Transitioning From finasteride To dutasteride Thread: Advice, Experiences, Veterans, Etc.

[nyhair19]

Hi all,

I'm 30 (almost 31) and have been on finasteride for about 9-10 years now. I've noticed some losses over the past few years but they were minor. However, I feel that they've picked up over the last year, so I am going to try dutasteride once a week. This seems to be a way some people are picking up ground after the effects of finasteride wear off. I'll try to keep everyone posted and maybe get up some pics.

However, I wanted to start this thread because it seems that A LOT of people are in the exact same position. I am not sure why, but this is a really common story. finasteride user for 8-13 years, it stops working, people are wondering what to do. I was hoping to start a discussion about my journey with this change and hopefully hear from others who have tried it. Unless I am not doing my research well enough (I may not), it really seems like there's not a lot out there about guys who went from finasteride to dutasteride.

If anyone has made this transition and would like to share anything about sides, personal experiences, etc., a lot of people would love to hear.

Thanks in advance and hope for a decent discussion.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Hi all,

I'm 30 (almost 31) and have been on finasteride for about 9-10 years now. I've noticed some losses over the past few years but they were minor. However, I feel that they've picked up over the last year, so I am going to try dutasteride once a week. This seems to be a way some people are picking up ground after the effects of finasteride wear off. I'll try to keep everyone posted and maybe get up some pics.

However, I wanted to start this thread because it seems that A LOT of people are in the exact same position. I am not sure why, but this is a really common story. finasteride user for 8-13 years, it stops working, people are wondering what to do. I was hoping to start a discussion about my journey with this change and hopefully hear from others who have tried it. Unless I am not doing my research well enough (I may not), it really seems like there's not a lot out there about guys who went from finasteride to dutasteride.

If anyone has made this transition and would like to share anything about sides, personal experiences, etc., a lot of people would love to hear.

Thanks in advance and hope for a decent discussion.

I honestly don't think finasteride "stops" working. I think it still blocks DHT as long as you take it. I lost alot of body hair on it and it never came back so that would mean it keeps blocking the DHT. I still think male pattern baldness is obviously not just about DHT. I think there are other factors involved and if you can address them too, it can help. I tried the "dutateride once per week along with finasteride experiment"and did not notice any significant difference other than more sides like gyno. Also I noticed very bad stomach ache when I took dutastride which was legit as I bought it from a local reputable pharmacy with a legitimate prescription.

I have been on finasteride for about 15 years and my hair has lost ground but at a snails pace. Remember finasteride is not a cure. I use other treatments that help supplement finasteride and I really think that is the best approach when dealing with hair loss. I think using treatments that reduce inflammation and stimulate growth are very important as well. I also think treatments that provide a healthy scalp help as well. But the major factor that determines your success is really your genetics. Some people respond very good to finasteride and others don't. Some people have an aggressive gene for balding while some don't. All treatments do is buy you faith that you are protecting your investment.

My advice would be to try it. I think the only way to know how you do is just experiment on yourself and see how you do.

 

[nyhair19]

Thanks for the reply DoctorHouse. What other treatments are you using that you feel have helped? I tried various other treatments and supplements, but the big three have been the bulk of my regimen for years. I am open to trying other things and plan on taking Saw Palmetto more consistently henceforth.

 

[Jamiemason123]

My story is very similar to yours- 9 years on finasteride and then it failed but things fell apart very rapidly for me. dutasteride is definitely better but if you're losing after 9 years on finasteride I think you'll need to do dutasteride at least every other day if not every day to stabilise again. Bear in mind that for me it was not much better than finasteride on the front so you may still lose (hopefully at a reduced rate) from the front. Make sure you continue to take finasteride as normal for at least three months in addition to dutasteride, or you'll lose a lot of hair as DHT rushes back in (to your now ultra sensitive follicles due to upregulation) in the three months before dutasteride kicks in. Also, whatever you do don't switch back to finasteride. I did this and had a colossal shed which never came back, it's probably the biggest regret of my life!

 

[Jamiemason123]

Also I broke down the best way to switch in a thread a little while ago (different account- Hair Pun)- Propecia Stopped Working... It's time to switch to Avodart. Check it out, it's pretty raw because essentially I messed up the switch after some bad advice from a derm and this took a real toll on me emotionally. For some people, including me, when finasteride stops working it's as if you'd stopped taking it and you lose the lot over a year.
I waited too long and missed my window, don't make the same mistake!

