Does lowering Finasteride dosage to 0.5mg help with sides?

[Balding Scot]

Hi all.

There's been talk of this, but I've had a hard time finding evidence that it actually works.

I was one of the unfortunate ones who was hit hard with mental side effects (namely panic disorder and overall major anxiety/depression). Upon quitting the drug, those side effects slowly disappeared. Between that, and the recent studies indicating that these sort of drugs can cause changes in brain chemistry, I am fairly certain that it was because of the Propecia.

Unfortunately I also can't have a hair transplant without going on meds, as I'll continue to lose.

So. My question is this. If I cut the pill in half, and take one half a day (0.5mg), will that reduce the side-effects, but still be enough finasteride to affect my hair loss? I don't even need to grow some back. Just want to maintain after the the hair transplant.

If anyone has experience or evidence that this works, please do let me know. One of the guys at H&W suggested it does indeed work.

Thanks for any advice you can give. I really don't want to experience that anguish again, but it's also a whole lot of anguish to be losing this hair.

 

[Balding Scot]

I'd like to add something here too:

It just struck me that back when i was taking it the first time and was experiencing sides, I was doing 1.25mg of proscar every second day, though sometimes I would do it every day, sometimes I would do it every third day. I wasn't exactly perfect with it.

It strikes me that a large dose, at irregular intervals, may have been what caused me to experience the hormonal/brain issues? That if I made it smaller (0.5mg) and regular (daily), this could improve significantly the chances that I won't experience sides?

Studies indicate that it's nearly as effective against hairloss as 1mg, but there aren't really any studies regarding side effects.

This is my only hope.

 

[Nuli]

If your having sides at 1mg, 0.5mg is not small enough to notice a difference in DHT inhibition.

 

[Fanjeera]

It might, we don't know where the border for different side effects goes. If you're trying to get rid of sexual sides, then drop it, if you want hair: I think sexuality and hair are closely linked. But for the mental side effects, who knows.