I don't understand why people are so insistent on the 1mg dosage. It's been proven to significantly suppress DHT at much lower levels than 1mg.
Yes, I know, the trials were done with 1mg, but that doesn't mean it's the end all be all of dosages. And I agree, taking the 1mg pill once per day is the probably the easiest method, and it is what I do, but I don't see anything wrong with taking .5 mg if you have concerns about the safety of the drug.
For one, if 1mg is safe, then .5 is safer. And tests have shown as little as .2mg suppresses enough DHT to be effective. Now, if you have aggressive or advanced hairloss, then you should probably stick to 1mg to ensure the greatest benefit from the drug. But if you are 27 and just noticing a little receding, then 1mg might be more than you need. Yes, there is a reason Merck chose 1mg. That reason is not because 1mg is the only effective dose. That reason it that Merck was trying to accomodate people of all ranges in hairloss, including those who are severely bald. When it decided on 1mg, I doubt it was considering the Johnny Deps of the world so much as it was the George Costanzas.
In the end, this is a drug that you will have to be on for the rest of your life (barring some new and better drug or tolerance to finasteride), so choose the dosage that you feel comfortable with. If you are only afraid of sides, then start with 1mg and reduce it if you get sides. If you are afraid of long-term effects, then you must weigh that concern with what you think is the best dose for your degree of hairloss.
BigD, ride out the sheds, the hair will grow back. It's only been 4 months, and any shedding you have or regrowth you don't have is not the result of taking a lower dose. It took me 7 months to see regrowth (three months after my shedding stopped). Evaluate your situation after 9 months before you decide you dosage doesn't work.
