Facts

DUTASTERIDE BRAND NAME: Avodart USES: This medication is used to shrink an enlarged prostate in men with a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. It works by lowering amounts of the hormone responsible for prostate growth (dihydrotestosterone). Dutasteride reduces urinary blockage and improves urine flow. SIDE EFFECTS: Sexual problems (e.g., impotence, decreased interest in sex, decrease in the amount of ejaculate) may infrequently occur, but then go away as your body adjusts to the drug. This medication may also cause breast enlargement and/or tenderness. If any of these effects persist or worsen, contact your doctor or pharmacist promptly. An allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. PRECAUTIONS: Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: liver disease, urinary tract disease, prostate cancer, any allergies. Men taking this medication should not donate blood until at least 6 months after they have stopped taking it to prevent exposure through a blood transfusion to a pregnant female. Since this drug can be absorbed through the skin, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should not handle this medication. Any contact with this drug by a pregnant woman could result in abnormal external sex organs of a developing male fetus. This medication should not be used in women or children. Dutasteride must not be used during pregnancy. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, inform your doctor immediately. It is not known whether this drug passes into breast milk. However, this medication should not be used in women. Propeica (Finasteride): Propecia is a once-a-day pill and is a specific inhibitor of type II 5 alpha-reductase that lowers dihydrotestosterone. It specifically inhibits the enzyme type II 5 alpha-reductase to decrease serum and scalp DHT. Propecia works on a key cause of hair loss by significantly reducing the amount of DHT. Lowering DHT appears to: Inhibit the further miniaturization of affected hair follicles and also will help restore miniaturized hair follicles to regrow visible hair. DHT is a substance in the body that can shrink the hair follicle until it no longer produces visible hair. Scientists believe DHT and family history are key factors in hair loss. Propecia helps regrow visible hair and reduces further hair loss. It is, in fact, the first and only FDA-approved pill proven to treat male pattern hair loss on the vertex (top of head) and anterior mid-scalp area (middle front of head) in men. Minoxidil It's normal for men to lose hair as they age. But men with androgenetic alopecia lose even more hair due to hormones and heredity. Androgenetic alopecia shrinks your hair follicles and shortens the time they grow hair. As a result, your hairs become smaller and finer and lose their color. Eventually, some follicles may stop growing hair altogether. The Follicle Revitalizer Minoxidil works by revitalizing shrunken hair follicles, increasing their size. When you use Minoxidil every day, follicles increase in size, and the growing phase becomes longer. This produces longer, thicker hairs. How exactly does minoxidil work? How minoxidil works to grow hair is somewhat of a mystery. Since it was originally a blood-pressure pill and because it is a vasodilator it was thought that it worked by increasing the amount of blood to the hair follicles. However other vasodilators do not stimulate the same response so that it is now thought that minoxidil works by a different mechanism. Recent studies have shown that topical minoxidil does not cause an increase in skin blood flow which was originally though to be the mechanism by which minoxidil works. Studies carried out recently suggest that minoxidil works by activating PGHS 1 (prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase-1) which helps promote hair growth. It has been said that minoxidil works best in the first two to three years of use and then may tend to lose its effectiveness. Be careful though because it is common to experience a shed when use of the product is discontinued. However, if you are using propecia in conjuction with Minoxidil much of that hair can grow back. Nizoral ( 2% ) Nizoral 2% shampoo ( Ketoconazole 2% ) is often used for the treatment of yeast and other fungal infections of the scalp and dandruff ( sebbhoreic dermatitis ), however as it has anti-androgenic and anti-inflammatory properties it is also often used in combination with other treatments to treat hair loss in both men and women. Studies have shown 2% Ketoconazole shampoo to be as effective as Minoxidil 2% for hair regrowth. Ketoconazole works as an anti-androgen - reducing the DHT present in the scalp. This shampoo is also unique because it's effect is long lasting. Even after rinsing, it carries on working for several days. This means that you don't need to use it every day making it extremely cost-effective. ( Ketoconazole is also available in tablet form for internal use. When taken internally can cause a reduction in the production of testosterone and other androgens by the adrenal gland and by the male and female reproductive organs. ) 2% Ketoconazole Shampoo Nizoral 2% comes in bottles of 130ml. L-LYSINE L-Lysine for Hair Growth Studies involving the administration of the amino acid, L-lysine to those suffering from increased hair loss show a remarkable increase in scalp hair growth. The co-administration of L-Lysine with known treatments for androgenetic alopecia (male pattern hair loss) such as Rogaine and Propecia results in a significant improvement in the efficacy of the treatment.