How do you break up 5mg pills? I am planning to buy a pill crusher but dunno how to weigh 1mg?

I did not want to buy a pill cutter cuz my doctor said pill cutters do not cut it to 1mg exactly.

So how was your approach?

It's not a science nor does it really need to be IMO. Whether or not you end up taking 1.35mg one day, 1.15mg the next isn't that big of a deal.

Buying a pill cutter is the only way I know how to do it. I've been taking it a little more than 2 years, actually on an every other day regimen, and have had good luck with it.

My questions are

1) My doctor told me that cutting the pills will yield different weights of finasteride. He said this is a drug that needs to be taken 1mg everyday. So did you see any effects of taking different miligrams on your body?

2) Why are you taking every other day instead of everyday?

3) Pill cutters that I found can only cut in 4 pieces not 5. Can your pill cutter cut in 5 pieces?

I used to spend big bucks on Propecia and now I take 1/4 Proscar per day. I has made no difference on the effectiveness. Pill cutters are cheap, you cut your Proscar pill 4 ways, it's very easy to do. Sure, some days you get a tiny bit more or less, it does not make any difference. That's what most of us do.

My questions are

1) My doctor told me that cutting the pills will yield different weights of finasteride. He said this is a drug that needs to be taken 1mg everyday. So did you see any effects of taking different miligrams on your body?

Dr. Wong told me every other day is fine......if that didn't help, I can always step up to a daily dose. The theory is that Finasteride actively inhibits DHT in your body for a period of 72 hours thus no need for a daily dose. I have not had any side effects.

2) Why are you taking every other day instead of everyday?

See above

3) Pill cutters that I found can only cut in 4 pieces not 5. Can your pill cutter cut in 5 pieces?

No, people that cut Proscar cut it into 4ths. Actually, it may be better that you're getting 1.25mg since you'll be a little off one way or the other. I don't think the varying doseage will matter that much

quote:

Originally posted by misterno:
My questions are

1) My doctor told me that cutting the pills will yield different weights of finasteride. He said this is a drug that needs to be taken 1mg everyday. So did you see any effects of taking different miligrams on your body?

2) Why are you taking every other day instead of everyday?

3) Pill cutters that I found can only cut in 4 pieces not 5. Can your pill cutter cut in 5 pieces?

Truthfully, I just bite mine into 1/3's; so I'm nearly positive it's not as accurate as your doctor recommends.

My doctor recommended taking 1/3 of a 5mg pill of Proscar once every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Maybe since the Propecia is 1 mg and taken daily that's where he's getting that.

It makes sense, but apparantly some doctors don't think it has to be that exact.

I take Proscar, (and pharmacies realize what we use it for. They always ask "is this for prostate"?). Really it is none of their business. I just bit off a small piece. The ones I take are trianglar in shape, which makes this easier. I have almost gotten it down to a science. My HT surgeon states that you can even take it for a few days, skip a day, then go back. It builds in your system and is used when DHT is produced.

All you have to do is buy a pill cutter. Cut the pill into two sections. Then daily when you go to take the pill, just bite one section in half. Then the other section you can take it the next day. I found this method to be a very simple way to make sure you're taking a 1/4 every day.

It sounds like people don't mind taking overdosage of 1.25mg instead of 1mg

Oh well, as long as it works fine with you guys I will do the same. I think the pill cutter does not cut into 5 pieces so I will cut to 4 pieces and overdose myself Maybe it will be better.

misterno,

What I do is cut the pill into quarters and then skip the 5th day.

That way I'm still getting approximately 5mg over the 5 days instead of 5mg over 4 days.

Keep in mind however that in cutting the pill, some of the medication is sometimes lost.

Falc

I start to take Finasteride by cutting one 5mg pill into 4. But that was too much, I lost sleep and got erections in the middle of the night and heart murmur.

So I am cutting the already cut pills to 2. I guess it will be 5mg divided by 8 but I have no other choice.

I wish there was a way to cut the 5mg pill to 5.

Any ideas?

i wouldn't worry so much. just cut the pill into fourths and you should be fine. It's not uncommon for people to experience side effects for the first few weeks or sometimes even months. if they last longer than a couple months discontinue the drug or consult your doctor.

