Taking Proscar 4 Days On, 1 Day Off

Hi Dr Rassman, i have a question regarding the use of finasteride. I am a 26y.o. male with a history of gynecomastia and moderate acne. Last year my family doctor prescribed proscar for my hair loss. He has instructed me to cut the pill into 4 pieces, take 1/4 of proscar each day and have an off day after every four days. At the beginning of this year i’ve noticed that my frontal and termporal areas have been thinning out tremendously. The thinning has been progressing really fast ever since. My question is, should i start taking 1/4 of proscar everyday from now on(instead of having an off day after every 4 days) or should i take propecia everyday instead? Thanks.

You should address these concerns to your doctor who prescribed you the medication. Finasteride is well known to address the top and crown areas of the scalp for male pattern balding. It is less effective on the front and the temporal areas and maybe the genetic hair loss is accelerating on its own. We go through phases where the rapidity of the hair loss goes active in spirts. You should at the least have your hair mapped for miniaturization by a doctor to document the progression and the degree of hair loss, rather than just subjectively noting the thinning. With good measurements in hand, you may be able to judge the effect of changes like what you are proposing.

Anyway, to answer your question — in my personal opinion, taking Proscar 1/4 pill (1.25mg finasteride) four days on and one day off is not as good as taking it once a day.