How often and how much finasteride should I be taking to effectively combat hair loss?

Question

I have been prescribed 5mg pills of finasteride and have been instructed to cut it into fours and take a fourth each day. That is roughly 1.25mg of finasteride everyday. As someone worried about possible side effects with (slightly) higher dosages, would it be better to cut the pills into 5 pieces and take 1mg per day? Also, in terms of the half life of the drug, does finasteride have to be taken everyday? I am hoping to take as little finasteride as possible while stilll getting optimal results

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

The lowest recommended dose is 1 mg. I suggest seeing a hair loss expert now to evaluate and go over your condition and provide you information about your best treatment options. There are great non-invasive options like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Jonathan Kulbersh, MD · Answer

I suggest a consultation with a cosmetic dermatologist with experience in hair restoration and maintenance who can go over your Finasteride dosing. Some other great options for hair restoration and maintenance are prp injections which can stimulate hair growth. Hope this helps.

Robert Nettles, MD · Answer

Determining the ingredients and amounts of each to take to stop hair loss and regrow your hair is a very precise science.  So precise that you should not take anything at all without a comprehensive set up labs to first understand your biochemistry and all the factors impacting your hair and overall health.Each of us is unique, and there are commonly multiple things that impact our hair health.  Taking the wrong ingredients in the wrong amounts is amongst the reasons that many people experience problems and side effects from hair loss treatment.I would recommend searching for a local hair regrowth expert who specializes in precision medicine and will take comprehensive labs before they prescribe or recommend anything at all.

Jeff Donovan, MD, PhD · Answer

The lowest amount of finasteride for optimal results is 1 mg daily for most men. If you can’t split the pill five ways (which most people can’t) simply ask for a finasteride 1 mg pill. This is the FDA approved dose. If you are looking for the lowest dose of finasteride that might still help but is not optimal for hair loss that is a different story altogether and requires a thorough discussion with your doctors. Doses 0.25 mg daily or 0.5 mg every other day still provide some benefit although not to the same degree as the 1 mg dosing.

William Rassman, MD (retired) · Answer

The dose of finasteride has been determined by extensive studies performed my Merck. The 1 mg daily dose is the best dose to take for men

How often and how much finasteride should I be taking to effectively combat hair loss?

Answers (5)