Avodart

Avodart^®, also known by its generic name dutasteride, is a prescription medication primarily used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate. It’s also sometimes prescribed off-label for androgenic alopecia, or pattern hair loss.

Avodart works by inhibiting 5-alpha reductase (5-AR), an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a hormone sometimes responsible for prostate enlargement and hair loss in certain people. 

Side effects of Avodart are usually mild and may include decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, and breast tenderness or enlargement. Avodart may interact with other medications that affect certain liver enzymes.

Avodart is sometimes prescribed off-label to treat hair loss, but it’s important to keep in mind that the drug is not officially approved for this purpose. Anyone taking it should be monitored closely by a healthcare provider.

Avodart (dutasteride) is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate to:

• Improve symptoms

• Reduce the risk of acute urinary retention

• Reduce the risk of the need for BPH-related surgery

Avodart in combination with the alpha-adrenergic antagonist, tamsulosin, is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic BPH in men with an enlarged prostate

5 alpha-reductase inhibitor

The most common adverse reactions, reported in ≥1% of subjects treated with Avodart and more commonly than in subjects treated with placebo, are:

• Impotence

• Decreased libido

• Ejaculation disorders

• Breast disorders

The cost of Avodart or its generic form, dutasteride, may vary depending on factors such as your dosage, insurance plan, and pharmacy.

Without insurance, the average retail price of a month’s supply of generic dutasteride is about $144 while the retail price of the same amount of brand-name Avodart is about $1,380, but coupons and discount cards are available that may bring the price down as low as $2 for the generic form. Insurance plans may cover all or some of the cost of this medication.

You can get a prescription for Avodart or its generic form, dutasteride, after your primary care provider or another specialist evaluates you and determines the medicine is right for you based on factors like your symptoms and medical history.

• Pregnancy

• Patients with previously demonstrated, clinically significant hypersensitivity (e.g., serious skin reactions, angioedema) to Avodart or other 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors

• Drug interactions: potent, chronic cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4 enzyme inhibitors (e.g., ritonavir)

• Avodart reduces serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration by approximately 50%

• Avodart may increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer

• Prior to initiating treatment with Avodart, consideration should be given to other urological conditions that may cause similar symptoms

• Women who are pregnant or may be pregnant should not handle Avodart capsules due to potential risk to a male fetus

• Patients should not donate blood until 6 months after their last dose of Avodart

Other treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) include:

• Proscar^® (finasteride), another 5-alpha reductase inhibitor

• Alpha-blockers:

  • Uroxatral^® (alfuzosin)

  • Cardura^® (doxazosin)

  • Rapaflo^® (silodosin)

  • Flomax^® (tamsulosin)

  • Terazosin

• Combination therapies

• Surgery

Treatment options available for male pattern hair loss — some of which may be more effective or otherwise preferable than others — include:

• Hair transplant surgery

• Low-level light therapy

• Microneedling

• Oral finasteride

• Oral minoxidil (prescribed off-label at the discretion of a healthcare provider)

• Platelet-rich plasma therapy for hair loss

• Scalp micropigmentation

• Targeted hair care products such as thickening shampoo

• Topical finasteride and minoxidil spray (prescribed at the discretion of a healthcare provider

• Topical minoxidil

• Biotin and other hair-supportive supplements

*This information is from the label for brand name Avodart^®. See the Full Prescribing Information for more complete information. Dutasteride, the active ingredient in Avodart, may also be the active ingredient in other medications, and this information may not be accurate for all medications that include the active ingredient dutasteride.