5mg Proscar daily, ok

[Dav7]

I'm wondering if anybody here is taking Proscar 5mg daily for hair loss? I ask because I am considering this. Reason been that a box of Proscar 5mg in my local pharmacy on prescription is literally six times less expensive than a box of Propecia 1mg. However, I also do not want to go down the whole quartering the Proscar tablet route as I feel this is risking it's effectiveness as well as exposing the inside to outside elements etc.

 

So the cost of Proscar is not a concern for me and I can easily afford a permanent 5mg Proscar daily routine. However, I'm just curious as to whether this is safe, is anybody doing this and is it working out for you?

 

Also any reports on the side effects/ safety etc. of doing something like this would be greatly appreciated.

[Sethticles]

yes i used take 5mg tablets, but not at once, i used to break it up into quarters 1.25mg a day, i read somewhere that anything over that amount does nothing

[GoForIt]

Just quarter it and you will save even more money. Buy a good pill cutter, and only cut up one tablet at a time.

 

I have to laugh as it seems half the people here (well, perhaps an exaggeration) take minuscule doses and you are willing to take 5 times the dose for hair loss!

[Dav7]

Hi, and thanks for the response. Price isn't a factor here given the affordability of Proscar where I am. However, all I want to know is if 5mg Proscar daily, everyday, permanently is ok and safe? I realise that you can split the pills, and that 5mg only has slightly more benefit, but tbh I'd prefer just to take the whole pill, knowing everything is intact than split it. However, if it is not safe, then it would be an entirely different matter.

[TakingThePlunge]

Dav7,

 

It is, of course. "safe" to take Proscar (5mg finasteride) daily. This is the FDA approved dose for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate). However, to say that it's overkill for the treatment of hair loss is an understatement. Propecia (1mg finasteride) is the FDA approved dose for the treatment of androgenic alopecia (genetic balding) and some studies have suggested that even that dose is higher than necessary to slow the progression of thinning hair and regrow hair.

 

Potential side effects of finasteride include but are not limited to; erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia (male breast development) and watery semen. Officially, these side effects are reported to occur in fewer than 2% of males who use the drug and said to subside upon discontinuation. But, there are reports of patients who have experienced severe and permanent sexual side effects.

 

Thus, going back to your original question, while a 5mg dose is considered safe and is recommended for BPH, it's much more than what is necessary for hair growth and the higher dose may lead to a higher risk of side effects. Personally, I recommend splitting the tablet in fourths.

[TakingThePlunge]

Just wanted to add that when quartering a 5mg tablet, it's best to only cut one pill at a time and not the entire supply. Doing so, there is little risk of affecting the potency of the tablet. Just be sure that the tablets are not handled by a female once the protective outer layer is breached.

[sensos]

Just wanted to add that when quartering a 5mg tablet, it's best to only cut one pill at a time and not the entire supply. Doing so, there is little risk of affecting the potency of the tablet. Just be sure that the tablets are not handled by a female once the protective outer layer is breached.

 

Good points thanks

[iiieee]

I used to do proscar and the advice I was given by the pharmacist was to half it. The reason is that during the drugs manufacture the materials that go into the composition of the tablet are not necessarily homogeneous throughout. So, even if you cut the pill in half you still might get one half that has l.5-2 ml and the other at 3.5-3 ml of active ingredient. And so, if you quarter it you're taking the risk of not getting enough medicine to do the job! And, besides quartering is too tricky and the pill cutter wasn't designed to do that, anyway.

 

So, half it for now, that's your best bet for the long run. For the longer run, when you can afford it get down to propecia--smaller more accurate dosage--less health rise--most important, your health.

 

too risky, too messy,

iiieee

[albers33]

I used to do proscar and the advice I was given by the pharmacist was to half it. The reason is that during the drugs manufacture the materials that go into the composition of the tablet are not necessarily homogeneous throughout. So, even if you cut the pill in half you still might get one half that has l.5-2 ml and the other at 3.5-3 ml of active ingredient. And so, if you quarter it you're taking the risk of not getting enough medicine to do the job! And, besides quartering is too tricky and the pill cutter wasn't designed to do that, anyway.

 

So, half it for now, that's your best bet for the long run. For the longer run, when you can afford it get down to propecia--smaller more accurate dosage--less health rise--most important, your health.

 

too risky, too messy,

iiieee

 

 

interesting good advice thanks