new thread
Hey all,
I had posted a thread earlier about hair loss. I went to my reg doctor and he proscribed proprecia (he really didn't do ANYTHING, I just suggested it). BUT, to my surprise this will cost $80 per month and for a 24 year old who works fulltime and goes to college fulltime, it is a tad expensive. I know that generic proprecia is MUCH cheaper, and I've seen it very cheap depending on how long a supply you buy. Is there any difference between proscribed & generic? I honestly don't understand.
Thanks a lot,
-Phil
As a former long hair, (hair got too thin and had to cut it), and a long hair on men admirer, I feel the need to comment on this because I am using finasteride 5mg per day prescribed in place of Propecia. However, even this generic costs me almost $80 per month at Sam's Club pharmacy.
If anyone can find a less expensive source please let me know.
Steve
Hey Steve,
This website, http://www.mysimon.com/9015-10953_8-32245697.html, has plenty of different brands of generic proprecia; being that there's so many, I don't know which is the best one. They are all very cheap in comparison to $80 per month. Most are $40 for 90-days supply. Are you having any luck/results from your treatment so far?
-Phil
Phil,
I'm a bit reluctant to purchase something at a bargain price that seems too good to be true. There is no guarantee that it is the real thing as there is so much known fraud in the pharmaceutical business.
I've been using the finasteride for a couple years and although I don't have a head of thick hair, I think it is helping prevent more loss and my hair is growing.
Good point Steve,
I don't think i would actually buy the generic @ from shady websites either. I'm kind of stupid though. I'm new with the whole "my own benefits and insurance" situation and I didn't know I was supposed to show the pharmacist my insurance card. So i'm going to call them later and see if I have any coverage. Good deal to hear that it seems to be helping you keep your thick mane. Mine's still decent enough looking, like no one suspects that I might have MPB at first glance, so I'm hoping that (granted the perscription is less $ with the insurance card) I can thicken and retain my current hair. I really hope it reverses the miniturization on my smaller hairs.
Thanks for your input Steve.
-Phil
When considering propecia (finasteride), be aware of how it works: it inhibits the conversion of testosterone to DHT.
DHT promotes scalp hair loss; OTOH, it's needed for facial hair growth, so it's not all bad.
Making changes to your hormones sounds like a serious matter. It's probably worthwhile if you're suffering from prostate enlargement (one use of finasteride), but whether you want to use this means to avoid hair loss is another question.
Flannel
I haven't personally experienced any loss of facial hair or any other negative side effects although everyone is different.
Hi, im taking avodart against hair-loss for some months now and from what i have read it two hormones and its used against prostate enlargment. Should i worry about something? The doctor only said that one of the side effects would be loss of libido or impotence (3%), and if that doesnt happen in the first months its because im never going to suffer from those side effects. Well, i dont notice any side effects but now that you mencioned facial hair im a bit worried. Does that mean that facial hair will disappear, stop growing or just grow slower? And because i have a normal prostate and im taking a med against prostate enlargment should i worry about something? Thx in advance
Phil,
Good luck with that. Most insurance, including mine, won't cover it as it's not medically necessary unless you have a swollen prostrate.
Steve
Haha, just got back from Shoprite, Aetna does NOT cover Propecia; what a surprise! Right now I'm really trying to think if I should give it a go. $80 is a heavyfee, but then again this is my hair I'm talkin about and it's at a pioint where I don't look like I'm balding at glance so I should probably jump on this soon as I can probably recover.
Propecia is really just Proscar at 20% of the dose. Proscar is a drug normally prescribed for an enlarged prostate, but I have heard that some were able to find a doctor to prescribe it "off label" for hair loss at 1/4 pill per dose. Then, you buy a pill splitter and divide your pills into quarters and it works out much cheaper.
Al
Cipla do a generic brand of propecia and proscar, and they're a pretty reputable company I think. They're the company that sell the low-cost AIDs drugs to the Developing world, so judging on that they're generic is probably good.
Genuine Propecia is a product manufactured by Merck Corporation. There is currently no authorized generic version. There may be a generic Proscar now but Merck convinced the FDA or US Patent Office that Propecia was a new formulation and won an extension of exclusivity until I think 2010 (might be a few more years).
