on finasteride for 5 years.. switching to dutasteride or double dose of finasteride?

[bighair]

I have been on finasteride for 5 years now and the photo below is how I look now. Its very similar to how I looked 5 years ago except in the intervening years I had good thickness in the crown which has started to disappear in the last couple of months. Is there any chance that this is just a shed? Im assuming its the finasteride is losing its effect on me. I have a few questions:

1. My doctor suggested a double dose of finasteride (1/2 a tablet instead of 1/4). He said that would get me another year out of it. Have you ever heard about this method before?

2. If I switch to dutasteride... whats the best way to wean myself off finasteride and make the transition?

3. Do the major hair transplant doctors sill prescribe dutasteride? Anyone have experience with this? Im more just curious if they recommend it?

4. Is there any chance this is just a shed and I should just ride it out?

 

[Quantum Cat]

I've been on finasteride exactly the same number of years as you. I don't think you can just brush this off as a shed unfortunately. You haven't said what dose you're taking - 1/4 of a 5mg tablet or a 1mg tablet?

whether to start Dutasteride is a tricky one. You'll hear some people say it's perfectly fine, and others say it's potentially far more risky than finasteride. dutasteride suppresses almost all of Type II and also type I 5ar. I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it's only type II that is responsible for male pattern baldness. So the possibility of side effects are greater.

Talk to your doctor about it and try to talk to other doctors - preferably ones who have knowledge about male pattern baldness and can give you impartial opinions. Maybe talk to other people who use dutasteride.

There's also topical spironolactone which some people swear by.

 

[bighair]

Thanks for the info. Yeah Im currently on 1/4 of a 5mg tablet.

 

[Quantum Cat]

upping the dose won't do much good probably because of Finasteride's flat dose response curve (the same amount of DHT is suppressed). I'm surprised your doctor thought it would help and 'get you another year out of it' - finasteride doesn't really work that way. Are you seeing a GP or a hair specialist?

I wouldn't give up on the finasteride just yet. Have you ever experienced any side effects from it? If not, you may be OK with dutasteride. As far as where to get dutasteride or the correct dosage, I'm not really sure, as it's not marketed as a male pattern baldness treatment. If your GP is reasonable he may prescribe it for off-label use.

 

[bighair]

No, no side effects. The doctor that recommended doubling my dose was a local hair transplant doctor. I wont be using him for a hair transplant now that Ive read about the big name guys, but he seemed to know his stuff so was curious about the double dose thing. He said he has seen results doubling the dose with his patients.

 

[Quantum Cat]

according to the graph, anything over around 1.5mg per day will not suppress any further DHT

 

[bighair]

His argument was that my body has built up a resistance to the drug and doubling the dose would be like taking 1.25mg when I was starting out. Essentially Id get another year before my body got used to that.

 

[Quantum Cat]

I've never heard that theory about Finasteride before. Let's just say it's probably good you're not using this guy to do your hair transplant...

 

[The_Mentalist]

Just few suggestion and you pick one or all what you like to do. Please read my post fully and carefully to avoid misunderstanding. You have not mentioned if you have used minoxidil or Keto already but here is a plan anyway

1.) I would suggest you first do what your hair transplant told you specially if it is coming from an experienced surgeon in the field. Studies are good way to predict general trends; but studies can not make a final verdict on how each unique individual would respond.

2.) dutasteride. comes in 0.5mg capsules, in liquid form. You might wanna start slow. Add one dutasteride every three or four days while still using finasteride in present dose on alternate days. I think you will quickly see effects such as oily skin due to excessive T etc. that will stabilize as with any drug.

3.) Your loss is considerable. After 5 years of no growth while having used finasteride., you are probably a candidate for minoxidil to stimulate dormant follicles. (Note: finasteride. is not really a hair growth stimulant but as an agent, it provides follicles a reprieve from so called dht attack, and thus follicles have a chance to recuperate and stay operational. This is mostly true for relatively recent dormant follicles)

4.) Nizoral 2% shampoo might be a good addition to start every other day or so to see if you see any signs of regrowth.

5.) Topical spironolactone has also been found beneficial

Again, I would start with simpler steps such as only upping finasteride. dose first to see what happens and then go from there. The idea is to find your threshold what works for you with least use of treatments etc. If finasteride. just does not do for you, then you would still have dutasteride. to fall back on.

