Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia And Male Lower Urinary Symptoms: A Guide For Family Physicians

The release of a study on 5a-reductase inhibitors (finasteride and dutasteride) which showed an increased risk of depression, dementia, decreased libido, and reduced semen load as potential side effects; discussion around other forms of hair loss treatments such as topical minoxidil, RU58841, or opting to accept baldness; and advice to consider professional help for deeper issues related to hair loss.

Most hair loss treatments are ineffective; only finasteride, dutasteride, and minoxidil show effectiveness.

The conversation discusses using very low dose topical finasteride to achieve specific serum DHT reduction percentages. It concludes that finasteride dosage increases linearly between 5-30% DHT reduction but requires exponential increases for reductions up to 70%.

Dutasteride is a stronger 5AR inhibitor than finasteride and can significantly lower DHT levels. Reduced doses of dutasteride may lower side effects.

FCE 28260 (PNU 156765), an under-explored 5α-reductase inhibitor, showcases promising results in research by Giudici et al., outperforming well-known treatments like Finasteride in reducing the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Its superior efficacy, demonstrated through lower IC50 values in both natural and human recombinant enzyme studies, suggests it could offer more effective management of DHT-related conditions. Additionally, its lower molecular weight hints at better potential for topical application, potentially offering advantages in treating conditions such as androgenic alopecia. Despite its potential, it has not advanced in development, possibly due to financial limitations, leaving its therapeutic prospects and side effect profile largely unexplored.

The user reported significant hair regrowth using a topical treatment of 0.3% finasteride and 6% minoxidil, with noticeable progress in five months. The treatment is applied once daily, and the user experienced some initial shedding but no side effects.