hariloss anyone use avodart?

[cbpumped]

I went to my doctor and told him I have researched the drugs that were out there for hairloss. Propecia, proscar and avodart. My doctor suggested my insurance would flag an avodart precription due to my age and they did. Since it was for hairloss I have to pay 80 bucks per month or maybe try and order it from canada down the road. Anyone use avodart I just started it today. The research I did on it said it is the only drug to block both the enzymes that cause hairloss pre and post dht which proscar and propecia only bock the pre dht coversion. Any feedback if you have used it and had good/bad results.

[ironfist]

****, I only have to pay $4o per month for the avodart but it is well worth it in my opinion...

[CarbonCopy]

I've used it! It works great I am real happy with the way my hair looks now. I've been on it for about a year now. I started to see results at about the 5 month mark. I did have some bad sheding at different times, but I believe it was just dead hairs that were being replaced with new, stronger hairs. BTW maybe your doc would write you a script and say it is for BPH, which is what the drug was really created to treat.

Peace,

CC

[jackfrost]

Worth every penny. Blocks both type I and type II 5 alpha reductase and is more effective than 1 mg finasteride (propecia) and 5 mg finasteride (proscar). Like the above poster, I had a shed while on it but came out the other side with great results. It works even better with minoxidil, if you don't mind putting it on your head twice a day.

[LebaneseMuscle]

i need to get me some of this, im only 20 and have really thin hair. it isnt from the gear because i've been losing it since i was around 16.

[cbpumped]

I wish my doc would say I had bph but the nurse said since the chart says hair loss there is no way for him to do that. He didn't argue to give me what I wanted though. He said proscar or avodart your choice. I may go to another doctor and have it done. Insurance is such bs these days. One freaking prescription is all I'm asking for here.

[sp9]

Great stuff. I have used is for 13 months with good results. How old are u? I was 32 when I started. The pharmacist questioned why I was getting it but the insurance company did not. Even though the perscription said for hair loss on it, it went through insurance. If you have a membership to costco or sams club then it could be a little cheaper. I paid full price the first time I got a perscription and it was $72 at sams club plus I know they have some $5 off coupons hidden in the pharmacy and I would always ask for one to get it down to $67.

[diesel21]

how long do you take it (when on cycles only?)
and when you stop do you have to cycle down, and will it make the dht levels peak when you come off?

[sp9]

It has a very long half life. Can't remember the exact length but I now you can not donate blood for up to 6 months after stopping (the drug is not ok for females). I imagine it would decrease gradually on its own due to the half life. I take it everyday to stop progression of male pattern baldness. Some people get away taking it every other day or every third day once again because of the half life.

from hairsite.com:

"The terminal half-life of dutasteride is approximately 5 weeks at steady state. The average steady-state serum dutasteride concentration was 40 ng/mL following 0.5 mg/day for 1 year. Following daily dosing, dutasteride serum concentrations achieve 65% of steady-state concentration after 1 month and approximately 90% after 3 months. Due to the long half-life of dutasteride, serum concentrations remain detectable (greater than 0.1 ng/mL) for up to 4 to 6 months after discontinuation of treatment. "

Avodart or Dutasteride has relatively much longer half-life than Propecia. However, it does not necessarily mean that you can reap substantial cost savings because in the long run, you have to sustain the same amount of medication in your body in order to see results. You might be able to "defer" the money you spent on Avodart, but not cutting the overall amount you spend. The real significance of long half-life is that it allows for very flexible dosing schemes. You can take a small amount daily or a larger dose less frequently. But the key is to average the same amount. For example, if your goal is to average 0.5mg in your body, then you can take 0.5mg daily or 3.5mg weekly.

Note that while Avodart or Dutasteride has a long half-life, it does not necessarily mean that the medication will simply stay fixed at the highest "peak" level all the time.

[cbpumped]

I will have to look into sams club 66 bucks is much better than 80. I have heard great things and I'm not bald yet just thinning but still appear to have a full head of hair. I'm getting on it early before it gets out of control. I have read on other sites that is thickens and can cause regrowth in under a year. Why the fda won't approve this for hair loss I don't know. When a generic comes out that will be nice since the cost should go down.

[sp9]

FDA has not approved it for hairloss becuse the company (glaxo) postponed the phase 3 fda trial (large scale) indefinitley. There are lots of reasons that coupld have happened. The trials are very expensive, they are performing phase 3 trials with avodart for prostate cancer prevention right now. Could be they thought there was bigger rewards in the cancer area for now. With it only being approved for BPH it allows many people to fly under the insurance co radar and get the drug for just a copay, once its approved for hairloss there goes that loophole.

[cbpumped]

Well the loophole sounds great but my insurance didn't go for it. I will have to have another doctor help me out. I'm only 31 so until I'm 44 my insurance wants a authorization bofore covering it.