Some Basic Propecia Q's From a Newbie... Thanks in Advance

[agoodfella]

Some basic q's:

1) What is the general "dosage" recommended for a new user? (or ranges)?
2) How long does one have to take Propecia for? (roughly) or is this something one needs to take continually?
3) Are there any generic equivalants for Propecia?
4) What is the general cost?
5) What are the major side effects? (i've read about sexual dysfunction and that's almost as bad as losing your hair... almost)

at any rate, i'd like to hear some general comments / replies about things I should know / think about before starting on Propecia.

Thanks all in advance.

 

[joseph49853]

1) The general recommended dosage is 1mg; although lower dosages have been shown to be almost as effective with a steady decrease in side effects. 2) And yes, you need to take Propecia continually in order to maintain any results; I believe after a year you return to where you started before taking Propecia. 3) Yes there are generic equivalents, the most trusted ones are produced by Indian pharmaceutical companies, for instance, Cipla and Dr. Reddy's 4) you can get the generics on-line for approximately 1/6th of what they'd cost with a prescription, around $40-60 for 60 5mg tablets... extremely reasonable 5) there are several well-documented side effects, including the ones you've already mentioned, although, some suffer greatly, some slightly, and some not at all -- it depends.

Good luck.

 

[agoodfella]

Much obliged for your detailed answers to all my questions...

Man, hair loss, what a b_itch huh?

I think I gotta bite this bullet sooner or later...

I take it you are on Propecia? How have your results been?

also, you mentioned that the guys generally end up where they begin in a year - jeez, how much shedding is involved? and does that mean that i can only hope to maintain what i've got now?

 

[joseph49853]

Yeah, hair loss is a real b*tch. Although, I have been on generic Propecia for around three years and it has worked better than expected.

The first batch was purchased at cybermedicinestore.com, which since has been semi-closed and reborn as popularchemist.com. They sent me Dr. Reddy's brand in a small very discreet envelope, which took approx. 2 weeks to arrive. At the time they were charging around $35 plus $7 shipping for 60 pills. My only real disappointment was the actual pills only had six months left on the expiration date.

My second batch was purchased from health-effects.net. And while they asked for a prescription, it wasn't required... as Finasteride is sold over-the-counter in most countries. I was sent the Cipla brand at $41 plus $15 shipping for 60 pills, in a less than discreet package (stated "hair medicine" on the outside of the envelope, and required a signature.) Although the expiration date on these pills was a much better 25 months from the purchase date, and it only took a week for my order to arrive.

Anyway, from almost the very first day taking Propecia my hair stopped falling out... it was no longer to be found in the shower, or near my pillow. I think this is the most exciting part of taking Propecia: how quickly it's able to reduce DHT.

However, for the first 9-10 months it simply maintained my hair. Only around the year mark did I start to notice a lot of new growth, which over time has gotten thicker. I was also able to almost eliminate all side effects by reducing my dosage to between .5mg and .25 daily.

 

[87david]

Joseph, what daily dosage do you recommend for new users of finasteride? Did you ever get creative like some people do with their dosage, like 1.25mg every other day? Thanks.

 

[agoodfella]

Joseph,

Thanks for all your help.

Congrats on your good experience, on your recommendation, i think i'll take the jump and order from where you did as well.

Will give reports on an occassional basis.

btw, did you use each pill and cut them into quarters? i've read that 0.25 daily dose is nearly as effective as taking a whole 1mg.

 

[Radio]

i've read that 0.25 daily dose is nearly as effective as taking a whole 1mg.

Finasteride is dose dependent.

 

[hellohello]

Although I'm not Joseph, I'd like to shed some light.

Me personally, if I was young (20s) and wanted something long term, I would consider starting with .5mg a day and see how you respond to that.


This will not only reduce the amount of side effects while (theoretically) still giving results, but should also give you somewhere to go (upto 1mg) if your body becomes adjusted to this level after a few years.

 

[87david]

Finasteride is dose dependent.

Radio, thanks very much for the graph; I've never seen that before. However, can you elaborate a little how to read and understand what it infers? I guess what I'm asking is: is .5mg of finasteride daily just as effective for some people? Thanks

 

[joseph49853]

David: I believe I would recommend 1mg to start. A higher dosage is likely to have better odds of growing new hair, over the odds of simply maintaining existing hair with .25/.50mg. In fact, if it weren't for a slight case of gynecomastia, I would probably still be on 1mg daily. But looking in the mirror, and even seeing a slightly puffy chest, especially around the nipple, was freaking me out.

agoodfella: As Radio has already pointed out Finasteride is dose dependant. As for a recommended dosage, I would try finding a good balance between any possible side effects and hair maintenance and regrowth. How low your body is able to tolerate DHT levels is different for every individual. From looking at Radio's graph, it seems between .5mg and 1.25mg might be the sweet spot, and everything else extreme overkill. In fact, it's remarkable the effectiveness of even as small a dosage as .04mg.

 

[SE-freak]

A higher dosage is likely to have better odds of growing new hair, over the odds of simply maintaining existing hair with .25/.50mg.

Nononono no. Don't simplify it this way.
There is no "maintenance" and "regrowth" dose with finasteride. You are giving the wrong impression to the noobs.

My recommendation would be to take advantage of the trials and research conducted and use the 1mg per day dose.

 

[joseph49853]

A higher dosage is likely to have better odds of growing new hair, over the odds of simply maintaining existing hair with .25/.50mg.

Nononono no. Don't simplify it this way.
There is no "maintenance" and "regrowth" dose with finasteride. You are giving the wrong impression to the noobs.

My recommendation would be to take advantage of the trials and research conducted and use the 1mg per day dose.

I believe you're splitting hairs here. But if you look at those studies, the amount of hair retained is somewhat proportional to actual dosage. As your dosage decrease the odds increase for more hairs to be lost. And the more DHT in your system, the less hospitable the environment for retaining hair through several cycles.

Interestingly, the first hair to fall out upon my not taking Finasteride for a month or so weren't thick hairs, but miniaturized thinner hairs. Which was quite a difference from the thick hairs I had falling out before ever taking Finasteride. Like I said, one can only hope to balance dosage for optimal hair growth with minimal side effects. For you, that tolerance might be 1mg, for others it might be a lot lower. You just don't know until you give it a try.