Finasteride vs Dutasteride comparison: how many extra hairs will you gain on Dutasteride?

DHTrash

DHTrash

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According to this 2022 meta-analysis published in JAMA Dermatology [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2788258]:

Results showed that the greatest increase in total hair count at the first time point was observed with the daily 0.5 mg dose of dutasteride. This drug and dose bested the daily 1 mg of finasteride by a mean difference of 7.1 hairs per cm2 (95% CI, 5.1-9.3)

Like the lazy fuck I am, I let ChatGPT do a rough calculation how many extra hairs that would result in on the crown, mid-scalp and frontal regions. You will gain roughly ~1500 hairs more on these regions. Even if we take the lowest bound of the 95% confidence interval (5.1 hairs/cm^2), that would still amount to at least a minimum of 1000 extra hairs.

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Thanks to @PURE ARYAN GENETICS for bringing this to my attention and for the insightful discussion.

You can stop reading here.

Experience of someone that's been taking dutasteride for 15 yrs translated from a post on a popular Dutch hair forum (registered user since 2004).

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Dear hairwebbers,

It's been a very long time since I've been online, but here's my (hopefully motivating) story for those who have been using Finasteride or Dutasteride for just a few years and want to hear a positive long-term story about DHT inhibitors (approximately 20 years).

Since the age of 17, I discovered that I was experiencing diffuse hair loss. Comments from parents, friends, and the hairdresser were impossible to ignore. Receding hairline wasn't much of an issue, but diffuse thinning from the hairline to the crown was evident.

Baldness runs in the family, with many relatives from both my mother's and father's sides experiencing significant hair loss at a young age, progressing to NW6.

At 18, I visited the doctor who confirmed thinning on top and at the crown. There was no significant loss at the receding hairline.

I started with Finasteride, which stabilized things for about 2 years without significant regrowth. I also began using Nizoral 2% for an itchy scalp. Unfortunately, after 2-3 years, hair loss started again. This led me to switch to Dutasteride.

Initially, I imported it from a pharmacy in Switzerland (0.5 mg once a day). The results were excellent—hair loss completely stopped, and there was significant regrowth. This was likely due to catching it early, with many hairs not permanently lost. Eventually, the cost of Dutasteride from Switzerland became prohibitive, so I switched to liquid Dutasteride (1 mg once a day) for about 30 to 40 euros per month. I've been doing this since I was 23.

I never opted for topical Minoxidil due to the hassle and mess. Now, just one drop a day, and that's it.

Hair loss is practically zero. I often receive comments about my full head of hair.

I stopped for six months once, questioning if I really had diffuse hair loss. However, the hairdresser spontaneously commented on thinning at the crown. I immediately restarted Dutasteride 1 mg, and after a year, the crown was fully restored.

This was five years ago, and my hair is still thick. Receding hairline may have moved back half a centimeter in 20 years, but otherwise, it's stable!

I'm now 38, and most of my friends are significantly balding, but I'm still holding strong.

In the past, I thought I could accept baldness by the age of 40, but as that milestone approaches, my perspective has changed. The threshold seems to keep shifting.

At the current rate, I'll likely continue for at least another 10 years.

Regarding side effects, I have none! No brain fog, no reduced libido, just a slightly lower ejaculation volume. That's all!

I also read a lot on Reddit about 2.5 mg oral/liquid Minoxidil once a day for head and beard hair (re)growth. I might consider this for more beard growth. I already apply the foam variant topically for beard growth, but the results are modest. I'm just concerned that stopping this might make my scalp hair dependent on Minoxidil.

The liquid Dutasteride was also available with Minoxidil; I'll think about this carefully. To be continued!

Best regards,

Maart84
 
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Well, did he have any children? Hes 38
 
im pretty sure dutasteride is only marginally better than fin, it was widely believed there was a big difference but the only thing that mattered was total dht reduction on scalp and it was like a 10% difference. So basically 0.5 mg finasteride was there most ideal for balancing scalp dht and reducign sides
 
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also sides are a person to person basis, I saw massive sides on dut but i was pretty much fine on 0.5mg finasteride.
 
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also do the studies account for the usage of minoxidil, lots of people on fin dont use minox but if your on dutasteride your 100% on minoxidil so the results in almost all dutasteride studies are skewed
 
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another fault too on the study, is that most people on dutasteride had significantly more recession and had more ground to make up which equals more hair follicle count
 
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im pretty sure dutasteride is only marginally better than fin, it was widely believed there was a big difference but the only thing that mattered was total dht reduction on scalp and it was like a 10% difference. So basically 0.5 mg finasteride was there most ideal for balancing scalp dht and reducign sides
Dutasteride may also clear up acne since the sebaceous glands are filled with the Type 1 5ar Enzyme which finasteride doesn't shutdown, but dutasteride does.

Also dutasteride has a longer half life so taking it 3 times a week is more than enough, whereas i read fin has a half life of 8 hours.
 
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Dutasteride may also clear up acne since the sebaceous glands are filled with the Type 1 5ar Enzyme which finasteride doesn't shutdown, but dutasteride does.

Also dutasteride has a longer half life so taking it 3 times a week is more than enough, whereas i read fin has a half life of 8 hours.
ye, but the studies only show dutasteride every single day, i dont know many people taking it every single day, the side effects have to be worse than 3x a week.
 
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I've been taking fin for over a year now, no side effect. I don't think it'd be the same with dut, this shit literally nukes your dht into oblivion. MPMD made a video about it a while ago.
 
im pretty sure dutasteride is only marginally better than fin, it was widely believed there was a big difference but the only thing that mattered was total dht reduction on scalp and it was like a 10% difference. So basically 0.5 mg finasteride was there most ideal for balancing scalp dht and reducign sides
Some say that 10% difference is more important than you think
 
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Some say that 10% difference is more important than you think
2.5mg dut inhibits around 85% scalp DHT. 0.5mg around 50-60%. Reports on fin differ widely in many studies but seems to be somewhere around 30-40% scalp DHT inhibition at doses of 5mg. Duta is far superior than fin. It's even more prescribed than fin now in South Korea and Japan.

1713369845745
1713369858033
 
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Duta is far superior than fin. It's even more prescribed than fin now in South Korea and Japan.
I get this
But always start with fin first and if that doesn’t get you rid of the dht itch or stabilize your hair hop on dut.

Because what do you do if dut loses it effectiveness after x amount of years, you can’t use anything else that’s stronger, when you start with fin you can always hop on dut and it will stop hairloss in 95% off men.
Not mine unfortunately.
 
Dut has so much side effects then fin

Choice fin, NOT DUT
 
Send whole study

It's a retrospective study design using electronic health records, so not as robust as a prospective placebo-controlled RCT. But based on the study results it'd be hard for me to believe that dutasteride gives more sides. It's either equal or less like found in the study. My broscience theory why that may be is that dutasteride could have a more balanced effect across various tissues (since it blocks both type I and II), potentially leading to fewer noticeable side effects in some cases.
 

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