I also jumped onto finesteride after my exams, so I didn't have any stresses in my life.
I get Proscar directly from the pharmacy, and cut it up into 5 pieces (1mg/day). I bought a surgically sharp knife from an arts and crafts store for about $10, and then use tweezers to hold the pills in place while I cut the pills. Very easy to do and the knife glides through the pills with minimal breakage.
This way you'll avoid any worries about getting fake stuff, and you know its not contaminated. It's way to important, to take chances with generic or internet pharmacies, when you can purchase a 150 day supply of Proscar for only $97 Australian, it would be even cheaper in North America.
It takes a long time for this stuff to work, so you want to make sure its real, that way you can sit back relax, pop a tiny piece each morning and know the hair is coming back, or atleast staying where it is. Plus it will give you the confidence to ride out any sheds. I'm actually having my best hair day in about 2 years today, and owe it all to Proscar and nizoral.
Side effects are minor to none, I can still have sex multiple times a day. I suggest taking 1mg, I think it is much more important to be consistant with your dose and time of dose, and .25mg may not be sufficient for results, most people report a minimum of 0.5 mg to be necessary despite those studies you will read on here. By being consistant your body acclimatizes to finasteride and can regulate accordingly. You don;t wanna be jumping around on doses, and make sure you take at the same time everyday.