Something You Need To Know About The Drug
For all patients consuming dutasteride hair loss:
Tell your doctor or nurses that you plan to take dutasteride. If you are treating other diseases , it may cause some side effects.
Using dutasteride can affect certain lab tests. Tell lab workers if you are taking this medication.
During six months after stopping taking this drug, you should not donate blood.
Dutasteride will affect sperm quality in men. Hence, you have to take the right dutasteride dosage for hair loss. Talk with your doctor right away.
Be allergic to any ingredients of dutasteride, you should not take it.
How Should I Use Strut Mens Dutasteride Hair Loss Formula
Use the medicine exactly as directed. Using more medicine or applying it more often than prescribed will not make it work any faster, and may increase side effects. Do not take by mouth. Avoid getting this medication in your eyes or mouth, if this does occur, rinse with water. Apply once daily at night to dry, clean scalp, and wash hands after application. Wash any non-treatment area that this medication may have accidentally come into contact with to avoid unwanted hair growth. Allow to dry thoroughly and wash off in the morning, or after at least 4 hours. You may need to take Dutasteride for 3 months or more before you start seeing the benefits. You will need to continue the medication to keep your hair growth results.
What Does The Consistency Of The Topical Hair Formula Look Like
GEL – The hair gel formula has a gel-like consistency, made from propanediol, biotin, and Copasil silicone gel. It has no parabens, sulfates, alcohol, and propylene glycol. It has a mild peppermint shampoo scent. The pros of using a gel is that it has greater adhesion to the scalp and does not run off your scalp. The active ingredients are slightly visible inside of the gel, so it will have a slightly gritty or medicinal look. This is normal, and occurs due to all of the active medications present in the formulation. Be sure to shake and invert the bottle 2 times per week to prevent settling of the medication.
SOLUTION – The hair solution is a liquid made from alcohol, propanediol, and biotin which is a thinner consistency than the gel. It has no parabens, sulfates, and propylene glycol. It has a mild peppermint shampoo scent. The solution does have a tendency to run off your scalp during application, so apply slowly and rub it into the area. Shake well prior to using the solution.
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How Much Does Dutasteride Cost
Dutasteride-tamsulosin capsules are currently used to treat men with symptoms of BPH. Dutasteride is not authorized to treat hair loss but can be prescribed for off-label use by a medical provider. Based on WebMD, the average cost for 30 0.5mg capsules of the generic dutasteride is $181.59 but can cost as little as $12. This cost may vary drastically depending on healthcare coverage, the pharmacy you go to, your geographic location, and whether you buy the generic or the brand name.
Meanwhile, the average cost for 30 capsules of the generic finasteride is around $20-$60 per month but can cost as little as $11. Since dutasteride is not currently on the market for hair loss, pricing is unknown. The price of dutasteride once it hits the market will likely be comparable to finasteride since it will be a strong competitor.
Different Methods Of Preventing Hair Loss
The insight I got out of my Dutasteride and Testosterone experiment was invaluable as Ive heard far too many self-proclaimed experts for years during my initial research confidently propose misinformation stating that DHT is the only hormone in the body that matters when it comes to hair loss.
It can be difficult to snap your brain out of thinking something that 99% of people believe is true.
The most effective ways to truly prevent hair loss via the androgen pathway in general will involve at least one of the following mediums:
- Topical inhibition of all androgens
- A combination of systemic inhibition of androgens as well as topical
- Complete systemic inhibition of androgens
- Male > Female Transitioning Via Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Hormone replacement therapy with suppressive anabolic agents that exhibit an extremely favorable level of selectivity for myotrophic-to-androgenic activity in conjunction with estrogen administration to make up for the lack of Testosterone aromatization no longer occurring
I don’t have a recommendation for which way to go about it, or if you should go about it at all.
However, I can definitively tell you that while it’s not as androgenic as DHT, Testosterone still needs to be accounted for if you dont want a Band-Aid solution and you have very aggressive hair loss.
