Balding Blog

Doctor Rassam,

I have recently started taking anti-anxiety drug escitalopram clonazepam after consultation with a doctor.

Please let me know can I also take finasteride along with it.

This is a question for your prescribing doctor who knows your medical history. Generally speaking, finasteride does not seem to produce problems with most other medications.

Hey Doc – I emailed you a while back and wanted to thank you for your response on the blog. I recently upped my dosage of finastride to 2.5 mg proscar after a 10 yrs of propecia (1mg), based on my HT surgeons advice. My hairloss had really progressed so this was a clear course of action. I intially had great results on proetica in my early 20s.

1. My first question was related to dosing – I lift weights/workout intensely 6 days per week (often twice per day) and wondered if it would behoove me to split this dosage – 1.25 prior to weight lifting in the early evenings and 1.25 first thing in the morning, as recommended in your book.
2. My second question was, does taking Finastride with a multivitamin, a vitamin C, a vitamin E, vitamin D, Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium – all in seperate pills, and a protein shake (organic from non hormone cows) in the morning before I do some intense cardio (I eat no real food till I come back from the gym) have any impact on Finastride absorbtion/effectiveness?

I have read your book and realize it is ok to take Finastride with food but this may be a tad different.

Thanks in advance

1. If you can keep up the regimen of taking a pill twice a day without forgetting, then go for it! Theoretically, it should give you a consistent level. Be sure to talk to your prescribing doctor to clarify this.
2. I do not believe taking finasteride with your supplements or food or exercise has any real impact on its absorption.

Do you think it is suitable for a person suffering MPB to combat their hair loss by taking (1mg)Finasteride every 3 days?

Could there be any disadvantages to this?

I mean no disrespect, but I am always amazed when people invent their own medications, doses, and rules. Sometimes it is based upon fears that are not reasonable, and perhaps sometimes it is to cut costs. The recommended dosage is 1mg finasteride each day to treat hair loss. Taking it every 3 days will mean you have 2 days of no protection from the medication… so your hair loss will likely continue. The drug is out of your system in a day, which is why it’s a daily pill.

Hi Dr. Rassman,

Many thanks for the detailed and trustworthy information you offer your readers. It is a true resource amidst the unreliable heresay elsewhere.

I am a 29 y.o. male — I started Propecia 1mg 4 years ago and it worked great until this summer when my hair started falling out quickly. My doctor increased my dosage to 1.67mg, which I filled with generic finasteride at Target(thank you again for pointing out the great deal there). It has only been a month, but I am hopeful it will work again.

Recently, my regular dermatologist (not the prescriber) asked whether the pill I am taking is scored and evenly distributed. I inquired with the pharmacist who said it was not scored and likely not evenly distributed. He knew of no generic finasteride that is.

What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of taking 1/3 of a tablet that I am not sure is evenly distributed. I looked in the archives and was able to dig this up, but it seems like the answer was inconclusive at the time and I am wondering if anything changed. It also dealt with Proscar, not generic finastertide.

Thanks so much

I am not an expert on drug mixing, but I believe that the various ingredients are homogenized, so as it is made into a pill there’s no irregularities in the mix. If the ingredients were irregularly mixed at a pill level, then in theory it could be irregular from pill to pill… and I’m not sure if the FDA would allow that. I’m not well versed in pharmaceutical manufacturing policies, though.

As for taking the 1.67mg finasteride, if that is what your physician prescribed you, I’m not going to argue with that. There have been times where I’ve increased the dosage recommendation for individual patients if they notice hair loss accelerating after being on Propecia for years.

Hi Sir,
I take Proscar and break the pills in 1/4. Considering the fact that finasteride remains only a few hours in the body, would it be better if I’d break the pills in 1/8 and would take it twice a day?

thanks

What you say may be true. The problem is that the 5 hour half life is a reflection of blood levels for the drug (5 hours drops the concentration in the blood by half). The more important number may be tissue level of bound drug that binds to the receptor targets. I believe that this number is much longer than 5 hours (maybe a few days). Thinking this through is an intellectual exercise only:

1. The pill might be able to be taken less often, rather than more often.
2. A smaller dose might be just as effective. I was told in a personal communication some years ago with Dr. David Whiting (who was involved in the original Merck studies to determine the best dose to use) that half of a Propecia (0.5mg) is 80% as good as a whole pill.

It may be in nobody’s interest to really solve this problem for you so your guess is as good as anyone. I tend to stay with what is known and that happens to be Merck’s story on the commercial pill. Other than saving some money, I am not sure that for most men without any side effects of the drug that taking less of a dose has any advantage over the recommended dose.

Is it possible and/or safe to use propecia and minoxdil at the same time or is it not recommended to take these together. Additionally, if I take propecia, is there a recommended method of taking it – ie with/without food, empty stomach, without other medicines or vitamins.

Thanks.

You can use Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine (minoxidil) together. It doesn’t matter if you take it with or without food.