I recently read an article by Dr. Cooley somewhere on this web site who stated that propecia could be taken every other day or 3x per week,(M,W,F), since one dose stays in your body for three days; therefore, one could theoretically get the same efficacy as taking the medication once per day. He also alluded to the fact that the drug company, Merk?, doesn't diclose this to the public because of the $ factor. However, when I brushed this by my ht surgeon he told me that it was nonsense and that taking the meds once per day was totally required in order to get any benefits. Do you suppose I read the article correctly, and why the discrepancy in opinions? Anyone?

I am taking Proscar 1.25mg every other day, so I will be interested in hearing the responses to your question. This was upon suggestion from Dr Limmer. I stopped taking Proscar about 7 months ago because of side effects, and just started back up.

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"Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More

anyone??

It's not uncommon for people to take 1.25mg finasteride every other day (or on some comparable "skipping" regimen) rather than 1mg daily. It seems some insurances cover only 5mg tablets (which can be split up), not 1mg.

*The effect of this appears to be no different from that achieved by taking 1mg daily.

from what i understand finasteride has a short half life; thus, everyother day would not be as effective as taking it every day; however, you would still get benefits from everyother day; but everyday would give more benefit (benefit being lower DHT levels; if you have mild/less agrresive MPB then everyother day might suffice;

Of course, another option might be skipping one day a week. Skipping just a day (when slicing up 5mg tablets) would help prevent an excess of medication in the body (as levels even out when dosage is skipped) while ensuring there's a reasonably even supply of the drug present at all times. Also, no two people are alike: different tolerances, body-weights, internal chemistry, etc. Based on what I've read (on Web sites and in other fora), many people, on the advice of physicians, save their wallets by purchasing 5mg doses that are taken on non-daily schedules.

Hi Guys. You've given some good advice about the effective dosage of finasteride, but what about my opening questions abour Propecia?

bananas,

I think the article you written by Dr. Jerry Cooley you are ferring to is "Taking Propecia for Hair Loss Every Other Day".

Dr. Cooley doesn't necessarily advise a particular dosage or frequency, but rather informs his patients of the facts of the drugs to help them make their own conclusion.

Personally, I take 1.25mg finasteride (via Proscar) daily for 4 days and skip the 5th day. I used to take Propecia 1mg daily before I switched. There has been no difference when I switched.

Best wishes,

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

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I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

Even though finasteride has a relatively quick half-life, its biological effects continue DHT suppression over the course of several days.
The 5-alpha enzyme regenerates slowly
Three days a week for me produced the same results then everyday when I compared blood tests.
I also eliminated all sides with this dosage