Learn more about combining Dutasteride and Minoxidil for hair loss, aka Dutoxidil.
The last few years have been great in the realm of hair loss treatments. With the rise of telemedicine along with the wider knowledge of compounded options, more and more inventive and off-label treatments have become the go-to for many practitioners focused on hair loss.
One of these up-and-coming treatments included something some doctors and patients are referring to as “Dutoxidil”.
Below, we will give you the basic information on just what Dutoxidil is, how this combination of active ingredients may help you with your hair loss goals, if these medications work better when they are used together, and guide you to where you can find Dutoxidil to use for yourself.
Dutoxidil is the playful name for compounded formulations that are venturing to combine the over-the-counter hair loss medication Minoxidil with the prescription-only medication Dutasteride in a topical (applied to the scalp) formula.
This tongue-in-cheek name comes on the heels of the newly popularized topical Finasteride plus Minoxidil formulations sometimes called “Finoxidil”. Basically, it is just a rough combination of the names of the two active medications in these formulas.
The Minoxidil plus Dutasteride (Dutoxidil) combination is pretty similar to the Minoxidil plus Finasteride (Finoxidil) combination, except for a few key points.
While Finasteride and Dutasteride are in the same class of medications, 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, Dutasteride has been found to inhibit this enzyme more strongly than Finasteride. And by blocking DHT further, this may help to slow the progression of male pattern hair loss even more. For this reason, some people are interested in opting for Dutasteride over Finasteride.
Also, Dutasteride is a larger molecule than Finasteride, so you may have the best results using a topical Dutasteride formulation along with a dermaroller on the scalp to enhance its absorption a bit.
The pairing of these two medications is interesting because both of them have shown promise in hair loss treatment efforts, but, they work differently enough that they won’t “step on each other’s toes” or be duplicate therapy when used together. There also should not be any negative interactions from using both of these medications at the same time.
Minoxidil was originally a blood pressure medication that was found to have benefits when it came to enhancing hair growth. Minoxidil may help increase blood flow to the scalp area when applied topically, and function as an epidermal growth factor, increasing hair growth. Minoxidil may also improve the hair growth cycle by extending the growth phases.
The approach for Dutasteride is different here. Dutasteride works by helping to reduce the conversion of Testosterone into DHT by inhibiting the enzyme which makes the change. Since DHT is a known culprit for the hair follicle miniaturization that occurs with male pattern hair loss, having less of it around means a slowed hair loss progression.
You can think of it as having Minoxidil around as a fertilizer to promote healthy growth, and including Dutasteride as a bouncer to keep the damaging bad-guy DHT at bay. They both have different jobs that don’t really have anything to do with one another -- but both are still beneficial for hair loss treatment.
Aside from just working on different aspects of hair loss, it turns out that it is likely these two medications work synergistically as well. Meaning that by putting them together, you may see better results than can be achieved by just using one or the other alone.
The research for Dutasteride is a little further behind than the research we have for its drug-class-mate Finasteride. But, since they do have many things in common, it may be possible to infer that the synergistic hair loss treatment effects seen with Finasteride plus Minoxidil will also be possible with Dutasteride plus Minoxidil.
This systematic review and meta-analysis from 2020 states that the combination of Finasteride plus Minoxidil has better efficacy and similar safety to using just one of the treatments alone.
In order to attain topical Dutasteride combined with Minoxidil (Dutoxidil), you will first need to have a consult with a doctor who is familiar with this treatment option, and make sure that this is an appropriate course of action for you.
You would then need to have your prescription filled at a compounding pharmacy with the knowledge and ingredients to put together a topical Dutasteride formulation.
While this may seem like a lot of leg work to find this formulation, there is also the option of using secure telemedicine services like Strut Health.
Here at Strut, we pair you with one of our doctors that are well versed in off-label treatments for hair loss, like topical Dutasteride plus Minoxidil. Then, they will review your questionnaire and image-based online consultation to make sure the medication is appropriate for you. If you are a good candidate for treatment, your prescription will be issued to a U.S. compounding pharmacy, put together on site, and then shipped to your front door with free shipping.
If you are ready to get started, simply review our Dutasteride product page for more information, or complete your online consultation in under 15 minutes.
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