Q: I’ve now been taking finasteride for just over 5 months. I have noticed that my semen quality has changed just in the last 3 months, and it seems now much less in quantity and is quite watery and clear in color. I think the current problems are due to the finasteride, what do you think?

A: Finasteride, the active drug in Propecia, can change the quality of the semen, since it is decreasing the component of seminal fluid that is secreted by the prostate.

You may want to consider having your sperm counts checked, although a decreased sperm count is rare with finasteride. If the symptoms are not bothering you and the sperm counts are normal, it should be OK to continue the medication.

Q: I heard that there is a new drug on the market called Avodart for prostate enlargement which might help with hair loss as it blocks the conversion of testosterone to DHT better than Finasteride and is more effective than Propecia. Do you recommend taking it and if so what is the dose? A: I [...]

Q: My friend just came back from Paris and said that his cousin was taking Avolve for hair loss. Can you tell me what that is and is it available in the U.S.? A: Avolve is the European trade name for dutasteride 0.5mg made by GlaxoSmithKline for prostate enlargement. In the U.S. dutasteride 0.5mg, under [...]

Q: My friend is taking Avodart, he bought it over the internet. Is it safe to take? A: Avodart (dutasteride 0.5mg) was approved by the FDA for the treatment of prostate enlargement in men in 2002. Avodart has not been approved for the treatment of androgenetic hair loss, although physicians can use an approved medication [...]

Q: I heard that Propecia was being used originally for shrinking the prostate, is this true? A: Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is not a prostate medication that was serendipitously noted to have a side effect of re-growing hair, it is a medication that was known all along that it might be able to slow hair loss [...]