Propecia is considered a "lifestyle" drug (like viagra) and is therefore not covered by most Rx drug plans. Proscar is not, since it is supposed to be used to treat BPH, so to get genuine Finasteride (i.e. Proscar) on a Rx plan, a patient would have to find a dr. who will be willing to go along with him in insurance fraud, unless he really did have an enlarged prostate. Personally I never tried this because I'm not interested in going to jail to get cheap Propecia but I guess some people do it somehow.
So, if you get on the web and find all kinds of cheap generic Propecia, you can be sure they're all fakes. These things are cranked out like crazy in the world's hot-bed for knockoffs: China.
Unfortunately, your best bet is to shop around and pony up the money. It pays to call a good assortment of brick and mortar pharmacies in your area. Because prices fluxuate you have to do this every time you get a refill. In my area, here's a sample of recent quoted prices for 90 days of Propecia, 1 mg tabs:
U.S. dollars
CVS $299
Dominick's $202.99
Osco $183.69
Target $207.99
Wal-Mart $206
Walgreen's $191.39
Note Wal-Mart (always low prices!) isn't the lowest. So don't go there assuming you will get the best deal. One month, they were the lowest, then 90 days later, they zoomed up and Osco, which had been high, came in at the lowest. Note also the range--if you went to CVS without calling anyone else, you would wind up paying almost $120 over the Osco price for the same product. So, get out the yellow pages and make some calls.
The Osco price breaks down to around $61 / month. I offset the cost by giving up exotic freshly roasted coffee for regular local stuff, and a daily can of V8 which had little nutritional value anyway. These were not hardship sacrifices. Look around and you can probably find little things you can give up that will add up surprisingly well. I'll have more to say about it when I have been taking Propecia for a year (in August) but for now, I'll say that I am seeing regrowth in my crown.
All these drugs take a few years to have a full effect. My dad took Proscar and I recall he had to take it for a number of years before his BPH condition improved. At this point my result is encouraging but I probably won't be prepared to state whether or not it was a bust with any definitiveness until a few years from now.
Thanks Rob, I found a better price @ the CVS by me. I would have never thought that the drug would have a different cost depending on the Pharmacy. Your advice saved me a few bucks! Thanks!
-Phil
Hi Phil, im just curious, did you talked to your Dr. about avodart? I live in Europe and a box of avodart wich is enouth for 2-3months (1 pill a day) costs like 60€ and its suposed to do the same thing.
Hey Nick,
I've only visited my doc like once before as I recently switched from a pediatrician and havnt gotten sick much. I don't kno him that well nor does he know me and hes completely "rush rush" didn't really do much. He said Propecia is in my best interest as I believe it's cheaper ($80 from a US Shoprite Pharm) and FDA approved/used the most. He really didn't help me much and pretty much said "yea you give Propecia a shot" when i suggested it. I'm actually now thinkin through if I should go for it, becasue it's so expensive and I AM scared of the certain side effects. I have an appt with a GREAT Derm in April (soonest I could get an appt). I will surely post something about what he says about avodart when I get back from the appt. Hopefully someone else will read this thread before that with a better answer than mine.
If you've used it, how's avodart workin for you?
-Phil
When I took Propecia it was $60.00 per month. That was about 3 years ago. I now take Avodart and the last refill was $117.00 Avodart seems to work better for me. I have also experienced and increased libido while on Avodart, for what that's worth.
Good luck.
jeffrey.
Hey Jeffrey,
When you took propecia, did you have any nausia or side effects? I have been nautious and it's only been 2 days. I keep hearing awesome results from people who take it and my hair is at the point where I know I have MPB but it's not noticable so I think Propecia will help a lot but I'm quite nervous about sides...especially the sexual sides like loss of libido not to mention messing with my hormones @ a young age (24).
Thanks man,
-Phil
Perhaps other posts have answered your question, but I will provide my perspective. The best pathway is to get your physician toi Rx. Finasteride 5 MG, which should cost about the same as Propecia, but you can break this item into 5 chips, and worry not that they are not all equal.
About Generics I do not know, but I bought a lot in India, and I am thinking that the time I took the Indian generid I might as well be taking a TUMS.
But I have no evodince.
I am afraid to stop taking it, but I do not know if it really does any good.