Propecia dosage

[Truth Seeker]

I'm currently on a regimen of 1/4 tablet of Propecia. Cutting down a full tab into quarters is a pain in the butt. Is there anything to be concerned about if I take 1/2 tablet every other day?

[hairbank]

Personally, I'd say no, but then again I'm not a Doc !

 

I quarter proscar and take it every other day. The theory being that Finasteride actively inhibits DHT in your body for a period of 72 hours so a daily dose isn't necessary. I have experienced positive results.

 

I'd check with your Doc on this.

[Bill_the_bald]

When I went in for my initial consultation with Dr. Cooley, his personal assistant Ailene was first answering all my general questions while Dr. Cooley was still busy with other patients. One of things I asked was if I can get prescription for Proscar or generic 5 mg Finasteride to save $$$, and take 1/4 tablet everyday. Ailene told me I might find it difficult to cut the pill into quarters, and it's much easier to take half pill every other day and still have full benefits. I then asked if taking 2.5 mg Finasteride at one time will be too potent. She said no because people with prostate enlargement problems are taking full 5 mg Proscar, and for those who don't have prostate problems, 2.5 mg can actually be helpful in preventing potential prostate enlargement. So I followed her advice and take half pill every other day.

[bizzybiz]

so what the hell am i doing taking 1 a day... ...lol

 

 

i think i'm going to take 1 every other day from now on...i've been on it for exactly 2 weeks so i guess not to much harm done...unless of course my body has gotten used to taking 1 a day already and needs that....which i highly doubt...

 

 

...can anybody confirm for me...thx

[stumper]

any drug store sells pill cutters I personaly cut proscar into quarters.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Just so everyone is on the same page

 

Propecia = 1mg of finasteride

Proscar = 5 mg of finasteride

 

There is a difference between taking 1/4 tablet of Proscar a day and 1/4 tablet of Propecia a day.

 

FDA dosage is 1mg of finasteride per day which can be converted into 1 pill of Propecia a day or 1/4 Proscar per day.

 

NOW, that being said...there have been studies that has shown that finasteride stays in your bloodstream for up to 72 hours (I believe), so many doctors prescribe 1 pill of Propecia every other day (I don't think it matters if you take 1/2 pill per day or 1 every other day). Further breakdown like Truth Seeker is doing like 1/4 Propecia every day (or 1/2 pill every other day...again I don't think it matters which one you do) I don't believe has been recommended by any doctors that I've heard of, but there seems to be studies saying it's almost if not just as effective as taking 1mg of finasteride (aka 1 pill of Propecia or 1/4 pill Proscar) per day.

 

That all being said...I'd recommend this (not as a doctor, but just putting all the evidence together).

 

1. For those who are already taking 1mg of finasteride a day and it's working for you...I recommend do NOT change your regime and take it every other day. What if you lose hair you've regrown or lose more native hair you were keeping? Why argue with success...keep at it. If you want to save money, switch to 1/4 Proscar daily

 

2. For those who are NOT taking any finasteride, perhaps it is worth trying .5 mg of finasteride per day or 1mg of finasteride every other day. Since the research points at this and some well respected hair transplant doctors (like Dr. Wong) prescribe it this way sometimes, why not try it?

 

HOWEVER....I think the BEST thing you can do is consult with a well respected hair transplant doctor to see what he/she recommends.

 

Bill

[Truth Seeker]

Thanks guys. I DO have a pill cutter. The point here is that cutting a pill to it's 1/4 size is pretty difficult to maneuver the pill in the cutter to get it to cut again. Cutting it in 1/2 is easy, it's getting it to 1/4 size that's a pain.

 

For the record, I am into my third month of my prescription and have not seen any results.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Truth Seeker,

 

What "results" are you looking for?

 

1st thing: 3 months is WAY too early to determine if you will regrow any hair with Propecia...you need to be on it at least 6 months to a year

 

2nd thing: Most people do NOT regrow hair with Propecia...but most do maintain what they have. So it MIGHT be working for you.

 

Unfortunately, it is difficult to measure "results" for maintaining existing hair. The best thing to do is take progressive pictures and see if you have lost anymore hair from beginning of use to a year after.

 

Bill

[Gorpy]

Generic Proscar comes in a perfectly cylindrical pill that I find very easy to cut into fourths with a pill cutter. Yes, the non-generic proscar was difficult due to the non-symmetrical pill.

[MrJobi]

Hi all

 

I talked to my doc about taking the propecia every other day rater than every day. He said it would be better to take a 1/2 every day instead.. Not sure if I'm going to cut my dosage or not yet ..

 

If it aint broke dont fix it , huh?

[Truth Seeker]

Bill,

 

The results that I am looking for is a slowing down of hair loss more so than regrowth. The hair in the sink and shower drain seem to indicate that this is not happenening, nor or are the images in my mirror.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Truth Seeker,

 

You do understand for the first several months of taking finasteride that your hair could be going through a shedding process right? Shedding is different than losing your hair. If finasteride is indeed working for you, these hairs will grow back thicker, fatter, and healthier...but it takes time for this process to happen. This is why the recommendation is to stay on finasteride at least a year before giving up!

