like already, and decided I wouldn’t allow it to go any further. Aside from a small libido drop and then increase in the first month, I had no side effects. I regained the lost ground and stabilized my hair on fin.
Last year I got to thinking about the future and what I would give up to keep my hair. Prevention is always easier than trying to regrow, so I made a pre-emptive switch to dut. Why not go with the strongest possible measure? I’m a year in, still no side effects. To my surprise, part of my juvenile hairline has returned, something I haven’t seen since I was 15. I doubt it will ever completely grow back in, but I take it as a great sign of the drug’s effectiveness.
Thanks Jim! What dose and frequency do you take Dut?
I took fin daily for a year, dut once a week for the later 7 months. I noticed the front of my head behind my hairline had thinned so 3 months ago I upped to dut daily with daily fin for a few weeks and then dropped fin completely, staying on daily dut.
My hairline now feels worse then ever and It is how I imagine my body reacting if i was to drop fin completely and take nothing, as if the dut had no effect. But while my hairline seems to have receeded, the hair behind my hairline seems to have thickened slightly.
I don’t understand what is happening and what to do going forward.
Since 2020 my hair start falling and I went to a dermatologist who gave every month prp for 6 months, later 3 every 3 months after that 1 a year.
The doctors (dermatologist, endocrinologist and some others), tell me I have Androgenic Alopecia.
Beside that the doctor gave me a description with dutasteride every day, oral minoxidil 2.5mg, topical minoxidil of 2, later of 5, a lot of shampoo like NR-02 shampoo, shampoo for excess of scalp oil, shampoo for dandruff, nizoral, vitamins d3, zinc, Fe, biotin 10,000, colagen, gelatin, and beside other things.
I need to say i drop around 50pounds (my highest was 245pounds), and stop my use of gym supplements like oxids, aminos, l-carnitine 5000mg liquid, and fat burns (that was on 2019 but i stop use all that in dic 2019).
But my hair is still falling after that much time.
I already did blood work and everything on me is good like thyroid, deficency of vitamin d3, all my testosterone are fine, glucose level fine, and i do not have hereditary baldness on my family.
‘Til this day I still having shreding over a year on dutasteride and minoxidil, it is very scary and my concern is i would not have the same hair I used to have and was a lot.
Been using Finasteride 1mg and Minoxidil since 2009 (did not notice any regrowth).
My dermatologist added Dutasteride 0.5mg (AVODART) on 2011 and I’ve been using it for 3-4 years.
I did notice very significant hair regrowth with dutasteride but also it gave me some serious side effects (triggered a severe depression with sleep and anxiety issues), and I know for fact that dutasteride is the culprit.
Be cautious with this drug. I continue using only finasteride.
Hello Mike, when you take the 0.5 mg pill per day, do you take it on an empty stomach or on a full stomach? Do you take it in the morning or in the evening?
Encouraging new study from South Korea:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36198626/
Thanks Admin, I believe Dut is approved for hair loss in South Korea. The study mimics my experience, however I had a good response to fin without any appreciable side effects for close to 20 years. When that waned Dut was as effective as to when I first started taking fin, again with no appreciable side effects. As related, I tried oral once a week with topical dut everyday for over a year, not as effective as oral everyday so working my way back to that.
I was on finestride for 6 years it worked well the first year then hair started to shed again ,
I had two hair transplant in my hair line roughly
2500 grafts ,
My hair the last year was getting progressively thinner where people started commenting i actually shaved my head and gave up ,
I went to see my hair doctor and he recommended dutasturide 0.5mg daily soft gel capsule I get from Oxford online pharmacy,
After 4
Weeks hair loss stopped completely I was growing a shaved head back at this time so never noticed any crazy shedding maybe I had but never noticed
Now 2
And half months in my hair is thicker than before I have less hair but it’s thick and strong and I’m very happy even if it stayed as it is I’m very happy
I recommend it to anyone I’d love to share photos if I could
You can email me photos if you want. I would add them to the post if you had not had a hair transplant.
I was on finasteride for 6 years with slight regrowth and maintenance. Then I tried dutasteride for a year, but lost some fin gains and went back.
Now I’m on my second try to switch to dutasteride and it still has thinned out my hairline and now my crown as well and I’m even 1 year in! Not sure whats going on? I guess I’ll try for 2 years with hair fibers and settle the case to see if fin works better for me according to my genetics.
An impressive result, with Dutasteride the main reason in my opinion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/pa4ama/25_months_dutasteride_ru58841_minoxidil/
Six years of Dutasteride success story:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/10dxwfw/this_is_what_six_years_of_dut_looks_like/
Around 1 year of finasteride and then 2 years of dutasteride success story:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/148uocq/sept_2020_to_june_2023_first_13_months_on_fin_now/
https://baldingblog.com/my-granddad-grew-his-hair/
hi admin
I have a question.
How can we accept that finasteride (half-life of 6 hours) should be taken daily, but dutasteride (half-life of 4 weeks) shouldn’t be taken once every 4 weeks?
Good point. Many people take Dutasteride just once every week. I take it twice a week, sometimes once if I forget.
But daily intake still gives you slightly better results.
Also, another option:
https://www.hairlosscure2020.com/finasteride-and-low-dose-dutasteride-combination-treatment/
Studies have shown Dut is dose dependent, 2.5 was better then .05 for “regrowth”. However one must way the pros and cons. As freewheeling as I am and have never had appreciable sides I don’t think I’d step up to 2.5, maybe double my current .05 dose at most. If you feel more comfortable taking less than daily it’s up to you, however it won’t be as effective.
edit, I take .5 daily, not .05. Never any good with decimals and fractions.
Does anyone order generic Dut from Inhousepharmacy? Like Dutas or Duprost?
Soft Gel > Tablet:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27356530/