Women Taking Avodart (Dutasteride)

I am an emotional wreck about my hair loss, just down the road from suicidal. When I look in the mirror, I see an attractive, fit 47 year old female with thinning hair. I found a website yesterday, a female blog about hair loss and read everything I could. Most of the visitors use medications some in combination with Rogaine and have hair regrowth. The one medication frequently mentioned is Avodart but is considered to be harsher then others. Reading this gave me hope– that there is something I can use to stop the loss. Also, I am a type 1 diabetic (for 35 years) and believe some of my hair loss may be a result of poor diet and uncontrolled sugars. Can you tell me what tests I should have a doctor do to rule things out and if you might happen to know a dermatologist willing to do these tests in DC? Thank you for your site.

The use of Avodart (dutasteride) or Propecia (finasteride) in women is not FDA approved and has no proven value. With that said, more and more doctors are prescribing it, possibly because in some women it may work. There are a series of studies that have been discussed here (see Treatments Available for Female Hair Loss), which are valuable to review. There are risks that are not clearly defined so safety of the drugs have not been defined in women.

As for tests, see Female Genetic Hair Loss is Different from Male Genetic Hair Loss. Sorry, I don’t have a dermatologist recommendation in Washington DC.