More discussion about AVODART

[Guest]

Hi to all:

I am very interested to learn more about the new drug by Glaxo Kline Smith called Avodart (formerly known in the development stage as dutasteride).

I had heard and read a LOT of early fanfare about this medication as it was supposed to be more effective than Propecia. But now I hear virtually NOTHING at all about it, after so much previous hoopla.

I've checked on this discussion board, and again very few postings about it...and of those postings I have seen, there are almost no responses to requests about Avotar.

Is the word not getting around...or does anybody know why this drug isn't being promoted the way Propecia has been, if it is supposed to be the "next big breakthrough?"

I would welcome a discussion about this drug, and hope that y'all might be willing to engage in conversation on this topic. Thanks to all for your help and support. I much appreciate it.

[Guest]

Hi to all:

I am very interested to learn more about the new drug by Glaxo Kline Smith called Avodart (formerly known in the development stage as dutasteride).

I had heard and read a LOT of early fanfare about this medication as it was supposed to be more effective than Propecia. But now I hear virtually NOTHING at all about it, after so much previous hoopla.

I've checked on this discussion board, and again very few postings about it...and of those postings I have seen, there are almost no responses to requests about Avotar.

Is the word not getting around...or does anybody know why this drug isn't being promoted the way Propecia has been, if it is supposed to be the "next big breakthrough?"

I would welcome a discussion about this drug, and hope that y'all might be willing to engage in conversation on this topic. Thanks to all for your help and support. I much appreciate it.

[missingit]

May be to early, harder to get, less use or a combination of sorts... not sure have not heard much

[Guest]

As far as I understand, there have not been tests and trials officially completed yet for it's use for treating hair loss.

[Guest]

I can honestly say that I have been on it for a month and did alot of research before doing so. They say that the DHT will be blocked at it's full ability with inly 2 weeks of Avodart use versus several month with Propecia. Boy was this true! I had the worst case of shedding ever for like a week, but I've heard that is a sign that it's actually working. It's stopped and now I haven't shed a hair since. The one thing I will add is that in the gym, my drive is alot stronger and my arms are toning alot faster than previously. I can say that the results as far as hair growth or retention is too early, but I have not had any side effects that may be seen as bad at this point.

[Guest]

justin_sievers, do you purchase avodart online?

[Guest]

Thanks to you all for getting back to me about Avodart. I would be eager to hear from others who have used it already...it seems from the lack of discussion about this new drug that it's either not so readily available (as I am gathering a lot of people have not heard of it), or it's too expensive, too many side effects etc. Hope to hear other people's thoughts/experiences with it. Thanks a lot.

[Guest]

I was actually perscribed Avodart by my physician. He's a personal friend of mine and perscribed me the drug instead of Propecia. The nice thing is that it's covered by my medical insurance, so I only have to pay a $10 co-pay versus paying $50/month for Propecia! It's great. I think everything is going well thus far. I must confess the shedding phase the first week will scare you, but hang in there. My hair loss seems to be halted completely! I guess time will tell...

[Guest]

Just to inform you guys a little about this drug. It was trialed in Sweden for a several years to treat prostate enlargement, which is also a side effect of DHT. Doctors perscribe Avodart (dutasteride) for this problem. It is much more effective in blocking DHT. Propecia blocks type II like 68-72%, while Avodart blocks type I & II 95%. The bad thing is if you have side effects, they will last for 6 months after you quit, so that's a risk you take. In the early stages of trials, it showed to increase hair counts significantly in the rear crown versus Propecia, but still had no success of growing any hair in the tempol region. The manufacturer (Glaxo) decided not to market the drug for hair loss because they felt the public would see it as too similar to Propecia and they felt it wasn't worth the investment in further clinical trials and advertisement.

[NC30]

You said that you had a great deal of initial hair loss/shedding as you started taking avodart.....what kind of regrowth of that lost hair did you have?

[Guest]

My shedding was more than I was used to I guess is what I was saying. It wasn't like I had chunks of hair falling out, but I noticed alot more in the drain when I showered. After a few days the shedding stopped and now I usually only see a hair or two. It has significantly helped halt or slow the loss in my opinion. I'll post a follow up in a few months if anyone is interested.

