Can You Take Nutrafol And Finasteride Together?

Hair loss and thinning afflict millions of men and women, causing emotional distress and negatively impacting their confidence.

To tackle this, a lot of research has been conducted to discover either pharmaceutical drugs or plant-based supplements (nutraceuticals) that will effectively prevent or treat hair loss.

Two such drugs are finasteride and Nutrafol respectively. In this article, the pharmacist will explain if it is safe to take Nutrafol and Finasteride together.

What to know About Finasteride and Nutrafol

Nutrafol is a popular hair supplement made up of natural ingredients like plant extracts, vitamins, and minerals. 

It is stated by the manufacturers to be 100% drug-free and as such, devoid of any of the sexual dysfunction side effects caused by pharmaceutical drugs used in hair loss treatment.

Nutrafol treats hair loss by using ingredients that target what are considered the root causes of alopecia (hair loss). These causes include hormones, stress, poor nutrition and metabolism, unhealthy lifestyle and aging.

Their Products consist of a blend of ingredients, and each ingredient is aimed at targeting and resolving one of the root causes of hair loss [1].

Finasteride on the other hand is a pharmaceutical drug approved by the FDA for use in varying doses in the treatment of hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate gland in men).

Finasteride is very effective when taken consistently and in correct doses for the restoration of hair growth. It was approved to be taken orally for hair loss but recently, there has been an emergence of topical finasteride products. 

Though the few available studies have shown that the topical formulation is also effective in treating male pattern baldness, with the added advantage of having fewer side effects compared to oral tablets. 

It still remains unapproved by the FDA in this dosage form, and companies marketing topical finasteride only do so as compounded medications. Oral and topical finasteride are not meant to be taken together. 

Finasteride works by inhibiting type II 5-alpha reductase enzyme. This enzyme is responsible for converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the body. By doing so, it reduces the amount of DHT in the body [2]. 

Dihydrotestosterone is known to be responsible for the miniaturization of hair follicles, resulting in the formation of thin, weak, and short hairs. 

Can You Take Nutrafol and Finasteride Together for Hair Loss?

It is generally not recommended to combine Nutrafol and Finasteride in the treatment of hair loss because one ingredient in Nutrafol has been shown to work the same way as finasteride. 

Combining the two may result in duplication of therapy (using multiple medications for the same purpose). And taking both nutraceutical (Nutrafol) and pharmaceutical (Finasteride) together may not provide any significant additional health benefits. 

But rather pose an increased risk of amplifying the side effects associated with either of the two or both. This is more likely to be the case if they share a common mode of action.

Saw Palmetto extract which is one of the ingredients in Nutrafol works the same way Finasteride does. It reduces the amount of dihydrotestosterone in the body by inhibiting both type I and type II 5-alpha reductase (5-AR) enzymes [3]. 

These enzymes are responsible for converting testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone which is responsible for male pattern baldness. 

Finasteride only inhibits Type II 5-AR but its brother Dutasteride which is not yet approved for use in hair regrowth, can inhibit both forms of the enzyme.

A study was conducted on 100 men with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia to evaluate the effectiveness of saw palmetto extract when used alone in the treatment of hair loss in comparison with finasteride [4].

In the study, the men were divided into two groups. One group received 320 mg of saw palmetto extract while the other received 1 mg of finasteride, all for 2 years. 

It was observed that 38% of men who received saw palmetto extract and 68% of those who received finasteride experienced significant improvement in hair growth. 

This shows that both drugs have the ability to treat hair loss even though finasteride is more efficacious. Most men are likely to choose Nutrafol over finasteride. 

This is chiefly because unlike the latter, it does not cause sexual dysfunctions like low sex drive, low sperm count, erectile dysfunction, and even an enlarged male breast.

Key Considerations in Using Nutrafol and Finasteride Together

Taking a supplement like Nutrafol with finasteride should only be done if prescribed by your doctor. In situations like that, you have to be medically supervised in case there are serious side effects. 

Here are the key considerations to take note of before combining these two drugs.

1. Safety 

As earlier mentioned, both Nutrafol and Finasteride can independently decrease the amount of dihydrotestosterone in the body.

So combining them creates the potential to amplify the chances of side effects which most of the time is usually sexual dysfunction. It should only be attempted under doctor monitoring.

2. Efficacy 

As stated earlier, taking nutraceuticals alongside pharmaceuticals may not provide additional benefits. Nutrafol does not focus all its attention on decreasing the amount of DHT in the body like Finasteride. 

It contains other ingredients like Ashwagandha, curcumin, marine collagen peptides, tocotrienol complex, horsetail vitamin A C D, biotin, etc. 

Ashwagandha helps combat stress by balancing cortisol levels. Curcumin is added to support cellular metabolism. Horsetail serves as a source of silica to strengthen hair strands. 

Marine collagen peptides provide key amino acids necessary for healthy and strong hair growth. The vitamins provide additional support as antioxidants to battle stress-induced hair loss and to also maintain a strong immune system.

All these added benefits make Nutrafol a multifactorial solution for hair loss. Nevertheless, Finasteride remains more effective as shown by multiple research. 

3. Duplication of Treatment

Ingredients like saw palmetto found in Nutrafol act similarly to finasteride. They both block the actions of 5-AR on testosterone, thereby thwarting the production of DHT. 

Combining the two drugs could lead to redundant or excessive DHT inhibition, which can throw off hair growth cycles.

4. Costs  

Apart from the health risk which is the most crucial risk in this case. Using both Nutrafol and Finasteride simultaneously can substantially increase costs.  This may not be a problem if the Nutrafol with a debatable extra advantage over finasteride alone, is already working for the individual.

Final Thoughts

References

1. Nutrafol: All product Ingredients.
2. Zito PM, Bistas KG, Syed K. Finasteride. [Updated 2022 Aug 25]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: 
3. Ring C, Heitmiller K, Correia E, Gabriel Z, Saedi N. Nutraceuticals for Androgenetic Alopecia. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2022 Mar;15(3):26-29. PMID: 35342503; PMCID: PMC8944288.
4. Rossi A, Mari E, Scarno M, Garelli V, Maxia C, Scali E, Iorio A, Carlesimo M. Comparitive effectiveness of finasteride vs Serenoa repens in male androgenetic alopecia: a two-year study. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2012 Oct-Dec;25(4):1167-73. doi: 10.1177/039463201202500435. PMID: 23298508.