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Can
I take proscar tablets in stead of propecia
Yes, but it's not officially approved. Finasteride is the generic
name for the drug used in the products propecia and proscar made
by Merck. Propecia is a 1mg tablet taken once per day to treat androgenetic
alopecia Proscar is a 5mg tablet taken once per day to treat androgen
dependent prostate problems. Milligram for milligram, propecia tablets
are considerably more expensive to buy than proscar tablets yet
they contain exactly the same drug. Typically for a 1month supply,
the price of 5mg of proscar is $75 for 30 pills, and $55 for 30
1mg propecia pills.
In countries where propecia is not approved for sale, but proscar
is available, dermatologists prescribe proscar tablets for androgenetic
alopecia. They recommend using a pill splitter (a little piece of
plastic that breaks pills into four equal parts) to cut up the proscar
pills. One quarter of a proscar pill is taken each day.
This approach was common in the UK, Germany, Canada and other countries
until propecia was approved for sale in these regions. Once propecia
was available, dermatologists by law had to prescribe propecia tablets
for hair loss and not proscar. The increase in the cost of finasteride
was a disappointment to many users. Some users now obtain supplies
of proscar for use independent of their dermatologists to save on
costs.
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