Generic Avodart (Dutasteride)

Avodart, produced by pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, is a very popular drug for treating the condition of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in men. BPH is non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. While it is not a threat to overall health in the way that prostate cancer is, BPH often results in difficulty urinating, excess frequency of urination, and discomfort.

Dutasteride is the generic version of Avodart. It belongs to a class of drugs called 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. Drugs in this class inhibit the conversion of testosterone into a form called dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. Problems caused by excess DHT include BPH and male pattern baldness. Indeed, dutasteride is often prescribed off-label for use as a treatment of male pattern baldness, which is baldness in the vertex region of the scalp (receding hairline). Dutasteride is also being studied as a drug therapy that reduces the risk prostate cancer.

When taken daily at a dosage of 0.5 mg, dutasteride usually causes relief of BPH symptoms in as little as two weeks. The relief of BPH symptoms comes from relaxation of the neck of the bladder once the prostate gland shrinks. The dosage of dutasteride for treatment of male pattern baldness is the same: 0.5 mg daily. There is no good way to tell in advance which men will be helped by dutasteride as a treatment for baldness. In some men it reverses baldness and hair will grow as long as the drug is continued. In some men it can slow or stop progression of baldness, which can be a satisfactory alternative to progressive baldness.

However, there are some men for whom dutasteride will not work as a treatment for baldness. Furthermore, it can take up to three months of daily therapy with dutasteride for effects on hair loss to be noticeable. In men who take dutasteride for six months without seeing a change in their baldness, it is likely that the drug will not work for them no matter how long they continue to take it. And in any man experiencing new hair growth as a result of taking dutasteride, the effect will stop if the drug is stopped.

Like any drug, dutasteride has side effects. The most common side effects were impotence and decreased libido. Up to 4% of patients stop taking dutasteride due to these two side effects. However, 3% of subjects taking a placebo dropped out of the study. Other side effects included breast disorders such as gynecomastia (enlargement of breasts in males) and ejaculation disorders.

Dutasteride should never be ingested by women of childbearing age or children. Women of childbearing age and children should not even handle the tablets, particularly broken or crushed tablets because the drug has been known to be absorbed through the skin. The risk is that dutasteride is known to cause serious birth defects in male fetuses.

Men who take dutasteride should not donate blood, and should not donate blood for six months after discontinuing the drug. This is to minimize the risk of a pregnant woman or a woman of childbearing age receiving blood containing traces of dutasteride.