Is anyone going to try Advodart? This is the brand name for dutesteride, which is a potent inhibitor of not only DHT2 but DHT1. DHT2 is inhibited by Finasteride, which has shown promise in treating hirsutism. Advodart, theoretically, should be a lot better.
[ October 22, 2002, 06:15 AM: Message edited by: Andrea ]
Hi henry–
I edited the spelling of your headline so others might find it more easily when searching. Avodart is a brand name Glaxo SmithKline uses for dutasteride.
As with other antiandrogenic drugs that treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, it’s possible that a side effect can be alteration in hair growth. I’m not aware of published studies specifically for this use.
Other antiandrogens have been shown to affect male body hair at high enough doses (but not facial hair), but some men get unwanted feminizing effects at higher doses.
People who read the preceding article who also have little knowledge of the action of drugs… might run out and try anything that promises to solve a particular problem they may have.
Please remember, when FDA approves any drug it is released for a particular problem that was PROVEN to be SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IN A PARTICULAR DOSE. Sometimes someone figures out another use for the same drug, however, FDA has NOT approved it for that use and WILL NOT UNTIL THE COMPANY FILES A REQUEST FOR APPROVAL FOR AN ADDITIONAL USE WITH PROOF IT IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR THE ADDITIONAL USE. Therefore if this drug is used on you with NO FDA APPROVAL for this use…it is, technically, an EXPERIMENT ON A HUMAN and this has serious ramifications. The new use may have a higher doseage requirement and this may cause side effects that are different from the original dose for the approved condition. BE SURE TO READ THE MANUFACTURERS PACKAGE INSERT TO GET A LIST OF THE LEGAL USES.
In the case of hair growth… we know androgens and other hormones that resemble androgens, as well as some medications, pregnancy, and a few other diseases, stimulate follicles to grow hair, however, there are anti-androgens that reduce the effects of androgens but this happens all over the body in areas that you do NOT want to treat. Patients may reduce a prostate gland but also reduce or eliminate their sexual ability. Males may grow breasts also. A drug is marketed by a company for a particular use. It is studied and tested for that use. Any new uses that may show up later are NOT studied (unless it is for a huge market like Viagra which was being studied as a cardiac drug), therefore, there is very little research to support the use of this drug for a new use.