After Switching to Generic Proscar, My Hair Loss Started Again

I did some searching on your site and could not find an answer to my question, so here goes: I’ve been taking Propecia (or splitting Proscar) for over ten years. Two years ago, when the generic became available (from India), I purchased it. Within months I started losing hair, and the loss continued. I went back to Proscar about a year ago. No change in growth but still losing, just not as much or as rapidly. I’ve read similar stories on the internet. I just filled a new Rx from Costco with the Indian finasteride (because of the cost). Am I naive in thinking it was my age (58 at the time) and genetics that caused the loss, or do you think the Indian generic is not up to the brand’s standard? Have you heard similar stories?

Normally, I’d tell a patient or reader that if you believe your medication is not genuine because you get it from India, I would suggest you buy it from a reputable company in the United States. But you got your finasteride from Costco in the US, so I’d expect it would be fine. Plus, there are many large pharmaceutical companies in India (not sure which one you got) and the FDA permits them to import medication here. If you bought it online from a pharmacy that required no prescription, that would be a different story.

If you are losing hair (even at the age of 58) and you are treating it with finasteride, then you are treating genetic hair loss. Remember, the medication isn’t a cure, so it’s possible that it was just coincidental timing that you switched to a generic finasteride around the same time that medication started losing the battle to your genes.