have ordered some Proscar and have been looking at all the posts on this site regarding what you guys are taking.

the problem i am having is how are you deciding what to try?

is there a list somewhere showing all the various different meds with pros/cons and what they are best for?

any help appreciated guys

No, there's no list - you just have to do your research. There's info about Propecia and Avodart on the main stophairlossnow.com page. I can also explain a bit!

First up, what are we trying to achieve with meds?

Well, we know that the male hormone DHT is a prime factor in male pattern baldness. Testosterone is converted into DHT by 5-alpha-reductase (5AR) enzymes, of which there are two types - Type 1, found mostly in the sebum glands of the skin and in the brain, and Type 2, which is found in the prostate and the hair follicle. Individuals deficient in 5AR, and therefore deficient in DHT, do not experience male pattern baldness.

Type 2 5AR is more important in causing hair loss than Type 1, since tests of a Type 1-blocking experimental drug produced by Merck had no effect on baldness. However, there is a school of thought that DHT from Type 1 5AR can pose a secondary 'danger' to hair follicles once DHT from Type 2 5AR has been largely eliminated.

The first drug to block DHT is called finasteride. This blocks 90% of the DHT produced by Type 2 5AR, but none of the DHT produced by Type 1. It was licensed for treating prostate enlargement, another problem caused by DHT, in 1992, in a 5mg dose marketed as Proscar. At the end of 1997 it was approved for treating hair loss, in a 1mg dose called Propecia. The 1mg dose has the same effect on hair as 5mg. Bizarrely, Proscar is cheaper than Propecia, so many guys get the former and cut the pills into quarters or fifths with a pill cutter.

The second drug to block DHT is called dutasteride. This blocks 98.5% of the DHT produced by Type 2 5AR, and 50% of the DHT produced by Type 1. It was licensed for treating prostate enlargement in autumn 2002, in a 0.5mg dose called Avodart, and was expected to be released for hair loss. However, the manufacturer, GSK, cancelled the clinical trials despite promising initial results, it is thought for commercial reasons.

In trials, dutasteride regrew more hair than finasteride. The superior hair counts recorded for dustasteride must be accounted for mainly by its stronger inhibition of the Type 2 5AR enzyme (98.5% versus 90%) rather than its inhibition of Type 1 (which finasteride cannot block) given the results with Merck's experimental Type 1 blocker.

So you're probably thinking, why bother with fin, get straight on dut! Well, that would be a mistake. For one thing, dut is not officially approved for hair loss, so you either have to get an off label prescription form a doctor (very hard) or but from an internet pharmacy. Dutasteride is a much stronger drug than finasteride, so if you get side effects, they will be stronger with the dut.

Pondle thanks for taking the time to reply with such an informative post.

the problem coming to this 'new' is that there is a lot of great info on here but it is very over-whelming!

lots of people doing different things!

I also understand that different people repond differently to certain drugs!, it took ten years to find a good drug combo/dose for my Epileptic wife so i know this from experiance!

guess i am looking for a guide for an average joe, a start point if you like!

so

start with 1 mg/day Fin (maybe switch to Duc if not successfull?)

rogaine foam twice daily

2000mg of MSM

sound ok?

Yes it is confusing! Two years ago I knew precious little about hair loss, so I was starting from zero as well. These days I think I've learned quite a bit

For an average guy, I'd suggest starting with Fin and seeing how you get on with that. Get cheap Proscar from Spex's GP, Dr John Ashcroft. http://www.hairhelp.myzen.co.uk/?q=node/6 (look halfway down the page).

Remember, you will only start to see results from Fin after 6 months to a year. Hair loss is progressive, eventually your hair will become sensitive to even small levels of DHT. When that happens - and it may be a decade away! - consider Dut.

My regimen is:
1/4 Proscar per day (1.25mg) since Nov 2005
Nizoral shampoo 3x per week
100mg Grape Seed Extract per day

I'm going to start using the Tricomin copper peptide spray as well soon.