I have been on propecia for 7 yrs,I switch to a heavier dosage, Proscar every other day which was recommend to me from hair transplant Dr from N Y because propecia effects were no longer working on me and he told me the drug had a bell curve so he told me to get on proscar. I have read some docs are now recommending Avodart b/c it blocks 2 dht compared to the 1 that proscar and propecia block. Does anyone have any thoughts of this as far as safety goes? I know Avodart is not fda approved for hairloss.What is the dosage that people are using daily to try and stop hairloss on Avodart? Thanks

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on taking Avodart? I contacted a few top hair docs and they are using it when propecia effects start to lesson. I am on the fence about taking it...Any helpful opinions would be great. Thanks KJP

I haven't been on Propecia that long, but I've been watching this issue. You say our doctor switched you to Proscar from Propecia because the latter wasn't working...Isn't Proscar just another brand of Propecia?

As for Avodart, its likely a good substitute for Propecia, but the last I heard, the makers of it have stopped pursuing it as a hair loss product.

mark

Mark H,

Proscar is a medication used for the Prostate and contains 5 mg of finasteride instead of Propecia which contains 1 mg of finasteride. Propecia is FDA approved for hairloss whereas Proscar has an obvious and different purpose. Taking Proscar then every other day would be taking 2.5mg of finasteride a day as opposed to 1mg. That is the difference.

Since I'm not a doctor, I don't know what to say about it...it seems a bit extreme to me...that's a lot more finasteride in your system at a given time. Has anyone else done this and has there been any problems?

Falc

Yes falc, I understood that Proscar was a bigger dose, but I've never heard anyone recommend a larger dose for hair loss...although my experience is limited.

My understanding is that you take Proscar to save money by cutting up the pill down to 1 to 1.25mg's.

kjp seems to be under the impression that he's taking something different because Propecia is no longer working.

I only take propecia 3 times a week because it stays in your system for about 72 hours.

Mark,

Ok good...I wasn't sure based on your question above that you understood. But no, I've never heard anyone recommending a bigger dose either.

I think I might ask Dr. Hasson what he thinks about what you are doing...because in all honestly...I'd rather take Propecia 3 times a week too...it would save me a good amount of money. I'm just afraid to try it and then lose ground.

Falc

This is what I was told without quoting doctor names, that there have been studies indicating that it stays in your system at good strength that long, but that having gotten FDA approval for once a day, we shouldn't look for the Propecia people to cut their sales by 2/3's until hell freezes over.

I take it Sunday eve, Tues eve, and Friday morning to space it out as best I can so that I actually stay just under 72 hours.

And I'll tell you something else, I'm getting some action at my hairline at 6 weeks, and I think the minox there is helping, and I'm cranking up on copper peptides when I receive some more in a few days.

My "authority" indicates that it does stimulate hair growth, whether new or not. I used it several weeks after HT, and then switched to Folligen copper peptide shampoo...now I'm going to add in between minox sessions with copper pep spray.

Full metal jacket here! I'm letting no hair go unchallenged!

mark h

quote:

Originally posted by kjp:
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on taking Avodart? I contacted a few top hair docs and they are using it when propecia effects start to lesson. I am on the fence about taking it...Any helpful opinions would be great. Thanks KJP

I've been taking Avodart for 2 years now. I'm a big fan of it.

However, before you go running off to get your own little yellow pills, please take the time to know the possible risks. The half-life of the drug is MUCH longer than that of Propecia/Proscar. So if you suffer from side effects, they can take MONTHS to disappear as opposed to merely days or weeks with the Propecia.

Check out these articles I wrote on Avodart that I posted on the Hair Loss Q & A blog:

Propecia vs. Avodart: Which Internal DHT Inhibitor Should You Choose? Part 1

Propecia vs. Avodart: Which Internal DHT Inhibitor Should You Choose? Part 2

Avodart (Dutasteride) Dosing Charts

And here are some more articles on Propecia and Proscar you may be interested in:

Propecia 101

Save money on your Propecia

Propecia (Finasteride) Dosing Chart


Yeah, I know it's a lot of reading. It was a lot of research and writing too. But it will help you determine (along with your doc, of course) if Avodart is a possible viable solution for you or if you should just stick with the Propecia.

I really don't think that taking 5mg of finasteride (which is what you're taking when you take a full Proscar pill) per day is going to give you much, if any, improvement over the 1 mg per day. But that's just my opinion.

-Robert

quote:

Originally posted by falceros:


I think I might ask Dr. Hasson what he thinks about what you are doing...because in all honestly...I'd rather take Propecia 3 times a week too...it would save me a good amount of money. I'm just afraid to try it and then lose ground.

Falc

Falc,

I encourage you to call Doc Hasson. When I had my HT with Doc Wong he recommended 1mg finasteride every other day which is what I've done since having my HT about 9 months ago. Doc Wong's said since finasteride actively inhibits DHT in your body for 72 hours no need for a daily dose. Since most of my work was in the crown it's hard to say if it's helped me there, but, I have experienced miled regrowth in front of my hairline so it must be doing something.

kjp - As for Avodart......read the information in the links on Robert's post. I researched both Finasteride and Avodart (Duasteride) heavily before opting for Finasteride. It's not something you want to jump into either way. Take time to find out what is the logical choice for you.