Finasteride->dutasteride And Benefit Of Minoxidil Mix

[tdma]

Hi all,

I'm considering starting a 0,5mg every other day finasteride treatment. I've been on Minoxidil for 5 years which has kept me stable (my frontal line moved back considerably back then), but now I have also started to lose on the vertex, which is ringing alarm bells.

My dermatologist suggested 1 mg per day, but from all the studies I read it seems like 0,5mg every 2 days could be as effective...

My question is whether I can safely switch to dutasteride in a couple of months or if there would be any benefit in using dutasteride from the beginning. I would prefer to start with finasteride since I already have the prescriptions for that and it seems to give less side effects. However, if one would say that going from one to the other complicates things, then I could go back to the dermatologist and ask for a prescription for dutasteride now.

Also I was wondering what the added benefit of using Minoxidil on top would be... Personally I hate it cause it's grassy and tedious to apply. I would think that if finasteride tackles the DHT problem from inside, that there would be little added benefit in using Minoxidil on top of it?

PS: for those of you using Minoxidil, I noticed that once you open the bottle, the product actually expires quickly (would say 1 month). I live between 2 houses, and had a half-used bottle in the other houses that had been untouched for 3 months, and then used that for about 1 month, and I think I am getting the symptoms of simple stopping Minoxidil, probably because the composition is no longer intact. I did some research and apparently it's a very unstable thing... I just wanted to share my experience for you guys who use Minoxidil.

 

[Red October]

Hi all,

I'm considering starting a 0,5mg every other day finasteride treatment. I've been on Minoxidil for 5 years which has kept me stable (my frontal line moved back considerably back then), but now I have also started to lose on the vertex, which is ringing alarm bells.

My dermatologist suggested 1 mg per day, but from all the studies I read it seems like 0,5mg every 2 days could be as effective...

My question is whether I can safely switch to dutasteride in a couple of months or if there would be any benefit in using dutasteride from the beginning. I would prefer to start with finasteride since I already have the prescriptions for that and it seems to give less side effects. However, if one would say that going from one to the other complicates things, then I could go back to the dermatologist and ask for a prescription for dutasteride now.

Also I was wondering what the added benefit of using Minoxidil on top would be... Personally I hate it cause it's grassy and tedious to apply. I would think that if finasteride tackles the DHT problem from inside, that there would be little added benefit in using Minoxidil on top of it?

PS: for those of you using Minoxidil, I noticed that once you open the bottle, the product actually expires quickly (would say 1 month). I live between 2 houses, and had a half-used bottle in the other houses that had been untouched for 3 months, and then used that for about 1 month, and I think I am getting the symptoms of simple stopping Minoxidil, probably because the composition is no longer intact. I did some research and apparently it's a very unstable thing... I just wanted to share my experience for you guys who use Minoxidil.

Hi,

Do you have pictures? To answer your main question, it seems that if this is your first time to start, then finasteride would be the way to go as Dutasteride is quite an extreme move in my opinion. The side effects can be serious. I think the general consensus is to try finasteride for at least a year before considering the other (or maybe two years). As regards your other question, Min and finasteride do different jobs so dropping the min when you start finasteride would be a mistake, especially if you have had success. The best possible chance is to take both consistently for a year or two and then reassess. Also, add in other things like shampoos and possibly derma-rolling to maximise your success.

I would like to see your before/after pictures as not too many people have sustained success on minoxidil alone for as long as you. If you drop it now you will most likely lose everything you gained and more. Finasteride will not keep hairs that you gained from minoxidil according to most users who've dropped it due to side effects etc.

 

[tdma]

Thanks for your reply!

I have quickly created some picture logbook which you can find here https://tinyurl.com/y6ubvhmm .
Not all pictures are as clear, but I hope you find it useful. Basically you can see that from 2014 the hair quality also degrades and that from 2018 things get drastically worse.

I didn't know Dutasteride is seen as such an extreme alternative, as they work in the same way, just Dutasteride does it better. But thanks for warning, I appreciate it.

Would anyone recommend topical finasteride? Some research certainly looks promising: https://www.researchgate.net/public...one_in_healthy_men_with_androgenetic_alopecia

 

[Red October]

Thanks for your reply!

I have quickly created some picture logbook which you can find here https://tinyurl.com/y6ubvhmm .
Not all pictures are as clear, but I hope you find it useful. Basically you can see that from 2014 the hair quality also degrades and that from 2018 things get drastically worse.

I didn't know Dutasteride is seen as such an extreme alternative, as they work in the same way, just Dutasteride does it better. But thanks for warning, I appreciate it.

Would anyone recommend topical finasteride? Some research certainly looks promising: https://www.researchgate.net/public...one_in_healthy_men_with_androgenetic_alopecia

There is a poster on here who has used topical finasteride. I will try to find his details.

 

[tdma]

Cool thanks.

 

[Red October]

If you check out posts by @Murkey Thumb. He was using topical finasteride.

 

[reuters]

if you didn't use minoxidil for 3 months, and then for one month, i would guess its like starting from scratch with a little shedding and no visible progress the first 2-6 months.

 

[Retinoid]

I would not take .5mg EOD. I would take .25mg/day. The half life is very short for Finasteride so it is better to dose daily, despite it being a suicide inhibitor. I also would not jump to Duasteride first. Some people may find Duasteride works better due to genetic compatability but without such testing, Finasteride is safer and the more studied of the two.

 

[tdma]

I agree that the half life of Finasteride is very short. The reason why I would take it EOD is that I remember some report that said that the effect on the scalp remains for 3 days, even if the half life is only 8 hours.

I will consider taking 0.5mg every day. Looking at the graphs of different dosages and their effect on DHT levels I'm not super convinced by 0.25mg. Is it based on personal experience of did you see any study that discusses 0.25mg?

 

[Retinoid]

I agree that the half life of Finasteride is very short. The reason why I would take it EOD is that I remember some report that said that the effect on the scalp remains for 3 days, even if the half life is only 8 hours.

I will consider taking 0.5mg every day. Looking at the graphs of different dosages and their effect on DHT levels I'm not super convinced by 0.25mg. Is it based on personal experience of did you see any study that discusses 0.25mg?

.25mg/day is about 75-80% as effective as 1mg. I take .5mg. It is up to you.

 

[tdma]

Thanks for sharing your insights.

 

[Murkey Thumb]

If you check out posts by @Murkey Thumb. He was using topical finasteride.

I started to use the 5% Minoxidil max with added 0.05% Finasteride because I got bad sides from the oral version but unfortunately had the same sides reappear after only on a month so decided to go in a different direction. I guess finasteride is just not the drug for me.

 

[tdma]

How did you prepare the solution? Did you find any reading material on the topic? I am asking because extracting the finasteride from a pill and having it absorb into a random solution and still being sure about all the interactions going on between the componetns doesn't seem trivial.

Also, did the sides completely disappear after you stopped using?