I want to start finasteride

[silvhair]

Hey,

I was thinkiong of starting finasteride, I am 21, and have tried Revivogen with tricomin and nizoral shampoo.

I stopped revivogen and have kept on Tricomin and nizoral, and it has been around 6 months.

If I start finasteride how much should i take and how often and where is the best place to get it.


thanks

 

[Guest]

If you want to start finasteride,

You have a choice of Propecia or Proscar. Propecia is the 1 mg form prescribed for hair loss, and Proscar is the 5 mg form typically prescribed for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Propecia you can just take 1 mg a day of, and Proscar you can cut into either 4 or 5 pieces, so you'll be taking either 1.25 mg a day or 1 mg a day. There's virtually no difference in effectiveness between 1.25 mg a day and 1 mg a day.

Now as for where to get it, you have a few options for where to get it. You can get your dermatologist to prescribe Propecia for you, but that's expensive. It will run you upwards of $700 a year. Or you could ask your dermatologist to prescribe you Proscar to save you money, and you can cut the pills yourself with a pill cutter into 4 or 5 pieces. That will run you around $270 a year. There is a generic Proscar available in the United States right now for around $230 a year. No generic Propecia available yet in United States pharmacies that I know of.

If you don't want to go the doctor route, then there are a couple reputable pharmacies online that I know of that don't require prescriptions.

These sites, in addition to carrying brand name Propecia and Proscar, also carry cheaper generics made in places like India that are just as effective.

Here are the two pharmacies that have been found to be reputable by people on this forum and others:

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com

http://www.unitedpharmacies.com

If you want branded Propecia(1 mg), you can get it at these links:

http://www.unitedpharmacies.com/Propeci ... s_p_8.html

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/hair-loss/propecia.html

If you want branded Proscar(5 mg), you can get it at these links:

http://www.unitedpharmacies.com/Proscar ... s_p_9.html

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/hair-loss/proscar.html

If you are willing to try an Indian generic of Propecia(1 mg) which will save you a ton of money, here is a good one available at both sites. It's called Finpecia:

http://www.unitedpharmacies.com/Finpeci ... p_343.html

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/hair-loss/finpecia.html

If you want to try an Indian generic of Proscar(5 mg) and save you even more money than the generic Propecia, because you will be cutting the pills yourselves with a pill cutter, go to one of these links:

http://www.unitedpharmacies.com/Fincar_ ... p_346.html

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/hair-loss/fincar.html

Here are some estimates for prices:

A year's supply of branded Propecia will run you a bit over $700. A year's supply of branded Proscar will run you about $270 from a US pharmacy with a doctor's prescription. A year's supply of generic Proscar from a US pharmacy will run you about $230. That takes care of the various versions of finasteride available from US pharmacies.

As for online,

You can get a year's supply of branded Propecia for a bit over $700 as well. You can get generic Proscar somewhere in the $200s at the two sites.

You can get generic Propecia(Finpecia) for around $150 a year from United Pharmacies including shipping. You can get generic Proscar(Fincar) for around $80 a year from United Pharmacies including shipping.

So it comes down to your budget. If money isn't an issue then you can go to your Doctor, get a prescription, and get some US Propecia. Or you can use one of the sites above and save up to 80% on your finasteride.

And keep using the nizoral while you're on finasteride.

Hope this helped.

 

[apathy212]

Wow Jayman, that was some awesome insight right there. I'm also in the same boat as silvahir, and I've found your post to be incredibly informative. I'm 25 and have noticed my hairline receding and overall hair thinning. I want to delay the inevitable balding as soon as possible, and propecia seems to be the way to go. I've already received my shipment of nizoral and 5% minoxidil, but hesitated on the propecia because I was uninformed.

I think I can manage the $700 a year bill that Propecia carries, but proscar works just as well? If I decide to go with proscar, how do I go about cutting it into 1mg?

Another reason why I've kinda hesitated about going on propecia is that I know once I'm on, theres no turning back. I know its going to be rough dealing with the initial sheds and what not, but things appear to work out for the best at the end. As long as I can maintain my current hair for the next 5 yrs, I'll be happy.

 

[Guest]

glad you appreciate it apathy,

i spent a lot of time on it.

if you want to cut it into 5 mg there's a picture around here somewhere but honestly i'd just cut it into 4ths instead. or just get finpecia and you don't have to cut at all, just take one tablet a day.

it's true you have to take it indefinitely, but hair doesn't become dependent on it. it protects your hair that would have fallen out without it and thats why you shed and lose hair if you were balding and go off it, but that's not finasteride's prob.

 

[Guest]

And i wouldn't start the minoxidil till you give the propecia time to maintain your hair. You might not be at the stage where you need minoxidil yet.

 

[apathy212]

Thanks again for the feedback, Jay.

Hey, heres another question I have for you.... more like a concern I guess. I realize that we're all different, and some will be good responders to propecia while others will acheive poor results. I've been browsing around this forum, and I see people saying to at least try propecia because it wont hurt if you try. What I'm scared of is that if I get on, it'll mess up my hair to an even poorer condition, forcing me to quickly get off and be stuck in an even bigger nightmare. Is this is a legit concern, or am I just being paranoid?

But you're right... I dont think I should get on minoxidil yet. While my front has been thinning noticeably, and my hairline has receded somewhat dramatically, I think I can put off the minoxidil for now. I'm trying to be as preventive as I can right now because my hair, on the top at least, is getting weaker with each passing day.

 

[MPBWarrior]

Dear apathy212,

yes, you are being paranoid about the propecia. it doesn't give that bad of a shed (mine wasn't even noticeable) and if you think you'll go off of it before 6 months then it's not even worth taking it because that's usually when u start seeing results. the only thing to be scared about is the side effects (which are uncommon) but if u do get them, just get off propecia and they'll go away. u have nothing to lose but more hair, however, stay on propecia for at least 6-12 months (unless u get untolerable sides).

and yes, stay away from minoxidil unless u REALLY need some regrowth.

good luck!

 

[silvhair]

Thanks a lot Jayman,

I have been doing some serious thinking about finasteride and if it is worth it.
What I mean is, if i start, do I pretty much have to use it forever until it doesn't have any more affect on me. Also, if I use it and after a year my body won't tolerate it, am i screwed and going to lose the rest of my hair even faster. What happens if i miss a day, or perhaps take it every other day to not inhibit to much DHT.

Then the other thing is I know there are sides, which I am willing to try finasteride even so, but lets say for example somehow I get married or get a chick pregnant or decide to have a kid(not that I am planning on that anywhere in the next 5 years) . Is there, has there, ever been any kind of side effect or problem or anything that anybody know's about relating to infants, kids, or women.

My main concern is if there has ever been anykind effects on someone but the user of the drug.

Sorry, I know you guys have probably heard these concerns before but I just don't want to get into something that in the long run could affect me more than male pattern baldness is now or hurt someone else in my future

One last thing do I have to have a prescription from a dermatologist to get finasteride?

Thanks for everything guys.

 

[silvhair]

never mind about the prescription thing for finasteride, I just saw it on you reply Jayman.