itsgoing

First off, great site here. Thanks to all who put it together and for all who try to help their fellow man with this tough subject. The forums really add alot also. I have been reading for some time and finally joined.

A really interesting find I thought I would share. I have finally taken the initiative to do something about my thinning and as a soon to be patient of Proscar, I was really interested in the differences between the two drugs. I wanted to be sure that the two were very similar if not identical, as I would hate to make the wrong choice just for a cheaper solution. I already had a consultaion with my doctor in which he perscribed for me Proscar instead of Propecia for it's better cost. He said it was the same thing just a bigger dosage. Not that I didn't believe him, but being the always curious person that I am, I did a little research online and found this site, pretty much clears up any worries I had.

Proscar - http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/finas.htm

Propecia - http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic3/propecia.htm

The active ingredient ofcourse is the same: Finasteride. This is obviously the main thing we are all looking for. Only difference is Proscar comes in a higher dosage in which we split into four.

But I wondered what other ingredients of the pill differed and how much so. So I did some research and came up with the links above. From what I can gather, even the inactive ingredients of both pills are the same.

PROSCAR (finasteride) tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets that contain 5 mg of finasteride and the following inactive ingredients: hydrous lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake and yellow iron oxide.

PROPECIA tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets that contain 1 mg of finasteride and the following inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, yellow ferric oxide, and red ferric oxide.

Only differences I can tell between the two:

- One says hydrous lactose, the other lactose monohydrate.

- Proscar says FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake which Propecia does not have.

- Propecia has both yellow and red ferric oxide, while Proscar has only yellow iron oxide.

Pretty much the same as far as I can tell, except for those minor differences. (i'm no expert on this stuff) So basically any of us over skeptical people can put our minds to ease, and be happy we are getting a good product for a cheaper price. Many would say we already knew this or this is just repetitive research, and I understand, but hopefully if anybody out there is like me, as I said before it will put our minds to ease and answer any questions we had.

I hope I am correct in all this and would appreciate any feedback/comments if anybody has some.

Thanks hairbank.

I am opting for the Proscar because of the cost involved, however in my head I always tend to overthink things, and since one is labled for Prostate and the other for Hairloss, the natural thing to do is opt for Propecia because it sounds less scary (lol) and is marketed better for our specific needs. I guess I just need reassurance that yes, infact it is the same thing and are getting the same results. Both contain finasteride and you aren't toying with something that potentially won't work because you are trying to do it cheaper.

btw, your results have been amazing, I checked your weblog. Congrats. I am only 22 and have been thinning for about a year. Well, actually my temples have been receding before that, but I didn't pay to much attention or notice until the heavy thinning on top and I finally decided to do something about it now before it gets really bad. My father was completely bald by 28. So I understand it will be an uphill battle but I am hoping for the best. Really shakes your confidence at this age...

Originally posted by arfy:

I posted a before and after photo in the Drugs forum here, of a guy who went to NHI for a transplant. He had never tried Propecia. They told him to come back after he had been on Propecia for a while. The guy had amazing results, including in the hairline, and did not need a transplant.

 

Again, anywhere that miniaturization occurs, Propecia "can" work. It may work better or more often in crown (?) but that doesn't mean it can't work in the hairline too.

And this would also be the case for Proscar correct? Propecia and Proscar are the same exact thing, just one is a lower dosage and the other is broken up into lower dosages?

For example, if this guy had taken lets say Proscar instead of Propecia, his results would have been the same correct?