Need help and advice with finasteride.

tsiroutraw · Mar 25, 2011

So finally i decided to post here and i have few questions about finasteride.

First of all, i live in canada, montreal and i would like to know if i need a prescription to get that drug and if needed how do i get it? Also, how much it costs.

Then, the infamous side effects of course. Id like some of you to share what are the sides and from which daily dose u got them, also if the sides seem to be permanent or if they fade if you discontinue.

Finally, if i just use finasteride could it be good enough? Because i have heard horror shedding stories from minoxidil and with my current hairstyle i dont need extra shedding because i dont want to buzz my hair.

Thank you in advance!

Wuffer · Mar 25, 2011

HI there.

I live in Canada as well, I simply went to a clinic and got a prescription for 5MG proscar. It is very cheap, less than $150 for a full years worth. From my shopping experience, Costco is by far the cheapest when you get generic.

I have personally been on for 3 months and not experienced any side effects. I have also had some great regrowth; it is very effective at what it does. However, there are people that do experience side effects, and I would recommend you discontinue the drug if you do. You are somewhere in the 2-5% range of experiencing them.

There have been reports of people experiencing permanent sexual side effects from Finasteride. The actual incidence of this happening has not been determined, but I would personally clock it at somewhere around the 1 in 1000 range. There isn't enough data to prove what exactly is going on here, but it's clear some people are having some extreme adverse reactions to it.

All that being said, there have been many trials that vouch for its safety, and has been prescribed for almost 20 years. I am a strong supporter of its safety, and there are also many that strongly support that it is dangerous. You need to make your own decision. But there is no question about its effectiveness in treating hair loss!

About shedding, I never experienced that at all. It isn't a documented symptom in trials like it was for minoxidil, but some people do experience it. However, don't let this affect your decision. If you have a shed, it will only be temporary.

tsiroutraw · Mar 25, 2011

Do i just go any clinic? i have never been to doctors here i am really unfamiliar with the medical system.

Wuffer · Mar 25, 2011

Yep. If you have a family doctor, you can go to them. If not, just find the closest walk-in clinic in your area and go there.. though you might be in for a wait. I've found in Canada anyway that they have no problems prescribing it. My doctor (family doctor) said he has prescribed to close to 500 patients, and says it is generally well tolerated.. He said the most common complaint is that it didn't work! Thats usually NW7's that don't understand how the drug works and expect a full head of hair overnight.