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Ask · finasteride

Is there a generic for Propecia?

4 min read · Reviewed

Medically reviewed by Dr. Priya Natarajan, MD - Clinical pharmacology, Dublin

Yes. Generic finasteride 1 mg exists in the United States. A pharmacy can fill that tablet when the written order names finasteride or allows a substitute for Propecia. The hair swallow stays one tablet once daily, with or without meals. Brand and generic both wait on a clinician. This page does not invent a launch date. The finasteride shelf holds the 1 mg line.

01Does the generic still need a written line?

Yes. A US pharmacy fills generic finasteride from a clinician order. The how to get finasteride page walks that path. A shop that mails 1 mg without a writer fails BeSafeRx. Brand Propecia is not an exception. The counter does not hand either bottle from an open shelf. BeSafeRx still wants a physical US address, a US phone, a licensed pharmacist, and a state board license you can look up. A cheaper carton does not drop those four checks. FDA's locator on FDA.gov is how you look that license up.

02Is there an approval date I should hunt on the carton?

The useful print is the strength, the once-daily directions, and the pregnancy handling warning. Finasteride as a molecule carries an initial US approval of 1992 on the Propecia prescribing information. That year is the molecule, not a generic listing date. The carton does not need a hunt for an ANDA day. If two cartons both say finasteride 1 mg, the swallow is still one tablet a day. The crushed-tablet warning should still be there when the name on the foil is generic. Once-daily directions should be there too.

03Can the order name Propecia and still fill finasteride?

Many US orders allow substitution when the written product is Propecia 1 mg. The pharmacy then fills finasteride 1 mg if that product is in stock. If the order is written dispense as written, the brand line stays. Either way the daily milligram is 1 mg. Ask the pharmacist which name landed on your label before you leave the window. A later switch from generic to brand, or the other way, is a new fill of that same 1 mg line. The swallow does not become 5 mg because the brand carton was empty.

04Does a cheaper generic make it over the counter?

No. Price is not the legal class. Generic 1 mg and brand Propecia both stay behind the pharmacy. The Propecia OTC ask is still no. A website that sells the tablet without a writer is not a US over-the-counter aisle. FDA warning letters name sites that offer prescription drugs without a prescription or without the required risk language. A generic blister in that pile is still a missed writer, not an aisle product. Brand Propecia is not an exception on that website either.

05Is the generic a different molecule?

The active ingredient is finasteride. Type II 5-alpha-reductase is the enzyme it inhibits. Serum DHT falls after a 1 mg tablet. That mechanism does not change because the carton dropped the Propecia name. Women who are or may be pregnant still must not handle crushed or broken tablets. Children stay off the indication. The pharmacist can show you the 1 mg imprint on the tablet you actually received. Intact coated tablets are the usual swallow. Do not crush a generic tablet into food to make it 'the same as brand.' The coat is the handling rule for both names.

06What strength does the generic copy?

The hair product is finasteride 1 mg. That is the tablet Propecia writes. A generic fill of that strength is the same daily milligram. The bottle should say 1 mg, not a 5 mg BPH line. One tablet once daily is the Administration sentence. Food does not change that swallow. Three months or more is still the wait before a hair change is judged. Brand Propecia tablets are tan and octagonal with a stylized P. A generic 1 mg tablet may look different and still be that daily milligram. Ask the pharmacist to read the strength on the label before you leave.

Before you start, stop, or change any medicine, speak with your prescriber or pharmacist. They hold your chart. This bin card does not. Open the bin disclaimer.

Sources

  1. Organon Propecia (finasteride) US prescribing information / DailyMed PROPECIA 1 mg tablet

Checked against the current label and reviewed by Dr. Priya Natarajan. See Pick → Check → Tag → Bin.

Bin thread

Answers follow the U.S. Propecia label.

Drew asks

If my bottle says finasteride, did I get the wrong drug?

Finasteride is the ingredient. Propecia is the 1 mg brand name for male pattern hair loss. Check that the label says 1 mg once daily. A different shape can still be that milligram. A 5 mg line is a different written use.

Evander asks

Can I ask the pharmacist to switch to brand later?

The pharmacy fills the product the order allows. A change from generic to Propecia, or the other way, is a new fill of that same 1 mg line. Dispense-as-written keeps brand. Substitution can land generic. Both stay prescription fills.

Flint asks

Does generic 1 mg skip the three-month wait?

Daily use for three months or more is still the labelled wait before a hair change is judged. The carton name does not shorten that clock. Food still does not change the swallow. One tablet once daily is still the line.