Starting finasteride on Monday, 0.25, 0.5 or 1mg?

[Unfixable]

Next Monday I have an appointment with my Doctor and I will get a prescription for Finasteride (First time using it).
Now the thing is, I know that doctor also prescribes the 5mg version without any problems so I'm thinking with which one I should go.
Do you think its better to get a prescription for 5mg and cut it into 4x1.25mg pieces and if I don't get any sides just keep that dosage?
Or maybe get prescription for 1mg and also cut it and start with 0.25mg for maybe 1 month and if there are no sides increase to 0.5mg after that..

I'm basing all my thinking on this graphic which I saw many times on this forum already:

If this is true 0.5mg should be a high enough dosage. I don't know if this graph is credible though, does anyone have the sources of that graph actually?
Which paper is it from? Maybe an article?

Anyway my priorities are:

• Effect
• Sides
• Price

in that order..

Hoping some people who took it for a long time and experimented with dosage and/or frequency (I'm planning to take every day) can help me maybe.

Thanks guys!

 

[Valiant]

Hi, if you're set on taking finasteride, I would recommend that you consider phasing in. If cost is the number three priority, my recommendation would be to use namebrand. That is my preference, because although generics are supposed to have the exact same formulation, I've spoken to some physicians who believe that quality control is not as good as with the namebrand manufacturer. I do believe this is a choice of personal preference. In addition, you asked for comments from long-term users who've experimented with different frequency and/or dosages. I have done all. I started out with namebrand Propecia and took 1 mg a day for around seven years. Shortly after I started, I noticed less of a shed in the shower and after about nine months or so, I noticed regrowth. As I aged, I noticed some thinning at the frontal hairline and little bit at the crown. I think this is just a common occurrence as Propecia will not stop all hair loss forever. However I still had full coverage.

When I quit the first time in December 2012, my body did not adjust well and I had a full-blown hormone crash. I'm still recovering a year out. I posted a complete thread on that elsewhere. It is because of that that I can't recommend starting it for the first time to anyone. I went back on for a couple of months at a lower dose staggering it every three or four days. I tested my hormone levels during that time and my DHT was low but just outside of normal range. I quit the second time and felt horrible again. So by month later I went back on, but this time I reduced my dose to one quarter of a 1 mg pill per day. I only use the name brand drug because the pills are large enough that you can easily cut them into four pieces and the cost of the generic 1 mg pill (which is a tiny sized tablet in comparison) is only about $20-30 a month depending on the pharmacy. On one quarter of a pill a day, it took a little while but the shedding I experienced after quitting stopped and regrowth started. I cannot really tell a difference in the quality of my hair now as I could over a year ago when I was taking 1 mg.

The graph that you linked is something that I have seen many times including information from the FDA trials and some comments submitted to the FDA by a professor from U Penn to the FDA. So, I can't say that the graph is bro-science with those sources. I could look them up and post them but it takes too much effort so if someone wants to flame me for that so be it.

There was an article from an Indian medical journal posted by Wuffer recently where the author recommended phasing in the dose. Something to consider. Good luck in any event. Sides are rare but trust me, they really can f*ck you up bad.

 

[Unfixable]

Thank you for all of your advice!
Okay, I decided to ask my doctor for generic 1mg finasteride and then take 0.25mg for 1 month, 0.5mg for second month and then 1mg. If I experience sides through any of these phases I will go down again.
Is the generic finasteride too small to even cut it into quarters with a pill cutter? I don't know about the pill prices and which generic brands pharmacies are handing out here (I'm located in South Korea now).
The reason I'm still going up to 1mg even if the graph clearly shows 0.25mg are enough are that I don't wanna have thoughts later like "What if I would have taken more...maybe I would have less loss or more regrowth".
After 1.5 years I'm planning to lower the dosage and see what is the minimum amount I can take and maintain.
Thats the plan at least!

 

[Valiant]

The generic 1mg in the US is a really small tablet. Too small to cut accurately. Plus, I have a personal preference for namebrand unless the cost difference is really high.

 

[Unfixable]

In the end I got generic proscar 5mg. The price was just too good to pass. I got a prescription for 120 pills (So 1 year after cut in quarters) for 65$ hehe
Also got some Nizoral for 6 bucks over the counter. I was really worried in the beginning because also that pill is really small (Named Finastar btw, South Korean generic) but luckily they got an "+" in the middle so i can target easily with my pill cutter. Just tried it and they look very even. Anyway I will try the 1.25mg a day and hope for the best