Category: Drugs

Dear Dr. Rassman,
I have used Propecia for many years now but continue to lose my hair and just in the last few days I discontinued its use in favor of Avodart. My main concern is if I should continue with Propecia since it has proven effective for hairloss alongside Avodart use or will Avodart alone do the same job? In other words, I know Propecia works. Am I risking hairloss by discontinuing its use?
Thank you.

If you switched, you can abandon Propecia. I doubt that stopping Propecia will negatively impact you while you are on Avodart.

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I’m a 25 year old male with hair loss problems. I started to take Propecia about a year ago and then found out about Avodart. I started taking this drug about 3 months ago. Very recently, I found out that my girlfriend is pregnant. I want to know if through my sperm can my baby have birth defects?

I’m very scared of having a child so early in my life and finding out that it comes out with birth defects.

Please Advise!!!

The issues of safety and effectiveness have not been fully explored in the youth like you with Avodart. Without that information in a research controlled, FDA approved study, there is no way to tell the answer to your question. Unfortunately, the manufacturer has not elected to sell into the hair market, despite the good blocking effect that Avodart has on the targeted enzyme. The FDA has certified this drug for prostate disease and I suspect based upon this, the drug should have no impact on the egg fertilized by the sperm of a man taking the drug, or when having unprotected sex during pregnancy.

Avodart (Dutasteride) blocks an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase, which is necessary to change testosterone to another hormone that causes the prostate to grow. The effects of dutasteride have a prolonged half life, measured in weeks or months (which means it hangs around the body for quite a while).

Women who are or who may become pregnant should not take dutasteride or even touch dutasteride capsules, because it can cause changes in the genitals (sex organs) of male fetuses and this drug should not be exposed to children. It is not clearly defined if enough of the drug (or for that matter any of it) can cross into the woman through intercourse from a man who is taking it and it is even more of a stretch to think that it can be built up in enough quantities to reach the pregnant female and then the unborn fetus. With that said, every source I’ve read tells the doctor and patient not to use it in women who may become pregnant or who are nursing. Much of this may just be ‘protective’ language for the drug company, but I can not say for certain.

In any event, I do not prescribe Avodart for these very reasons. A cross over from Avodart to Propecia information may reflect on the same issues, except for the long half life of Avodart. For information on Propecia and pregnancy, please read:

• Propecia and Pregnancy, is it safe? on HairLossTalk.com
• Propecia and Pregnancy – Part 2 on HairLossTalk.com

I am 36 years old and stopped my Propecia after taking if for a few years. That was two months ago. Now, all of the hair in front fell out in just two months. I was concerned about the cost and that is why I stopped it. What can I do?

After two months, it is possible that the hair may return. Frontal hair is more difficult to predict than the crown area. At 36, your genetic class is catching up to you. I can not tell you want will happen, but do suggest that you go back on it immediately and hope the hair returns. Those who are younger and have hair loss in the back tend to reverse more easily than men of your age.

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Dr. Rassman – I’ve been taking Rogaine and Finasteride for a couple of years now. I split the 5 MG. tab of Finasteride into 4 parts and take that daily and take a full 5 MG. tab on Sundays. The Minoxodil I out on 1 or 2 times daily. I was interested in combining the finasteride into the minoxidil to make a topical preparation. Can you tell me what would be the propere way to do this? Also, will that reduce any possible side effects from the finasteride? Thanx for any advice you can give me on this

You can help treat your hair loss by using Rogaine as topical and Finasteride by mouth. I believe that if that if your approach to building a topical with both combined and it worked, the drug company would have done this. There are effectiveness issues with topical use and these must be worked out. Absorbing medications through the skin is a science, not to be played with by the unskilled. I have heard that a topical DHT blocker may be in the drug pipeline, but that could take years. These two chemical works differently. However, since I am not a chemist, I can not recommend mixing Finasteride and Minoxidil together to make a cream.

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Does Proscar/Finasteride degrade if split and left in a jar for a number of weeks? Is it ok to split several pills at once and take them over a number of weeks or will they lose effectiveness?

When you split a pill, the inside is then explosed to environmental factors like humidity. I would not split the pill prior to use.

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I am currently using avodart, but i was wondering is this currently the best medication i can be on, labeled for mpb or otherwise

I would love to be able to say that one medication is the best medication for genetic hair loss. For men, Propecia and Minoxidil are the only two FDA approved medications that are shwon to be safe and effective. Avodart is shown to be safe and effective for prostate problems, but what about the young man with a stronger Type I and Type II DHT blocker? We do not know.

All of the other products on the market are not FDA approved. Some may mention that they contain “active ingredients that are FDA approved” and these usually contain minoxidil, yet many claim that they are effective DHT blockers and either get confused between the way minoxidil works or they are downright misrepresenting the ingredients.