[vocor1]

justin_sievers:

 

Great Avodart posts. VERY informative. Yeah, I want to see any picts you have.

 

And I'm glad you told the WHOLE story on Avodart. It is a powerful drug with possibly damning and long-lasting side effects.

 

Despite that, I've debated trying it out. But Propecia is working quite well for me, so maybe that is the safe bet in my case.

 

Poster "Whoops" also posted a lot on his Avodart experiences.

 

Thanks for sharing the info! I didn't know the reason why the marketing effort was stopped!

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Guest]

Sorry chaps for not updating my details earlier. I am now about 4.5 months in. I had V. bad shedding which thankfully has now subsided. I now have no loss but also no regrowth (that I can see), I am going to stick it out for a year. No other side effects at all.

 

vocor1 - I will keep you updated with my progress. I would suggest hanging on to see a few more results.

 

Four transplants 1995-2003 total 6,700 grafts. 5% Minoxidil, Finesteride, Avodart, Prostaguard, Nizoral 2%, Jason 'Thin-to-Thick'.

 

My web site with pic's.

[Guest]

Unfortunately I have no pics at the present time. I can tell you all that I am a NW2-3. All of my recession is in the temples. I started Propecia three years ago and have had pretty good success at retaining what I had. At 21 I was on my way to being like my father a NW6, who was a NW3 at 21. But when I look at pics of my father at 25 I now know I have retained all that I had compared to what he was at 25. He was a strong NW5 and I'm still at the same stage I was when I was 21. I must say the only reason I decided to go with the Avodart is that the initial clinical trials of Avodart proved greater hair count numbers than Propecia. I must say you can honestly tell this drug is more potent! The most people I've talked to on Propecia quit after the initial stages of shedding because it scared them. Shedding is a good sign, not a bad one! People must understand that my dermatologist said that the shedding phase is occuring because the tiny hairs are being shed because the follicle is regenerating a thicker hair as it did before. So basically, the follicle is going back to the way it was before it started shrinking. I found this very interesting and it made alot of sense, so I'm going to stay on top of it and keep you guys informed. Feel free to e-mail me for any further updates, my address is justin_sievers@hotmail.com.

[loci]

justin, whats your daily mg intake

[Guest]

The daily intake is a gel capsule of .05mg I believe. I know it is only available in one dosage and you only take one pill per day if that helps.

[Belgiumdude]

Hi J., it is great to hear avodart is doing great things for you, myself am 21 and a NW2 going to a 3 and it is always a boost hearing from guys in the same position that they kept the hair that they had. Why did you switch to Avondart? U told that u are on propecia for years and that you kept yor hair. Did you have any bad experiences with propecia? I am on proscar now for about a month, but seeing great product showing up is a great thing for the future. Thanks for the information

 

Greetz.

[vocor1]

justin:

 

You hit on another thread that another pretty good thing from these DHT blockers is that your testosterone levels rise. That is USUALLY a good thing, as long as it isn't too abrupt or outrageous.

 

1mg finasteride usually blocks about 70% of your DHT conversion and also results in about a 10% increase in circulating testosterone in the bloodstream. A very mild steroid effect, if you ask me.

 

When I first got on Propecia, my muscle mass DEFINITELY increased more quickly through my regular weight-lifting routine. I started to develop bigger arms, for starters. I NEVER was able to do that.

 

Recently, I've been a weenie and not lifting regularly. I've also put on a few fat lbs. Maybe from aging, less activity, or maybe sustained Propecia use -- I don't know.

 

But I do think that when I "put in the work", I get better results from working out. And the libido is very high.

 

Anyway, glad to hear that your weight program is going well. I'm not sure how much Avodart usually increases testosterone levels. That would be interesting to know given the known average level of increase in testosterone due to Propecia use.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Guest]

To answer your question Belgiumdude, I basically started Avodart(dutasteride) because I heard that it was more potent and stronger at blocking DHT than Propecia. I am a firm believer in not changing if something is working, but had to try it out. I think it's a better drug personally, but the shedding is absolutely scary in my opinion. You'll think that it isn't working or is actually making your hair loss worse, but I have noticed my hair grows alot faster now and that it seems like it is much healthier and starting to get thicker.

