Month: January 2009

I would like to thank you for this very useful resource, and your consideration of submmited questions. I have a question about Proscar- since Proscar tablets are not scored four ways- is the finasteride distributed equally throughout the pill, in other words could their be more potent peices of the pill. This was a concern I had about switching to proscar. Are you aware if the pills have an equall distribution of finasteride? It seems like they may not since they are designed to be halved not quartered.

I can not imagine why Merck would weight the active ingredients in a tablet of Proscar (finasteride 5mg). I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I’d believe the distribution is fairly even throughout, particularly since the pill is likely homogenized. If it’s not perfect, it would probably be within a very small fraction of a percent difference. The Proscar isn’t scored, so you will likely get a little more of less each day anyway unless you somehow manage to get a perfect cut on an odd-shaped pill (see image at right). It’s a good question and although I did a little bit of research on it, I couldn’t find the absolute answer for you.

There’s an interesting thread at Drugs-Forum.com about splitting pills and ingredient distribution that you might find useful.

I am taking Propecia for the past 4 months.However being a student, I find it very costly and would like to take the generic Popecia.On talking with my family doctor in INDIA ,I got to know that the generic Propecia made by Dr Reddys Pharmaceuticals is FDA approved and also much cheaper. FDA.gov

The Doctor who gave me a prescription for Propecia in Boston says that the medicines from India do not contain Finasteride at all and should not be taken.Also I read in an earlier question about the same issue u had answered that the Propecia from India is not FDA approved and is of Poor quality.But Dr Reddys Pharma Claim that their Product has been FDA approved. Should I ask my Parents to send me the Generic Dose from INDIA or continue using the Brand Propecia as cost is a major issue.Also wanna know if using the Generic Propecia will give the same results. (Dr Reddys Pharma is considered amongst the best Pharmaceuticals in INDIA.)

Dr. Reddy’s Pharmaceutical Company is well-known and I believe that their generic Propecia is FDA approved. I wrote about it before. To get approved by the FDA, the company must show that it contains what it stated on the packaging.

The distribution of finasteride should be equal throughout the tablet (1mg or 5mg tablet), but I conclude that by using my common sense. I can not tell you what to do, but many people who use the Dr. Reddy’s finasteride products say that it is the same as what is sold as Propecia or Proscar. You should know that getting the generic 1mg pill into the US violates Merck’s patent, which is why it is illegal to sell the medication in the United States.

I recently went hiking/camping on the Appalachian trail for 9 days, and only managed to bring 3 days of propecia medication. My poor packing skills brought up the question: What is the best way to ration/use propecia medication in this situation? – Once a day for the first 3 days? Once every 2 days? Cut the pills in half?

thanks for your time

I would have taken the Propecia every other day and cut the pills to spread it out. 6 days may not matter in the grand scheme of things, though. There is no right answer in a situation like that where you made a mistake. Do your best to spread the medication out so there’s not too much time in between dosings.

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Hello Doctor,

I’m thinking of taking Propecia to combat my hair loss dilemma, but I have gastrointestinal issues that prevent me from taking certain medications. Even just taking a garlic supplement results in some intestinal pains. Would taking propecia be an option for me? Does Propecia have any recommendations for patients with other health issues to refrain from taking the drug?

The best way to find out is to try it yourself for a few weeks. Most doctors have professional samples in their offices which will allow you to try it. I would doubt significant GI problems would appear, but try it and find out.

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Hi Doctor,

Started Rogaine 16 years ago at 40. Now 56. Only applied it once a day after about a year. Developing scalp irritation and plan to stop. Are there any long term studies showing effectiveness? I’ve read about immunity after a few years but nothing specific. Could my hair still be dependent on it after so many years and at my age?

What works better or if at all at my age? minoxidil or propecia?

Thanks

I am not aware of any long term studies on topical minoxidil/Rogaine showing effectiveness. Your hair may be (or may not be) dependent on Rogaine after so many years. If you are going to stop the use of Rogaine, I would consider slowly weaning off of it over the course of several weeks. For example, apply once a day rather than twice a day. Then maybe every other day, etc. Perhaps even switching to a lower dosage. Unfortunately, hair loss may be a price that you have to pay for stopping the medication.

It won’t retain any benefits you’ve seen from the minoxidil, but Propecia might work for you.