RU/dutasteride worries/questions thread

[Adam87]

I know alot of people who didnt have very much success with finasteride/minoxidil then look to the next more potent thing. I think your last two choices are dutasteride and RU, now whilst i am leading towards preferring RU....i do think dutasteride could be very effective but i had bad reactions to dutasteride originally...heart signs, very bad headaches...and all the signs showed me i should drop it immediately...i even tried to carry on to my second week but now looking back was foolish to do so. finasteride didnt have very much effect on me at all so my last charge will be with RU....

1. i use to take one capsuel a day with dutasteride....does anyone know how to reduce the dosage...can you split the pill in half for example...or take dutasteride every 5 days or once a week?

2. Hearing promising things with RU...but does anyone know any successes or results....i know irishprides story but not to much beyond that?

3. The choice of minoxidil is widly debated on here, some just get more from different brands but would something simple as kirkland minoxidil be equally effective as something like lipogaine...which some people believe is a more effective solution?


Lastly if anyone has any questions or curiosities....just leave them here and i am sure people from the forum will answer, because i think quite a few people are in my stage.

Thanks all

Adam

 

[hairyhenry]

I'm currently using dutasteride (Every Day)/minoxidil (Kirkland liquid at night/Rogaine foam in the morning)/Nizoral 1%.

1. I use name brand Avodart. You can easily cut the pill in half for a smaller dose. I know a lot of people who either take dutasteride once a week with finasteride on the other days or people who take dutasteride EOD with finasteride in the between days.
Personally if you're trying to reduce the dosage on dutasteride, I would take it once/twice a week. The half-life is very long, and I'm also in the camp that taking both finasteride and dutasteride together so often is kind of pointless.

2. I've also heard promising things about RU. It kind of seems like a hassle to keep up with though. Usually you have to mix your own and its relatively expensive. The sheds i've seen look devastating. I do think it works though.. especially in
conjunction with a 5AR inhibitor. I will probably end up trying it if my current regime doesn't work in the next 2 years.

3. Very torn about this subject. I used foam for awhile, but was pretty inconsistent with it. Nothing really happened. Recently I've been more adamant of applying minoxidil twice a day every day. I only apply it at my hairline, and I've taken a hit. It's been about 2-3 months, and my hair has thinned where I apply it. I'm going to stick with it for a full year and see where I'm at. I honestly believe that it doesn't matter which minoxidil product you use. Minoxidil is the growth stimulant after all, and anything else that is added is just a little salt and pepper to the main meal.

 

[zzzzz]

if finasteride doesn't work for you I think adding a small amount of RU (like 30-40mg daily) to your current finasteride regimen while staying on finasteride at same dose as before is better than switching to dutasteride especially if it gave you sides, although heart problems and headaches isn't something dutasteride would cause.

don't bother cutting dutasteride in half if you are going to go that route, just take it every couple days

 

[Adam87]

Hi, guys, firstly thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

Well, i didn't get any sides from finasteride that im aware, i might try dutasteride again, but i am going to start off really slowly...i know there is a technique where people take large doses of dutasteride to kill off the DHT quickly and then reduce the dosage to once a week eventually or twice....
DO you suggest if you are a little worried about dutasteride that you start off at one a week or twice a week?
I am going to go back on it and give it ago....but im going to do the powder...minoxidil mix route....creating your own formula....think it works out cheaper if you get the powder instead of the ready made solutions....

I did a trial test on RU for a couple of months to see the effect and had a huge shed on my hairline where my hair is receding and the hairs were getting weaker and weaker.....now i know this is a sign of the hair dying...but this is either a good or bad side, but the shed did worry me...i suppose i was so worried that the hair was not going to come back and the RU was just killing off the hair.
But then again i have also heard bad stories of dutasteride with hairlines as well.....trail and error and pray really.


I had a similar feeling with minoxidil that my hairline was thinning....as well..i dont know if that is minoxidil speeding up the process or not....people say that minoxidil wont make your hair worse though....but i dont know if thats proves?


