Avodart (Dutasteride) is an FDA-approved active agent in an oral medicine that is prescribed for the treatment of male pattern baldness (MPB) on the top of the head and the mid-scalp regions.
Initially, Avodart was used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men. It is chemically similar to Finasteride- an active ingredient in another hair loss medication: Propecia.
Research found that men suffering from either male pattern hair loss or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), experience an increased level of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hormone. DHT is usually produced from testosterone triggered by an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase.
How Does Avodart Work?
The dutasteride constituent present in Avodart medication works by inhibiting the 5-alpha-reductase resulting in blocking the formation of DHT, which disrupts a key trigger element in the development of male pattern hair loss and growth of BPH.
What’s the Difference between Avodart and Propecia?
Both hair loss medications, Avodart and Propecia, function the same way. On the other hand, Dutasteride restrains the activities of two types of 5-alpha- reductase enzymes: Type I and Type II. In contrast, Propecia (Finasteride) only inhibits one type, Type II.
Avodart has proved to decrease levels of DHT by 90 percent after only two weeks. This makes Avodart a more powerfully effective and faster medication to reverse hair loss and inhibit BPH than Propecia.