Hi Tim,
Anyone dealing with male pattern hair loss should think seriously about Propecia. Propecia is the brand name for a 1mg dose of a drug called finasteride. Finasteride blocks the production of DHT, a male hormone. DHT has no
essential functions in the
adult body (though you need it as a growing child), and it is the major cause of male pattern hair loss. Further information about Propecia is available at www.propecia.com
Finasteride is also available in a 5mg dose called Proscar. This is used to treat prostate enlargement, a common condition in older men. Because of strange pricing by the manufacturer, Merck, it can work out cheaper for guys to get Proscar and split the 5mg tablets up into fifths. Spex's GP will prescribe you Proscar that you can cut up at home with a knife or a little pill cutter. There's no long-term benefit in taking 5mg doses compared to 1mg, so stick to the latter dose.
http://www.hairhelp.myzen.co.uk/?q=node/7You should start with Propecia before you think about dutasteride. Dutasteride is in the same class of drugs as finasteride, but it's much more powerful and has a longer "half-life" (i.e. it stays in your system for much longer). Dutasteride is not yet licensed for the treatment of male pattern hair loss, and we don't have good long-term safety and effectiveness data.
Regaine is worth a shot in addition to Propecia. It's not as effective as the latter, and shouldn't be relied upon alone, but there are a couple of studies showing that Propecia and Regaine can work effectively in synergy.