Dutasteride

What is Dutasteride?

Dutasteride is a tablet that you take once a day to ease symptoms of an enlarged prostate, like difficulty urinating. It helps to reduce the size of your prostate, so it puts less pressure on your bladder and urethra. This should ease problems you have passing urine, like weak flow, difficulty starting, or frequent urination.

How does Dutasteride work?

Dutasteride is a type of medicine known as a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. This means it reduces the effects of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, which is responsible for converting the hormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is involved in the development and growth of the prostate, so less testosterone being converted into DHT should reduce the size of your prostate over time. Reducing the size of your prostate means it puts less pressure on your bladder and urethra, which should provide relief from urinary symptoms associated with BPH.^[1]

What doses does Dutasteride come in?

Dutasteride only comes in one dose, a 0.5 mg capsule. If this dose of Dutasteride isn’t right for you, speak to your healthcare provider about other BPH options. They may be able to recommend something that suits you better.

How to take Dutasteride

You just need to take your dutasteride capsule once per day. You can take Dutasteride with or without food, so you can fit it into your schedule whenever suits you best. Try and get into the habit of taking it at the same time every day, like first thing in the morning or just before going to bed, so you’re less likely to miss a dose.

How long does it take for Dutasteride to work?

BPH is a long-term treatment for Dutasteride, and you’ll have to take it for a while before you see the results. Studies show that Dutasteride reached around 65% concentration after one month of daily treatment, and 90% after three months.^[1] It usually takes around three and six months before it stays at effective levels consistently, and before you see results.^[1] But once you reach this point, as long as you keep taking dutasteride every day, it should help keep your symptoms in check indefinitely.

What should I do if I make a mistake taking Dutasteride?

You should only use dutasteride exactly as your healthcare provider has instructed you to. While there haven’t been any recorded safety concerns with dutasteride overdoses in clinical trials, if you take too much medicine and feel unwell, contact your physician.

If you forget to take your dose of dutasteride, you can take the missed dose as soon as you remember. But if it’s almost time for your next capsule, skip the one you forgot and carry on as normal from the next dose.