Why would anyone use oral dutasteride instead of topical?

I have a question: why anyone would take dutasteride orally vs. applying it topically?

I would think Glaxo would figure out a way to make a topical out of this rather than turning it into a pill.

At =>0.5mg daily dosages, taken orally the drug reduces serum DHT levels by 90% but scalp DHT levels only by about + - 50%.

I just switched from taking it orally (0.5mg daily) to taking it by rubbing it on my head in a base of pure aloe vera gel. The book Double A recommends doing this for 3 minutes (have not read it but have read about it), but for now I am leaving it on for significantly more time.

What I have noticed is that all the side effects I notice of dutasteride are still there, but my low-grade scalp itch (which already has been greatly reduced by oral administration) is completely gone. This leads me to think that near-full DHT suppression is happening in the scalp. The fact that I am leaving the topical on for an hour or more means that I am probably just getting the same systemic or blood stream suppression as before while dramatically increasing scalp suppression.

After I have spent a week or so applying the topical and leaving it for a long time, I will switch to the 3-minute application called for by the book Double-A. I believe that I’ll minimize sexual side effects while achieving maximum benefit.

Here’s my thinking: by both methods, it absorbs into the body and enters into the bloodstream. But I believe that if it absorbs into the body through the scalp, it must suppress a higher percentage of scalp DHT than does the oral administration. I would in fact believe it would be getting close to 95% if not greater suppression of scalp DHT, though this is just a guess.

One thing is for sure when placed on my scalp, it is certainly being absorbed. I can feel its effect on my scalp and via some of the other side effects.

Keep us posted.

I’ll tell you why Glaxo doesn’t have a pill form of it: They’ve never sold Dutasteride for hair loss in the first place. It’s still basically a prostate drug.

As for topical –

In my experience the drug companies don’t wanna mess with selling topicals that have much of ANY systemic absorption. They wanna either have nothing get to the system or else they sell it as a pill.

A small market like us might feel that a topical with slightly smaller systemic effects is worth selling. But their bean-counters probably don’t see the dollars adding up to justify the development costs.

» I have a question: why anyone would take dutasteride orally vs. applying
» it topically?
»
» I would think Glaxo would figure out a way to make a topical out of this
» rather than turning it into a pill.
»
» At =>0.5mg daily dosages, taken orally the drug reduces serum DHT levels
» by 90% but scalp DHT levels only by about + - 50%.
»
» I just switched from taking it orally (0.5mg daily) to taking it by
» rubbing it on my head in a base of pure aloe vera gel. The book Double A
» recommends doing this for 3 minutes (have not read it but have read about
» it), but for now I am leaving it on for significantly more time.
»
» What I have noticed is that all the side effects I notice of dutasteride
» are still there, but my low-grade scalp itch (which already has been
» greatly reduced by oral administration) is completely gone. This leads me
» to think that near-full DHT suppression is happening in the scalp. The
» fact that I am leaving the topical on for an hour or more means that I am
» probably just getting the same systemic or blood stream suppression as
» before while dramatically increasing scalp suppression.
»
» After I have spent a week or so applying the topical and leaving it for a
» long time, I will switch to the 3-minute application called for by the book
» Double-A. I believe that I’ll minimize sexual side effects while achieving
» maximum benefit.
»
» Here’s my thinking: by both methods, it absorbs into the body and enters
» into the bloodstream. But I believe that if it absorbs into the body
» through the scalp, it must suppress a higher percentage of scalp DHT than
» does the oral administration. I would in fact believe it would be getting
» close to 95% if not greater suppression of scalp DHT, though this is just a
» guess.
»
» One thing is for sure when placed on my scalp, it is certainly being
» absorbed. I can feel its effect on my scalp and via some of the other side
» effects.

Why do you believe these positive effects (i.e., healthier scalp, less irritation) is not the result of the aloe vera gel?

» In my experience the drug companies don’t wanna mess with selling topicals
» that have much of ANY systemic absorption. They wanna either have nothing
» get to the system or else they sell it as a pill.

Why is this?

» I have a question: why anyone would take dutasteride orally vs. applying
» it topically?
»
» I would think Glaxo would figure out a way to make a topical out of this
» rather than turning it into a pill.
»
» At =>0.5mg daily dosages, taken orally the drug reduces serum DHT levels
» by 90% but scalp DHT levels only by about + - 50%.
»
» I just switched from taking it orally (0.5mg daily) to taking it by
» rubbing it on my head in a base of pure aloe vera gel. The book Double A
» recommends doing this for 3 minutes (have not read it but have read about
» it), but for now I am leaving it on for significantly more time.
»
» What I have noticed is that all the side effects I notice of dutasteride
» are still there, but my low-grade scalp itch (which already has been
» greatly reduced by oral administration) is completely gone. This leads me
» to think that near-full DHT suppression is happening in the scalp. The
» fact that I am leaving the topical on for an hour or more means that I am
» probably just getting the same systemic or blood stream suppression as
» before while dramatically increasing scalp suppression.
»
» After I have spent a week or so applying the topical and leaving it for a
» long time, I will switch to the 3-minute application called for by the book
» Double-A. I believe that I’ll minimize sexual side effects while achieving
» maximum benefit.
»
» Here’s my thinking: by both methods, it absorbs into the body and enters
» into the bloodstream. But I believe that if it absorbs into the body
» through the scalp, it must suppress a higher percentage of scalp DHT than
» does the oral administration. I would in fact believe it would be getting
» close to 95% if not greater suppression of scalp DHT, though this is just a
» guess.
»
» One thing is for sure when placed on my scalp, it is certainly being
» absorbed. I can feel its effect on my scalp and via some of the other side
» effects.

I myself am actually about to purchase Dutasteride for the first time.

What is your process for mixing the pills up into aloe? I assume you crush them. How fine? How much aloe do you use per pill?

I suggest that you not waste your time and money on topical dutasteride. Dutasteride and finasteride are both in the “azasteroid” class of drugs, and finasteride has a very checkered history of attempts to use it topically. Sometimes it seemed to work a little, other times it didn’t work at all. I wouldn’t expect dutasteride to do any better.

» One thing is for sure when placed on my scalp, it is certainly being
» absorbed. I can feel its effect on my scalp and via some of the other
» side effects.

As somebody else pointed out to you, I strongly suspect that the effect was coming from the aloe vera, not the dutasteride! :slight_smile: