I Upped My Finasteride Dosage and My Hair Loss Stopped Drastically

Dear Dr. Rassman,

I understand the debate regarding the appropriate dosage of finasteride to be taken seems to have no end. I am currently taking 2.5mg (half proscar since 3 years ago where Propecia stopped working as well), so far so good. I would not say propecia stopped responding, but more of my genetics are catching up. Anyway, by upping to 2.5mg , hairloss has stopped drastically but still very gradually.

My conclusion is that, any amount of finasteride is better than none when it comes to fighting hair loss. And according to scientific results, 1mg vs 5mg has similar effects on hair loss prevention. Therefore 2.5mg should be a safe and worth-trying dosage provided no major side-effects are present. Hence, I think its ok to recommend to people who has stopped responding well to propecia to try 2.5mg (half proscar), even though there is no guarantee that it might work better – ultimately, any finasteride is better than none?

Thank you for your thoughts. In general, more does not necessarily mean better and the recommended dose of finasteride for the treatment of male pattern balding is 1mg a day. As always, please discuss your treatment options with your prescribing physician.