Safest way to take Finasteride?

Side effects with Finasteride are less common that people think. Taking 0.5mg a day may reduce the chance of side effects, while still providing good protection against hair loss. Regarding generic equivalents, all generic medications have to have equivalent efficacy/safety as the brand name, so generic Finasteride should be fine for you. I personally have been taking the generic formula of Finasteride 1mg for a few years, with no difference. There are also a few compounding formulations with topical Finasteride, that may offer you protection from side effects.

The side effects everyone talks about with fear on their mind occur less often than you think.   Of course you may try a half dose but likely it will be less effective.  Generic versions of finasteride technically have the same amount of active ingredient so they should be equal. 

The safest dose of finasteride is not taking it at all. Lower doses however do tend to be safer than higher doses but do not eliminate the chances of side effects.