Also, there is theory that sometimes you have to "shock" your body for it to respond accordingly. Once you workout, your body gets used to it and you may not respond as much as you did initially. It is recommended that you take a break from exercise for few weeks every so in a while and start again to grow even more muscles etc. The drug idea might as well work the same. Try experimenting with finasteride by taking off few days/weeks and then get on it to "shock" the body to respond. (I am suggesting my "shock" theory to you, after all your above steps fail or just that finasteride does not work for you anymore in any dose and you have nothing more to lose)

Let us know how you do on whatever you might do next.

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

I say it kind of depends on your goals here bighair. And since you've left your hair in the state its in for so long does not look like you care too much. I think a break from the drug like mentalist said would not be such a bad idea, but since you are losing ground already, it could be a scary proposition. Maybe you could pick up some topical spironolactone, since it acts in a different manner than finasteride but will have similar effects, then get off finasteride for like 2 months. Pick up some dutasteride in the meantime and when that spironolactone is running out, start up finasteride again and add one dutasteride pill a week. Since you had no sides, I don't think dutasteride will affect you. It didn't for me. And upping the dose is not a bad idea, but I agree to go with a shock theory and if that doesn't work you can go from there.

 

[Quantum Cat]

And since you've left your hair in the state its in for so long does not look like you care too much

?

He said the thinning only came on in the last couple of months which means finasteride has worked for him fine for 5 years. It's a preventative not a growth stimulant. I can't see how stopping finasteride right now would help at all - it's likely only to make things worse. I would continue with the finasteride and consider adding dutasteride, minoxidil or spironolactone, after carefully weighing up the pros and cons of each treatment.

 

[bighair]

And since you've left your hair in the state its in for so long does not look like you care too much.

What are you talking about?

 

[Spanishlad]

I say it kind of depends on your goals here bighair. And since you've left your hair in the state its in for so long does not look like you care too much. I think a break from the drug like mentalist said would not be such a bad idea, but since you are losing ground already, it could be a scary proposition. Maybe you could pick up some topical spironolactone, since it acts in a different manner than finasteride but will have similar effects, then get off finasteride for like 2 months. Pick up some dutasteride in the meantime and when that spironolactone is running out, start up finasteride again and add one dutasteride pill a week. Since you had no sides, I don't think dutasteride will affect you. It didn't for me. And upping the dose is not a bad idea, but I agree to go with a shock theory and if that doesn't work you can go from there.

Wtf???????

 

[DTW]

No, no side effects. The doctor that recommended doubling my dose was a local hair transplant doctor. I wont be using him for a hair transplant now that Ive read about the big name guys, but he seemed to know his stuff so was curious about the double dose thing. He said he has seen results doubling the dose with his patients.

I have to disagree with this logic, based on my own experience. I'm baffled that this doctor wouldn't suggest that maybe the meds are losing their effectiveness as a result of the follicles genetic sensitivity to androgens over time. Therefore, increasing the dose and suppressing all the DHT in your body will still not allow you to keep your hair. Everytime I've had a shed, less and less hair comes back regardless of being on dutasteride.

 

[hairydan]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to this old thread, since it may give you a bit of hope.
I had good results with Finasteride, and then switched to Dutasteride (Avodart). I have been taking Dutasteride for about a year now. The most dramatic side affect has been that I now have an almost full head of hair. Prior to the Dutasteride and Finasteride therapy I was pretty bald on top and thinning on the sides. My barber has been amazed, as have I.

 

[Gary Ferguson]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to this old thread, since it may give you a bit of hope.
I had good results with Finasteride, and then switched to Dutasteride (Avodart). I have been taking Dutasteride for about a year now. The most dramatic side affect has been that I now have an almost full head of hair. Prior to the Dutasteride and Finasteride therapy I was pretty bald on top and thinning on the sides. My barber has been amazed, as have I.

Pics?

 

[Hairicane]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents worth to this old thread, since it may give you a bit of hope.
I had good results with Finasteride, and then switched to Dutasteride (Avodart). I have been taking Dutasteride for about a year now. The most dramatic side affect has been that I now have an almost full head of hair. Prior to the Dutasteride and Finasteride therapy I was pretty bald on top and thinning on the sides. My barber has been amazed, as have I.

Why did you switch if your results with finasteride were good?

 

[hairydan]

Not so good as I expected.

 

[Hairicane]

Not so good as I expected.

So it maintained the hair you had it just didn't get you much regrowth?

 

[hairydan]

exactly