 

[stejames]

My story is very similar to yours- 9 years on finasteride and then it failed but things fell apart very rapidly for me. dutasteride is definitely better but if you're losing after 9 years on finasteride I think you'll need to do dutasteride at least every other day if not every day to stabilise again. Bear in mind that for me it was not much better than finasteride on the front so you may still lose (hopefully at a reduced rate) from the front. Make sure you continue to take finasteride as normal for at least three months in addition to dutasteride, or you'll have a big shed in three months before dutasteride kicks in. Also, whatever you do don't switch back to finasteride. I did this and had a colossal shed which never came back, it's probably the biggest regret of my life!

i took 1 dutasteride a week and finasteride 6 days while transition to 2 duts+5fin. I had a huge shed with just 1 dutasteride. it lasted a full 6 weeks

 

[DoctorHouse]

Thanks for the reply DoctorHouse. What other treatments are you using that you feel have helped? I tried various other treatments and supplements, but the big three have been the bulk of my regimen for years. I am open to trying other things and plan on taking Saw Palmetto more consistently henceforth.

I have been using Proxiphen for many years and I really think it helped to because if I don't use it my hair gets worse. I also notice some even more improvement with the Ordinary Hair Density serum. My advice is just stick to the big 3 and try other things and see how you do. I also use the Laser Cap 3 times per week.

 

[Jamiemason123]

i took 1 dutasteride a week and finasteride 6 days while transition to 2 duts+5fin. I had a huge shed with just 1 dutasteride. it lasted a full 6 weeks

Was this shed just in the first 6 weeks? If you give it 3-4 months that may return. I also shed in the first two months at the back but this returned. The shed/ loss I’m talking about from switching back to finasteride was at the front, which didn’t return. I think we need to distinguish between ‘shed’ hair and hair lost. Dutasteride is definitely more effective than finasteride, the question is whether it will be enough to stop losing hair from the front as it is only marginally more effective than finasteride here. This is why many people report that ‘dutasteride destroyed my hair line’. This probably is because of the raising of free testosterone, can’t say for sure, but I do feel that you’re still safer on dutasteride than finasteride in terms of hair loss. Don’t worry about sides, really these are not strong drugs. Just a lot of internet scaremongering. I wouldn’t bother with lasers etc, I’ve tried all the other alternative stuff and it provides very little cosmetic difference, but putting faith in them and crucially losing time in waiting for them to work is going to cost you a lot of hair. Switch to dutasteride as honestly it’s the only realistic hope of keeping your hair

 

[stejames]

Was this shed just in the first 6 weeks? If you give it 3-4 months that may return. I also shed in the first two months at the back but this returned. The shed/ loss I’m talking about from switching back to finasteride was at the front, which didn’t return. I think we need to distinguish between ‘shed’ hair and hair lost. Dutasteride is definitely more effective than finasteride, the question is whether it will be enough to stop losing hair from the front as it is only marginally more effective than finasteride here. This is why many people report that ‘dutasteride destroyed my hair line’. This probably is because of the raising of free testosterone, can’t say for sure, but I do feel that you’re still safer on dutasteride than finasteride in terms of hair loss. Don’t worry about sides, really these are not strong drugs. Just a lot of internet scaremongering. I wouldn’t bother with lasers etc, I’ve tried all the other alternative stuff and it provides very little cosmetic difference, but putting faith in them and crucially losing time in waiting for them to work is going to cost you a lot of hair. Switch to dutasteride as honestly it’s the only realistic hope of keeping your hair

the reason i concluded it was shed vs the normal hairloss pattern. is because of how rapid it became.

Also it shed in a pattern down the middle (front to back) that looked like a wide part. It seems like that is gone(grown in.....I think. Its not as prominent). still dont notice much improvement in the front. Some days it seems like it works others not so much. I take dutasteride twice a week. + 5Fins. I dont think i will up dosage. My derm is pretty good. he seems to think this is good. I have only been on 2duts per for roughly 4 months (7months total including 1dut +6fins for 4 months).I feel like a i need a little more time to judge.

 

[nyhair19]

Thanks for the insightful discussions. Jamiemason, can you sum up the problem you had when you made the switch?

I was also planning to try dutasteride one day a week and keep on finasteride the other six days. I was planning to keep at that to see what happened and actually never thought about adding more. I would hypothesize that I will respond reasonably well to dutasteride, seeing as how I have been responding fairly well to finasteride, but who knows.

DoctorHouse, how long have you been using Proxiphen? I am tempted to give it a go as well.

 

[Jamiemason123]

What I meant was that after 6 months of noticing that finasteride had lost its effect I switched to dutasteride for 3 months. It had a noticeable effect at the back after 3 months. Then, I foolishly concluded that I didn’t need it and dropped it, returning to finasteride (because I believed all the horror stories about dutasteride online- don’t listen to them!).

