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Proscar (Finasteride 5mg)

Proscar is a prescription medicine that is FDA approved for treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or an enlarged prostate. However, while researching the drug they realized people taking the medicine were growing hair. When they realized that they started doing clinical trials for use for hair loss. The results of the clinical trials for hair loss led to the development of the only pill FDA approved for hair loss: Propecia. Propecia is the branded name for Finasteride 1mg.

Proscar and Propecia is the same drug (Finasteride), they are just different doses and are indicated to treat different conditions. The dosage for treating an enlarged prostate is 5mg, one pill per day. The dosage they were using in the clinical trials for treating hair loss was 1mg, one pill per day. They both do the same thing; they suppress the production of Dihydrotestosterone or DHT.  The downside of this medication is the potential side effects.  It has sexually related side effects such as erection problems, decreased semen, and a decreased sex drive.

Proscar is available as a generic prescription as Finasteride 5 mg, and Proscar is usually covered by insurance. Because of this some patients ask their doctor to put them on the Proscar. The rumor is they just cut the tablets in half. Doing this saves money because not only are you getting it covered by insurance, but you are also cutting the pills in half, which is two-months of medicine for the price of one month. The downside of doing this is you are taking more of the medicine, so you have a higher chance of unwanted sexual side effects.

However, it is interesting to note that the clinical trial that was performed on Avodart, aka Dutasteride, used 5mg of Finasteride in the study because Propecia (Finasteride 1mg) was not yet on the market (click here to see Avodart information). This allows you to compare the side effect profile and success rate of 5mg Finasteride to 1mg Finasteride.

My experience and opinion on this product: I tried this product for months. I used it two ways, at first, I used 5 mg (the whole pill), and then I tried cutting the pill in half. However, in each incident I was getting unwanted sexual side effects, so I stopped using it. I was thankful that the sexual side effects went away, but it took months.  I tried this product because my insurance covered it, whereas, Finasteride 1 mg isn’t covered. I don’t recommend using this treatment because it is too much medicine and the side effects are too great. Also, the pills are not scored, so if you cut the pills in half it doesn’t guarantee you are getting the same dosage each day. If you decide to try a hair loss treatment in pill form I recommend trying Finasteride 1 mg and not this medicine. However, if you are concerned about the sexual related side effects from using Finasteride or Dutasteride then try a topical formulation like 4hairlossMen.