Does this Change Your Opinion on Dutasteride?

Dr Rassman,

I thought you would be interested in this study, if you have not already seen it: ScienceDaily

This study reports that small doses (0.5mg/day) of dutasteride have indeed been proven to be effective for hairloss. It would seem the study only followed a single pair of twins, but from what I’ve seen you report about dutasteride, you don’t seem to be aware of any such study.

Does this change your attitude about dutasteride even slightly?

Before I would prescribe Avodart (dutasteride) I would want to see an FDA clearance on safety. In previous posts I believe I’ve referenced that at the 0.5mg dose, Avodart is no better than Propecia. This was based on early information received, but I’d need to see a more extensive study than the one referenced in the article you sent. The article isn’t clear about a lot of things… like even mentioning how wide the study was. There have been studies done on effectiveness, but I’m also looking for safety.

As of today, Avodart is not FDA cleared for treating hair loss and my insurance company would not cover me if a complication should occur like sterility. I’m not anti-dutasteride — I just want to see the facts spelled out before I treat my patients with it.