Description
Firide Finasteride 5mg Tablets
Finasteride is used to treat male pattern hair loss (gradual thinning of the hair on the scalp, leading to a receding hairline or balding on the top of the head in men.)
Effectiveness:
Clinical studies show improved hair growth usually noticeable after 4-6 months of taking finasteride 5mg daily. The maximum benefit is seen at 1-2 years. At 5 years men have a 90% chance of having more or the same amount of hair they started with. This compares with 25% of men not taking the drug.
How it works:
Hair grows in hair follicles normally for about three years. The hair then falls out and new hair grows from the follicle. For men affected by male pattern hair loss, as they age, hair follicles gradually become smaller. New hair becomes thinner and falls out more quickly, eventually not growing enough to break the surface of the scalp (balding).
Male hormones cause these changes. Hair follicles convert the male hormone testosterone into another hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Hair follicles become more sensitive to dihydrotestosterone and this causes the hair follicles to shrink.
Finasteride 5mg reduces the amount of testosterone converted to DHT which results in hair regrowth and hair thickness in most men.
Who benefits:
Men at any stage of male pattern hair loss are likely to benefit. Finasteride 5mg is most effective for hair loss over the top of the scalp (vertex). It has NOT been proven to reverse receding frontal hairline, hair loss which is ONLY in the temple regions, nor restore hair to entirely bald areas.
Dosage:
5mg/day during a minimum of 6 months or more
Cautions:
If hair loss has been rapid and recent, or where there are symptoms of serious illness, such as unexplained weight loss, fevers, persistent diarrhea, or excessive fatigue, a doctor should be consulted.
If hair loss is patchy or irregular or comes out in clumps, or there is scalp inflammation the scalp should be examined.
Blood tests carried out to detect prostate cancer (PSA) can give misleading results when finasteride 5mg is being taken.
If treatment is stopped, the beneficial effects begin to reverse by six months and return to baseline by 9 to 12 months.
Pregnant women should not come into contact with finasteride. For this reason, tablets are film-coated.
Side effects:
Finasteride 5mg is usually well tolerated by most men and side effects are uncommon. Men taking finasteride are at increased risk for impotence, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, and ejaculation disorder for the first year of treatment, but this risk disappears after 2-4 years of use, and side effects usually get better over time.
There are case reports of persistent diminished libido or erectile dysfunction after stopping the drug and the patient leaflet has been updated to reflect this. A review found some evidence that finasteride increased the risk of sexual dysfunction, but those people did not discontinue treatment because of these side effects.
