Brand Propecia or Generic

[Electric]

Has anyone experienced any differences (results or side effects etc?) between taking the brand name or the generic?

Edited January 8 by Electric

[jim1973]

I was a good responder to generic Finasteride from 2014-2020 then it seemed to no longer work for me.  I've been on generic Dutasteride since then but still nothing working.  I'm considering going back to brand name Propecia to see if it makes a difference.  

[ScottishGuy21]

If you do go down the much cheaper generic route stick to the same brand.
 

The tablet can be compounded differently brand to brand which potentially impacts consistency. I’ve seen numerous people attribute changing finasteride brands to inducing large sheds

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

If generic iFinasteride is obtained from a reputable pharmacy it should have the same effect and/or side effects as name brand. Some patients will start to build tolerence or have less positive effects with prolonged usage. 

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@Electric,

Generic finasteride and brand named Propecia should essentially be the same - providing both the same benefit and the same possibility of side effects. Of course, there are less than reputable pharmacies that sell knock offs with who knows how much of the active ingredient and other inactives that can and have caused negative reactions

At the end of the day, just make sure that you purchase generic finasteride from a reputable pharmacy and you should be fine.  That said, you may want to get a doctors input on where exactly to purchase finasteride so that you have the best chances of obtaining legitimate generics.

Best wishes,

Patient Advocate - Rahal Hair Transplant

[Chrisno]

12 hours ago, Dr. Glenn Charles said:

If generic iFinasteride is obtained from a reputable pharmacy it should have the same effect and/or side effects as name brand. Some patients will start to build tolerence or have less positive effects with prolonged usage. 

As a doctor, please share the medical source for your claim that Finasteride lose efficacy or patients building a tolerance for the drug with prolonged use.

Because, from my understanding, it is not the drug that loses efficacy, it's simply that Finasteride does not block 100% of the DHT in your body (and we also know that testosterone, being an androgen, also causes hair loss). Over time, the residual DHT (and other androgens) present in the body still chip away at your the follicles causing them to miniaturize.