Of all people it happened to me! Thanks Customs!

[WhatWorksBest?]

finasteride in/to the USA

The cost of finasteride in the USA varies but is always much higher than can be found in some other places.

One reason for the variation is because the patent on Proscar (5mg finasteride for BPH) has expired but the patent on Propecia (1mg finasteride for male pattern baldness) remains in effect. So, a 5mg tablet of generic finasteride costs about $2.60, compared to $3.00 for Proscar. However, 1mg tablets of finasteride are only available as brand-name Propecia, which cost around $2 each.

In contrast, my experience with Inhouse Pharmacy and United Pharmacies has been that they deliver generic finasteride 1mg tablets for under 60 cents each. I usually get a 90-day supply but I suspect the Customs interdiction is mostly haphazard because technically it's all illegal and the box for a year's supply would be around the same size.

It is also illegal for someone with a prescription for Propecia to buy Proscar instead, even though the active ingredient is the same. If a doctor prescribes Proscar instead of Propecia, it could even be insurance fraud because insurance usually covers Proscar but not Propecia. Even if the patient is paying 100% of the cost personally, prescribing Proscar instead of Propecia could still be malpractice by the doctor. The prescription and import laws make no sense until you consider that they maximize profits for the lobbies that support them.

For me, the big question has always been whether Finpecia through international mail is really as effective as Propecia through the regulated pharmacy distribution system. (Full disclosure: I own stock in MRK, which makes Propecia, although that hasn't affected my purchase decisions or political sympathies.) I have switched back and forth between the two products, and am still unsure whether they are equally effective. If you read the "success stories" in this forum, you'll notice that they tend to name Propecia specifically, not Finpecia. I also use Nizoral 1%, which is made by a joint venture of MRK and J&J. One thing I can say with certainty: since I started using these products two years ago, the natural course of my male pattern baldness has reversed and my hair has improved noticeably, and I would happily have paid double for these results . So, it's worth getting something from somewhere! Also, although the prescription requirement is infantilizing and needlessly expensive, Merck offers links to doctors that it pays to provide Propecia consultations so you can get a prescription and buy the product legally:

http://www.propecia.com/finasteride/pro ... /index.jsp

BTW, this post was not a commercial announcement from MRK, I really don't work for them, and am not affiliated with them.

Lastly, to Packers specfically, finasteride is intended for men only, so if you look like your avatar it probably isn't intended for you. There are warnings for women who are or might become pregnant, and I'm unaware of any large-scale effectiveness studies on women (although reports of small-scale studies seem contradictory, i.e. some say it helps and some say it doesn't).

 

[WhatWorksBest?]

Wow beaner - bitter reaction - maybe you should switch to decaf.

I haven't heard any Merck commercials that talk about how to get Finpecia into the USA, so I don't think it's fair or accurate of you to say that my post sounded like a commercial.

Regarding insurance fraud, you're simply mistaken. If you submit an insurance claim for treating BPH (covered) and it's really for treating male pattern baldness (not covered), your insurance company can report it as fraud. Check your policy.

Regarding prescriptons for off-label purposes, the issue is more subtle. What do you imagine the prescription would say? "Take one tablet every five days?" No, it would almost certainly say take one tablet per day. It's not likely to be a problem because even if you take the full 5mg dose of Proscar you probably won't have actionable consequences, but the risks are somewhat higher than with the 1mg dose of Propecia and could count as malpractice.

Regarding Finpecia vs. Propecia, if you can link to a double-blind comparative study I would like to see it. Otherwise you're just steamed and speculating. As I said, I've switched back and forth between both, and am still unsure.

Lastly, for all I care you can take whatever pill makes you happy, but I think you should consider something that produces less bile and fewer asterisks.

 

[hair_tomorrow]

I guess I should consider myself fortunate (for a change). I order from UP at least once every 3 months and have rec'd all my orders.

I read not too long ago where Customs was going to stop interfering w/ prescription orders coming into the USA from Canada - but not necessarily from overseas.

Perhaps we can increase our chances by sticking w/ Canadian on-line pharmacies?

 

[beaner]

Whatworks best...you didnt indicate in your post that the Proscar would be submitted to the insurance company for BPH, if in reality it was for male pattern baldness. I agree that would be fraud, but to submit a prescription for Proscar using a diagnosis of male pattern baldness most certainly would not be fraud. As far as doctors prescribing Proscar offlabel it would indicate to use 1/4 pill daily for hair loss. I work for one of the countries largest health insurance companies, have seen this before, and am about to have my own doctor write me one. As for the generics...well Finpecia vs Propecia has been debated a zillion times on this forum and I don't intend on raising the dead. The incredible improvements in my hair (which certainly isn't speculation) speaks for itself, as well as others on this forum that have had success with Finpecia or other generics. You said you own stock in Merck,so yes, your post sounds like a damn commercial. You provide a link to the Propecia website for goodness sake.

 

[21gone]

Are there any differences between Proscar from inhousepharmacy packaged in a foreign language and english?

 

[RP]

prescription for Proscar using a diagnosis of male pattern baldness most certainly would not be fraud

That is exactly what my doctor ordered for me. I even have this sticker that the pharmacist printed on my finasterid box quoting the doctors prescription: "Take one fifth of a pill per day to treat hairloss".

Would it be possible for you guys to ask your doctors to do the same? Then you could buy your finasterid from a legitimite pharmacist and not worry about customs etc.

