Generic Propecia

[crispy]

Hello,

I have been using Propecia for over a decade, and I do believe it has slowed my hair-loss considerably. As some of you know, a generic version has recently come out and is now available in the U.S. I would like to switch to the generic version, as I'm spending around $60 - $70 a month for the regular.

My concern is the effectiveness of the generic version. Is it as effective? Does it contain the same ingredients?

Any thoughts on this would be very appreciated!

Thanks,

Chris

 

[talmoode]

I am not using a generic version myself but I think the main ingredients are the same and many people on this forum are using it with no problems.

 

[The_Mentalist]

Any generic drug has the exact same active ingredient as that of brand name-otherwise they wouldn't be selling them to you under a certain claim

 

[The1234]

I was given the generic by my pharmacy without asking. Decided to try it and was a little nervous. Everything seemed okay for about a month but eventually I developed a mild reaction to something I was taking. Basically I had tiny blood vessels bust in my legs and eventually on my torso and arms. They looked like tiny red freckles in patches. I went to a dermatologist and she said it was most likely an allergic reaction to some drug I was taking.

She explained that new drugs can cause this if your body doesn't like some part of it and that old drugs can cause it too if your body suddenly rejects it. We decided I should quit all my meds and supplements and wait until the spots go away. Then introduce the meds one by one and wait to see if they spots reappear. This time I decided not to take the generic and opt for the brand name I was use to. So far (it's been two months) the spots have not returned. My doctor said maybe it was caused by a filler in the generic that is not part of the active ingredient but there to form the pill... or maybe it was unrelated.

So anyway, long story short, I am more comfortable with the brand name but I cannot say for sure if there was a difference.

 

[Quantum Cat]

do you really think a reputable high street pharmacy would sell dodgy meds? Any generics they give you will have been subject to the same standards as branded pills.

Also, all pills contain filler ( I assume) not just generics.

 

[The1234]

I don't think the pills were dodgy Quantum Cat. They may just use a different filler than the brand name. Like some breads use different flours. My body may not have liked the filler in the generic but was okay with the brand name. Either way, without a double blind study I am not sure if that was really the problem. It's just one possibility that I thought was worth mentioning.

 

[JackArbiter]

My pharmacy hasn't gotten the generic in yet, but even when they do the pharmacist said it will be 70 bucks just the same. She said it would probably be 6 months before a price drop. From what I read they will generally give a generic license to one company for 6 months for "development" purposes or something, and then after that any company can make generic pills, so that is when you see the price drop. January 2014 I guess.

 

[Rawtashk]

If by "generic" you mean generic proscar (5mg finasteride), then there's no difference. I get 8 pills (32 days worth, since you quarter them) for $4, which is a hell of a savings over $70 a month.

And, they're just as effective.