Can I get a summary of finasteride vs Avodart? Also, spironolactone?

[Fat-Elvis]

I'm 25, and I think I'm at least a bit past a norwood 2, with a receded and thinning hairline, and over the past number of months have noticed that my hair is thinning further back. I didn't used to notice thinning anywhere other than near the hairline.

What concerns me most, at least right now, is my hairline, although the thinning is getting more worrying. Should I go on propecia or avodart? I hear so much about the pros and cons of each one that I'm freakin confused. It sounds like avodart doesn't have as many side effects and is more effective at thickening/regrowing, but can make your hairline worse? Plus the sexual side effects kinda worry me, as I'm not exactly "sexually experienced", and I already seem to be not quite as....active, down there as I used to be. :-/

Also, how does spironolactone fit into all of this? Why is it "needed" in addition to finasteride/avo? Is it something that's considered more of a "temporary" treatment than the oral meds, like if I stopped taking it that area would go right back to how it was before?


Oh, also I've read that you can buy generic finasteride from the site unitedpharmacies.com. Is that legal and reliable, and is there a chance your order will be confiscated before it arrives? I've heard of that happening to people.

Thanks!

 

[MPBWarrior]

Should I go on propecia or avodart?

Avodart if you're past NW2. 0.5mg every 3 days. Buy generic Dutas at United or Inhouse. No, it's not illegal.

It sounds like avodart doesn't have as many side effects and is more effective at thickening/regrowing, but can make your hairline worse?

dutasteride has more sides and it can make your hairline worse by the increased testosterone. That's why you should use spironolactone on the hairline to act as an atiandrogen.

Plus the sexual side effects kinda worry me, as I'm not exactly "sexually experienced", and I already seem to be not quite as....active, down there as I used to be. :-/

You'll never know unless u try!

Also, how does spironolactone fit into all of this? Why is it "needed" in addition to finasteride/avo? Is it something that's considered more of a "temporary" treatment than the oral meds, like if I stopped taking it that area would go right back to how it was before?

spironolactone is not a temporary treatment

Oh, also I've read that you can buy generic finasteride from the site unitedpharmacies.com. Is that legal and reliable, and is there a chance your order will be confiscated before it arrives? I've heard of that happening to people.

If it gets confiscated, tell them and they'll give u a new batch. finasteride or dutasteride from Inhouse or United is reliable and real.

 

[Guest]

[
dutasteride has more sides and it can make your hairline worse by the increased testosterone. That's why you should use spironolactone on the hairline to act as an atiandrogen..

Perhaps you can tell me why the additional increase in test, assuming there is one, damages only the hairline and not the mid-anterior region and crown?

stop scaring newbies

 

[CCS]

quick summary:

spironolactone blocks the androgen receptor so less DHT and testosterone can bind with it. Unless you make your own, it can be messy. But how effective it is depends on how much gets down to the follicle, which means the vehicle it is in is vital. It is an androgen receptor blocker only if used topically.

dutasteride and finasteride both block 5ar so that less testosterone is converted to DHT. dutasteride is much stronger than finasteride, and blocks both types of 5ar, whereas finasteride only blocks the 5ar in the prostate and the hair follicle. dutasteride grows more hair in back.

There is debate which works better in front. Some people who respond to finasteride go through shed cycles first. A lot more people shed on dutasteride that finasteride, or so the posts seem. But this might mean they are just responding. A lot of people leave the boards when their hair looks good. So we don't know much about what dutasteride does to the front in the long run. Neither are adequate for most men, since hair lines continue to recede.

 

[Fat-Elvis]

I'm still confused about the spironolactone. What do you mean make it yourself? How are you supposed to apply it?


p.s. I really wish these boards had a "search titles only" search option. Who the hell wants to search only posts?

 

[CCS]

most people don't use titles.

I prefer to search titles. What is annoying is they don't take you to where the word is used. They just take you to the bigginning of the thread, which may be 20 pages long. If your internet is slow, it will take 5 minutes to get to the right page.

oral spironolactone is used for other perposes. You buy the pills, grind them up, and estract the spironolactone wtih ethanol. It is even more soluble in oils, but oiils are too thick for the powder to settle, and don't get in amongst the powder as well.

 

[MPBWarrior]

Perhaps you can tell me why the additional increase in test, assuming there is one, damages only the hairline and not the mid-anterior region and crown?
stop scaring newbies

what do u mean "assuming there is an increase in testosterone"? do u think all the testosterone that wasn't converted to DHT (which is loads with dutasteride) simply disappears?? granted some becomes oestrogen, but studies say it's a 104% increase in scalp testosterone with dutasteride. the exact number doesn't matter, the fact is that it's significant. and the reason the hairline gets so much more damaged by this increased testosterone is because it's more sensitive to androgen hormones than the back, hence the reason why the hairs there go before the ones in the rest of the head in most men.

