Taking 1.25mg of Finasteride Daily

Dr. Rassman,

I have been taking finasteride for 1 month. I have quartered proscar tablets. Given that the doses are therefore 1.25 mg of finasteride each I have been taking the pills for fours days straight and then taking one day off. This way I receive 5 mg in my body over five days just like with propecia. Can this skipping a dose have an effect of the drug’s effectiveness? Also, I plan on switching to the regular 1 mg dose of propecia every day once my 30 tablet proscar supply finishes (so roughly five months). I assumed the transition will be smoother with my current dose technique then if I was taking 1.25 every day and then switched to 1 mg per day. My main reason for skipping the 5th 1.25 mg dose is to reduce the chances of side effects. After two weeks of use I experienced some tenderness in one of my breasts but thankfully that passed after one week and I feel perfectly fine now. My worry is that an increased amount of finasteride in my body would increase the chances of such effects returning. Any thoughts you can give in regards to my concerns would be appreciated.

Thank you.

You need to have it on board every day. Don’t worry about side effects if you do not experience any now at the dose you are taking. The breast pain is a rare side effect (1 in 300 patients), so if it has passed, just count your blessings.