Hair loss renewing after 5 years on AvoDart

[restonwebdev]

Hi All,

I used to be an active member of these forums back in 2001 - 2002. During that time I was using Propecia and Minoxodil and had slowed my hair loss. I was around 21-22 years old at the time and certainly not enjoying seeing 50-100 hairs in my hands as I washed my hair. I was in college and although the hair loss was not visible to others (very thick hair, you see) - it definitely ruined my self esteem.

Then I found AvoDart; I had followed its progress closely and when I found out I could get a prescription for .5mg off label, I did just that.

I can honestly say that for the rest of college and into the first 5 years of my professional, post-college life - I noticed zero hair loss. My hair was thick and full and I could brush and wash my hair all day and hardly notice but a few hairs. I did notice during this time, however, significant loss of color pigment in my hair and a few other side effects which I won't go into great detail. :shakehead:

Over the past three months I have been hit by what I can either describe as shedding (positive outlook) or the renewal of my hair loss from my college days (realistic outlook). My scalp and hair seem very much as they were in college; a lot of itchiness, rough hair, and some thinning in the frontal portion of my head. When I take a shower I notice the all-too familiar 20-30 hairs lost.

What should I do? Stick it out on AvoDart? I've read that some people are combining Propecia and AvoDart and having success. Can anyone recommend this regimen? I have bumped up my AvoDart intake to include one day a week where I take two .5mg pills. I'm wary of taking two every day. Many on this board seem to think AvoDart is still an experimental and ill-advised treatment.

Is there any sound evidence that medications like AvoDart decrease in effectiveness over time? Is my body becoming immune or maybe the DHT levels are now greater than they were 2-3 years ago?

Ultimately I will have to cease AvoDart at some point. I don't want to take any chances with starting a family; you can't donate blood while on AvoDart and women are encouraged to not even touch the stuff. So clearly it must not be good for trying to have a child. Has anyone read any further studies on this, by the way?

Your thoughts are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[dresden]

Hi
I guess your hairloss is just catching up and dutasteride isnt enough anymore. i dont know how does well can that combo thing work.
What do you mean by significant loss of color pigment? did your hair turn gray?

 

[el_duterino]

Hi restonwebdev
your and some other posters stories reminds me of mine. 6 years on finasteride, not working anymore, then 3-4 years on dutasteride, then thinning re-started.
The bad news, as you have realized, is that we are fighting a battle that gets tougher as we age..the drugs will be less and less effective over the years.

The good news however, is that we still have a few more powerful drugs availalable, flutamide being the most powerful. This drug has created some heated debates on those forums but most people using it noticed improvements.
Increasing dutasteride dosage works too.

i would try the MDF Solution topical from SAMSON therapeutics.

It has more dutasteride than the typical oral dutasteride amount of 1 cap a day, but less will be systemically absorbed as it is a topical.

i am not in the US so i have not tryed it yet, but i am asking our office guys over there to send me some bottles.

i used Flutagel, now discontinued, and had very good results.
i also tryed fluridil, which is designed to degrade the androgen receptors and not block them like flutamide,and has no side effects at all.
But so far fluridil on its own seems to be less powerful than flutamide, but a good addition to a topical regime because you can cover all your head and not worry about side effects.
For flutamide, it is best used in small amounts.

good luck
el duterino

 

[Dogs3]

hey im taking avodart every day and finasteride 1mg every other day...I cant tell you that the finasteride adds to the success though because i took finasteride for ten months and saw good thickening and then added dutasteride 3 months ago and hair is looking good. I cant tell whats working, if its both or just dutasteride or what but it seems to work for me..Ill update though in awhile and let you know how it goes, but so far so good and no sides i can tell.

 

[Guest]

Using finasteride and dutasteride? that sounds a bit extreme.Are they ment to be used together?

 

[abcdefg]

No they are not meant to go together and its not smart to take both.

 

[HughJass]

hey reston

I'm pretty much the same age as you and started avodart at the same time. I'm in the same boat, Avodart had a great effect when I first started it, now it's only *just* maintaining, I think I'm slipping backwards though. Not knowing if what am i buying is the real deal or not just adds another variable to the problem.

Oh well, dems the breaks....I guess we just have to wait for the next big thing.

 

[Dogs3]

i hope the next big thing isnt a 10 grand HM procedure... Hopefully its another convenient pill that happens to work 5X as well as dutasteride, not that dutasteride doesnt work well, but id love to see some magic pill that regrows everyone back to an NW1? I guess thats pretty much stating the obvious, but wouldnt that be great?

