Switched from Finasteride to Dutasteride: Heavy Shed and Transplant Concerns, Seeking Advice

General
,
1

Description

Timeline & Background:

Was on finasteride 1 mg for ~1 year 3 months.

Switched to dutasteride 0.5 mg at the end of March 2025.

Increased to 1 mg/day (0.5 mg twice daily) for a while, paused briefly in early September.

Also tried oral minoxidil 2.5 mg (March → late Sept), stopped due to dizziness.

Currently on topical minoxidil 5% + topical fin 0.1%, plus tretinoin 0.025%.

Transplants:

HT #1 (Sept 2023): 1695 grafts

HT #2 (Sept 2024): 2599 grafts

Baseline Norwood 4

What Happened Recently:

Traveled Sept 1–9, paused all meds.

Had seb derm flare (used clobetasol once, ciclopirox, keto, selsun, salicylic shampoos).

Restarted meds mid-Sept.

Since then, I’ve been seeing major shedding and scalp visibility — even transplanted hairs look weaker.

My Question for the Community
For those who switched from finasteride → dutasteride,

Did you also go through a heavy shed around 6 months in?

How long did it last before things stabilized?

Did it affect transplanted hair appearance for you too?

:folded_hands: I know nobody here can diagnose or predict my exact outcome, but I’d really appreciate hearing personal experiences from others who had a shed like this after switching to dut.

Current Picture

Before dut switch

2nd ht

2

Switching from fin to dut can definitely cause a shed as your body adjusts. Dutasteride is more potent, affecting both enzymes that produce DHT. This transition can lead to older, thinner hairs shedding as follicles prepare to grow stronger ones. Shedding can last several months, and it’s not unusual for it to affect transplanted areas too. Keep up with your current topical regimen, which should aid regrowth. The impact from seb derm treatments will help reduce inflammation and potentially stabilize shedding. Give it a few months to see improvements.