What is finasteride?

Finasteride is a synthetic drug that acts as an androgen antagonist This means that its metabolic mechanism is to suppress androgen (or steroid) activity Specifically, finasteride inhibits type II 5 - α - reductase (5aR), an enzyme responsible for the transformation of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone This is important because some diseases affecting men can be induced by this transformation, such as male hair loss, benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer Merck & Co., which makes finasteride, has applied for several formula patents for the drug, and the concentration of the final product will vary according to the actual application For example, propocia contains only one milligram of finasteride, while Proscar, a drug used to treat BPH, has a concentration five times higher Also note that finasteride is marketed under a variety of brand names There are many generic finasteride drugs produced by non patent companies to choose from, and the price is much cheaper Although these generic versions are available on the Internet, proprietary brands such as protecia and Proscar can only be obtained by prescription There are many studies investigating the effect of finasteride on hair loss in men and women A five-year study found that 48% of men treated with finasteride had new hair The study also confirmed that the drug was able to successfully restore the type of baldness in men who lost their hair But be aware that if you stop treatment, the new hair will fall out within 12 months However, the results involving finasteride in the treatment of female hair loss are not optimistic And doctors usually only recommend hair loss treatment to women when they know they have no chance of pregnancy at all This is because there is a large amount of data to prove that the use of finasteride has a high risk of birth defects As there are not many studies to confirm whether the drugs are safe for lactating women, it is recommended to avoid them.