Proscar (Finasteride)
Proscar is a prescription medicine that is FDA approved for treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or an enlarged prostate. However while researching the drug they realized people taking the medicine were growing hair. When they realized that they started doing clinical trials for use for hair loss. The results of the clinical trials for hair loss led to the development of the only pill FDA approved for hair loss: Propecia.
Proscar and Propecia is the same drug (Finasteride), they are just different doses and are indicated to treat different conditions. The dosage for treating an enlarged prostate is 5mg, one pill per day. The dosage they were using in the clinical trials for treating hair loss was 1mg, one pill per day. They both do the same thing; they suppress the production of Dihydrotestosterone or DHT.
Proscar is now available as a generic prescription, and generics are cheaper than the branded name, and Proscar is usually covered by insurance. Because of this some patients ask their doctor to put them on the Proscar. The rumor is they just cut the tablets in half. Doing this saves money because not only are you getting a generic but you are also cutting the pills in half, which is two months worth of medicine for the price of one month. The downside of doing this is you are taking more of the medicine so side effects may be more noticeable.
However, it is interesting to note that the clinical trial that was performed on Avodart, aka Dutasteride, used 5mg of Finasteride in the study because Propecia was not yet on the market (click here to see Avodart information). This allows you to compare the side effect profile and success rate of 5mg Finasteride to 1mg Finasteride.
