Finasteride is used to treat men who have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and male pattern hair loss, also called androgenetic alopecia. Men with BPH usually have difficulty urinating, a decreased flow of urination, hesitation at the beginning of urination, and a need to get up at night to urinate. Finasteride will make these symptoms less severe and reduce the chance that prostate surgery will be needed. It may be used alone or in combination with other medicines such as an alpha-blocker (doxazosin, Cardura®) to treat BPH.
Adult Finasteride Dose for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:
Finasteride oral tablets aren’t known to interact with other medications, herbs, supplements, or foods. This doesn’t mean interactions can’t happen with finasteride. Hormones called androgens are thought to be responsible for causing BPH. The enzyme 5-alpha-reductase plays a major role in creating androgens, such as testosterone and DHT.
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If you have additional questions about finasteride and pregnancy, talk with your doctor. If you don’t have insurance, you can ask your review and comparison doctor or pharmacist about online pharmacy options. It’s thought that hormones called androgens are responsible for causing BPH.
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If you’re interested in finding an alternative to finasteride oral tablets, talk with your doctor. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. If you have questions about using finasteride oral tablets how long does marijuana stay in your system blood, urine, and hair with other drugs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Tell them about your complete medical history, including any medications you take. This helps your doctor determine whether finasteride is safe for you to take.
Remember that dutasteride has a long half-life (the time required for the amount of a drug’s active substance in the body to fall by half). BPH is uncommon among males under 35, but its likelihood increases with age. It’s estimated that up to 50% of men over 60 have an enlarged prostate to some degree. Some men have reported that sexual side effects (such as not being able to get an erection) continued to bother them even after they stopped taking finasteride. Finasteride stops DHT being produced and this helps shrink your prostate and reduce hair loss.
If you are taking this medicine for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it may take up to 6 months to see the full effect. The medicine will not cure BPH, but it does help reduce the size ambien and alcohol of the prostate and improve symptoms. The effect on the prostate will only last as long as the medicine is used. When it is stopped, the prostate begins to grow again within a few months.
Stopping finasteride treatment can cause post-finasteride syndrome. This may result in side effects such as memory problems or sexual dysfunction (problems that affect the desire for or ability to have sex). For information about the effectiveness of finasteride oral tablets, see the “Finasteride uses” section below. Finasteride will only slow hair loss while you are taking the medication. Continue to take finasteride even if you have already noticed an improvement.
Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects. You should take finasteride according to the instructions your doctor or a healthcare professional gives you. If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much alcohol is safe for you to consume while you’re taking finasteride. In fact, you may need to take finasteride for several months before you experience its full effects. With BPH, the prostate grows too large, which can slow or block urine from passing through the urethra (a tube that runs from the bladder to outside the body).
Clinical trials have found finasteride to be effective for treating BPH. Finasteride is prescribed to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in adult males. Do not take more than one dose to make up for the missed dose. This could increase your risk for side effects from finasteride. Gynecomastia sometimes goes away on its own after stopping finasteride treatment. But this condition has also been reported as a symptom of post-finasteride syndrome (see the section just above for more information).
Or they may have you take it with another drug called doxazosin (Cardura). Doxazosin is a type of drug called an alpha-blocker, and it’s also approved to treat BPH. American Urological Association guidelines recommend 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, such as finasteride, for treating symptoms of BPH. These guidelines also recommend this class of drug for reducing the need for future prostate-related surgery.
But if they become more severe or don’t go away, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Pregnant women and women who plan to become pregnant in the near future should not handle this drug. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well. To help prevent interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking.
- Dutasteride is also used alongside other active ingredients, such as in Jalyn (dutasteride/tamsulosin).
- In 1997, finasteride 1 mg per day was approved by the FDA as a treatment for male pattern baldness and this time the agent was market by Merck as Propecia.
- Before taking finasteride, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies.
- Do not share finasteride with another person, even if they have the same symptoms you have.
- Common side effects of finasteride 1mg tablets include a decreased interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculation disorder.
If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk with your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. For more information about taking finasteride oral tablets during pregnancy, see the “Finasteride and pregnancy” section above. Finasteride oral tablets that haven’t been crushed or broken have a protective film coating that makes them safe to handle. The manufacturer hasn’t stated whether finasteride oral tablets may be crushed, split, or chewed. One difference is that finasteride does not have any reported drug interactions, while dutasteride has several. This helps treat BPH by preventing signals that tell your prostate to grow.
Do not stop taking finasteride without talking to your doctor. You will probably lose any hair that grew back while you were taking finasteride during the first 12 months after you stop taking the medication.. For benign prostatic hyperplasia, you will need frequent prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests to check for prostate cancer. Finasteride can cause birth defects if a woman is exposed to it during pregnancy. A broken finasteride tablet should not be handled by a woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant.
For treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the recommended finasteride dosage is 5 mg once per day. Finasteride isn’t approved to treat or prevent prostate cancer. The best way to reduce side effects from finasteride is to talk with your doctor before you start taking the drug. It’s not known whether certain factors affect a person’s risk for post-finasteride syndrome. Such factors may include dosage or how long a person uses the medication. Most of these side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks.
Finasteride also has more clinical evidence supporting its effectiveness for hair loss than dutasteride. However, it’s safe to touch finasteride tablets that aren’t broken or crushed. This is because the tablets have a coating on them that protects the drug from being absorbed into your skin.