| WHAT
IS MALE PATTERN HAIR LOSS? |
| Male
pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia, is a very common condition
in which men begin to experience thinning of the hair on the scalp.
These changes often start slowly in men in their 20’s and often progress
to a receding hairline and/or balding on the top of the head. Male
pattern baldness is believed to be hereditary and dependent on hormonal
effects. The primary cause of Male Pattern hair loss and baldness
is due to Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is produced by 5-alpha reductase
conversion of testosterone to DHT |
| WHAT
IS AVODART & HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PROPECIA? |
| Avodart,
(active ingredient Dutasteride) manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, is the
FIRST & ONLY dual acting 5 alpha reductase inhibitor blocking
both Type I and Type II 5-alpha reductase enzymes that convert testosterone
to DHT. Propecia, the oral drug approved by the FDA to treat male
pattern baldness, only inhibits Type II 5 alpha reductase enzyme.
Men with male pattern baldness have increased levels of the hormone DHT
and the hair follicles in the balding areas of the scalp become miniaturized.
Like Propecia, Avodart interrupts a key factor in the development of androgenetic
or male pattern baldness but to an even greater extent. Avodart at
a daily dosage of 0.5mg/ day has been shown to reduce serum levels of DHT
by over 90%. Like finasteride, the active ingredient in Propecia,
dutasteride or Avodart has initially been approved by the FDA for the treatment
of prostatic enlargement Preliminary studies have shown Avodart
to be as SAFE as Propecia but significantly more effective in decreasing
DHT levels and treating Male Pattern Baldness. |
| WILL
AVODART WORK FOR ME? WHAT ARE THE INDICATIONS? |
| Avodart
has been shown in preliminary Phase 2 studies by GlaxoSmithKline to be
effective than Propecia for Male Pattern Hair loss. In over 80% of Men
with Male pattern baldness in the vertex and anterior mid-scalp area, clinical
studies have shown that Propecia stops further hair loss and/or increases
the number of scalp hairs resulting in significant hair re-growth filling
in thin or balding areas of the scalp. Medical Wellness Center has
been compiling Patient responses to Avodart after 6 months to one
year of use. Click here
to read unedited patient responses to Avodart |
| HOW
LONG BEFORE I SEE RESULTS? |
| Hair
grows only about ½ inch per month, therefore patients start to notice
results after first 3 months of treatment. It takes time to see improvement.
Also, for those just starting to have hair thinning, taking Avodart in
the early stages can prevent or dramatically slow further hair loss. |
|
HOW LONG DO I HAVE
TO TAKE AVODART?
|
| The
underlying predisposition to baldness is always present. Therefore, if
a patient discontinues use of Avodart, he will gradually lose the new hair
that grew in response to Avodart treatment and will experience the progression
of his underlying predisposition to baldness. |
| WHEN
& HOW DO I TAKE AVODART? |
Avodart
is prescribed in 0.5mg soft gelatin capsules that you take once a day with
or without food. Taking Avodart more frequently or in higher doses
will NOT make it work better or faster. If you miss an Avodart dose,
take the missed dose as soon as you remember during the SAME day.
However, if you don't remember until the next day, skip the dose you missed
and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. DO NO take a double
dose of the medication.
-
Avodart (dutasteride)
is for use by MEN only
-
Take each dose
with a full glass of water
-
Swallow the
capsule whole. Do NOT chew or crush or break the capsule
-
Avodart can
be taken with or without food
-
Always discuss
any new medications with your primary care physician first before taking.
-
Do NOT combine
Avodart with finasteride - Proscar or Propecia
|
| WHAT
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ABOUT AVODART? |
-
Avodart is
for MEN only
-
Avodart is
a more potent and effective 5 alpha reductase inhibitor than Propecia.
Although Avodart was approved in October 2002 by the FDA for treatment
of prosthetic enlargement (BPH), Avodart has been shown to be more
effective than Propecia in treating male hair loss and can be prescribed
off-label for other indications than BPH.
-
Pregnant women
or women who may become pregnant MUST NOT handle Avodart capsules as dutasteride
can be absorbed via the skin and cause external genital abnormalities in
the male fetus.
-
Do not donate
blood for at least 6 months after your last dose of Avodart to prevent
pregnant woman receiving dutasteride via blood transfusion.
-
Store Avodart
at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Avodart gelatin
capsules may become soft and leak or may stick together at high temperatures.
If the capsules are cracked or leaking, do NOT use them and contact your
pharmacist.
-
Avodart reduces
the serum level of the Prostate cancer marker PSA by approximately 40%
after 3 months of treatment and by 50% after 6 months of treatment.
Therefore, if taking Avodart one must inform all treating physicians and
adjustments need to be made in baseline measurements and interpretation
of PSA levels for monitoring cancer-related changes. To interpret
PSA testing for a man on Avodart treatment for 6 months or longer, one
must double the PSA value for Prostate cancer detection.
|
| WHAT
ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF AVODART? |
| Avodart
has shown a similar safety profile as Propecia and most men, as with Propecia,
experience no side effects. A small percentage of men experience
the following side effects most of which decrease or disappear with continued
usage: impotence (4.7%), decreased libido (3%), breast tenderness and breast
enlargement (0.5%) and ejaculation disorders (1.4%). These
possible side effects disappeared in most men who continued to take Avodart
and completely disappeared in men who stopped taking Avodart.
Stop taking
Avodart and seek emergency medical attention if you experience an allergic
reaction such as difficulty breathing, closing of the throat, swelling
of the lips, tongue or face |
WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE
AVODART?
WHAT ARE THE CONTRAINDICATIONS
FOR AVODART?
|
-
Avodart is
for Men over age 18 only.
-
Do NOT take
Avodart if you are a female or under age 18.
-
Do NOT take
Avodart if you have LIVER disease as Avodart is metabolized by the liver.
-
Do NOT take
Avodart if you are taking Protease inhibitors such as Agenerase (amprenavir),
Crixivan (indinavir), Viracept(nelfinavir), Novir (ritonavir) or Invirase,
Fortovase (saquinavir)
-
Do NOT take
Avodart if you are taking oral Nizoral(ketaconazole) or Sporanox (itraconazole)
-
Women who are
pregnant or planning to become pregnant must NOT touch Avodart capsules
as dutasteride can be absorbed through the skin and cause harm to developing
male fetus.
|
| CONTRAINDICATIONS:
In order to proceed to the medical consultation, you must proceed to the
next page and read the contraindications and verify that you do not have
any of the contraindications and understand that any pregnant or potentially
pregnant woman must not even touch any broken or crushed pills.
Under NO
circumstance is any woman or a child under the age of 18 to take Avodart. |
|
|
AVODART:
Questions
and Answers