I'm confused now. Brand name vs generic?

[RE001]

What do I tell my doctor to be able to get Finasteride?

 

What's the difference between brand name vs generic?

 

The official name is Propecia right? and on the bottle it says Finasteride underneath? After doing a little research I'm getting all these other crazy names.

[wb280]

Finasteride is the main ingredient featured in Propecia. There are other brands like Proscar among others. Same thing goes to Minoxidil. I am using Regaine, and there are so many other brands available but the main ingredient is Minoxidil

[mattj]

Finasteride is the main ingredient featured in Propecia. There are other brands like Proscar among others. Same thing goes to Minoxidil. I am using Regaine, and there are so many other brands available but the main ingredient is Minoxidil

 

Slight correction: propecia and proscar are both brand names given to the original finasteride drug produced by pharmaceutical company Merck. There are generic finasteride products but they don't use either propecia or proscar brand names. These include Fincar, which is produced by Cipla.

 

I use a generic finasteride produced by Pfizer. As Pfizer are themselves a large pharmaceuticals company I feel that I must be getting a quality product.

[JoeKid0000]

RE001,

 

You could just inform your doctor that Propecia is too expensive for you and request either Proscar or generic finasteride. He/she shouldn't give you a hard time for it.

[wb280]

thanks matt but yup, finasteride is the main ingredient. Anything else, its just the different brands.

[TakingThePlunge]

wb280,

 

Propecia contains 1mg finasteride and Proscar contains 5mg. Those of us who take generic Proscar cut the pill in fourths and end up with 1.25mg. This comes at a significant discount over Propecia.

 

Currently in the US, Propecia is not available in generic form. A one month supply typically costs about $60. I pay around $60 for a year's supply of generic finasteride after splitting the pills.

 

Hope this helps!

[waveskier]

David,

 

That is a great tip, and sure will save some money!

[JoeKid0000]

I'm glad I was able to get generic finasteride. I had been paying $85/month for Propecia. Curses, Duane Reade!

[TakingThePlunge]

Joe,

 

I hear ya! Without generic, I don't think finasteride would be in my budget. I can't wait for the day that we can get reasonably priced generic Propecia and dispense with the cutting.