 

Be patient brother...see what happens...that's all you can do. But if you give up the product now, you'll never know.

 

Bill

[Truth Seeker]

Bill, none of that was explained to me. Thanks.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Truth Seeker...then I'm glad to be able to educate you!

 

Bill

[Hairfree]

Does anyone know why the hair sheds when taking Finasteride? Is it only the weak hairs that shed?

 

I just started on proscar two weeks ago. I am now taking 1/4 pill everyday and plan to continue with it until my shockloss hairs grow back (tomorrow I have my first HT) After several months I plan to cut back to 1/4 proscar pill every other day. Does that sound reasonable? Or should I just take 1/4 pill every other day starting now?

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

I think they shed because they prepare for the growth of new hairs which have to go through the growth cycle.. personally, I would stay on a consistent dosage for a year . I am debating cutting back to 1/2 pill a day of propecia but then again do I want to chance it after spending 15k on 3 HT's... Hmmmmm..

[Bill - Seemiller]

haifree,

 

MrJB is correct. Not all hairs will definitely shed, but typically the hairs that do shed are the weaker ones (though that doesn't mean that they look weaker yet...just means they are affected by DHT).

 

Btw...shockloss is unpredictable...you MAY not have any or you may have some. At least the area where you are getting transplants is mostly a bald area. You may lose the small amount you have in the front due to shock though...but you are doing right by being on Proscar to try to minimize that risk.

 

I agree with MrJB...stay on finasteride for at least a year before you decide to come off of it...see if it does anything for you.

 

Bill

[Milesdaily]

One trick to getting the Proscar 1/2's into the pill cutter straight is to use tweezers with skinny tips. It's easier to line them up correctly and works well.

 

Miles

[Truth Seeker]

OK, I just got my refill of Propecia. The tablets are oblong, not round. How do you cut an oblong pill into 1/4's? I tried this morning, and it's harder to do than the round pill!

[AndrewYoung]

If you cut the Propecia into quarters, aren't you only getting 0.25 mgs? Not enough right? The Proscar is a 5 mg tablet and cutting it into quarters gives you 1.25 mg - 0.25 more than the Propecia. I had no idea until Bill said something about 72 hours. I am going to stick with the every day for at least a year, it's my money, right? lol. Besides, it's comforting to know that if I forget one day, it's still in me until I remember the next day. Plus, as others have pointed out, the almost hexagonal pills are hard to exactly cut into fourths so one day, I might only be getting 1 mg, and another 1.5 mg. Doesn't sound as if that's a problem since it stays there for 72 hours. By the way, finesterine generic is much, much cheaper than the patented name Propecia. Why would anyone pay for Propecia when they can get the same exact pill 5 times as large, invest a few dollars in a cutter and save a ton of money?

[Milesdaily]

Andrew,

 

You are correct. TS - if you really have Propecia, you should not be cutting it in half, it is only 1mg per pill. If you have Proscar, then use a pill cutter to cut it into approximate quarters. It doesn't matter if they are exact, you will still be getting 5mg every 4 days and the small variation in dosage shouldn't be a problem. Men on Proscar for prostate problems take the whole 5mg pill daily, so you won't be overdosing on days when the piece is more than 1.25mg.

 

Miles

[Truth Seeker]

My point is not about dosages, but about the fact that the pills in my refill are oblong, not round. It is even more difficult to cut these into 1/4's.

[Gorpy]

Sounds like you are not getting generic Proscar. Are you based in the U.S.?

[hairbank]

Gorpy's right..........the generic Proscar I get is round...........are you sure this is generic Proscar? Regular Proscar is pentagon-shaped and it can be quartered though not as well as the round ones. Not sure about oblong-shaped?

[AndrewYoung]

I posted this over on the meds board but wanted to ask this here as this side seems to get more current responses:

 

Okay, a question that I can't seen to find an answer to after looking around. Would there be any benefit to an increased amount of finestaride initially? Since I am using the generic and cutting the tablets, would there be any known advantage to taking a double dose or would this in fact be detrimental and caused increased shedding or perhaps worse?

 

I am just thinking that since there isn't any in my system to start, it might actually help bring the DHT level down quickly ya know, kinda like when you first have to take an anabiotic they ask you to double up the first few days? I don't hear of any docs recommending a higher dosage initially so my guess is no but I thought I'd throw that out.

 

The thing that kinda sucks is the shedding that it sounds like Propecia/Proscar initially causes. I've experienced some shock, which I expected since my hair was pretty weak and sick on top from the views I saw of it up close before my procedure , but dang, I don't like the shed. I was kinda hoping to keep more of my hairs to 'cover' more of the new growth areas but with the shedding, I am devising ways to stay out of work longer to allow some regrowth LOL. So, I am grasping at straws trying to figure out a way to get the original hairs to stick around a bit.