 

Vocor1, the gains you get out of Propecia is are similar to Avodart, but not as strong. The main thing you need to understand is that you'll gain weight very quickly because increased testosterone levels increase water weight. Some people tend to look a little flabby when they take these drugs because thir water wight is increased. I did my research and made my decision based on the information I was given. I really hope that the DHT doesn't become resistant to the blocking effects of this drug. I absolutley love it. I took some before pics, but have no scanner, so I'll post them along with a 6 month to 1 year post usage pics. I'm really considering going to Dr. Shapiro this month for a consultation and see what he says about a HT. I'm going to ask his honest opinion if it is in my best interest to have one toi cover the temple ares that have receded.

[Guest]

I've been on Advodart for three months now. I had terrible shedding after only two weeks. My hair also feels more kind of wispy and dry. What really frightened me was a comment by a freind just yesterday, she said, "your'e growing breasts!". Now I am 6ft tall & have always been of a slim build and so its just not excess fat. I don't want to alarm anyone but I felt I needed to share this with you.

[vocor1]

uk_dude:

 

Thanks for that honest feedback. Avodart is NOT for everyone.

 

Still, it is intriguing. Part of me wants to take a shot at it.

 

Unfortunately, "man breasts" is one of the side-effects I've heard of. Ick!

 

Hope it is only temporary, man!

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Guest]

Thanks for the support Vocor. I switched to avodart after about 6 months on Propecia & to be honest I have regretted it ever since. I was doing really well on propecia but got sucked into the Advodart thing thru' reading various threads. I ordered 100 tablets and these finnish in about another 6 days. I plan on reverting to propecia when my current Avodart supply runs out.In Advodarts defence I hav'nt had any more sheds & even a top doc said that is a good sign to shed early on in the regime. But when this happens it really frightens you, believe me. As for the growing 'breasts' thing, gyno side effects have been documented by other users. My heart says give Avo another three months to make a proper judgement but my head says revert back to propecia. We all respond differently to medication & so whats happened to me dosn't mean it will happen to anyone else. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck buddy.

[Guest]

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you an update of my Avodart experience. I was combing my hair back last night like I do about once a month just to document any changes and I have sprouted about 20 new hairs in the temples area. I know they weren't there before. I'm absolutely certain because they're more toward the front rather than the back of my recession and I was slick baled there with absolutley no hair. This isn't enough to get any type of coverage, but they have grown in, which is a positive result. They are about 1cm long and are definitely terminal. I noticed peach fuzz earlier when I started Avodart, but never really expected anything from it because I had the same outcome with Propecia, but now the hairs are dark and black. There are only a few of them, but I'm still stoked that I've seen a result in the temples area. I'm still going to Shapiro in a month or so, but just thought I'd share this with you. I don't think anyone should expect to ever grow hair back that would be a significant cosmetic difference, but the fact that some hair went terminal in an area that I hadn't had hair in for quite some time is promising!

[vocor1]

it is funny how messing with the endocrine/hormonal system produces such vasting different effect is different people. I mean, the risks are high and the potential rewards are great. Look:

 

Propecia:

 

Potential Benefits: increased circulating tesoterone, better work outs, hair count maintenance, hair regrowth, hair follicle density/size improvements.

 

Potential Drawbacks: decreased libido, excess shedding.

 

Avodart

 

Potential Benefits: everything good about Propecia except better

 

Potential Drawbacks: everything bad about Propecia except worse. Man breasts. Six month half life means side effects stick with you for a long time.

 

Holy crap there is a lot to risk and to gain!

 

I guess I'm still going to remain indecisive on Avodart at this point.

 

QUESTION: To anyone

 

Where can I get a copy of the clinical study on Avodart. I know it will talk about prostate stuff and not hair loss, but it'll give a lot of great info. The report that they include with Proscar was VERY useful in telling all the pros/cons of using the drug.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[Dart]

Vocor1

 

I've been reading everything I can find on Avodart also. http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_avodart.pdf has the prescribing info which talks about most of the studies. I think I could handle the shedding risks and a decrease in libido would do me good anyway. However, the whole gyno/man breast thing is too much for me until I see more reports (never had a problem with Propecia). I figure I'll give it another year to evaluate chances and most importantly reversal of gyno side effects.

 

Dart