That’s when I lost an incredible amount of hair- by switching back to finasteride from dutasteride.
Never do this!

I really think you need to just take dutasteride every other day at least. I wouldn’t recommend taking one/ two a week unless you have a lot of hair left and can afford to risk some waiting 3 months for it to work or not. It’s a bit of a gamble and I feel you’ll have more peace of mind knowing you are doing everything you can. Be aware that even dutasteride every day may not stabilise your loss, just slow it down. Can you really afford 3 months hair loss if one dutasteride a week has no tangible effect?

 

[Jamiemason123]

Just to add to this- I think the one/ two dutasteride a week regime idea is probably enough to top up a waning finasteride regime if you’ve had like 15 years of finasteride holding your hair. However, if you’re losing again at 9 years, as I was, then your balding gene is reasonably aggressive so it’s likely to need a heavier punch to knock it out so to speak. It’ll likely only buy you a year or two more if it works but that’s definitely better than not doing it. I messed up the switch by being to cautious and I’n really angry at effectively having cheated myself out of a couple of years of good hair. If finasteride has stopped working you’re really going to need to throw everything you can at it now to stand a chance of holding on- at least that’s my experience. Be aware that dutasteride isn’t some miracle cure- it’s just 20% more effective at DHT suppression that finasteride. It’s not amazing, though I did have some regrowth at the back

 

[Jamiemason123]

Thanks for the reply DoctorHouse. What other treatments are you using that you feel have helped? I tried various other treatments and supplements, but the big three have been the bulk of my regimen for years. I am open to trying other things and plan on taking Saw Palmetto more consistently henceforth.

Sorry for all the replies- I just feel very strongly about this! Really no other treatments are going to have much effect, it is irresponsible for anyone to suggest that anything other than dutasteride will hold your hair if finasteride is losing the battle. Once you have stabilised on dutasteride you could potentially take a high dose of oral Minoxidil if you need a boost. Best to save the Minoxidil boost for when dutasteride fails a year or so from now though, as I’m sure you know minoxidil doesn’t protect hair from androgenic damage it’s just pumps up what you have temporarily. It is dangerous to trust in anything other than the proven treatments, you will only waste time and hair. Lasers/saw palmetto/ biotin etc are just snake oil. If daily dutasteride doesn’t work you can try adding them to your dutasteride regiment but honestly regular dutasteride is definitely your next step.
I am now using oral minoxidil, RU/CB and topical spironaloctone in addition to dutasteride and even with this massive effort I am not stable. Unfortunately after finasteride fails you may keep going a little while longer on dutasteride but that’s it- so enjoy your hair while you can. DHT is the trigger for hair loss so it’s important to limit it with the tools we have- finasteride/ dutasteride- but after the cascade starts there will be a time when there is nothing that you can do. The drugs only buy us time, so use them effectively (at an appropriate dose as early as possible) and you’ll know you did everything you could. If I had taken this advice and switched to dutasteride the minute finasteride stopped working rather than mucking around for a year with lasercombs and vitamins I would be looking in the mirror at a Norwood 1 or 2. I’m sure I’d still be losing from the front but I’d know I had done all I could have done. I’m now looking at a Norwood 3 because I was too cautious and it really hurts. Don’t make the same mistake. Get on daily dutasteride now and cross your fingers. You may stabilise for a few more years

 

[Derelict]

Sorry for all the replies- I just feel very strongly about this! Really no other treatments are going to have much effect, it is irresponsible for anyone to suggest that anything other than dutasteride will hold your hair if finasteride is losing the battle. Once you have stabilised on dutasteride you could potentially take a high dose of oral Minoxidil if you need a boost. Best to save the Minoxidil boost for when dutasteride fails a year or so from now though, as I’m sure you know minoxidil doesn’t protect hair from androgenic damage it’s just pumps up what you have temporarily. It is dangerous to trust in anything other than the proven treatments, you will only waste time and hair. Lasers/saw palmetto/ biotin etc are just snake oil. If daily dutasteride doesn’t work you can try adding them to your dutasteride regiment but honestly regular dutasteride is definitely your next step.
I am now using oral minoxidil, RU/CB and topical spironaloctone in addition to dutasteride and even with this massive effort I am not stable. Unfortunately after finasteride fails you may keep going a little while longer on dutasteride but that’s it so enjoy your hair while you can. I’m just trying to buy a year or two more before I need to get a hair system. Sorry if this sounds bleak but I don’t want you to waste any time, get on daily dutasteride now and cross your fingers. You may stabilise for a few more years

Stop wasting your money on topical spironolactone, it's useless duta, oral min and RU/CB seems like a good regimen, save yourself some pennies and drop the topical spironolactone.

