15 citations,
July 2016 in “Urologic Clinics of North America”
Finasteride and dutasteride are effective for long-term treatment of enlarged prostates but have sexual side effects and a risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
A 33-year-old user is seeking advice on adjusting their hair loss treatment, which includes daily finasteride, oral minoxidil, and various supplements. They are considering switching to alternate-day dosing of finasteride or dutasteride and are concerned about potential shedding and effectiveness.
The conversation discusses the fluctuation of testosterone levels in men under 40 and the difference between serum DHT and scalp DHT. It also mentions that DHT levels are higher on Dutasteride than on Finasteride, which is unusual.
The conversation discusses the ineffectiveness of tablet forms of dutasteride for hair loss due to poor absorption compared to soft gel capsules. It suggests switching to FDA-approved soft gel capsules for better results, as tablets may not adequately suppress DHT levels.
A user's experience with using 5AR inhibitors (Finasteride and Dutasteride) in combination with Minoxidil foam and microneedling, which resulted in substantial improvements to their crown density and hairline, despite high systemic levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone.