This leaflet answers some common questions about Propecia. It does not contain all the available information.
It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Propecia against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine.You may need to read it again.
Propecia is a medicine used for treating male pattern baldness. It contains the active ingredient finasteride, which works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and has a half-life of 7 to 12 hours.
The effects of Propecia can last for up to 12 hours. However, it may take several months before you notice any noticeable changes.
You should continue taking it even if you begin to feel better.
Finasteride works by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone to DHT. DHT is a byproduct of testosterone and can lead to prostate enlargement and hair loss.
Finasteride is known to have a strong negative effect on hair follicles and can even slow down the growth of new hair.
By reducing DHT levels in your scalp, Propecia can prevent further hair loss. Propecia also lowers the number of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, which can help predict prostate cancer recurrence.
This medication can be taken with or without food.
Propecia can also be used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Propecia is not recommended for women with a history of male breast cancer.
This is not a complete list of possible side effects.
Ask your doctor before taking Propecia if you have any questions about the medicine, or about any other medical conditions you may have.
You should not use Propecia if you are allergic to finasteride, or if you have ever had an allergic reaction to finasteride or any other ingredients in Propecia tablets.
Do not drink alcohol during the treatment with Propecia, or after taking the medicine to increase the chance of side effects.
This is because this medicine has been prescribed for the treatment of prostate cancer. If you are taking Propecia to treat BPH, you may be at risk for the development of this condition. The use of Propecia may be harmful to your unborn baby.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, ask your doctor for advice before taking Propecia.
Follow the instructions on the label.
You should not use Propecia in children below 18 years of age.
Studies have shown that Propecia can stop hair loss in men by reducing DHT levels. However, there is no conclusive evidence that stopping the production of DHT is the best way to prevent or slow down hair loss.
Propecia can be taken with or without food.
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
Propecia is a medication that contains the active ingredient finasteride. It is used to treat male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) and certain types of hair loss in men. Propecia is a prescription medication and is usually taken orally once daily. It is important to follow your doctor's instructions regarding the dosage and duration of treatment. The medication is usually taken once daily, with or without food. Propecia should be taken with a glass of water, and it is important to take the medication at the same time every day to maintain its effectiveness. Propecia works by inhibiting the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that causes hair follicles to shrink. Propecia is not a cure for male pattern hair loss and is not intended to treat the symptoms of other types of hair loss. However, it is important to talk to your doctor if you are taking Propecia to ensure that it is safe for you to use. Propecia is available in several forms, including tablets, topical solutions, and oral tablets. You should always take Propecia exactly as prescribed by your doctor. The dosage and duration of treatment should be determined by your doctor, but it is important to take Propecia as directed and to consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about your treatment.
Last updated 18 January 2022
The UK patent forPropecia, a hair loss treatment for men, expired on the 11th Oct 2014. A few days later ‘generic Propecia’ or more accurately ‘generic finasteride’ became available from UK pharmacies. A generic medicine is a medicine which is the same as a branded original, but is prescribed and supplied by its medical name, rather than its brand name.
Propecia is a brand name. The active ingredient of Propecia tablets isfinasteride 1mg. Propecia tablets and finasteride 1mg tablets are medically the same.
Dr Fox supplies both from the drug companyMerck(MSD), which held the original patent, and lower cost, which other drug companies have made available since Merck’s UK patent expired.
When a medicine comes off patent price can fall dramatically. Men, who previously paid very high prices for Propecia, may be able to buy medically identical finasteride 1mg at lower prices.
When a medicine is under patent it can only be sold legally by the patent holder. This means the patent holder, which is normally the drug company which paid to develop the medicine in the first place, is free to market the medicine without competition from other pharmaceutical companies. The result is usually very high prices. When a patent expires other drug companies usually start to produce the same medicine, known as a generic copy, and start to compete on price. As a result the cost to patients tends to fall.
The cost to patients of a medicine depends on various factors; how much it costs to produce, how much demand there is, how many drug companies supply the same medicine, and how flexible the market is. Even when the wholesale supply price of a medicine falls, the price patients pay does not always fall by the same amount. Retail pharmacies may try not to pass on reduced supply costs to patients, and instead use falling wholesale prices to boost profits. If there is price competition between retailers, as there tends to be between online pharmacies and online clinics, price to patients usually fall in line with falls in wholesale supply costs, but not always.
Dr Fox is one of the lowest cost suppliers of most medicines for both branded and generic medicines.
At the moment (10 Dec 2014) only three pharmaceutical companies, apart from Merck, are supplying finasteride 1mg tablets. These companies areTrent,Actavis, andMylanAt the time of writing, all are offering their generic equivalent of Propecia at the same price; about 10% less than branded Propecia. Prices will hopefully tumble further in the days and weeks to come (as happened when last year).UPDATE JANUARY 2022Generic finasteride is now less than 30% of the price of Propecia from Dr Fox.
The original patent holder, Merck (MSD) may reduce the price of Propecia, or start to market its own generic finasteride 1mg alongside branded Propecia.
Not all men who previously took Propecia will switch to generic finasteride 1mg, even if the price of Propecia remains high and generic finasteride is a lot cheaper. If a patient is happy with a particular brand of tablet, they often will not switch to a lower cost equivalent, even if they are reliably advised that one tablet is medically the same as the other. Whether or not they switch depends on how much they wish to economise, and all the other factors which keep people buying certain products at high prices when they do not have to.
Finasteride 1mg tablets are taken daily to reduce hair loss in men, and can promote hair regrowth. See Dr Fox for details.
Cheap Propecia may be on its way which would be welcome news to the many men suffering distress as a result of male pattern hair loss.
On 14 Oct 2014 on Horizon we find out:Propecia (generic name finasteride), which has been a significant revenue generator from the global sale of Propecia, was among the high priced-to-reductilolescent’s top sellers in the United States last year.Propecia contains a medicine called finasteride. This belongs to a group of medicinescalled Type II ‘5-alpha reductase inhibitors’.
Propecia is used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (also known as androgeneticalopecia). Propecia increases hair growth on the scalp and prevents further hair loss inmen. Men with mild to moderate, but not complete hair loss, can benefit from usingPropecia.
How does the hair on your head grow?On average your hair grows about 1 centimetre (half an inch) each month. Hair growsfrom hair follicles, which are located under your skin.
A single scalp hair grows continuously for 2-4 years (growth phase) and then stopsgrowing for 2-4 months (rest phase). After this the hair falls out. In its place a newhealthy hair begins to grow, and the cycle is repeated. The hairs on your scalp arealways in different stages of this cycle so it is normal to lose scalp hair every day.
What is male pattern hair loss?
Male pattern hair loss is a common condition in which men experience thinning of thehair on the scalp, often resulting in a receding hairline and/or balding on the top of thehead. This condition is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic factors and aparticular hormone, DHT (dihydrotestosterone).
DHT causes a decrease in the growth phase and thinning of the hair (see picture). Thisleads to male pattern hair loss. These changes can start to occur in some men in their20s and become more common with age. Once hair loss has occurred over a longperiod of time, the hair may be permanently lost.
Images are for illustration purposes only and may be substituted by an equivalent alternative.
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