Propecia (finasteride)

PROPECIA

Propecia is an orally administered drug used in the treatment of alopecia (male baldness). The generic compound of this drug, Finasteride first received approval for the treatment of prostate enlargement under the name Proscar in the year 1992. Since the drug showed good signs off arresting hair fall and initiating new hair growth, the drug was again approved by the FDA to treat male pattern baldness in the year 1997.

The drug was first introduced by Merck and Co. The patent held by the company for the drug to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia expired in the year 2006 and the patent for Finasteride to treat male pattern hair loss is valid up to the year 2013. The drug is manufactured by many other companies in countries outside the United States.

Brand Name: PROPECIA

Generic Name: FINASTERIDE

Indications for Use

The drug is primarily used for the treatment of Male pattern Hair loss. Apart from this, the generic composition of the drug is used in higher doses than Propecia in the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostate cancer. The progress of BPH is also significantly reduced when the drug is used in conjunction with Doxazosin.

When used to treat male pattern baldness, many users have reported their hair growing back and still several have had an arrest of hair fall. The re-growth of hair is seen both in the hairline as well as the crown area.

Propecia is not indicated for treating hair loss in women and should not be used by children.

Dosage for Use

The drug is available as 1mg tablets. The advised dosage for taking the drug is 1mg once a day orally. The presence of food in the stomach does not interfere with absorption of the drug in any way.

The drug needs to be used continuously for a period of around three months before any results are seen. This usage has to be continued to continue seeing results but drug usage must be assessed periodically. Once the drug is stopped, the results are reversed in around a year.