In trying to decide between Propecia and Proscar, it has become apparent to me that I would have to cut the Proscar pill into quarters. That's no problem for me.

HOWEVER! On Merck's website they advise to swallow the Propecia pill whole and not break it up.

Now, given that Propecia and Proscar are essentially the same, how come people routinely break one pill up and are not allowed/recommended to do break the other one?

I also read in a few other places that some people crush Proscar and dissolve it in alcohol (it doesn't dissolve in water) before ingesting it. Does this have a negative effect on the pill's strength or utility?

I plan on crushing the pill and mixing it with a liquid since I have an inexplicable problem with swallowing pills. Can I do this and not diminish the effectiveness of Proscar??

Please help! I'm confused!!

Max

I'm not sure why Merck advises against cutting up pills (by saying take the pill whole). My guess is because finasteride (which is in Proscar and Propecia) can be absorbed by contact with skin. Well, I didn't read that, but Merck does strongly warn that pregnant women should not handle broken tablets because exposure to the finasteride (DHT blocker) may cause birth defects in a male fetus. Basically, by saying don't break up the pill, this is another way Merck can protect themselves against a potential lawsuit by saying "take the tablets whole". That's my guess on Merck's advice.
A Proscar pill is so small, I find it hard to believe that you couldn't easily swallow a quarter of it. I have found that Proscar is pretty easy to break apart and crush if necessary. I did this by accident and not by choice. No matter, I don't waste any of the drug quartered or crushed and I'm not worried about a pregnant woman with a male fetus accidentally coming in contact with the fragmented pills for now.
I think you have nothing to worry about, personally. Crush the pill if you have to without worry. Proceed as others have successfully and everything will be fine.
Knowledge is Power.

I have been told by doctors that different pills are made different ways. Some pills, that are made to be broken up as needed, like adderol (basically strong ritalin) have the actual drug evenly dispersed throughout the entire pill. So that when the pill is broken you get the same amount of the drug everytime. However, on other pills, such as propecia, the drug is not evenly dipersed in the pill. Therefore, by breaking it up you may be getting different doses everyday, and maybe even none on some days. I am not a doctor, this is just what I have been told. Hope this helps.

Propecia would be swallowed whole as it is 1mg
Proscar on the other hand is 5mg per tablet and is broken into 4 pieces for the (roughly)same dosage.
It is far cheaper to purchase Proscar(In NZ anyway)and thats why my doctor suggested it rather than propecia.
I don't cut my tablets btw,I bite the corners off.The dosage of course won't be exact this way ,but over the 4 days the tablet is consumed and should give the same results otherwise.