Month: September 2009

Hi Doctor Rassman

i been considering to take dutasteride for my hair loss . I been taking proscar for more than a year and seems that there is no improvement in my condition.There are many good report that dutasteride works much better than finasteride and soem of the people i know also have good result from it but from what you say, dutaseride may cause sterility in future.I can’t find any report on this.Can you please specify why will it cause sterility?And i understand that all side effects will stop once you stop taking the pills and that there are no permanent side effects.Please correct me if i am wrong as now the only concern that is stopping me from taking dutasteride is what you say about sterility.Appreciate your reply.Thanks

Regards

I really have no opinion of my own when it relates to dutasteride, as I’m still waiting for some kind of assurance from the FDA that this medication won’t cause sterility problems. I’m trying to find clinical reference, and while there might be more out there, one that I found referenced was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism back in 2005. Although that study was not long term and was mainly about steroids, one of the study groups included dutasteride (although it was taken with other drugs) and indicated temporary sterility. I realize this isn’t a perfect example, and I’ll try to dig up some other studies one way or the other, as this is something that needs to be addressed.

I’m also concerned that the most recent Korean clinical trial didn’t reference sterility at all, positive or negative (I just wrote about this). Keep in mind that we want the FDA to clear this medication for hair loss treatment and address this potential problem in its review.

This isn’t hair-related, but it is quite interesting and may have applicability to many of you. After you review it, you might want to talk with your doctor about this subject.

Abstract from the study:

The use of statins is widespread and many patients presenting for surgery are regularly taking them. There is evidence that statins have beneficial effects beyond those of lipid lowering, including reducing the perioperative risk of cardiac complications and sepsis. This review addresses the cellular mechanisms by which statins may produce these effects. Statins appear to have actions on vascular nitric oxide through the balance of inducible and endothelial nitric oxide synthase. The clinical evidence for these benefits is also briefly reviewed with the objective of clarifying the current status of statin use in the perioperative period. There is reasonably strong evidence that patients already taking statins should continue on them perioperatively. However, the evidence for the prophylactic use of statins perioperatively is weak and lacks prospective controlled studies.

Read the full text — Statins for All: The New Premed?

For years, I have been taking statins even with a normal cholesterol level. Many people who die of heart disease have normal cholesterol. Today’s regular Western diet may not be good for your health and as my father died from heart disease, the genes are there in my family line. Unfortunately, sudden death is often the first sign of heart disease (in 70% of those who have a heart attack). Although this article points to the risks associated with anesthetic risks and ways of mitigating them, my feeling is that there is a great value to taking a statin drugs routinely.