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How Can I Make This Topical Hair Formula Work Better
Make a commitment to yourself that your hair will improve by using your medication consistently. Follow a strict daily application regimen. Avoid skipping applications.
- Use a dermaroller and/or derma pen to increase hair follicle stimulation.
- Use a good hair loss shampoo.
- Use a high-quality hair vitamin that contains an adaptogen such as ashwagandha to help normalize cortisol levels.
- If after 90 days you donât notice any results, speak to your doctor about increasing the concentration of the formula.
How Should I Take Finasteride
- Take finasteride exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.
- You may take finasteride with or without food.
- If you forget to take finasteride, do not take an extra tablet. Just take the next tablet as usual.
- Finasteride will not work faster or better if you take it more than once a day.
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Warnings: Exposure Of Women Risk To Male Fetus
Dutasteride is absorbed through the skin. Therefore, women who are pregnant, or may be pregnant, should not handle Avodart soft gelatin capsules because of the possibility of absorption of dutasteride and the potential risk of a fetal defect to a male fetus. If contact is made with leaking capsules, the contact area should be washed immediately with soap and water.
How Does Dutasteride Help Regrow Hair
Each hair strand goes through four stages of the growth cycle, namely anagen , catagen , telogen , and exogen .
Androgenetic alopecia or AGA occurs during the anagen phase. The anagen phase becomes shorter, leading to hair follicle miniaturization. AGA is caused due to the conversion of testosterone to DHT, a process triggered by the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. Dutasteride inhibits this enzyme and may help prevent hair loss . In a study, varied hair regrowth was observed in patients treated with dutasteride. However, dutasteride does not offer a guarantee for hair regrowth. Its results vary between individuals .
Dutasteride is often compared with finasteride, which is another medication popular for treating hair loss. But which of the two is more effective?
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How Often To Take Dutasteride For Hair Loss
Dutasteride is a common off-label treatment for hair loss. Learn more about the usual dosing schedule for this medication.
Hair loss treatment can be tricky.
Even when you are being monitored by a doctor, you may need to switch medications, change dosages, or add things in to your hair loss treatment regimen for it to work the best for you.
Dutasteride is not normally considered a first-line medication for hair loss treatment, as the only two medications currently FDA approved for male pattern hair loss are Minoxidil and Finasteride.
But, Dutasteride may be a good off-label option for those that do not get the results they want from the first-line treatments — if your doctor deems it appropriate.
Below, we will cover what Dutasteride is, how it differs from medications in the same class, how often it is normally used for hair loss, and where you can speak to a doctor about getting it prescribed.
Is It Approved By Fda
Yes, absolutely. Dutasteride is an FDA approved drug. This drug was developed by GlaxoSmithKline and was patented in 1996. It is available as a generic medication and it is used primarily to treat enlarged prostate in men. It is also used to stop hair loss and help regrow hair.
Dutasteride is a prescription drug and must be used with other drugs in order to safely and thoroughly treat the symptoms.
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Dutasteride Vs Finasteride For Hair Loss
There are two popular oral medications used to fight against hair loss. Dutasteride and Finasteride are recommended by dermato-trichologists for patients suffering from heavy hair fall. But which one is better? Lets find out.
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Ive Never Seen A Topical Dutasteride Treatment Before Only A Capsule How Long Has This Been Available
This product has been available from Strut Health since 2021, and it is not unheard of for compounding pharmacies to make topical Dutasteride for individuals pursuant to a prescription from a doctor. Although, you will still not be able to find this formulation at non-compounding pharmacies, since there is no currently manufactured Dutasteride topical medication. The use of Dutasteride for hair loss in a topical or oral formulation is considered FDA off-label use. We utilize a compounding pharmacy to mix up topical Dutasteride treatments individually for patients, so this is not a widely manufactured medication, but a treatment crafted by a US licensed compounding pharmacy after our doctors order the prescription.