I dont really believe in natural supplements....but apart from biotin...is there really anything else that helps protect your hair or increases density?

 

[zzzzz]

dutasteride once or twice a week will not be more effective than finasteride. Once every 5 days dutasteride is about equivalent to finasteride every day in effectiveness. I really think adding RU to your finasteride regimen would be better

 

[Defeated]

RU is applied topically right? Does it systemically lower DHT?

 

[zzzzz]

RU is applied topically right? Does it systemically lower DHT?

yes to the first question no to the second

It blocks androgen receptors in the hair

 

[abcdefg]

How do we know after it blocks receptors it doesnt end up going systemic still?

 

[DoctorHouse]

I have been of finasteride for 10 years and I slowly went below baseline over the past 3 to 4 years. I just recently added dutasteride once per week. On that day I don't take finasteride. I am following the study from Australia but it was only with one guy. I have read some other people see improvement with this method. In the study, positive results were seen at three months. So far no sides from dutasteride.

As far as minoxidil, its better to use it twice per day as it seems to be dose dependent.

 

[zzzzz]

How do we know after it blocks receptors it doesnt end up going systemic still?

a small amount does go systemic

 

[Defeated]

a small amount does go systemic

Is it known how much? I'm a long term finasteride user looking for an alternative. Does it allow more free dht in the body than say a daily dose of finasteride?

 

[zzzzz]

Is it known how much? I'm a long term finasteride user looking for an alternative. Does it allow more free dht in the body than say a daily dose of finasteride?

RU does not effect DHT levels, but it does plug up androgen receptors making them unable to accept any androgen (test, DHT) and therefore those molecules can not act on anything which RU is bound to

I would think very little goes systemic as almost no one ever reports any sides while on RU. The most I have ever heard anyone complain of while on it is ball ache

 

[abcdefg]

Yeah true except we know what finasteride does as a chemical when it goes systemic over 5 - 10 years verses absolutely nothing for RU because it was shelved early on. But hey what is life without some risk right? As long as you dont notice it im sure its fine because topicals cant be dangerous

 

[Adam87]

Im going to really test ru twice a day for the next 6 months and see if i get anywhere, would anyone here recommend using dutasteride at the same time.....i didnt really get any results with finasteride but i am very wary of dutasteride's strength....i would probably only start dutasteride once a week, or maybe twice but no more....

- - - Updated - - -

Also, should i see what works at the start because i want to go on RU straight away but do i take it with dutasteride or finasteride or without.....to see how i get along....Thanks for any help or advice.

 

[zzzzz]

why twice a day and not daily?

I am on both oral dutasteride and topical RU at the same time. I have seen very good regrowth, but considering dropping RU from my regimen after it runs out because I am beginning to wonder how it is even possible to lose hair on dutasteride when it inhibits something like 99% of type 2 DHT, which is pretty much solely responsible for hairloss.

 

[ladysmanfelpz]

Your going dutasteride House? What austrailian study are you talking about?

 

[DoctorHouse]

Your going dutasteride House? What austrailian study are you talking about?

Yes, the study can be found on another forum if you just google it.

 

[I.D WALKER]

99% 2 DHT inhibitor is super impressive. The obvious follow up question I have to ask; What percent of users will actually respond this well? Thanks for sharing.

why twice a day and not daily?

I am on both oral dutasteride and topical RU at the same time. I have seen very good regrowth, but considering dropping RU from my regimen after it runs out because I am beginning to wonder how it is even possible to lose hair on dutasteride when it inhibits something like 99% of type 2 DHT, which is pretty much solely responsible for hairloss.

 

[zzzzz]

99% 2 DHT inhibitor is super impressive. The obvious follow up question I have to ask; What percent of users will actually respond this well? Thanks for sharing.

I would assume it inhibits the same amount relative to baseline more or less in everyone

 

[Adam87]

I thought zzzz that RU twice a day is more effective than once, but i have heard people doing it once, but i rather would start off twice.
How would you start with dutasteride regarding dosage?.....once a day....twice a week or once a week.