If you are a male, especially older men, you may want to check your prostate regularly. Prostate can grow throughout your life and it may cause you problems at some point. The prostate enlargement condition in the medical world is known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.
The symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia can be detected if you are feeling the need to urinate more often, can’t urinate right away, and the flow of your urine is lower than the usual.
You don’t have to worry however. The advance in medical technology has allowed us to develop drugs which can treat the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia in a more effective way. Propecia (finasteride) and Avodart (dutasteride) are among the medicine which can treat this ailment which plagues men with enlarged prostate.
Avodart vs Propecia
In order to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, you are going to need drugs which belong to a class called 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. Both Propecia and Avodart belong to this class. The Propecia however only contains the type II 5alphe reductase inhibitor. Avodart on the other hand contains type I and II reductase inhibitors.
Simply speaking, these drugs will prevent hormone, which is produced in men’s body, which can increase the size of the prostate. Typically, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia symptoms treatment using Avodart or Propecia can last for at least 6 months before your condition can get better. See also: Propidren vs Propecia.
Avodart comes in capsule form and it has 0.5mg strength. Propecia comes in 5mg strength and has tablet form. Both drugs should be taken once a day by mouth.
Avodart and Propecia for Hair Loss Treatment
Avodart and Propecia are widely known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia treatment. Both drugs is also capable of inhibiting the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. It is the male hormone (androgen) which causes baldness in men.
In medical terms, the baldness due to testosterone conversion is called as androgenetic alopecia. If you are suffering from androgenetic alopecia, your hair may start to thin out starting from the head crown.
Your hairline may also start to recedes and it will shape into an “M”. This type of baldness can be severe and the bald spot will be permanent. Hair loss is not a life-threatening condition. However, you may develop insecurity and reduce your confidence.
In United States, androgenetic alopecia affects more than 50 million men. This condition can happen even happen to teenager and the risk will increase as you get older. According to research, 50 percent of men with the age of 50 or over have some degree of male pattern baldness.
Propecia or finasteride belongs to a 5a-reductase inhibitor class which can provide treatment for male pattern hair loss. People who are using this medicine to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia are reported to have their hair growing back as a side effect.
Similar to Propecia, Avodart or dutasteride also belongs to 5a reductase inhibitor class. Avodart is a synthetic 4-azasteroid compound. This medicine has selective inhibitor type 1 and type 2 isoforms which is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Unlike the Propecia however, Avodart is not yet approved as Male pattern hair loss treatment in America. It is approved as solution for male hair loss in some countries however, but the American’s FDA yet to give it an approval.
Avodart is very effective to prevent testosterone conversion into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It means that it is more effective than Propecia to treat male pattern hair loss. According to research, Avodart is able to block 90% of DHT. On the other hand, Propecia is only able to block 70% DHT.
Propecia and Avodart are effective to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, but studies show that both medicines are also capable of promoting hair growth.
With the same dose, men treated with Avodart (dutasteride) produce more hair counts compared to the ones which are treated by finasteride over a period of 12 to 24 weeks.
Finasteride works very well in the short and long term at preventing baldness. Dutasteride may be able to give you more hair but it may not be the best option do to its approval limitation, especially for Americans.
According to some research, the reason why Dutasteride is more effective than Finasteride can be explained by their half-life. Dutasteride stays in your body for four to five weeks. Meanwhile, Finasteride only last in your body for about five to six hours.
Avodart and Propecia Side Effect
Propecia has several common side effects. They include impotence, loss of interest in sex, having trouble with orgasm, abnormal ejaculation, swellings in your hand, feet or breast, dizziness head ache, skin rash, and runny nose. It may also cause you to feel weak and faint.
Avodart also has similar common side effects. It may cause trouble to your sexual life just life propecia’s side effect. It is however may cause additional side effects in the form of testicle pain.
Propecia and Avodart may also cause a rare serious side effects. Both medicines may increase the risk of prostate cancer.
Avodart vs Propecia
Conclusion
Avodart and Propecia are chemically different but both are capable of treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Both medicines are also effective to treat male pattern baldness. Avodart and Propecia work by preventing your male hormone, testosterone, to convert into DHT.
Finasteride or Propecia was patented before Avodart and is approved by the American FDA to treat men hair loss. Avodart, while presumably to be more effective to promote hair growth, is not yet approved in America as solution to men hair loss.
While both Avodart and Propecia may cause unpleasant sexual life after consumption, the serious side effect is very rare.
In the end, it is better for you to consult your doctor before taking these medicines. If you are concerned with BPH or male baldness, the doctor will be able to prescribe the best treatment for you. Using Avodart as male baldness treatment is not recommended if you country has not approve it due to risk which you may not be able to foresee. The Propecia which is commonly approved is the safer option between the two in order to treat male pattern baldness symptoms.