What Is Dutasteride Used For
Dutasteride is a medication that doctors use to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia . BPH is also known as enlarged prostate. Doctors may prescribe it on its own or with other medication.
Dutasteride also decreases a persons risk of developing urinary retention, which is the inability to urinate. It also lowers a persons likelihood of needing prostate surgery.
Additionally, doctors may prescribe dutasteride to treat hair loss. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved the drug for hair loss treatment. Its use for this purpose is known as an off-label use.
Dutasteride is also known by its brand name Avodart.
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Options For Using Dutasteride
Patients using finasteride who find that the medication has not given them the growth they hoped for or who feel that their hair loss has progressed slowly over time should speak to their physicians about options. There are several points to discuss with your health care provider. Many individuals who have a partial response to finasteride often wonder if they should switch to dutaseteride or add dutasteride to thr finasteride they are already taking.
How Is Dutasteride Different From Finasteride For Hair Loss
Dutasteride and Finasteride are in the same class of medications — 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.
But, only Finasteride is FDA approved for male pattern hair loss in the U.S., and both medications are FDA approved for enlarged prostate treatment.
These medications are commonly used in the U.S. for male pattern hair loss, but Dutasteride is used off-label.
Both medications are used to block the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme from catalyzing the conversion of Testosterone to DHT, but they do this slightly differently. There are two types of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, and Finasteride selectively blocks only the type 2 enzyme, while Dutasteride blocks both type 1 and type 2.This increased blocking of DHT suggests that Dutasteride is a stronger 5-alpha reductase inhibitor than Finasteride.
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How Do 5ar Inhibitors Work
As mentioned above, finasteride and dutasteride are inhibitors of the enzyme 5-a reductase . This inhibits the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone , the androgen that primarily causes male pattern baldness.
There are 3 types of 5AR receptor isoenzymes, with type I and type II being significant in the treatment of AGA. Type I 5AR is the principle isoenzyme found in sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and the scalp, whereas type II 5AR is present in hair follicles and the prostate. The main difference between finasteride and dutasteride is that finasteride is selective for type II 5AR while dutasteride inhibits both type I and type II.
Dutasteride not only blocks both types of receptors but also does so much more effectively. This may be a result of the much longer half-life of dutasteride compared to finasteride . Dutasteride has been shown to be 3 times more potent than finasteride at inhibiting type II 5AR and more than 100 times at inhibiting type I 5AR. Furthermore, oral dutasteride decreases serum DHT concentrations by up to 90% while finasteride only reduces DHT by 70%.
Medical Uses Of Dutasteride:
- Prostate enlargement: Dutasteride is primarily used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia or also known as an enlarged prostate. Dutasteride has an approval from Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. for the treatment of BPH.
- Prostate cancer: According to a clinical review in 2010, a 2526% reduction has been noticed in the risk of developing prostate cancer with 5-reductase inhibitor chemoprevention. Although there is insufficient data to determine if they have an effect on the overall risk of death from prostate cancer.
- Scalp hair loss: In Japan and South Korea, Dutasteride has been approved for the treatment of male androgenetic alopecia . Dutasteride has also been used off-label for the treatment of female pattern hair loss.
- Transgender women: Dutasteride is also used sometimes as one of the component of hormone therapy in transgender women. It is given in combination with an estrogen or other anti-androgens like spironolactone. It may also be used for treating the scalp hair loss or in people who cant tolerate spironolactone.
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How Should This Medicine Be Used
Dutasteride comes as a capsule to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day with or without food. Take dutasteride at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take dutasteride exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Swallow the capsules whole do not open chew, or crush them.
Your symptoms may improve after you have taken dutasteride for 3 months, but it may take 6 months or longer for you to see the full benefit of dutasteride. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment.
Dutasteride may control your symptoms but will not cure your condition. Continue to take dutasteride even if you feel well. Do not stop taking dutasteride without talking to your doctor.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.