My Last Hope At Keeping My Hair (starting Dutasteride)

[dralex]

Background: 23 years old, hair loss started at 19, aggressively kicked in at 20, jumped on finasteride and minoxidil 5% 2x daily immediately and hair went downhill quick. Started treatments when NW2 with great density, just hairline recession at temples and some miniaturization in the center/front of hairline starting (center hairline miniaturization is reason I got on finasteride). NW3 with heavy diffuse thinning especially in the front now. Still no crown/ vertex bald spot but overall density all over male pattern baldness areas and sides is down at least 50-75%. Have tried finasteride at dosage of .5mg, 1mg (longest), 2mg, and 5mg (current) daily. All dosages had no noticeable effectiveness or sides. Hairline has miniaturization going back at least .5 inches right now so that's terrifying. I was going to get my hormones tested before starting duta, but since I'm planning on taking it regardless I may as well just do this after getting on duta.

So I got .5mg dutasteride capsules. Plan is to start taking them every other day, and dropping finasteride, starting tomorrow. I plan on posting bi-weekly updates on progress, shedding/thinning, effect on weight lifting and muscular development, and any side effects. If I get any sides such as ED, gyno, or reduced muscular development I plan on stopping immediately. If I have any significant changes (good or bad) in my hair I will post photos. If things don't change I won't post any pics.

If you guys have any suggestions before I get started please let me know. Will keep you all updated on my situation.

Started - 4/27
Update 1 - 5/10
Update 2 - 5/24
Update 3 - 6/6
Update 4 - 6/26

 

[otis]

Where are you going to buy it from?

 

[dralex]

Where are you going to buy it from?

Already got it. Medical Wellness Center (online) got me the prescription. Then got it filled (90 days) at Costco for like 30 bucks. Was waaaaay cheaper than I was expecting.

 

[Marianne]

can you share the result now?

 

[dralex]

Update 1
So I have been taking dutasteride .5mg every other day for 2 weeks now, so I've taken 7 pills. So far nothing has changed. No shed or anything yet. No side effects that I have noticed. When first starting finasteride, I had a few minor side effects that started immediately and lasted a couple weeks. When switching over to dutasteride, I have felt literally no side effects whatsoever. If anyone has any questions, just let me know.

 

[arnoldd]

My advice is to take a loading dose (1,5mg for 10 days) and than 0,5 ed. You will see the first improvements more fast, if not it will take 4/5 long months to see the firrst results.

It seems your male pattern baldness is agressive, but duta is a pretty strong drug hope it works for you. Make sure what you buy is not fake. Good luckl bro

 

[dralex]

My advice is to take a loading dose (1,5mg for 10 days) and than 0,5 ed. You will see the first improvements more fast, if not it will take 4/5 long months to see the firrst results.

It seems your male pattern baldness is agressive, but duta is a pretty strong drug hope it works for you. Make sure what you buy is not fake. Good luckl bro

Got it from Costco pharmacy, so pretty sure its legit. And 1.5mg really? Where did you read that? I don't want to increase my risk of sides, and not be able to take it altogether. Seems a little risky taking that much. Feel like that is a pretty intense amount to take daily and could cause telogen effluvium, wouldn't want to risk it. Would rather let it gradually build up in my body. Also planning on sticking with .5mg EOD (which is almost equivalent to .25mg daily), as the half life is very long, and ED is probably not too much more effective than EOD.

I am just hoping I actually respond well to this drug, as finasteride was a complete disaster and I lost an insane amount of hair after 2.5 years on the drug. Dropped finasteride right when I started dutas.

 

[arnoldd]

Its the same but taking a loading dose will get you faster results.
If i were you ill go for 0,5 every day because your male pattern baldness seems to be agressive . its safe really unlucky you will have side effects and you will have better results. Your decision.

I have a bad shedding , i was a little scared, but you must know its part of the process. However i feel like my hairs are more stronger and i can see some new dark hairs in the hairline. And im only 6 weeks with duta

 

[dralex]

Its the same but taking a loading dose will get you faster results.
If i were you ill go for 0,5 every day because your male pattern baldness seems to be agressive . its safe really unlucky you will have side effects and you will have better results. Your decision.

