I’ve Seen Improvement from Propecia, But Can I Cut the Dose in Half?

Hi Docs,

My question is about propecia. I’ve been taking the med for about a year and a half and have seen some nice improvement in the crown and im sure it’s doing the rest of my hair some good.

I’ve been off of the pill for a week. I’m planning to go back on asap but i was wondering if i would maintain these great results if i were to only take half of the dose each day?

Thank you!

The recommended dose for treating hair loss is 1mg finasteride per day, which is what you were taking. If 1mg (Propecia) is working for you, why would you want to change the dose? I would expect that if you cut the dose in half to 0.5mg you may see some continued benefit, but you will run the risk of losing the crown improvement you currently enjoy.

If cost is the reason you’re considering a lesser dose, then you can ask your physician for a prescription of the 5mg finasteride (available in generic form, which works out to about $70 for a year supply) and cut it up into 4 pieces, taking one piece each day. Ideally you should cut it is in 5 pieces, but cutting a small round pill into 5 equal pieces is very difficult. Cut only one pill at a time and store it where moisture won’t get to it (and out of the reach of children, pregnant women, and women that could become pregnant).

There is no generic 1mg finasteride legally sold in the US due to U.S. Patent protection until 2013. There should be no difference in the 5mg generic and 1mg brand name medication other than the cost and having to cut the pill.