Finasteride--Reduced dosage/Every other day???

[Packers]

Ever since I first started losing my hair and began researching hairloss I stayed away from one thing--Finasteride. Now, I realize, I've been making a big mistake all this time and I need to get on it right away.

However, I'll be honest. Propecia still scares me which is why I stayed away from it in the first place. I'm willing to go ahead and get on it now but with a twist. I want to reduce the normal 1-1.25 mg dosage per day and also alternate the days. I recall reading posts where people took Propecia every other day or .5 mg every day and still had great results. This is the route I want to take.

I just need to decide a few things and I hope the experts on the board can help me and others in my situation arrive at an answer.

1. Which drug to get? (Propecia, Proscar, Finpecia, etc)?

2. How much to take per day?

3. How often to take (every other day, every day except weekends)?

Thanks!!!

 

[pratc]

I've had similar thoughts and a course has only just started. I'm all new to this as well. All three are the same chemical - Finasteride. Propecia was the original and the others are generic. Propecia comes in a 1mg tablet and Proscar in a 5mg (don't know about finpecia)

I have bought procepia to start then proscar to continue. Taking threequarters of 1mg (i.e. cut in half then halve again to get a half and a quarter). This is not the usual full dose of 1mg. People on Proscar either cut into quarters to get 1.25 mg (easier) or somehow fifths. When going over to the Proscar (cheaper) I will try cutting into sixths (hopefully) to keep the dose below 1mg and see if side effects start. Please realise most take the full dose and many don't have side effects and some that do go away after a few weeks.

 

[Sean68]

your odds of getting sides are so low that youve at least got to try it.youre obviously serious about your regimen which means you should try the best drug.any sides will go away when you stop taking it anyway.

 

[Thinning]

I went down to 0.5mg and had a bad shed. I got back on the 1mg and its improved a good amount, still not quite what it was before I cut dosage.

My advice, run 1.0mg until it stops working, then switch to dutasteride. If dutasteride stops working, bic that sh1t and stop everything.

 

[Packers]

The thing is I would rather try a reduced doasge because I've read it works just as well as the full dosage. I also think it would be a great way to save money and time (I could start low and always move up to 1mg down the road if need be).

 

[Thinning]

But what if your hair continues to fall out at the same pace while running 0.5mg because it wasnt enough? Those hairs may never grow back even if you later switch to 1.0mg.

Its your hair, sounds like you made up your own mind already but I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

[bubka]

jesus just use the freaking drug as recommended... sides are less than 1.5%

probably have a higher chance of getting in a car wreck today then getting sides on finasteride...

 

[pratc]

It may well be better to take the full dose and possibly a disproportionate number of people on this forum relate the negative sides compared with people saying 'no problems'. However (please correct me if I'm wrong) Merck said for a daily dosage, 0.2mg is 82% as effective as 1mg and 1mg is 83% as effective as 5mg. Drawing a quick sketch graph gives a 0.75mg or threequarter dose at about 95% effective as the normal 1mg dose.

 

[CCS]

get fincar. It is the cheapest. everythird day can help, but that is pushing it. I'd do at least every other day. Also do at least 0.2mg/day, or 0.4mg/two days.

 

[Paul December]

I guess I am like most guys...and figured its better to act Fast and take a complete dose....and later consider reducing

 

[Hawaii male]

I would say go with .5mg a day if you are worried that much. If things are fine graduate to 1mg a day.

 

[Packers]

Thanks for the replies. I think this is my plan of attack right now. I will order brand name Propecia from Dr. Lee (do you need a script?). I will split the pill in half and take .5mg every day.

I'm already applying spironolactone 5% along with minoxidil 5% once a day before I go to sleep. I use nizoral 1% 2-3 times a week and also take a host of vitamins (Multi, MSM, B-complex, Biotin, Green Tea Extract and Nettle Root).

How does that look?

 

[Packers]

Also, what's the deal with Finpecia? I'm trying to decide if I should get Propecia from Dr. Lee or just get Finpecia from a good online pharmacy? :?

 

[joseph49853]

I used between .5 and .25mg of finasteride for almost a year, down from 1mg, and there was a negligible difference in hair volume between .5mg and 1mg. During this time, I never experienced anything but a typical or average amount of shedding, very minimal.

I only noticed a slight loss in thickness between .25mg and .5mg. For me, .5mg seemed to be the optimal dosage. But again, everyone reacts differently to different medications. And you won't know until you try. And I would try, for the very reason you've stated: cost savings, minimize side effects etc.

 

[Packers]

So what do you guys say? I'm still having trouble deciding if I should go with Finpecia or Propecia. I'm leaning towards Finpecia because of all the money I would save. But then again I like to think better safe than sorry with all this talk about stuff from India possibly being fake, etc.

 

[MPBWarrior]

yeah, im starting to get a bit more sympathetic to the Fincar and finpecia too... inhousepharmacy.com seems to be the best online pharmacy.

 

[joseph49853]

So what do you guys say? I'm still having trouble deciding if I should go with Finpecia or Propecia. I'm leaning towards Finpecia because of all the money I would save. But then again I like to think better safe than sorry with all this talk about stuff from India possibly being fake, etc.

I have never once bought fake generic Propecia. Quite frankly, I'd worry far more about Customs seizing your package. Finasteride can be purchased so cheaply on the streets of India, like 10 cents per 10 5mg blister pack, it would probably cost them more to create a counterfeit, than it would by selling the real thing. :lol:

BTW, I would go with Propecia/Fincar myself, and save the bucks. I used to cut mine into fifths, and then chew off a half at a time... trying to get closest to my .5mg dosage every morning.

 

[Packers]

So everyone agrees that for my situation splitting Finpecia tablets is the best option? If so, what's the best (price-wise and safety-wise) online pharmacy out there? I know unitedpharmacies and inhousepharmacies are the names I here the most on here...

 

[TheGlamorous]

This forum put me off getting Proscar/Propecia for 3 weeks when I first arrived here because of the overwhelming hate some users have toward a drug that hasn't worked as well for them as they hoped.

Honestly, the negativity ratio to it is about 1000% stronger here then in the real world because the majority of people only post when bad things happen to theyre hair.

Get on it. Wait for six months. See what happens. I've been on it nearly two months and I can't say it's done anything at all for me. But i'm being patient, and since I haven't had any side effects and it is relatively cheap (proscar cut into 4ths) I may as-well stick it out.

Every opportunity not considered is an opportunity lost. Don't let your fear take control of your decisions but yes if you do grow boobs when you start on it then of course it would be a good opportunity to stop taking the drugs. But hey, at least then you would have tried. Don't live wondering if it might have worked for you.

Trust me, even if it doesn't work for you- even the hope/knowledge that you are doing something is always a better feeling then wafting around day after day trying to reassure yourself that it won't get worse/stop/your hair will magically grow back on it's own.

Because it won't.

 

[Nathaniel]

I would start with the recommended 1mg/day dose. Then if you have sides you can go down to 0.5mg. As pointed out, you might keep losing hair that you will not recover once you realize you need the 1mg and start taking it.

As far as the finpecia vrs propecia thing, if you want to save money I would personally cut out proscar tablets. Then again, thats just me.