If your hair is thinning or isn't as lush as it used to be, you aren't alone. Androgenetic alopecia or male pattern baldness is the most common form of hair loss in men, and impacts one in two men by the age of 40. If you have male pattern baldness, there's a 25% chance that you started noticing signs before the age of 21. That percentage shoots up to 66% by age 35. By age 50, almost 85% of men will have significantly thinner hair or noticeable changes to their hairline.¹ If you're experiencing male pattern baldness and want to protect your hairline, it's important to start treatment as soon as you begin noticing changes. Finasteride also promotes hair regrowth. Get treatment now with Cue, and receive your medications discreetly from the comfort of home in just a few steps.

Finasteride (also branded as Propecia) is a commonly prescribed medication to treat male pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia or a receding hairline. Finasteride also treats hair thinning on the crown. It works by blocking the 5-alpha reductase enzyme, which is responsible for turning testosterone into a different hormone—dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is a sex hormone that stimulates the development of male characteristics, but too much of it can have an impact on your hair. It shortens the growth cycle, making it easy for hair follicles to fall out and more difficult for them to grow back. Finasteride reduces DHT, and makes noticeable improvements to your hair growth in as early as 3 months, with the full effect of improvement taking between 6 and 9 months.

The information packet that comes with your prescription will have in-depth instructions on how to take finasteride. Generally, 1 mg of finasteride is taken once per day to treat male pattern baldness. You can expect to start seeing changes in as early as 3 months, with the full effect of improvement taking between 6 and 9 months. Do not take finasteride outside of your prescribed dosage.

Finasteride is available in one dosage for hair loss in men: 1 mg taken once per day. Your clinician will ultimately determine whether you qualify for your prescription and dosage, if applicable.

Finasteride is for use by MEN ONLY and should NOT be used by women or children. Do not take finasteride if you are pregnant or may become pregnant. Finasteride may harm your unborn baby. 

Do not take finasteride if you have ever had an allergic reaction to:
• finasteride

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:
• shortness of breath
• wheezing or difficulty breathing
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
• rash, itching or hives on the skin
Call your healthcare provider or get help right away if you have any of the symptoms of an allergic reaction listed above.

Before taking finasteride tablets, USP, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including problems with your prostate or liver. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Finasteride can cause side effects. Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following:
• Severe allergic reactions (rare). Signs include: itchy, bumpy rash (hives), swelling sometimes of mouth causing difficulties breathing, collapse. Contact your doctor immediately if you get these symptoms. 

Finasteride may cause a decrease in your blood Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. Finasteride can affect a blood test called PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) for the screening of prostate cancer. If you have a PSA test done you should tell your healthcare provider that you are taking finasteride because finasteride decreases PSA levels. Changes in PSA levels will need to be evaluated by your healthcare provider. Any increase in follow-up PSA levels from their lowest point may signal the presence of prostate cancer and should be evaluated, even if the test results are still within the normal range for men not taking finasteride. You should also tell your healthcare provider if you have not been taking finasteride as prescribed because this may affect the PSA test results. For more information, talk to your healthcare provider.

There may be an increased risk of a more serious form of prostate cancer in men taking finasteride at high doses.

Common side effects of finasteride include:
• decrease in sex drive
• trouble getting or keeping an erection
• a decrease in the amount of semen

The following have been reported in general use with finasteride tablets, USP:
• breast tenderness and enlargement. Tell your healthcare provider about any changes in your breasts such as lumps, pain or nipple discharge.
• depression
• decrease in sex drive that continued after stopping the medication
• allergic reactions including rash, itching, hives and swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, and face
• problems with ejaculation that continued after stopping medication
• testicular pain
• blood in semen
• difficulty in achieving an erection that continued after stopping the medication
• male infertility and/or poor quality of semen
• in rare cases, male breast cancer

Before you take finasteride, tell your doctor if you: 
• have any other medical conditions, including problems with your prostate or liver

Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• medicines used to prevent gout or gouty arthritis such as probenecid
• fluid tablets (diuretics)
• medicines used to treat gastric ulcers or reflux such as cimetidine
• medicines used prevent rejection of transplanted organs such as mycophenolate mofetil

Contact a health care provider if your hair loss occurs in patches; you shed a lot of hair; your hair breaks; you have hair loss along with redness, scaling, pus, or pain; or you start losing your hair after you start a new medicine. These are signs that your hair loss might be due to other conditions. 

INDICATION
Finasteride is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia).

For a full list of side effects, interactions, and contraindications, please visit medlineplus.gov.

Prescription medications are not currently available in the following states: Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and West Virginia. This list is subject to change.