Obtaining Finasteride

[GettingBetter]

Hi guys. I posted here in about December saying that I wanted to get on finasteride after using Regaine for a while. I made an appointment with my GP but he refused to prescribe it to me on the grounds that it's not available on the NHS (i.e the UK health system). Is there any way around this? If not, what are the best and most trusted sites for buying finasteride and should I go for branded or generic? Is there any difference? Thanks

 

[Quantum Cat]

my advice for obtaining legitimate Finasteride in the UK:


1- BY FAR the cheapest way is to ask your GP (or dermatologist/hair doctor if you have one) for a private (not NHS) prescription for generic Finasteride 5mg (not Propecia). Then you cut each pill into fifths and take a segment a day. This works out at about £5 for a 9 month supply. Incredibly cheap.

The only problem is that some GPs are unwilling or flat out refuse to prescribe the generic 5mg because it's not technically meant for Male Pattern Baldness, even though it's exactly the same drug as Propecia, just a different dosage. If you really can't persuade your doctor, try to find another doctor who is more reasonable and more informed - it's worth the effort for the money you will save IMO


2 - http://ukfinasteride.info/ a prescription site that sells legitimate generic Finasteride 5mg and 1mg - it's prescribed by genuine British doctor with a GMC number. A little Pricy though.


3 - Join Boots hair retention scheme where they will prescribe you Propecia (and probably try to sell you other stuff like Minoxidil as well). Or ask your GP for branded Propecia. This is probably the most expensive way to obtain it.


wherever you get your Finasteride from make sure you consult with your Doctor before you start taking it


EDIT:

I would also advise reading Spex's advice on his website:

http://spexhair.com/cheap-uk-proscar-prescriptions/

 

[Sheddie]

The problem with (1) is that even if you take 1/5 of a 5mg finasteride pill, you're still taking 5mg finasteride NOT 1mg. This is why a lot of doctors won't prescribe it

my advice for obtaining legitimate Finasteride in the UK:


1- BY FAR the cheapest way is to ask your GP (or dermatologist/hair doctor if you have one) for a private (not NHS) prescription for generic Finasteride 5mg (not Propecia). Then you split each pill into fifths and take a segment a day. This works out at about £5 for a 9 month supply. The only problem is that some GPs are unwilling or flat out refuse to prescribe the generic 5mg because it's not technically meant for Male Pattern Baldness, even though it's exactly the same drug as Propecia, just a different dosage. So just a BS ***-covering reason really. If you really can't persuade your doctor, you could try to find another one who is more reasonable.

2 - http://ukfinasteride.info/ a prescription site that sells legitimate generic Finasteride 5mg and 1mg - it's prescribed by genuine British doctor with a GMC number. A little Pricy though.

3 - Join Boots hair retention scheme where they will prescribe you Propecia (and probably try to sell you other stuff like Minoxidil as well). Or ask your GP for branded Propecia. This is probably the most expensive way to obtain it.


wherever you get your Finasteride from make sure you consult with your Doctor before you start taking it!


EDIT:

I would also advise reading Spex's advice on his website:

http://spexhair.com/cheap-uk-proscar-prescriptions/

 

[Quantum Cat]

The problem with (1) is that even if you take 1/5 of a 5mg finasteride pill, you're still taking 5mg finasteride NOT 1mg. This is why a lot of doctors won't prescribe it

??

one fifth of a 5mg pill is 1mg. So you're taking (roughly) 1mg

My doctor was perfectly happy to prescribe the 5mg and I would hope/expect most would be reasonable enough to, in order to save you money. Perhaps a few total rule-freak doctors won't, but I've heard plenty of other people have got 5mg from their Drs.

 

[Rawtashk]

The problem with (1) is that even if you take 1/5 of a 5mg finasteride pill, you're still taking 5mg finasteride NOT 1mg. This is why a lot of doctors won't prescribe it

Everyone who reads this, PLEASE IGNORE WHAT HE JUST SAID. What he said it complete and utter bull****. If you take 1/5th of a pill, then you get 1/5th of the dose. Period. End of story.

 

[Sheddie]

Everyone who reads this, PLEASE IGNORE WHAT HE JUST SAID. What he said it complete and utter bull****. If you take 1/5th of a pill, then you get 1/5th of the dose. Period. End of story.

Unfortunately, that's not true. It's to do with the concentration of the drug not the mass of the pill you take. And given that finasteride is not to be messed around with....

