Drug used today

Up until today, doctors have 2 medical treatment options to offer our patients who are suffering from hair loss:
Minoxidil (commonly known as Rogaine) and
Finasteride (Propecia and Proscar)

For more information on these drugs please click on the following link -

http://www.hairtransplantinstitute.com.au/management.html

These drugs have extensive researches done under the strictest protocols and finally proven by Food and Drug Administration of U.S. FDA to treat hair loss. Because it has been available in the market for over 10 years, doctors have a lot of information regarding the efficacy and side effects and even long term effects on the body. Hence, to suitable candidates, it is very safe to use under the guidance of a qualified doctor who has experience with these drugs.

Dutasteride

This is a drug with very similar characteristic with Finasteride. It has been used by some doctors in the past 2 years as Off Label treatment for hair loss. Off Label is a short hand term for using a drug for a use not approved by the FDA. It is used only with caution and after complete assessment by an experienced doctor.
More and more is now known about this drug, and it is now approved by FDA for the treatment of patient with a condition called Benign Prostate Hypertrophy (BPH).
This drug blocks both type 1 and type 2 5-alpha reductase (5-R), which is an enzyme needed to convert testosterone to 5-alpha dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Finasteride only blocks type 2 5-R. DHT is the chemical responsible for the damage to the hair follicles.
Clinical trials of dutasteride as a treatment for Androgenetic Alopecia or Male Pattern Hair Loss are currently underway in the U.S., and investigators have reported successful outcomes.
For more information, please click on the following links

http://www.ishrs.org/articles/dutasteride-trials.htm

http://www.dutasteride.com/