I have a bad shedding , i was a little scared, but you must know its part of the process. However i feel like my hairs are more stronger and i can see some new dark hairs in the hairline. And im only 6 weeks with duta

Don't really need faster results, just need results. I've already waited out these 3 awful years on finasteride, so 6 more months won't hurt. I would rather it take more time without some huge shed, than less time with an awful shed. Either way, my expectations are not very high for dutasteride, given my poor results on finasteride. I don't think I will switch to .5mg every day, unless things aren't getting better in 6 months. I am really just hoping that my body responds better to this drug than finasteride in general, regardless of the dosage. I think I will switch to 4 days a week instead of EOD (3.5days/wk), MWFSu, just to make it easier to remember when to take it, though.

 

[nicksparrow]

Keep an A.I + SERM ready in case you do start to notice gyno side effects

 

[gibblet_head]

Hi Dralex,
I am currently in a similar situation as you. I have been on Finasteride for 2 years (1.25 mg daily with no sides) and have essentially shed the entire two years on it and my crown is getting worse. I saw my doctor today who wrote me a prescription for dutasteride.

Since the halflife of dutasteride is 4 weeks (vs. 8 hours with finasteride) are you still going to take it once a day? (I coughed when the pharmacist told me the dutasteride was $155 for a one month supply when my finasteride was $9 for 3 months.)
Once you started the dutasteride did you quit taking the finasteride immediately?

thanks for the info!

 

[dralex]

Hi Dralex,
I am currently in a similar situation as you. I have been on Finasteride for 2 years (1.25 mg daily with no sides) and have essentially shed the entire two years on it and my crown is getting worse. I saw my doctor today who wrote me a prescription for dutasteride.

Since the halflife of dutasteride is 4 weeks (vs. 8 hours with finasteride) are you still going to take it once a day? (I coughed when the pharmacist told me the dutasteride was $155 for a one month supply when my finasteride was $9 for 3 months.)
Once you started the dutasteride did you quit taking the finasteride immediately?

thanks for the info!

Damnn that price is insane! I got my 3 month supply of generic dutasteride for like $40 at Costco (will last me 6 months, taking EOD). Was around the same price as a 3 month supply of proscar. And I stopped finasteride immediately when starting dutasteride. Also I am only taking dutasteride every other day, as the half life is very long, and I don't want to increase my risk of side effects, in which case I would have to quit altogether.

The capsules I get are manufactured by Breckenridge, and say B 749 on the pill, which is identified as .5mg dutasteride from Breckenridge, so it is the legit stuff as well. I would find a cheaper pharmacy if I were you, cuz that price is absolutely insane.

 

[dralex]

If I were you I would get baselines tests prior however it's probably late for that. Anyhow, you should be fine if it's from Costco. There shouldn't be any sides if you switched from Finasteride and it was tolerated well. It's possible to experience an effluvium down the road if your dosage is enough to drop DHT lower. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks. Will keep you all posted, will be posting bi-weekly updates.

 

[dralex]

Update 2
No changes. No noticeable side effects. Hair still looking the same as when started/same type of loss. No regrowth or thickening. No shed.

Unfortunately, I may stop taking the dutasteride anyway. I am starting to get nervous about the long half-life of the drug. I am afraid if I take it for long enough to see results (6 months), it will be too late to get it out of my system if I do experience unfortunate side effects. I am also worried about infertility as I would like kids some day, and am worried about the lack of extensive long-term studies of over 2-4 years on this. I would keep taking it if I knew it would be effective for me, but I fear it will be no more effective than finasteride, but with a higher chance of long-term side effects. I am not sure I am willing to take these risks anymore. I am willing to hear any inputs, and will not stop yet, but may quit in the near future. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[dralex]

Get a semen anaylsis and you will know whether it is killing your sperms or not. Its long term(more than 1 year) effects on spermatogenesis is largely unknown.

