I’m am a 22 year old male and have been balding since i was 17. I have been taking Proscar, saw palmetto and applying minoxidol for about one year now and there is definite improvement in the crown of my head but not alot in the front. I have just ordered dutasteride over the net but i still have some proscar left. I was wondering could i take them at the same time, not take the proscar and just take the dutasteride, or maybe take the dutasteride and not take the proscar?
When you play doctor, you sometimes undo what you are trying to do. I know it’s been mentioned on this blog many times before, but for the readers that aren’t familiar with the various hair loss drugs, Proscar (5mg) is the same medication as Propecia (1mg). Propecia is FDA approved for treating hair loss, and Proscar is a prostate drug. Many people will cut Proscar into quarters to achieve the benefits of Propecia, but for a reduced price.
Dutasteride and Propecia are both very good DHT blockers, with Dutasteride probably stronger. There is no point to take Propecia if you are taking Dutasteride, but I have warned the young men out there that there is no FDA clearance for Dutasteride in young men for hair loss use.
Saw Palmetto may be a competitive inhibitor to Propecia and/or Dutasteride. That means that when Saw Palmetto hooks on to the DHT receptor instead of Dutasteride or Propecia, it will compete with these drugs. Saw Palmetto is a weak DHT competitor, making the stronger drugs less effective. You may be undoing what you want to do.
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Are you saying that if I’m taking Propecia AND Saw Palmetto at the same time that I am negating the effect of the Propecia with the Saw Palmeetto???
Thanks, Sean
Can someone answer that last question about saw palmetto making propecia work less effectively?