Should I take propecia in the morning or at night time?

[Anonymous]

Sorry, just a general question in when it would be more effective to take propecia...when I get up? or before I go to sleep?

 

Any help appreciated, Thanks

[Anonymous]

Sorry, just a general question in when it would be more effective to take propecia...when I get up? or before I go to sleep?

 

Any help appreciated, Thanks

[JacobS]

I take it when I go to bed as part of my routine. Mornings tend to be too hectic. Some medications can cause drowsiness so night time is usually recommended for a once daily.

[Kez]

I think it makes little difference, as long as you take it once every 24 hours; it stays active in your body for about that length of time.

[gillenator]

I agree and Merck also states that it makes no difference, night or day. No need to ingest it with food either although I always consume something before I take any med.

 

As good ole Kez stated the key is to take it every day for optimal efficiency.

 

Since Propecia's release I have found that men would unintentionally forget to take it. So I have always advocated to take it when you do something else that is part of one's daily routine. Brushing your teeth in the morning, at dinner-time, etc.

 

The good thing is that you are taking it!

[hairworthy]

Smoothy and I have made separate research on that one and found that male hormone (including DHT) levels & production tend to peak at night, so taking Finasteride just before bed time is probably best. I have asked several physicians on this forum (including Dr Rose) for a clear explanation of this phenomenon but no answer so far.

[DrFuzzy]

If you have a look at the graph (sorry dont have it to post here) of serum DHT levels vs time you'll see that propecia has a very long half life. After taking a single dose of propecia, DHT levels take many days (around a week from memory) to return to pre-dose levels. From that graph many have concluded that it is not necessary to take propecia every day, in fact some people take it every second day, or perhaps take a larger dose twice a week.

 

The manufacturer recommends one dose of 1mg per day, but you could get results significantly better than placebo on a dose less than a quater of this. Given its long half life, I think the exact time of the day you take it matters little.

 

I have discussed this with HT doctor in Australia who has the above opinion.

 

The % reduction in DHT is proportional to the dose taken - a higher dose reduces a greater amount of DHT. Some people take a high dose ie 2.5mg once every three days...

[Kez]

This information about its half-life contradicts what I've read on the forums. I'd appreciate some direction to the data on this.

 

I've been wondering about the long-term effect of propecia on general health, & although no-one on the forums seems to have a problem with it, I'm wondering if it may get the DHT levels down too low in some people ( like ME... ).

 

A friend of mine was suffering from tiredness, and poor brain function, and his Doc diagnosed "low available testosterone" after a blood test. Now he's on a kind of "testosterone patch", and he reckons it's made a big difference.

[Robert_]

Many physicians do recommend taking Propecia every other day at first, given that at first, a lesser doseage gives about the same results. Of course, after awhile the doseage should probably be increased.

 

I posted an interesting article shown to me compliments of Peter Mac from DHI here.

 

I think that this may be the chart mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

-Robert

[Smoothy]

DIDO Hairworthy-- if you have a choice, nighttime would be better but probably not clinically signficant according to Merck but given the male's testosterone and DHT peaks at night and around midday-- it makes since to take it at night? It works for me.

[Kez]

>>I posted an interesting article shown to me compliments of Peter Mac from DHI here.

I think that this may be the chart mentioned earlier in this thread.

-Robert

>>

 

No, mate. It's a chart of Hair loss against time, showing the difference between guys using propecia, and those not. DrFuzzy's citing a chart apparently showing how long propecia stays around in the body until it's half it's original strength ( or maybe DHT is back up to half it's non-propecia level ) And it's apparently much longer than I thought. DrF we wait!

[Burch1]

My belief is that considering the half-life of Propecia (6hrs) that means it only staying in your body for 12hrs so taking it morning AND evening is best.

Please see for half-life information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finasteride

And, BTW, I am back on Propecia after trying Avodart for 9 months with disasterous results.

Thanks,

Burch1

[gillenator]

What happened with the dutasteride if you don't mind my asking?

[aseda1979]

Burch1,

Half life means that the chemical in effect gets reduced to a half of its useful life in a certain period of time, it doesnt mean that it will take twice the amount of time to be depleted.

 

What Im saying is that Propecia having a half life of 6 hours doesnt mean its effects will be gone in 12 hours, it might last for more than that, Merck might have more info on this matter.....

[damnkarma26]

I am new to this forum, but have been reading articles on this website for some time now. After reading this thread, I felt the need to respond.

 

In regard to the half-life of Propecia, it is approximately 6 hours. If you have never taken a pharmacology class, all this references is the amount of time it takes for 1/2 of the drug to be eliminated from the body. Thus for most individuals Propecia will be out of their system in about 12 hours, hence why it is recommended to be taken daily.

 

Now comes the slightly confusing part. When a drug such as Propecia begins to work it essentially "blocks the enzyme from hooking up with testosterone" at various androgen receptor sites where the enzyme is essentially waiting for testosterone and in turn converts it to DHT. This effect is long lasting (sometimes more than a week) because it takes our body that much time to produce the new enzymes (5AR).