 

[restonwebdev]

Very interesting to find someone in the same position as I am...I'm worried that there is no "next best thing" as I don't hear or read much about new and interesting hair loss research going on. I also think the side effects will always get in the way and prevent some promising meds from getting the FDA approval that they need, you know what I mean?

We have a genetic predisposition for hair loss; even though we can combat the DHT and improve blood flow to the follicles, I just have trouble envisioning a true "remedy" that solves all our concerns. I hate to say that though, and please don't bash me for feeling this way.

 

[Harie]

I guess the question is, how badly do you want to keep your hair? Depending on your committment level (or insanity level), and $$ level, you could try any of the following:

oral spironolactone, oral Loniten, topical MDF, Topical RU, Copper peptides, Proxiphen (sp), Super Zix, Minomuck, Ozbrew, LLLT - Not the POS hand held units, Needling, topical flut, topical aloe, Lithium Orotate + DMSO, Tocotrienols, Retin-A, Hydrocortisone, oral/topical Curcumin etc...

The list is basically endless. I just listed the ones that have been popular in the last year

 

[restonwebdev]

Which of those have any hard data showing that they work? I'd actually be interested in some of them if they were worthwhile. Yes, I really want to keep my hair. :$

 

[Timi]

5 Years dutasteride ??

Your body must Chance totaly

i fight today with the side effects the last 2Years from this Drug



Timi

 

[restonwebdev]

Haha, Timi...really...quit the grief on Dutasteride. You hog every thread with your complaints.

 

[Dogs3]

I guess the question is, how badly do you want to keep your hair? Depending on your committment level (or insanity level), and $$ level, you could try any of the following:

oral spironolactone, oral Loniten, topical MDF, Topical RU, Copper peptides, Proxiphen (sp), Super Zix, Minomuck, Ozbrew, LLLT - Not the POS hand held units, Needling, topical flut, topical aloe, Lithium Orotate + DMSO, Tocotrienols, Retin-A, Hydrocortisone, oral/topical Curcumin etc...

The list is basically endless. I just listed the ones that have been popular in the last year

thats a solid list harie...theres a guy on HLH actually who is on 5mg finasteride, oral spironolactone and oral minoxidil...He says hes got no sides, and his hair has improved immensely...Im on just dutasteride and finasteride, i dunno if id risk the oral spironolactone and loniten though if things took a turn for the worse. I just got on dutasteride so hopefully i can maintain for a few years and by that time the "next big thing" will be here.

 

[HughJass]

well if there is a 'cure' pill, then I don't think we are going to see it anytime soon. It's not in the interest of big pharma to provide us with something like that.

In a few months time I'll be quiting minoxidil, I can't see myself taking dutasteride for more than another year- if it aint providing me with enough benefit then I can do without the extra chemicals floating about my system doing god knows what in the long run. I think I'll probably be surrending to hairloss at some stage in the near future. I don't think my problem has ever been hairloss, it's been anxiety over hairloss, once thats gone then I'm free.

 

[restonwebdev]

Agreed, I think I will shave my head or just keep my hair cut extremely close and let go of my worries over hair loss. Getting over the problem is going to start from a mental state of mind wherein I no longer care. Hopefully I will be able to get over my self-consciousness related to not having any hair and start to enjoy doing things that I enjoy. There is a great blog about people who take the "no hair" plunge but I can't think of it right now.

I don't think the pharmaceutical companies care about hair loss and any drug will have undesired consequences.

 

[HughJass]

Being able to let go/surrender is the quickest way to anxiety free life. I think I've only just started to be able to losen my grip on things.

I've been shaving my hair down to a number 1 for quite some time now just to get used to it. Funny thing is, now when my hair grows a little it feels very uncomfortable and I want to shave it again asap.

 

[CCS]

I recommend buying some spironolactone tablets and grinding them up and putting that in your shampoo, making just 1 month batches, at 2% spironolactone. Who knows if you will absorb enough or it it will break down in that bottle, but it does not cost much, is easy to stick to, and worth a shot. The androgen receptor blocker spironolactone will certainly complement the 5ar complexer dutasteride.

 

[HughJass]

thanks for the tip CCS

 

[medmax84]

Perhaps you could discuss dosage with your prescribing physician. It may increase side effects :thumbdown2: but perhaps avodart's effectiveness increases with dose (unlike finasteride).

Please do not change your dosage without discussing this with your physician, but I'd ask if it could potentially help.