Can I take finasteride and dutasteride at the same time? Different days?

[Nickie]

I just got approved of taking Avodart/Dutasteride for hair by my doctor, who thought it makes sense, even though it doesnt treat that. But she saw how it would possibly help more.

However I'm VERY scared of losing all of the maintenance I've had on finasteride.

So can I just take finasteride one day, skip a day and then take dutasteride, and take them both at the same time? Or would that double the side effects, or somehow be dangerous for me?

I'm not sure how to really go about this.

What if dutasteride won't work for me? It's very tricky.

 

[Jack]

If finasteride works for you , I would NOT jump an avodart at all , never touch a running system. And i wouldn't take them together , noone knows how they effect each other.
I would either take finasteride alone or dutasteride alone , they both work great on their own .

 

[Nickie]

Right very true, but will avodart pick off where finasteride ends,..or will i have to experience a complete shed and a complete reversal of finasteride's effects, to get dutasteride's affects?

Also i'll be on 0.5mgs. I'm actually not even sure how strong that is or weak or whatever, but its in gel form and cannot be split.

Any advice?

The finasteride has been working to a degree, but i'm not sure it's the miracle drug everyone says it is and I might have better results on dutasteride, that's why I'm asking.

 

[neis]

There are guys that take dutasteride twice a week as well as 1.25 mg of finasteride a day. They achieved better results than taking only finasteride every day. Do a search here on HairLossTalk.com and you ll find them.

 

[Nickie]

Okay but can anyone really quickly tell me if you CAN take them together..spaced apart...because you say yes, but others say no...

and also does that mean that the side effects will increase? etc>

 

[Slime707]

I wouldn't take both together if I were you. I did last year and as soon as I started taking both I began the biggest shed of my life. Took me a couple of weeks to realise that it was actually reflex-hyperandrogenicity. I'm now struggling to get back to where I was before I started taking both. It's not to say that the same thing is gonna happen to you as it did to me, but is it really worth the risk?

 

[HairDont]

You would really be taking a chance with this routine. As others have already said it could turn out to be a disaster as well.
Neither drug will make you a grow a bunch of new hair. They are for maintaining and minor regrowth.

Wait until you think finasteride has pooped out before taking the next unknown step.

 

[follicle84]

That would be pointless. dutasteride blocks both enzymes ( Type 1 & 2 of 5 alpha reductase) responsible for the conversion of testosterone to dht whilst finasteride only block one type of these enzymes. Using both of them would be a waste as dutasteride does the same job and more. Further more recovery of your bodies ability to restore these enzymes to normal levels takes days. Even more so with dutasteride. So it wont make much difference skipping days. I would advise you give finasteride a chance and leave dutasteride as a last resort. Finestride takes long time to do its work and from what i've heard from various users dutasteride has a lot more nasty side effects compared to propecia. I think blocking too much dht is dangerous its there for a reason.

 

[thenational]

I take both finasteride and dutasteride, and have done so for about 2 months. Haven't notice any difference hair wise or side effects. Im still losing hair in the same progression before i started any hair treatments and after i started finasteride.

Only thing i can say is that the hair that sheds seems to be a good bit thicker and less frequent since i started taking dutasteride.

 

[Nickie]

Okay see what I mean? Difference of opinion.

first of all, these are PROSTATE drugs, before hair drugs.

And there seem to be no long term problems using those...so why should we worry then?

I mean, I even asked my doctors and they said that the drugs are not very dangerous at all.

But then...why is having DHT around a good thing? What's DHT used for?

DHT leads to increased size of prostate and hairloss...so its a good thing then how!?

Also, if I go on dutasteride...and stop finasteride...will all of my hairs maintained and grew on finasteride, drop out and die...or can dutasteride save them somehow and I can continue just fine?

Or will I notice a total hair fallout period because its a new drug or what? I mean dutasteride is similar to finasteride, and the same enzymes are being blocked..just a bit more now, so I don't understand why I'd have to necessarily LOSE all of the hairs that finasteride saved.

know what i mean?

Also the dutasteride dose is 0.5,..so would that be a very STRONG dose with definite side effects or what?

 

[Nickie]

Also I just have to add that, finasteride & dutasteride are really our best weapons in our arsenal as of now.

They really are. I mean...without them...we're toast. Nothing else will really slow down hairloss and maintain hair, to the degree that finasteride and dutasteride will.


And being that dutasteride was being hailed as the wonderdrug years and years ago, and is now finally available, I want to try it out!

Why is everyone so suddenly anti-dutasteride?

I don't get it. I mean the science is there.....it SHOULD be more effective than finasteride...so then...why isn't it getting positive feedback?

 

[follicle84]

Maybe you need to read a few scare stories to see why.

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=48035&start=348

dutasteride is not for everyone. People with a lot of excess dht maybe able to tollerate it but for others maybe not so as its probably down to the androgen sensitivity in the scalp for them and not the level of dht.

For your question about dht's role here's an answer i gave for another thread in this forum.

"DHT is responsible for the physical development of masculine characteristics during puberty (body hair, deepening of the voice, facial hair, sexual characteristics etc). Its thought to have some role in muscle tissue development and sex drive and even some role in the brain. Its main use however after puberty is to prevent the effects of estrogen from taking place (like gyno, body fat etc) to maintain male characteristics."