Yeah I think I am actually going to stick with it and get these tests done. Every time I think I might quit everything, I look in the mirror and freak out, realizing if I quit its game over.

 

[WMQ]

Yeah I think I am actually going to stick with it and get these tests done. Every time I think I might quit everything, I look in the mirror and freak out, realizing if I quit its game over.

I can understand. It's like once you're on a med it feels impossible to turn back.

But honestly, even supposed that it work for you, do you plan to maintain on dutasteride for life?

 

[dralex]

I can understand. It's like once you're on a med it feels impossible to turn back.

But honestly, even supposed that it work for you, do you plan to maintain on dutasteride for life?

If it actually stopped my hair loss/grew back hair, without any side effects, then yeah I would take it until there was a better treatment out there.

 

[dralex]

Just wanted to add a quick update: My horrible scalp itch seems to have completely vanished. I also cut out topical minoxidil (and all topicals) around the same time as starting dutasteride, so that may be the reason, but it is amazing not feeling the urge to itch my scalp like all day.
I had the scalp itch all over my head in the male pattern baldness areas. I was only applying topicals on my hairline so I am not sure how it would cause an itch everywhere, but I have heard it is possible. Unsure if it is a good sign, but either way, the scalp itch appears to be gone.

 

[WMQ]

Just wanted to add a quick update: My horrible scalp itch seems to have completely vanished. I also cut out topical minoxidil (and all topicals) around the same time as starting dutasteride, so that may be the reason, but it is amazing not feeling the urge to itch my scalp like all day.
I had the scalp itch all over my head in the male pattern baldness areas. I was only applying topicals on my hairline so I am not sure how it would cause an itch everywhere, but I have heard it is possible. Unsure if it is a good sign, but either way, the scalp itch appears to be gone.

Congrats. From the finasteride->dutasteride success stories here you seem to be on your way.

 

[dralex]

Update 3
I am now taking dutasteride .5mg 4x per week (MWFSu). I started with .5mg EOD on 4/27/17, but switched to 4x/week 2 or 3 weeks ago simply because of convenience/remembering what days to take it. I will go over side effects, results, etc as of now.

Side Effects
No noticeable side effects. Libido actually seems to have increased over the past few weeks. No ED, erections seem to have improved or remained the same. Finally got laid a couple weeks ago, after like a 9 month dry streak (have been super insecure because of my hair loss). I was constantly thinking about the possibility of having trouble getting it up, right before getting with her. I've had trouble getting an erection from nervousness before, actually before taking finasteride, so having recently started dutasteride made me even more nervous. Had no issues though. Probs helped with the nerves that she knew like no English (met her on vaca at the beach) so she couldn't talk sh*t if my dick didn't work lol. Got hard from just making out, and was able to f*** her 3 times for over an hour, so no issues there.
No gyno or other sides.

Lifting/Muscularity
My lifts have increased since starting dutasteride, while losing weight. Probably unrelated.

Scalp Itch
I never had scalp itch or irritation before starting finasteride/minoxidil. 3 months into these treatments I had horrible scalp itch and irritation (red spots on scalp) that has persisted until this past month (2.5 years). I am noticing almost no scalp itch or irritation now, since dropping finasteride and minoxidil, and starting dutasteride. So this has been one big positive. Not sure if this is a result of quitting finasteride, starting dutsasteride, or quitting minoxidil/topicals. But my scalp feels much better.

Hair
No noticeable difference. No regrowth. Not shedding many terminal hairs, but I never really noticed much shedding of terminal hairs over the past couple years. Still seeing lots of miniaturized hairs in my comb. Still have a good amount of miniaturized hairs, especially on hairline, and center of hairline. Hoping things improve here as time goes on.

Overall
I am fairly happy with how things are going so far. My body feels absolutely amazing, better than I have in years (could be completely mental and unrelated to the drug), but my hair does not seem to be improving yet. Only time will tell how I react. I will keep you guys posted as time goes on.