going from propecia to proscar

skelll · Feb 2, 2011

I have been on Propecia for the past 6 months but decided to see another dermatologist to see if they would prescribe me Proscar because the cost of Propecia was to expensive.

I am cutting the pills in to quarters, so about 1.25mg rather than 1mg of Propecia. a few questions;

-Will Proscar be just as effective as Propecia as they both contain finasteride which is the main ingredient to block DHT?
-How come a three month supply of Propecia was so expensive ($235) as opposed to Proscar ($3)?

Sorry I imagine these questions get asked all the time and if I research this forum I would get an answer. I have been very pleased with the sucess of Propecia and just want some reassurance that Proscar is just as effective and safe!

Wuffer · Feb 2, 2011

Yes, each drug will be equally as effective.

Proscar was originally sold to treat another condition (BPH) I think back in early 1990's. The patent has ran out on this drug for treating BPH, so it can now be sold as generic. Propecia on the other hand still has a patent till 2013, meaning Merck can charge pretty much whatever they want for it. Since it's a hair loss treatment and people treating hair loss are usually desparate, they jack up the price.

Both drugs contain the same active ingredient, but the dosage to treat BPH is 5MG daily, versus 1MG to treat hair loss. Many drug companies do this; if they find out a drug they created has a beneficial side effect (in this case, hair regrowth) they will determine the effective dose, then re-do their FDA trial with the same drug to treat another condition.

But in summary, both 1MG propecia and 1.25MG proscar will do the exact same thing, except one is much easier on the wallet!

skelll · Feb 2, 2011

Hey thanks Wuffer, I appreciate your feedback! Im relieved to hear that, Now I dont have to worry. Yeah it is ridiculous how Propecia jacks up their prices just because they can.

Todd · Feb 3, 2011

Well, that's the pharmacy business...

My two cents: I went from propecia to proscar one year ago, and it works just as well. The extra 0.25mg is nothing to worry about, and probably disappears when you cut the pill anyway...