First off, great site here. Thanks to all who put it together and for all who try to help their fellow man with this tough subject. The forums really add alot also. I have been reading for some time and finally joined.


A really interesting find I thought I would share. I have finally taken the initiative to do something about my thinning and as a soon to be patient of Proscar, I was really interested in the differences between the two drugs. I wanted to be sure that the two were very similar if not identical, as I would hate to make the wrong choice just for a cheaper solution. I already had a consultaion with my doctor in which he perscribed for me Proscar instead of Propecia for it's better cost. He said it was the same thing just a bigger dosage. Not that I didn't believe him, but being the always curious person that I am, I did a little research online and found this site, pretty much clears up any worries I had.

Proscar - http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/finas.htm

Propecia - http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic3/propecia.htm


The active ingredient ofcourse is the same: Finasteride. This is obviously the main thing we are all looking for. Only difference is Proscar comes in a higher dosage in which we split into four.

But I wondered what other ingredients of the pill differed and how much so. So I did some research and came up with the links above. From what I can gather, even the inactive ingredients of both pills are the same.

quote:

PROSCAR (finasteride) tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets that contain 5 mg of finasteride and the following inactive ingredients: hydrous lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake and yellow iron oxide.

quote:

PROPECIA tablets for oral administration are film-coated tablets that contain 1 mg of finasteride and the following inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, yellow ferric oxide, and red ferric oxide.

Only differences I can tell between the two:

- One says hydrous lactose, the other lactose monohydrate.

- Proscar says FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake which Propecia does not have.

- Propecia has both yellow and red ferric oxide, while Proscar has only yellow iron oxide.



Pretty much the same as far as I can tell, except for those minor differences. (i'm no expert on this stuff) So basically any of us over skeptical people can put our minds to ease, and be happy we are getting a good product for a cheaper price. Many would say we already knew this or this is just repetitive research, and I understand, but hopefully if anybody out there is like me, as I said before it will put our minds to ease and answer any questions we had.

I hope I am correct in all this and would appreciate any feedback/comments if anybody has some.

I don't have anything else to add to this other than to say - thanks Itsgoing for providing this info. It's good to know.

I have found this infos, me too I was actually looking for the differences and the effects of these other ingredients! I came straight here by Google search! :

* Finasteride: (marketed as Proscar, Propecia, Fincar, Finpecia, Finax, Finast, Finara, Finalo, Prosteride, Gefina, Finasterid IVAX) is an antiandrogen that inhibits type II 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT
* lactose monohydrate: widely used as a filler or diluent in tablets and capsules
* microcrystalline cellulose: used as a binding agent
* pregelatinized starch: used as a binding agent
* sodium starch glycolate: super-disintegrant used to promote rapid disintegration and dissolution
* hydroxypropyl methylcellulose: enteric film coating material
* hydroxypropyl cellulose LF: an aqueous binder
* titanium dioxide: used for pigmentation
* magnesium stearate: a lubricant and stabilizer.
* talc: used as a filler
* docusate sodium: belongs to the family of laxatives known as stool softeners
* yellow ferric oxide and red ferric oxide: used for pigmentation