Are there significant differences between generic finasteride and propecia in terms of effectiveness for the treatment of male pattern baldness?

Doctor's Answers 1

Hi,

All Health Sciences Authority (HSA) - approved generics should work well and are generally non-inferior to the originals.

Stick to propecia if it has worked well for you and you are willing to accept the premium price over generic finasteride. Propecia gives patients the assurance of proven efficacy from numerous well conducted studies and its side effects are well documented. Consider switch to generic finasteride if you are after value.

There are no head to head comparisons between the 2 products and opinions regarding which is better will only be subjective and rather variable.

Hope this helps!

Similar Questions

How time sensitive is starting treatment for male pattern baldness?

From your description, it does sound like you may have telogen effluvium. In telogen effluvium, there is increased hair loss due to a preceding stressful event, such as high fever, crash dieting and emotional stress. The surgery in June may be a triggering event. By definition, hair fall is considered abnormal if there is loss of over 100 strands of hair a day. This condition is usually self limiting and the hair fall usually last for 2 – 4 months . The new hairs will eventually grow out.

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Dr Colin Theng

Dermatologist

What Finasteride dosage should I use for hair loss?

As a general guide, if you are taking finasteride for male patterned hair loss (which I assume you are), you are looking at a minimal dosing of 3mg per week. Side effects, by definition, are dose dependent and slowly increasing the dose and monitoring yourself closely for such side effects allows one to immediately stop the medication if you encounter any. Additionally, finasteride has a better treatment effect in combination with minoxidil and you should consider using both synergistically. Finasteride is also used for female patterned hair loss and can be dosed at 2. 5 – 5mg per DAY.

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