Is it okay to use topical compound lotion that has 6% minoxidil and 0.05% finasteride plus oral finasteride?

Question

Hello, I am 51 year old I've been using for almost half a year a Topical compound lotion that has 6% minoxidil and 0.05% finasteride. I use it twice a day - 1 mg each time. In total it's like 1mg of Fin per day. One of the HT doctors suggest me to add oral daily 0.5 mg finasteride as well. I want to know please if its ok to combine oral and topical finasteride or it can make side effects and mess up my Hormones? Thank you.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

0.05 % finasteride twice daily brings 1 mg of finasteride to the scalp. But how much actually gets in is less and how much gets into the body is even less. You don’t give much information on your health or even gender so it’s not possible to answer this question. Finasteride is not for everyone. If you are female with a history of some types of cancers, this may be relatively contraindicated. If you have depression, this too may present a relative contraindication.  Finasteride does affect hormones in almost 100 % of people and for many this is associated with no side effects. It can help many. For others, it most certainly does cause side effects. That might be what you mean by messes with hormones. It’s not impossible for someone to use oral finasteride with small amounts of topical. It just depends on the background information of the patient. For some, it could be a great idea. For others, a big problem and concern. Be sure to speak with your doctors if concerns exist.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

If you are going to take 0.5mg of finasteride, then there is no need for the topical finasteride that you are taking

Is it okay to use topical compound lotion that has 6% minoxidil and 0.05% finasteride plus oral finasteride?

Answers (2)