So... about topical dutasteride...
- Thread starter Hoppi
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In my time here, both topical dutasteride and topical finasteride have cycled in and out of fashion.
It has been like this with everything it seems: first folligen was better than tricomin, then it was the other way round; for a while topical finasteride was hot, then it was worthless. Dr. P's products, spironolactone, revivogen, crinagen all have their respective moments in the sun before being vilified by subsequent rounds of posters.
Anyhow, unless things have changed, there was quite a bit of debate whether topical finasteride/dutasteride worked, if at all, through systematic absorption. Some users reported erectile problems, loss of libido, brain fog etc. when using the topical versions - certainly not an improvement when trying to avoid side effects.
It has been like this with everything it seems: first folligen was better than tricomin, then it was the other way round; for a while topical finasteride was hot, then it was worthless. Dr. P's products, spironolactone, revivogen, crinagen all have their respective moments in the sun before being vilified by subsequent rounds of posters.
Anyhow, unless things have changed, there was quite a bit of debate whether topical finasteride/dutasteride worked, if at all, through systematic absorption. Some users reported erectile problems, loss of libido, brain fog etc. when using the topical versions - certainly not an improvement when trying to avoid side effects.
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I agree with what "jh" just said.
While there have been the occasional published studies of topical finasteride (with mostly negative results), there has never been so much as even a single study that's ever been done with topical dutasteride. That right there should tell you something!
While there have been the occasional published studies of topical finasteride (with mostly negative results), there has never been so much as even a single study that's ever been done with topical dutasteride. That right there should tell you something!
Forgive my ignorance about all this, but I have never understood why topical finasteride/dutasteride would work any differently than oraly?
I know finasteride works by blocking 5AR, not by blocking DHT directly. 5AR exists in the bloodstream. Whether we take it oraly or absorb it through the scalp, isn't it still working on the same principal? Just because it's entering your body through the scalp doesn't mean the DHT reduction will only occur there; the blood will flow throughout your body quickly, quickly replacing it with more DHT.
Now, if enough is absorbed into your body to reach the flat dose response, wouldn't it all be the same as taking it oraly?
I can't see this principal being any different with Dutasteride. It's never made sense to me! If these drugs give you side effects, it doesn't matter how you take them; inject them, absorb them, swallow them, they still work the same way in the end.
I know finasteride works by blocking 5AR, not by blocking DHT directly. 5AR exists in the bloodstream. Whether we take it oraly or absorb it through the scalp, isn't it still working on the same principal? Just because it's entering your body through the scalp doesn't mean the DHT reduction will only occur there; the blood will flow throughout your body quickly, quickly replacing it with more DHT.
Now, if enough is absorbed into your body to reach the flat dose response, wouldn't it all be the same as taking it oraly?
I can't see this principal being any different with Dutasteride. It's never made sense to me! If these drugs give you side effects, it doesn't matter how you take them; inject them, absorb them, swallow them, they still work the same way in the end.
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Wuffer said:
WRONG!!! 5a-Reductase exists only very tightly-bound to certain membranes inside cells!! It doesn't exist in the bloodstream at all! Drugs like finasteride and dutasteride have to travel in the bloodstream to the various tissues in the body that contain 5a-reductase (like the hair follicles and the prostate), then physically enter the cells where the 5a-reductase exists, then irreversibly bind with the enzyme chemically.
Wuffer said:
As I've said a number of times over the years, the DHT in the bloodstream doesn't have much effect on hair follicles. It's the DHT created INSIDE hair follicle cells by 5a-reductase which is mainly responsible for male pattern baldness. Unfortunately, the great majority of a drug like finasteride that's applied topically appears to be absorbed systemically, rather that merely work "locally" where it's applied.
Patrick54
Established Member
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I believe JohnNYC has had good luck with topical dutasteride.
EDIT: Yes he has, here's what he said about it on another thread.
"I was a Norwood Va and in the nine months since I started topical dutasteride plus 2% nizoral, I have seen some pretty exciting results. I have been trying various products for nearly 25 years and nothing else provided any meaningful results."
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=64625&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=10
EDIT: Yes he has, here's what he said about it on another thread.
"I was a Norwood Va and in the nine months since I started topical dutasteride plus 2% nizoral, I have seen some pretty exciting results. I have been trying various products for nearly 25 years and nothing else provided any meaningful results."
viewtopic.php?f=61&t=64625&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=10