.05mg Finasteride

[vq0]

I have decided to lower my dose of finasteride from .25mg to .05mg. I'm sure this has been discussed before but I cannot find the threads. Does anyone know what is the best way to get a consistent dose 1/20 the size of a finpecia pill. I was thinking to dissolve it in some liquid and drink 1/20th of the liquid per day. What liquid should I use and how can I be sure that the finasteride does not deteriorate within it?

 

[Avo05]

Maybe just take 0.25 mg every 5 days, that would average 0.05 mg/day ...

0.05 mg of finasteride lowers scalp DHT levels by 61.6% compared to 64.1% for a 1 mg dose

I think the best way to reduce side effects (and possibly stop shedding and possibly have regrowth) is not necessarily to reduce the daily dosage, but to take a reduced dosage over several (3-7 days).

"The effects of finasteride on scalp skin and serum androgen levels in men with androgenetic alopecia"

Drake L, Hordinsky M, Fiedler V, Swinehart J, Unger WP, Cotterill PC, Thiboutot DM, Lowe N, Jacobson C, Whiting D, Stieglitz S, Kraus SJ, Griffin EI, Weiss D, Carrington P, Gencheff C, Cole GW, Pariser DM, Epstein ES, Tanaka W, Dallob A, Vandormael K, Geissler L, Waldstreicher J. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, USA.

J Am Acad Dermatol 1999 Oct;41(4):550-4

BACKGROUND: Data suggest that androgenetic alopecia is a process dependent on dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and type 2 5alpha-reductase. Finasteride is a type 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor that has been shown to slow further hair loss and improve hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia. OBJECTIVE: We attempted to determine the effect of finasteride on scalp skin and serum androgens.

METHODS: Men with androgenetic alopecia (N = 249) underwent scalp biopsies before and after receiving 0.01, 0.05, 0.2, 1, or 5 mg daily of finasteride or placebo for 42 days.

RESULTS: Scalp skin DHT levels declined significantly by 13.0% with placebo and by 14.9%, 61.6%, 56. 5%, 64.1%, and 69.4% with 0.01, 0.05, 0.2, 1, and 5 mg doses of finasteride, respectively. Serum DHT levels declined significantly (P <.001) by 49.5%, 68.6%, 71.4%, and 72.2% in the 0.05, 0.2, 1, and 5 mg finasteride treatment groups, respectively.

CONCLUSION: In this study, doses of finasteride as low as 0.2 mg per day maximally decreased both scalp skin and serum DHT levels. These data support the rationale used to conduct clinical trials in men with male pattern hair loss at doses of finasteride between 0.2 and 5 mg.

 

[Far Too Young]

what is this P<.001 supposed to mean?

 

[Avo05]

P < 0.001 simply means there's less than a 1 in a 1000 chance of the stated result being incorrect based on observed error.

 

[Bertie]

What liquid should I use and how can I be sure that the finasteride does not deteriorate within it?

Ethanol (vodka or Everclear, probably; you can't drink ethyl rubbing alcohol, of course). You can't use water, as finasteride is not soluble in it, but it is soluble in ethanol.

I don't know anything about the long term stability of finasteride in such a solution. Perhaps you would probably only want to dissolve one pill (or fraction of a pill) at a time rather than making months of the solution at once.