Is Propecia more effective than Proscar for treating hair loss?

Propecia and Proscar are essentially the same drug ie Finasteride.  Finasteride reduces the production of Dihydrotestosterone (DHT).  Excess DHT causes miniaturization of the hair follicle, resulting in hair becoming very short and fine over time before falling out.  The only difference between these two meds is that Propecia is 1mg tablets and Proscar is 5mg.

Thank you for posting your question. Proscar and Propecia are both Finasteride. Propecia comes in 1mg tablets, and Proscar in 5 mg, where you would have to physically cut it to 4 pieces if you chose to go with Proscar. Hope this helps. 

Current evidence suggests they are equivalent. Both contain the medication finasteride.Propecia contains 1 mg; Proscar has 5 mg but is broken to smaller doses.

The active ingredient in both Propecia and Proscar is finasteride - 1mg in the former and 5mg in the latter. Finasteride reduces the production of dihydrotrstosterone (DHT) from testosterone by blocking the action of the enzyme 5alpha reductase type 2. I am not aware of any evidence that taking 5mg of finasteride is more effective than taking 1mg. However, the side effect profile is higher with 5mg.For cost effectiveness, some people take a 5mg tablet, divide it into quarters, and take a 1/4 tablet (approx 1.25mg daily). Alternatively some people divide the 5mg tablet in half which is easier and take 1/2 tablet three times a week.

It is the same and generic finasteride is cheaper than Propecia and is the same medication. You can obtain generic 5mg finasteride for as little as $20/year as opposed to over $1,000/year for Propecia and it is the same active ingredient.