Here’s a question regarding my thoughts on dutasteride, a potent medication that reduces DHT levels by over 95%.
Hi there, Big fan of your work! I’m just wondering, do you have any plans to write an article about Dutasteride for hair loss? It’s approved in Japan and Korea, and I know a lot of men, including myself, who take it for hair loss. Would love to hear your take on it. Thanks man!
Appreciate your compliments, and your email actually promoted me to complete this article: 17 Things You Should Know About Dutasteride.
The fact that dutasteride is essentially a DHT blocker makes me uncomfortable. Sure, finasteride reduces DHT levels too but it doesn’t negate the hormone-conversion process almost completely like dutasteride does.
At the same time, I realize that DHT is fundamentally a developmental hormone and that its benefits after puberty are limited, per most studies, expert analyses, etc. Nearly eliminating the hormone all together is a bit too extreme for me personally and I wouldn’t use it for that reason.
It’s interesting that the drug is approved in Korea and Japan, where baldness is less prevalent than it is in places like the US and Europe.
Nice Option to Have
Finasteride can help dramatically slow the progression of hair loss about 90% of time. But what about the other 10% of patients? Should they just accept their fate and go bald? Not necessarily.
I think dutasteride is a nice backup option that does have its place. Some men who deal with aggressive balding don’t respond to finasteride, and in those cases, if they’re still determined to keep their hair, dutasteride is something they should look into perhaps. It’s likely more effective than finasteride as it blocks two 5-alpha reductase enzymes, whereas finasteride only blocks one.
The one potential issue: It may be difficult to get a prescription here in the states or in other places where the medication is not approved to treat hair loss. But if fin just doesn’t work for you, then discussing dutasteride with a hair-loss specialist is something worth considering. They may be willing to prescribe the treatment for you “off-label.”
Robert Price is a writer, consumer advocate, and hair loss researcher with thousands of hours of experience in the field. His goal is to keep you out of the hair loss rabbit hole, underworld, or whatever you want to call it. He founded Hair Loss Daily, the unbiased hair loss blog, in 2016. You can learn more about Robert in the my story section of this website.