My doc advised me to take 1/3 a pill every M-W-F. Have you considered this?

misterno-
The pharmacodynamics (there's a $5 word!!) of finasteride (that means how the medication is handled by your body) are such that the difference in a daily regimen of 1mg or 1.25 mg is clinically insignificant. There is no "overdosage" issues here at all. Breaking a 5 mg pill into 4 pieces and taking that 1/4 pill/day will yield a "steady-state" level of the medication in your blood stream that would be virtually indistinguishable from someone taking exactly 1mg/day. The clinical result will be the same.
So, please, don't worry yourself needlessly- many many "side effects" that patients experience can be psychological, and not physiological at all. Remember, this (finasteride) is a medication that has been in use in higher doses and for a longer period of time to treat prostate enlargement with an excellent "risk profile".
And, BTW, taking finasteride daily at the 1 mg-1.5mg level has been shown to reduce the incidence of low to medium grade tumors of the prostate- a fanatastic "side effect"!!
Grow well!!

Sincerely,

Dr. Carman,

What is your view on taking 1mg or 1.25mg of finasteride every other day as opposed to daily?

I've read some mixed reviews and would like your medical opinion.

Thanks,

Falc

I understand the argument of same effect by either 1mg or 1.25 mg of finasteride. But the first month I was using 1mg Propecia with no problems and when I started finasteride heart murmur, erection and sleeplessness started.

I am not making this up. For the last 1 week I am cutting the alredy cut finasteride pills by 2 and all problems went away. I know it is 5/8 of a pill maybe too small but I am happy with it. Do you think 5/8 of a pill daily is too small to have an effect?

Falceros-
Taking 1.0/1.25 mg every other day essentially reduces the steady state to one half that of the daily dosage. Now since there is not an exact linear relationship between the amount of medication taken and the % of DHT reduction, (e.g., 5mg/day reduces levels of DHT about 80%, 1mg about 62% according to one study), one would expect that there would be less than a 62% reduction, (35%/40%??). In reality, in some individuals, DHT reduction is still 62%, while in others it is a lower percentage.
The literature is a bit "all over the place" with the percentages quoted, so this does not make the issue that much clearer.
The bottom line is that the efficacy and safety profile for the medication is quite solid, and the incidence of physiologically based side effects is actually quite low, (< 2% in our practice, which is c/w Merck's literature).
Hope this helps-

Sincerely

Dr. Carman,

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I know a number of patients consider taking half the dosage (.5mg) per day either to 1) minimize side effects or 2) save money.

I've toyed with the idea myself since I'm only using it to help reserve the hair below the crown. Given the risk however, of losing this hair due to a slight increase in DHT, for now, I've chosen to continue with 1.25 mg daily.

Thanks for your input.

Falc

I wouldn't recommend taking finasteride on a QOD regimen. The elimination half-life is only 6 hours which means it is essentially eliminated in 18 hours. Effects on DHT levels may persist, but I would not count on maximal effectiveness taking it that way. I don't believe that there is any physiological way that taking 1.25mg daily vs. 1mg daily would cause an increase risk of adverse effects on a drug with such a wide margin of safety. Acutely it is essentially non-toxic with the exception of developing male fetuses. I work for an emergency service; I was called regarding an ingestion of 30 tablets of Propecia by a toddler (around 2 years old). The child received no decontamination or treatment of any kind and had no effect at all. This is not to say that there are never any adverse effects with chronic dosing, but these are quite unusual and nearly identical to placebo controls (eg. decreased libido: 1.8% active arm vs. 1.3% placebo); the power of suggestion!

I personally switched to the 5mg about 3 yrs ago after my latest HT with Shipiro.
I use a pill cutter (buy a new one every 6months so the blade stays sharp).
I cut the pill in half then cut the 2 halfs in half again. So you are going to be around 1.25mg. I take at night before bed when the testosterone is highest the next 12 hours. Don't forget to combine with Rogaine. Also, try to drink something with Alamaki fruit, like Zrii or something.

Best of luck