 

[Fat-Elvis]

oral spironolactone is used for other perposes. You buy the pills, grind them up, and estract the spironolactone wtih ethanol. It is even more soluble in oils, but oiils are too thick for the powder to settle, and don't get in amongst the powder as well.

Wait, but there is a topical spironolactone, right? What exactly should I be using?

what do u mean "assuming there is an increase in testosterone"? do u think all the testosterone that wasn't converted to DHT (which is loads with dutasteride) simply disappears?? granted some becomes oestrogen, but studies say it's a 104% increase in scalp testosterone with dutasteride. the exact number doesn't matter, the fact is that it's significant. and the reason the hairline gets so much more damaged by this increased testosterone is because it's more sensitive to androgen hormones than the back, hence the reason why the hairs there go before the ones in the rest of the head in most men.

Ugh. So should I use avodart with my hairline or not?
And what effect does spironolactone have in that regard?

 

[RSG]

So its basically give up your hairline to grow hair at the back?

 

[Renegade]

The risk is there, but if you just get on topical spironolactone for the hairline/temples you'll be fine. I recommend Dr. Lee's 5%.

 

[MPBWarrior]

Ugh. So should I use avodart with my hairline or not?
And what effect does spironolactone have in that regard?

Of course u can use dutasteride (avodart) with frontal recession!!! all i'm saying is it increases your testosterone levels significantly which is also bad for sensitive follicles like the ones in the temples (front). hence the reason why spironolactone (cream) is good here because it helps to avoid testosterone attaching to androgen receptors in your hair follicles, causing miniturisation. so if u go on dutasteride, that's fine (but i recommend 0.5mg every 3 days) but use something for the hairline as well like spironolactone cream.

 

[Fat-Elvis]

hmmm....... fine, I'll consder going that route then. I would prefer to be on a long-term regimen that didn't require any topical stuff though.

Does spironolactone cream help regrow any hair on balding areas ala minoxidil? And should it be used on top of the head as well as the front? (again, I've recently noticed some thinning further back too).

Also, is it really true that dutasteride has more sides? I was under the impression it was the opposite. It souds like most of the major sides of these anti-dht pills are things that I had been or am trying to sorta deal with even before any hairloss meds.

 

[JWM]

Ajax used dutasteride without spironolactone and his hairline improved.

I'm not sold on this whole scalp T causing frontal loss thing. If you have JUST frontal loss then why bother with dutasteride at all? Why not just use spironolactone on the hairline?

People say to just use spironolactone with dutasteride and you'll be fine, but these are simply 'suggestions' with no clinical evidence to back them up.

Of course this theory IS possible, but to say it is fact or even likely is incorrect.

 

[MPBWarrior]

i'm not saying it's a fact, i just think it's a very good idea to use something for the hairline if you're on dutasteride.

 

[Bryan]

i'm not saying it's a fact, i just think it's a very good idea to use something for the hairline if you're on dutasteride.

Are you suggesting that it's possible for dutasteride to make the hairline WORSE?

Bryan

 

[Fat-Elvis]

What about using just spironolactone, all over the top of my head intead of just my hairline?

 

[Guest]

i'm not saying it's a fact, i just think it's a very good idea to use something for the hairline if you're on dutasteride.

Are you suggesting that it's possible for dutasteride to make the hairline WORSE?

Bryan

Bryan, half the posters on here think that dutasteride actually worsens the frontal hairline while improving the crown. They think that people using dutasteride without topical spironolactone on the hairline are being foolish.

How do you feel about that?

 

[MPBWarrior]

i don't know if dutasteride by itself makes the hairline worse or not but considering people's posts who are on dutasteride and say their frontal loss has worsened and the increase in testosterone in the scalp which is probably bad for the front since it's usually very susceptible to androgen hormones, then why does using spironolactone with dutasteride seem like such a crazy idea???

 

[Aplunk1]

Here's my summary of Propecia and Avodart:

Propecia - works slightly.

Avodart - works great, with regrowth and maintenance.

 

[Guest]

i don't know if dutasteride by itself makes the hairline worse or not but considering people's posts who are on dutasteride and say their frontal loss has worsened and the increase in testosterone in the scalp which is probably bad for the front since it's usually very susceptible to androgen hormones, then why does using spironolactone with dutasteride seem like such a crazy idea???

where is the proof from these posters? it's possible that i missed it. I did see one guy post pictures claiming that dutasteride made his hairline permanently worse but it's quite possible that it was just a difference in hair length. I do see dutasteride making the hairline as well as the rest of hair temporarily worse in some people as the weaker hairs are pushed into telogen, but they'll be replaced

As iamnaked said, it's very possible that people are getting bits of regrowth along the hairline and they are mistaking this for further hairline recession because the newer hair is thinner and looks miniaturized. The only way to tell for sure is to take measurements from your eyebrows to your temples and hairline and compare every couple months to baseline.

and doesn't testosterone in the follicles matter more than testosterone in the scalp, sebaceous glands?