 

[BALD IS BEAUTIFUL]

after visualising ur plight i consider myself lucky enough to walk to nearest pharmacy store and ask for finesteride and duta without any prescription.i lives in india and very few peoples know about finasteride and duta effectiveness in restricting alopecia.for alopecia indians use ayurvedic(ancient Indian system of healing) oils and powders.
i personally use a herbal oil and think it works that why i retain it in my arsenal.
here most used drug for treating alopecia is minoxidil and a 2% 100 ml bottle can cost u us$3.5, a pack of ten tablet of finesteride(5 mg each tablet) cost around us$2 and a pack of ten tablet of duta costs us$2.5.and most amazing thing is that u don't need a prescription of a Doctor but here there is no medical security.

 

[WhatWorksBest?]

Regarding Canada vs. other countries and Proscar in English vs. a different language, various proposals to loosen import requirements have been reported, but none have been enacted. As noted previously, unfortunately the lobbying influence has been very powerfully in the opposite direction. I believe that you can bring 90 days of prescription medicines with you across the border if you have a copy of your prescription, but importing by mail or without a prescription is prohibited. I've been lucky also in that none of my shipments have been interdicted, but I do find it irksome that our tax dollars are used against us in this way, i.e. to protect us from buying something that someone claims might be bad for us (especially when it's been approved as safe & effective for its intended purpose).

Thanks for the information regarding fractional prescriptions, e.g. take 1/5 of a pill per day. I haven't seen a prescription like that. I do wonder though how long a chopped up pill would retain its effectiveness in a bathroom environment, i.e. warm and humid. Maybe if you keep the pieces in a plastic baggy they would be less affected.

Beaner - somewhat off topic but if you post a link to an insurance policy that covers male pattern baldness, I won't impugn your motives or accuse you of advertising for someone, or echo your caffeinated language. You keep accusing me of schilling for MRK (and even questioned my statement that I don't work for them) because I own some stock in the company, but if I were trying fool anyone I would not have disclosed the stock ownership. You also seem to overlook that I disagree with the big pharmaceutical companies (including MRK) lobbying for tighter import restrictions. Like most people here, I am just trying to figure out how to solve our common problem, i.e. What Works Best. The insurance policies that I have seen describe male pattern baldness as natural and cosmetic and therefore not covered. Likewise their drug formularies include Proscar (approved for BPH) but exclude Propecia (approved for male pattern baldness). If you can kindly provide useful information instead of attacking me, that would be an improvement. Specifically, a link to a policy that covers Propecia/male pattern baldness would be much appreciated.

Also Beaner - I am genuinely glad that your experience with finasteride and minoxidil has been successful, but as you're using both together your experience cannot tell you which one (or both) is working. The best way to compare is to study at least 200 people, half taking Propecia and half taking Finpecia (and nothing else for either group), and see whether one group does better. Cipla and other big companies make generic finasteride and could easily sponsor such a study, but to my knowledge they have not done so. Ultimately what matters is what effect the pill has inside you, i.e. whether it actually delivers the right amount of the active ingredient on the right schedule. 5% minoxidil is quite powerful by itself and could easily account for the improvement you describe, even if you were not taking finasteride at all.

 

[beaner]

Also Beaner - I am genuinely glad that your experience with finasteride and minoxidil has been successful, but as you're using both together your experience cannot tell you which one (or both) is working. The best way to compare is to study at least 200 people, half taking Propecia and half taking Finpecia (and nothing else for either group), and see whether one group does better. Cipla and other big companies make generic finasteride and could easily sponsor such a study, but to my knowledge they have not done so. Ultimately what matters is what effect the pill has inside you, i.e. whether it actually delivers the right amount of the active ingredient on the right schedule. 5% minoxidil is quite powerful by itself and could easily account for the improvement you describe, even if you were not taking finasteride at all.

I began minoxidil in June of 2002 and only started Finpecia this year in the spring. I defintely can tell you Finpecia works. Minoxdil after 4 years is doubtfully going to suddenly transform the thickness and texture of my hair and grow more hair on previously slick bald spots.

 

[beaner]

Thanks for the information regarding fractional prescriptions, e.g. take 1/5 of a pill per day. I haven't seen a prescription like that. I do wonder though how long a chopped up pill would retain its effectiveness in a bathroom environment, i.e. warm and humid. Maybe if you keep the pieces in a plastic baggy they would be less affected.

It's doubtful that if kept in a pill bottle or similar airtight container the efficacy would be compromised. Many here use quartered Proscar with no problems. Also, Propecia can be covered under health insurance policies. It is up to the company purchasing the policies for their employees whether or not to cover male pattern baldness. I'll admit, most I've seen don't, but some companies do cover male pattern baldness, and many companies have special policies for their higher ranking executives that cover just about everything you can imagine, from meds for their pets to gym memberships.

 

[WhatWorksBest?]

In the "it could be worse" department, at least Customs seems for now only to interdict. Has anyone heard of efforts to arrest addressees?

Back in the 1980's, the Reagan administration went much further regarding things they said were bad for your health. To prevent people from taking cannabis for medical (or recreational) purposes, they sprayed crops with poison - not to kill the crop, but to poison the users. Odd logic, since it implied that without the poison the cannabis wasn't already bad for you, thus undermining the rationale for the policy. Nevertheless, logic and policy do not always go together, so let us be thankful that Customs sends "love letters" instead of poisoning shipments.

Beaner - off topic but thank you for admitting that most insurance policies you've seen don't cover male pattern baldness. Also, your post suggests that all the policies you've seen are employer-purchased ("It is up to the company purchasing the policies...."). Those are only one subset of insurance policies; many are purchased by individuals or families, or are related to government programs. In sum, as I said earlier, "insurance usually covers Proscar but not Propecia." Trying to claim insurance coverage for something not covered is insurance fraud. Again, if you can point to an available policy that would cover male pattern baldness, a link would be appreciated.

 

[WhatWorksBest?]

just an update

As disclosed in my earlier posts, at that time I owned shares in the maker of Propecia (MRK). I have since sold them, for reasons unrelated to anything here. My opinions have not changed.