Feel free to check up on the internet you will find i am right.

If you want to risk messing with your hormones then go right ahead its your body and your life but you have been warned.

 

[Nickie]

I absolutely agree with you, but doctors have already told me that it's fine. They certainly don't tell their prostate patients that these drugs will do all these negative things.

The only thing I notice so far on finasteride, is increased anxiety/agitation levels sometimes at higher doses. They make me a bit more hyper..almost like I was taking a steroid. Is this normal? Is this a permanent side?

Will dutasteride just make it even worse?

if it will save my hair,..I'm sure it's fine, and I guess I'll just have to talk to the doctors about side effects and the dangers about playing around with hormones, etc.

I mean they're doctors....if something happens to me under their prescriptions of these ddrugs to me, I can sue them, especially if they tell me that they're okay.

So why all the worry then? I'm sure it's not going to k9ll us!

 

[follicle84]

Well i might be being a little biased here but everything is a business. Whether that be the police, doctors or teachers etc. Police make more revenue by giving people fines and making frequent arrests. The statistics on their ability to bring down crime (through making these arrests) will generate more revenue from the government as well as the revenue made through fines. Teachers are the same. The more students they have in the school, college, university the more money they recieve from the government and possibly the student. Doctors, hospitals are the same in the way they make money through either the government or the patient by dealing with them as often as possible. They probably make money selling these medicines depending on your situation or what country your in. I dont fully trust doctors. There jobs to help but that might not be there interest in there minds all the time. Same in any other business they seem trustworthy but at the end of the day they are just there to make money off you. That might not be the case with your doctor but it is the case for some. I would think its unprofesional of him not to mention the side effects but perhaps he's protecting you from the placebo effect (where your mind imagines the side effects and can make them real).

The only thing I notice so far on finasteride, is increased anxiety/agitation levels sometimes at higher doses. They make me a bit more hyper..almost like I was taking a steroid. Is this normal? Is this a permanent side?

This could be a placebo effect your experiencing. However it is possible it maybe not. Some users claim finasteride acts like a steroid for them which maybe possible if the testosterone formed from blocking dht isnt converted in estrogen. However from what your telling me about this anxiety its more than likelly to do with your mind. I cant tell you for sure if its permanent because everyones bodies react differently but side effects like that are probably not.

Will dutasteride just make it even worse?

if it will save my hair,..I'm sure it's fine, and I guess I'll just have to talk to the doctors about side effects and the dangers about playing around with hormones, etc.

No one can claim to be an expert on hairloss in this matter because everyones body chemistry is different and results will vary from person to person. In theory it should save your hair and make it better but some users claim it made it worse (probably the bodies way of fighting back).

So why all the worry then? I'm sure it's not going to k9ll us!

It wont kill you but there is a small risk of permanently altering your hormones using these drugs particularly if used in the long run. Main risk of course is gyno (man boobs) the rest well sexual problems fatigue etc. I think you should stay with finasteride (propecia/proscar) and if you have no problems then possibly consider dutasteride. Taking them both at the same time would be pointless and if you have problems with finasteride chances are you will with dutasteride and what a mistake that could be. I hope it works out for you just be carefull about the treatments you try, good luck.

 

[Nickie]

Thank you and this really did make me feel a lot better. You explained everything very thoroughly and it's a great answer.

However,,...what are the possible dangers associated with taking them together?

I mean...increased side effects...interraction of some sorts?

 

[follicle84]

Its possible but i see it more like overdosing. The body can only take so much before it does more harm than good (like a kind of stress). For some people dutas alone is too much for their bodies and can cause massive sheds some of which they dont fully recover from. You might be okay but i've never heard of anyone taking both drugs together so you will be in uncharted teritory in doing this. Are you sure you want to try something know one else has tried despite the drugs used alone are potentially harmfull in themselves.

If this isnt the case for you as everyones bodies are different then you would be wasting finestride as dutas does the same job as finestride and more. The drugs can only block so much dht before it doesnt do anything but harm you and dutasteride blocks the most (so adding finasteride wont bring anymore benefit). Think of it as you've lifted the heaviest weight you physically can (like taking dutas). The benefits stop there without risks of injury unless you are trying to lift more than you can handle in which case you risk gaining more injury than benefits. In the worst case scenario even permanent injury (like torn ligaments and damaged joints compared to gyno and impotence brought on by these drugs). Seen as you dont know your bodies limits with the drugs compared to weight lifting its more easy to over do it on your body and risk harm. So its best to start small (finasteride) compared to big (dutas+finasteride) incase your body cant handle it. Then and only then if there's no problems or benefits maybe take the next step (dutas or dutas+finasteride).

At the very least by taking both drugs you will be increasing the amount of chemicals in your blood stream which can increase the chances of stressing the body. Some drugs are known to cause Telogen Effluvium (Telegon effluvium) through such stress. The body sometimes needs time to adjust to such chemical changes induced into it before it can tollerate it at a safe level without adverse reactions (through over exertion of what it can handle). Take care with your decision.