Difference Between Generic Finasteride and Proscar Formulations?

Dear Doctor Rassman,

I have been reading your blog for months and I have found always straight forward and interesting answers to (often) tricky questions.

I have been taking proscar (prepared as 1mg pill by my pharmacist) for 4 years (I am 26) and had slowed my hair loss thanks to it. Unfortunately,I had some erectile and libido problem But as it was not that serious so I decided to continue taking it.

1 month ago, My doctor prescribed for a generic finasteride (manufactured by sandoz) and since then I have no more erectile problem but I have the feeling that I am losing my hair again. Is it possible that the generic drug is actually working fine but give me less side effects (different resorption,… which would be great)

or the fact that my erectile problems are gone and the feeling that I am losing more hair really indicates that the generic drug is less efficient.

Thanks a lot for your future reply

There should be no difference between cutting Proscar into quarters or fifths and taking a generic 1mg finasteride pill, though the 1mg generic is not legally available in the United States. If you’re having less side effects but less results in protecting your hair, I’m not sure what to tell you. Think about why you’re taking the pill to begin with — for your hair. If you’re not getting the same results for your hair, I’d consider going back to what worked better for you, perhaps even cutting the dosage to see if the side effects go away. Talk to your prescribing doctor about this.