That's why I wanted to find the different options available for obtaining propecia cheaply because unfortunately this way of cost-cutting is not particularly safe.

I'll look into http://ukfinasteride.info/ for getting 1mg finasteride

 

[Rawtashk]

Tell me how what I said is wrong. As far as I can see, based on a total of FOUR posts, you're just a scaremonger.

 

[Quantum Cat]

Unfortunately, that's not true. It's to do with the concentration of the drug not the mass of the pill you take. And given that finasteride is not to be messed around with....

this paranoid theory rears it's head fairly regularly here. The active ingredient HAS to be spread evenly throughout the pill because the pills are manufactured in bulk and the quantities/ratios are very carefully regulated.

and what exactly is not safe about cutting 5mg pills? As long as a pregnant woman doesn't come into contact with them it's perfectly safe.



- - - Updated - - -

NB. the new Dr. Reddy's generic Finasteride 1mg has recently come on the market in the UK I believe. I might ask my doctor to prescribe them for me next time depending on how the cost compares with the generic 5mg

 

[Lukas73]

the new Dr. Reddy's generic Finasteride 1mg has recently come on the market in the UK I believe. I might ask my doctor to prescribe them for me next time depending on how the cost compares with the generic 5mg

Well, i have read that in the US the Dr. Reddy's finasteride is only slightly cheaper than the brand name. We need to wait for other generic makers to hit the market for the price to come down significantly. Though I still think that cutting up 5mg generic finasteride will always be the cheapest option by far.

 

[hare]

3 - Join Boots hair retention scheme where they will prescribe you Propecia (and probably try to sell you other stuff like Minoxidil as well). Or ask your GP for branded Propecia. This is probably the most expensive way to obtain it.

Yep, Propecia is probably the most expensive out of all finasteride types. However, Boots seems to offer a relatively inexpensive way of getting it compared to some other hair clinics out there. Example:

Boots
3 months = £90 (1 year = £360)
Boots will actually not try to sell you minoxidil when starting the programme, because they recommend not using minoxidil until the results of finasteride are properly gauged.

Belgravia
1 year = £870
Belgravia will also try to get you on a Propecia+minoxidil programme, which works out to around ~£1500-£2000 a year depending on which minoxidil is used.

Some advantages of Propecia over the other finasteride types:
1) no pill-cutting;
2) no relying on a doctor to give you a prescription every so often, if you manage to find one that does;
3) no concern over using an unofficial regime and unsanctioned treatments, even if the alternative methods result in approximately the same amount of finasteride.

 

[Bowser]

Ukfinasteride has stopped selling the 1mg version of finasteride (finpecia). Only two 5mg options are available now.

There seems to have been a recent difficulty getting certain generics of finasteride from the usual online websites people have been using. The prices have gone up too.

Well that's my experience anyway.

 

[abcdefg]

Well, i have read that in the US the Dr. Reddy's finasteride is only slightly cheaper than the brand name. We need to wait for other generic makers to hit the market for the price to come down significantly. Though I still think that cutting up 5mg generic finasteride will always be the cheapest option by far.

Yeah it will be, but a lot of doctors wont prescribe it because its not really for treating male pattern baldness its dosed for treating prostate problems. I agree that more generic makers will bring down the price a lot so hopefully its soon.

 

[Kirby]

2 - http://ukfinasteride.info/ a prescription site that sells legitimate generic Finasteride 5mg and 1mg - it's prescribed by genuine British doctor with a GMC number. A little Pricy though.

Website has disappeared, I think the domain name has also expired. RIP.

 

[joseph1984]

I wrote that i used to use dr singh but he stopped prescribing finasteride as got ill. I now use Dr Edgar and very helpful doctor who i believe took over from ukfinasteride.I get 5mg generics finasteride very cheap from him. His email i think is on spex site as might not be allowed to post here but i can recommend him. I like new site here as i used to read lot here and just wanted to try help as i know how hard it can be to get a GP in the UK to help !

Dr Edgar answered all my questions about side effects and was very helpful on email.

 

[gnate12]

Well, i have read that in the US the Dr. Reddy's finasteride is only slightly cheaper than the brand name. We need to wait for other generic makers to hit the market for the price to come down significantly. Though I still think that cutting up 5mg generic finasteride will always be the cheapest option by far.

The price has come down significantly in the US, just not at every pharmacy. Costco sells 90 pills of generic propecia (1mg finasteride) for $36 total. You do not need a costco membership to purchase this. I would say that $36 is a significant price reduction.