Avodart v. Propecia

[thiningteen]

I was just wondering if anyone could help me understand the differences and pros and cons between the two.

[Spex]

Propecia is the best proven way to prevent further loss. If for some reason your not a responder theres Dutasteride/Avodart but i recommend you start off with Propecia/proscar and see how you repond.

FYI -

Dutasteride and finasteride (PROPECIA) are both 5-alpha-reductase (5AR) inhibitors. Both treatments work by inhibiting 5AR, the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the primary androgen in the prostate. It is a primary factor in the development and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and other prostate diseases and is also a major cause of hair loss.

.5mg - 2.5mg of Dutasteride provides better results in hair maintenance/regrowth as opposed to Finasteride

However, the benefit likely comes from its higher inhibition of type II 5ar not its suppression of type I 5ar. Merck tested a specific type I 5ar inhibitor called "MK386" in a human trial and found it had no effect on balding.

Jumping on the Dutasteride bandwagon before the Finasteride bandwagon is not a good idea. For most men Finasteride is enough to halt and even reverse MPB... In the off-chance your body becomes tolerant of Finasteride (over the years) you always have Dutasteride to fall back on...

Side-effects on Dutasteride may be more common, any such sides would last longer as the half-life of Dutasteride is much longer then Finasteride, and unlike type II 5ar type I 5ar *is* present in brain tissue. Finally, keep in mind that DHT is not an evil androgen that just causes hairloss. Various bodily functions benefit from DHT. Finasteride inhibits 65% overall DHT levels leaving 35% for your body to use (most of that 35% is from the type I 5ar that isnt a big factor in hairloss). Dutasteride inhibits 90% or more overall DHT levels leaving 10% or less for your body...

Basically, use Finasteride **first** and only resort to Dutasteride if you must - This is just my opinion

[Dan70]

Whats the best place to buy Propecia?

[JohnMPB]

Originally Posted by Dan70

Whats the best place to buy Propecia?

When I used to use propecia, the cheapest pharmacy I found was Costco pharmacy. Now that generic proscar is available, I use 5mg a day

[Dan70]

Do you need a prescription from a doctor or derm to get Propecia or Avodart

[Spex]

Yep generally- its not over the counter stuff - however it can be bought online but the risk is whether or not its legit.

[Mike Beehner, M.D.]

In talking with my colleagues who have used Dutasteride for hair loss, it does seem evident that it works a little better than finasteride does. My reservations for not prescribing it are as follows: First it is not approved by the FDA for the treatment of hair loss. And secondly, and more important, I am worried about its long term safety in treating a young man for the rest of his life for hair loss. It inhibits both DHT 1 and DHT 2. DHT 2 has been associated with hair loss and with prostate gland enlargement. DHT 1 has actually been found in brain tissue. My gut feeling is that there may be physiologic reason it is there and that suppressing it 92% may not be a good idea. Most chemicals in our body have a reason for being there. Even the perennial bad guy, cholesterol, must be present in certain amounts as it is used by the body to manufacture steroids.
Mike Beehner, M.D.

[jhnsmth910@gmail.com]

Since the FDA approval of Propecia another DHT-inhibiting drug with great potential for inhibiting hair loss has come on the scene. This drug is called Dutasteride.
Dutasteride was developed by Glaxo-Smith Kline (GSK) and is marketed under the brand name Avodart. Like Finasteride, Dutasteride is a 5AR-inhibitor. However, unlike Finasteride, Dutasteride inhibits both Type I AR and Type II AR. Dutasteride also has a much longer half-life than Finasteride (Propecia) so any side effects that occur from use of the medication will be sustained for a much longer period of time.

Also like Propecia or Proscar, Avodart is available for prescription for treatment of BPH and has FDA approval for that application. However, testing of Dutasteride for the treatment of male-pattern baldness was discontinued by GSK for unknown reasons, though it is not thought to have been a safety issue since the drug is still available for BPH. This means that Avodart has not yet been FDA approved for the treatment of male pattern baldness.

Since Avodart is a dual 5AR inhibitor and is much stronger than Propecia, it is generally accepted that it is possible that it can be a more effective treatment for male pattern baldness. However, without sufficient testing this is speculative.

GSK produces Avodart in a dose of .5 mg capsules. This is the generally prescribed dosage for the treatment of BPH. An optimal dose for the treatment of MPB is also purely speculative at this point. We do know the dosages used in GSK’s FDA trials. Scientists conducting these trials studied the effects of Dutasteride at several different daily dosages. These dosages were: 0.01 mg, .05 mg, .5 mg, 2.5 mg and 5.0 mg per day. Not surprisingly, the highest dosages of 2.5 mg and 5.0 mg per day were found to achieve the highest amount of DHT suppression.

At 5.0 mg and 2.5 mg per day, Dutasteride suppresses almost 100% serum DHT. Comparatively, 5.0 mg of Finasteride per day suppresses around 70% serum DHT.

At .5 mg per day, Dutasteride still suppresses around 90% serum DHT and 55% scalp DHT. According to GSK, during both the first and second years of the two-year trial, .5 mg Dutasteride daily decreased around 92% of serum DHT concentration.

Since both inhibit 5AR, Dutasteride’s list of side effects are similar to Finasteride’s, but with the increased DHT inhibition comes the increased risk. Avodart’s listed side effects are impotence, decrease in libido, swelling or tenderness of the breast, a decrease in the amount of semen released during sex, and allergic reactions such as rash, itching, hives, and swelling of the lips or face. Like Finasteride, Avodart should also be avoided by women.