Am I Losing Hair Because I Switched to Generic Finasteride?

Hello,

About 3 months ago I switched from Propecia to the generic Finasteride 1 mg manufactured by a Thai pharma company (bought overseas). Also, for the last 4 weeks I have trouble sleeping and irregular sleeping patterns due to international travel (ie. jetlag, time difference etc.). Lately I am noticing excessive hair loss in the bathroom sink (about 3-4 times my average) after a shower. Should I attribute that to the lack of proper sleep or to a potential ineffectiveness of the generic Finasteride? I had been on Propecia for over 5 years before I switched, which represents an “investment” as you can imagine.

Thank you.

Hair loss is genetic. I doubt jet lag or proper sleep has anything to do with what you are describing, but stress might.

Generic finasteride and Propecia (finasteride 1mg) are the same medication, just marketed differently. Unless you are getting your finasteride from a shady Internet site (particularly the sites that sell prescription meds without a prescription required), I doubt it has any clinical significance. Keep in mind there are many reputable overseas drug manufacturers, but I don’t know which maker or brand you ended up with. In the end, if you are unsure of the validity of your medication, share your concern with your pharmacist or your prescribing doctor. The ultimate decision of going back to brand name Propecia is up to you.

For the record, I routinely prescribe finasteride in two ways:

1. Generic: Available in 5mg strength, with instructions for the patient to take 1/4 pill a day (generic 1mg finasteride isn’t sold legally in the US due to patent laws).
2. Name brand: Propecia, which is already the 1mg dosage that is FDA approved to treat male pattern baldness.

I leave the decision up to my patients whether to take a brand name versus splitting a generic. I do not see any difference with respect to clinical results; the only difference is financial saving. If you are worried about the generic finasteride, then go for Propecia and then there should be no doubt.