Does Dutasteride Treat Hair Loss Effectively?

Dutasteride (branded on the market as Avodart) is considered an effective hair loss treatment for hair loss and thinning hair, but not without its potential side-effects. Dutasteride, unlike its close rival Finasteride (Propecia), is currently NOT FDA-approved.

Dutasteride inhibits the enzyme to convert testosterone to DHT, and also inhibits the Type 1. It makes the drug more potent but increases the chances of adverse reactions, which is why many men tend to opt for the slightly safer drug, Finasteride.

Dutasteride is actually a medication used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) as well as androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss). It was developed by GlaxoSmithKline and is a 5α-reductase inhibitor which prevents the conversion of the androgen sex hormone testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

The drug has been licensed for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in South Korea since 2009, but has not been approved for this specific indication in the United States or throughout Europe, though it is commonly used off-label. - sourced from wikipedia

The results of a study, of which included the testing of Finasteride, showed that Dutasteride decreased hair loss by up to 91% of male users, which is impressive, but more tests are needed to conclude this stat. Results also showed that men who had taken Finasteride got 75.6 new hairs while men who were on Dutasteride got 78.5 new hairs, over 24 weeks of testing.

Although very well tolerated, by far the most off-putting aspect about Dutasteride (and Finasteride) is the potential for severe side-effects, which have been a common occurrence with these types of drugs.

Side Effects of Dutasteride Include:

• Sexual dysfunction
• Prostate cancer
• Serious skin reactions

Overall, more tests and research is needed before Dutasteride can be officially recommended as a safe and effective drug to take for common hair loss conditions such as male pattern baldness and alopecia. The drug works in a similar way to Finasteride, but both can come with severe side-effects that could be irreversible, so caution is always advised before using these sorts of drugs.