 

[Jamiemason123]

Stop wasting your money on topical spironolactone, it's useless duta, oral min and RU/CB seems like a good regimen, save yourself some pennies and drop the topical spironolactone.

Hi Derelict, thanks for this. I had a feeling that it probably was. RU definitely seems more effective than CB- do you have experience of these drugs? I’m wondering firstly what dose of CB is required to hold the hairline and secondly how risky RU really is. There are so many conflicting reports. I would really like to know what medical checks I should be having if using this compound. I’ve tried posting this a few times and had no response

 

[nyhair19]

Jamiemaso123,
I feel where you are coming from. But yeah, honestly 3 months I think would be alright. Honestly, I can probably hold on with a decent hairline through my 30s with just finasteride, but I have read that dutasteride 1x a week really helped a lot of people, so I figured it's worth a try. I am dropping money on finasteride anyway, may as well try it. If it helps beef up and/or maintain the hairline, all the better.

What exactly are the horror stories? There are horror stories about everything everywhere, so I don't buy it. I have spent a decent amount of time doing research on the sides and potential long-term effects. I am particularly worried about the fact that dutasteride/finasteride can potentially block detection of aggressive prostate cancers, but the evidence seems rather inconclusive on this and the risk is very low, especially in someone without a family history of it.

Worst case scenario, I consider an hair transplant in 5-10 years.

 

[Jamiemason123]

Jamiemaso123,
I feel where you are coming from. But yeah, honestly 3 months I think would be alright. Honestly, I can probably hold on with a decent hairline through my 30s with just finasteride, but I have read that dutasteride 1x a week really helped a lot of people, so I figured it's worth a try. I am dropping money on finasteride anyway, may as well try it. If it helps beef up and/or maintain the hairline, all the better.

What exactly are the horror stories? There are horror stories about everything everywhere, so I don't buy it. I have spent a decent amount of time doing research on the sides and potential long-term effects. I am particularly worried about the fact that dutasteride/finasteride can potentially block detection of aggressive prostate cancers, but the evidence seems rather inconclusive on this and the risk is very low, especially in someone without a family history of it.

Worst case scenario, I consider an hair transplant in 5-10 years.

If you’re worried about the detection of cancers speak to a dermatologist who specialises in hair loss about this risk (never trust a normal GP they know nothing about this). If you can risk it for three months by all means try out dutasteride once a week- I hope it works. Truthfully I don’t understand what happened to me. When finasteride stopped working it wasn’t a slow progression of hair loss, it was as if I’d just stopped taking it. I lost ten years hair in a few months (I have an identical twin brother and I am roughly where he is now). I used to read these stories on forums and think their authors were catastrophizing, I didn’t believe them.. then it happened to me... So beware! With luck you have more time than I had to try things out. My hair is at the ‘critical’ stage now so one wrong move and I’ll need switch to wearing a hair system. If yours isn’t progressing so fast you may have the opportunity to experiment. The horror stories I’m talking about are the link to prostate cancers/ danger of blocking type 1 alpha reductase. My Derm doesn’t seem bothered about this and he’s extremely cautious, so I don’t think you should be too worried. Just to add- if you can’t stabilise a transplant will be futile.
I can tell you, the danger of not acting in time is far greater than that of taking dutasteride regularly. Sudden hair loss is devastating. I had two breakdowns, quit my job and moved back in with my parents. It’s the worst thing that ever happened to me. I’m still on these forums to try to give others the opportunity to act in time so at least something good comes out of my situation

 

[Anatoly]

The data of statistically insignificant correlation between Dutasteride and prostate cancer are outdated. Later longitudinal research has shown that dutasteride is protective and reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

 

[justbeconfident]

can anybody here expand a little bit on half life of dutasteride?

 

[Anatoly]

one of the first links I googled for a well-known graph: https://donovan-hair.squarespace.com/hair-blog/dutasteride-dht

pay attention to the follow-up period after 24 weeks: if one compares DHT levels after discontinuation of finasteride at 5.0mg and dutasteride at 0.5mg respectively, DHT the finasteride case returns to pre-treatment level within a week (the first measurement after discontinuation is in four weeks = weeks 28, but finasteride effects evaporate much quicker, the line connecting the measurements at week 24 and 28 does not reflect DHT increase), in dutasteride case - its longer half-life explains why DHT is pretty well inhibited even after discontinuation;
notably dutasteride at does 2.5-5mg allows almost the same level of inhibition even 16 weeks after discontinuation!