Dutasteride is an androgen hormone inhibitor. Dutasteride is in a class of medications called 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Dutasteride is used to treat an enlarged prostate i.e. benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH in men. It blocks the production of a natural substance that enlarges the prostate. It relieves symptoms of BPH like frequent and difficult urination. It also decreases the chance of surgery that may be needed to treat this condition.

Use of generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride is not recommended in women and children. Moreover, generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride alone also reduces the risk of acute urinary retention i.e. AUR and prostate surgery. Actually, acute urinary retention is a condition, where the prostate is so enlarged that it completely blocks urine coming from the bladder and which may require surgery.

However, before taking Dutasteride i.e. Avodart medication, ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient and read it carefully. Talk to your doctor about all the possible risks of taking Avodart medication. However, Avodart may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide. Hence, for more information, consult your doctor and your medical pharmacist.

Follow the directions given by the doctor exactly for the usage of the Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication and also read the prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

Take this medication by mouth once daily with or without food and swallow the medication whole. Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. Remember to use it at the same time each day. It may take 3 to 6 months before you notice an improvement of your symptoms. Read the Patient Information Leaflet available from your pharmacist.

If you wish to use the medication for your children, please contact your pediatrician for the dosage.

If you notice any of the symptoms, which seem severe or persistent to you, please contact your doctor immediately. However, your doctor may need to monitor you carefully for side effects and alter the doses if necessary.

Sexual problems e.g. impotence decreased interest in sex, decrease in the amount of ejaculate may infrequently occur but then go away as your body adjusts to the drug. This medication may also cause breast enlargement and/or tenderness. If any of these effects persist or worsen contact your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Some allergic reactions may occur such: dizziness, rashes, itching, swelling, trouble breathing.

Inform your doctor if you experience any of these side effects or some new side effects occur which appear too bothersome to you.

Inform your doctor if you are allergic to the formulation of this medication or any other medication in any other form and also inform your doctor about any other medication you may be taking in any other form, as they may affect the way your medicine works.

However, do not start stop or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor or pharmacist first. Your doctor or pharmacist is may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them.

Before starting using this medication tell your doctor or pharmacist about your medical history or list of all your medication prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use. This medication can affect the results of the blood test used to detect prostate cancer PSA. Make sure laboratory personnel and your doctors know that you use the Avodart drug.

Moreover, Avodart i.e. Dutasteride may also interact with some kind of foods, varied medications, herbal products, nutritional supplements, vitamins, other OTC medicines, some vaccinations etc. Acquire more information about the interactions of the Avodart medication from your doctor and the medical pharmacists.

In case of overdose call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.
If the suffering patient has collapsed or is not breathing call local emergency services at 911. Canadian residents should call their local poison control center directly.

Do not allow any other person to use your medication without getting doctor’s prescription themselves and also avoid using this medicine for other health conditions on your own. Keep the medicine away from the children and pets.

Also inform your doctor, if you are pregnant or are breast feeding. If you conceive during the course, inform your doctor immediately. Do not share your medicines with anyone, even if they have the same symptoms, for it may harm them. Do not begin, increase, decrease, or stop using this medicine on your own. In short discuss your complete medical history with your doctor, before taking the medicine.
Remember, it is very important to keep regular appointments with your doctor to study the way your body is responding to the course. And if you are going to have a surgery, tell your health care professional that you are using Avodart medication.

Laboratory and/or medical tests may be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects and hence consult your doctor for more details.

And in case, if you wish to use the medicine in children, please contact your pediatrician for sure before its use.

If you missed the dose, do take the medicine immediately provided that there is ample of time in between the next dose. However, if it is almost time for the next dose skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Never double your doses to cope up with the missed. And in case, if you miss your one or two consecutive doses consult to your doctor or physician for guidance and continue further.

Generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication is used to used to shrink an enlarged prostate in men with a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia. It works by lowering amounts of the hormone responsible for prostate growth dihydrotestosterone. Dutasteride reduces urinary blockage and improves urine flow. It also reduces the risk of acute urinary retention i.e. AUR.

However, it may also be used to treat some other medical conditions which may be determined by your doctor accordingly and consult a pediatrician for the use of this medication in children.

The generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication may be prescribed for other uses also, so ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information about the Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication.

Store the generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication at room temperature at 77°F 25°C away from light and moisture. Brief storage between 59-86°F 15-30°C is permitted. Keep the medicine in the container, it came in and always keep it tightly closed. Check Expiry date without fail. Keep all medicines away from women, newborns, children and pets. Do not freeze in any case. Also, keep it away from heat, dampness and direct light. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down. When the medicine is not in use or outdated it should be discarded. Take help of your pharmacist in disposing this medicine properly. In any case, do not store the Avodart medication in the bathroom.

Following precautions must be taken during consuming generic Avodart i.e. Dutasteride:

1. Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had: kidney disease, lung disease, liver disease, heart disease, diabetes, low or high blood pressure, asthma, heart attack, irregular/slow heartbeat, urinary tract disease, prostate cancer, any allergies or any other severe disease etc. Also inform, if you drink alcoholic beverages or are a tobacco smoker etc.

2. Also acknowledge your doctor if you need to undergo any kind of surgery, including dental surgery or need an x-ray procedure that uses contrast agents. So, inform your doctors immediately about it, so that the doctor can decide whether to continue taking Avodart medication or stop it during the surgery.

3. Let the doctor also know, if you are in-taking or are planning to take any prescribed or non prescribed medicines, health supplements or any other OTC medications, vitamins etc.

4. Do not use the Avodart i.e. Dutasteride medication, if you have any kind of allergy to it or to any ingredients of it and tell your doctor or pharmacist about the allergy and get treated.

5. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding before taking Avodart medication. Hence also, inform your doctor immediately when you plan to conceive, or become pregnant during the course.

6. Do not share the drug with others unless they are prescribed by the doctor themselves. And if your symptoms of side effects do not improve in few weeks or if they become worse and bothersome, check these conditions immediately with your doctor.

7. Please, use the Avodart medicine in the prescribed amount and do not overdose it or use it for the longer period of time. Do not discontinue on your own and consult your doctor before doing so to avoid further problems.

8. Regularly, keep your appointments with your doctor and keep an eye on the progress or side effects that has been noticed during the complete course.

9. Also, avoid smoking and consuming alcohol and alcohol containing beverages during the complete course to achieve good results.

10. Men taking this medication should not donate blood until at least 6 months after they have stopped taking it to prevent exposure through a blood transfusion to a pregnant female.

11. Since this drug can be absorbed through the skin women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should not handle this medication. Any contact with this drug by a pregnant woman could result in abnormal external sex organs of a developing male fetus. Hence, Dutasteride must not be used during pregnancy.

12. This medication should not be used in women or children.

13. For more information, contact your doctor and your pharmacists and also discuss the risks and benefits of the generic Avodart.