 

So to some up, the half-life just means how long it generally takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body, but this doesn't mean that the drug is no longer working in some way, shape, or form in the body. It has a prolonged effect, because of how long (usually a week) it takes the body to produce more enzymes.

 

So in theory, an individual should be able to take Propecia once or twice a week and have similar efficacy to those who take it daily. Personally, I have been on Propecia for about a month now and I only take it twice per week and I will report on my progression soon.

 

Sorry this post is so long, but ehh it is what it is!

[gillenator]

The prolonged effect is sometimes referred to as the "residual effects" which can be difficult to define. But I absolutely agree with you and compliment you on explaining it in layman's terms.

 

If only the converted DHT could then be removed completely from the scalp Could we have a cure for MPB? :rolleyes:

[Burch1]

The half-life definition is confusing but from what you're saying it how long the body takes to eliminate the drug from the body even though the drug effects continue on right?

On the question of Avodart, I found it to cause weight gain and bloating as well as mood changes.

I have always been an optimistic person and after taking Avodart for a few months experienced these side affects.

Furthermore, I experienced a large amount of hair shedding (as the drug does mention will happen) but never the growth afterwards.

So for me, its back on Propeica.

Cheers,

Greg

 

 

I am new to this forum, but have been reading articles on this website for some time now. After reading this thread, I felt the need to respond.

 

In regard to the half-life of Propecia, it is approximately 6 hours. If you have never taken a pharmacology class, all this references is the amount of time it takes for 1/2 of the drug to be eliminated from the body. Thus for most individuals Propecia will be out of their system in about 12 hours, hence why it is recommended to be taken daily.

 

Now comes the slightly confusing part. When a drug such as Propecia begins to work it essentially "blocks the enzyme from hooking up with testosterone" at various androgen receptor sites where the enzyme is essentially waiting for testosterone and in turn converts it to DHT. This effect is long lasting (sometimes more than a week) because it takes our body that much time to produce the new enzymes (5AR).

 

So to some up, the half-life just means how long it generally takes for half of the drug to be eliminated from the body, but this doesn't mean that the drug is no longer working in some way, shape, or form in the body. It has a prolonged effect, because of how long (usually a week) it takes the body to produce more enzymes.

 

So in theory, an individual should be able to take Propecia once or twice a week and have similar efficacy to those who take it daily. Personally, I have been on Propecia for about a month now and I only take it twice per week and I will report on my progression soon.

 

Sorry this post is so long, but ehh it is what it is!

[ontop]

ToWell my 2 cents for what its worth is that i was hearing about this brain fog & mostly happen in the middle of the day for people taking it in the mornings, so I decided to try to avoid that & take it prior before I go to bed...

I did take it a few times around the 7pm time but found out this was keeping me awake so now I take it just before I hit the sack.

Another plus is ill proberly forget to take it in the mornings.

 

Was told by this forum HT Dr that I only need to take it EOD as its good for 72 hrs.

Needless to say I still take 1.25 a day & so if I forget its no biggy ill still be good for a bit.

 

Interesting to know about DHT is at the highest at night time tho....I never heard of that would love to read up on it tho.

 

Good question from the poster I don't find it silly to ask & open up the debate.

 

Good luck

[gillenator]

I cut back my finasteride regimen to every other day and still experience good efficiency.

 

Not an advocate of using dutasteride and it's astounding to read of the various side-effects that some guys experience from it. Some more extreme than others.

[fisher4man]

Recommended dosage is 1 or 1.25 mg a day, but half dosage daily may still help to hair with less or without side effects. Not sure but...logical.

[gillenator]

This is where the advice of a licensed physician specializing in this field is beneficial.

 

They can potentially adjust both the dosage and frequency accordingly.

[ontop]

This is where the advice of a licensed physician specializing in this field is beneficial.

 

They can potentially adjust both the dosage and frequency accordingly.

 

Yes I agree but a lot of Drs has there own view on this.

 

For a sample Dr charles office told me I didn't need to take it every day as it stays around forf 72hrs so EOD would be good.

Another Dr told me I need to take it daily & AM or PM makes no difference.

 

I guess if the shoe fits...

[Calgacus]

Over the past 2 years or so, I've experimented with taking finasteride at different times of the day. I don't think it really makes a difference, but I settled on taking mine in the morning after a shower as it is the most convenient for me.

[gillenator]

You both make good points. There will always be varying approaches in the frequency and as long as we are consistent, we should have efficiency.

 

I also take it every other day and take it at bedtime with other daily meds. That way I never forget and the active ingredient stays in my system consistently.

 

I know some are of the opinion that the time of day makes a difference however there is nothing noted in the clinical trials that the manufacturer (Merck) conducts.

[floydann72]

There is no best time of day. But you should try to take finasteride at the same time every single day to maximize its effectiveness.