Alternativen zu Finasteride (topical)

A prescription 5α-reductase type-II inhibitor that lowers DHT to treat male pattern hair loss (1 mg, Propecia) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (5 mg, Proscar). The hair and prostate benefits are well-proven in large RCTs. The honest caveats are real and prominent: sexual side effects (erectile dysfunction, decreased libido) in a minority of men, a disputed but important 'post-finasteride syndrome' with persistent symptoms, and a depression/suicidality safety signal in pharmacovigilance data. It is NOT a longevity drug.

A potassium-channel-opening vasodilator — originally an oral antihypertensive — whose well-documented hypertrichosis side effect made it the first FDA-approved hair-loss drug. Topical 2–5% (Rogaine) is OTC and proven in androgenetic alopecia; low-dose ORAL minoxidil (LDOM, ~0.25–5 mg) is an off-label, rapidly adopted alternative with real but generally mild cardiovascular/hypertrichosis side effects. A drug, not a supplement — and not a longevity compound.

A dual 5α-reductase (type I + II) inhibitor approved for benign prostatic hyperplasia and used off-label for male pattern hair loss. It suppresses DHT more deeply than finasteride (which blocks only type II), and head-to-head it beats finasteride for hair regrowth. It carries the same sexual and mood side-effect concerns as finasteride — with a much longer half-life, so any persistent effects clear more slowly. A prescription drug, not a supplement, and not a longevity drug.