I've recently had a couple of e-mails asking me about Dutasteride(Avodart) and wanted to share some info on the subject.
Propecia is the best proven way to prevent further loss. If for some reason your not a responder theres Dutasteride/Avodart but i recommend you start off with Propecia/proscar and see how you repond.
FYI -
Dutasteride and finasteride (PROPECIA) are both 5-alpha-reductase (5AR) inhibitors. Both treatments work by inhibiting 5AR, the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the primary androgen in the prostate. It is a primary factor in the development and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and other prostate diseases and is also a major cause of hair loss.
.5mg - 2.5mg of Dutasteride provides better results in hair maintenance/regrowth as opposed to Finasteride
However, the benefit likely comes from its higher inhibition of type II 5ar not its suppression of type I 5ar. Merck tested a specific type I 5ar inhibitor called "MK386" in a human trial and found it had no effect on balding.
Jumping on the Dutasteride bandwagon before the Finasteride bandwagon is not a good idea. For most men Finasteride is enough to halt and even reverse MPB... In the off-chance your body becomes tolerant of Finasteride (over the years) you always have Dutasteride to fall back on...
Side-effects on Dutasteride may be more common, any such sides would last longer as the half-life of Dutasteride is much longer then Finasteride, and unlike type II 5ar type I 5ar *is* present in brain tissue. Finally, keep in mind that DHT is not an evil androgen that just causes hairloss. Various bodily functions benefit from DHT. Finasteride inhibits 65% overall DHT levels leaving 35% for your body to use (most of that 35% is from the type I 5ar that isnt a big factor in hairloss). Dutasteride inhibits 90% or more overall DHT levels leaving 10% or less for your body...
Basically, use Finasteride **first** and only resort to Dutasteride if you must.
This is just my opinion
spex