What Are Finasteride Tablets?


Finasteride tablets come in various brand names and different strengths. It is important that you are aware of this when beginning finasteride treatment to ensure that you do not take too much.

What Is Propecia?

Propecia is a brand name for finasteride in the 1 mg form that is used to treat male pattern balding. Propecia must be used on a daily basis for at least three months before any noticeable improvement. The tablets should be taken with a glass of water and can be swallowed with or without food. You should try to take Propecia at the same time every day to get the best results.

Propecia is normally an eight-sided pill that says either PROPECIA or MRK 71 on one side. If you are unsure as to whether your pill is legitimate, you should take the packaging and the pills to a pharmacist who will be able to identify whether or not your medication is counterfeit.

What is Proscar?

Proscar is the brand name for finasteride in a 5 mg pill that is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Proscar is usually a blue U- shaped pill that is marked with PROSCAR or MSD 72 on each side.

Although mostly used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia Proscar is sometimes brought to treat male pattern balding, as it is cheaper than buying Propecia. If you buy Proscar for this purpose then you will also need to purchase a pill splitter so that you can cut the pill into five equal sized portions. It is important that you do not take the whole 5 mg dose of Proscar if you have only been prescribed 1 mg per day.

What Are the Other Brand Names of Finasteride?

Like most medications, finasteride has many brand names. The main two brand names for finasteride are Propecia and Proscar but it also comes under the names:

  • Fincar which is a rounded 5 mg tablet
  • Finpecia which is a rounded 1 mg tablet
  • Finax which is an oblong 1 mg tablet
  • Finast which is a rounded 5 mg tablet
  • Finalo which is a 1mg tablet
  • Finada which is a 5 mg tablet
  • Prosteride which is a 5 mg tablet
  • Appecia which is a 1 mg tablet
  • Fenered which is a rounded 1 mg tablet
  • Proscalpin which is a rounded 1 mg tablet

There is no difference between the effectiveness as different brand names so it is advisable that you shop around for the cheapest product ensuring that you know what dosage you are buying before you take finasteride.

How Do You Take Finasteride Tablets?

If you are using 5 mg tablets of finasteride to treat male pattern balding, you will first need to divide the pill into five equal parts. This can be tricky so it is recommended that you use a pill divider, as this will limit the amount of wastage through powder and off cuts. Once you have divided the pill into equal sections, you will be able to use them just as you would a 1 mg pill.

Finasteride should be taken at the same time every day for maximum effectiveness. You should swallow the correct dose with a whole glass of water. It is not necessary to eat food alongside finasteride but you may do so if you wish.

If you miss a dose of finasteride you should take it as soon as possible however if you do not realise that you have missed a dose until within a few hours of your next dose you should not take the missed dose. You must never double a dose of finasteride to make up for a missed dose.

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