Information regarding Propecia, its Use and Purchase
For men who are experiencing hair loss, one of the more popular treatments worth considering is called Finasteride. This anti-androgen is marketed as Generic Propecia, Generic Proscar and Prosteride. For the purpose of this article, we will use the term Propecia to describe the various forms of Finasteride, as Propecia is by far the most asked about, and most widely used version of the anti-androgen.
Propecia is an anti-androgen which works by inhibiting what is called 5-alpha reductase. 5-alpha reductase is an enzyme which converts testosterone into something called dihydrotesterone. It was initially approved in 1992, but was called Proscar at the time, and was a treatment mainly used for prostate enlargement. However, a study on 1mg of Finasteride had demonstrated hair regrowth in male pattern hair loss, which prompted the FDA to approve Finasteride in 1997 as a male pattern hair loss treatment.
Propecia is a drug trade name which is the product of Merck & Co. In Propecia, only 1 milligram of Finasteride can actually be found. The patent on Propecia owned by Merck had expired on June 19 of 2006, allowing the FDA to approve a generic formulation for Finasteride which is available in 5 milligram tablets.
Finasteride is generally not indicated by use for women, and Propecia does not have any affect at all on hair loss in women. Additionally, the Finasteride in Propecia has been known to cause birth defects in unborn babies, and has therefore been placed in the FDA’s Pregnancy Category X.
