Increased Finasteride from 1mg to 1.25mg — Now I See Shedding

Dr Rassman,

I have recently transitioned from Propecia to the generic brand of finaseride. Within 2 months I began to ‘shed’ pretty significantly. This shedding has continued for several months. Right or wrong, through my experience I am more than a bit sceptical about the generic version of this drug.

I have read that increasing finaseride dosage(which was true in my case, 1/4 tablet of generic) can result in temporary ‘shedding’. I am hopeful that is my situation. Do you know if this effect was true for patients using Propecia, who after time increased their doses of Propecia ?

Thanks

There is no evidence that more than 1mg of finasteride is better than 1mg. As the dose goes up, the side effects (or potential for them) rise slightly. Maybe you are in an accelerated stage of balding, which is as you know, progressive over time. I can not comment on the value of cutting a pill over taking the 1mg Propecia offered by the drug company. A dose of 1.25mg should not be perceptible.