Finasteride 1mg (ACCORD)

Finasteride 1mg tablets inhibit the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in your body, allowing natural re-growth. This treatment is very effective in men with a mild to moderate amount of hair loss, not solely in the temple area and results are usually apparent after a few months; with significant improvements being recorded for up to five years after beginning treatment.

Propecia, manufactured by Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD), was introduced to treat this problem but the UK patent expired in October 2014 and therefore other pharmaceutical companies could then manufacture a generic equivalent of Propecia, called finasteride 1mg.

A lot of our customers prefer to continue with the brand that they have received previously, especially after having a hair transplant. This brand is usually the "Aindeem" brand. They have confidence in it and want to continue to take it.

Aindeem was manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Actavis but Actavis was acquired by Accord who supply finasteride with their own branding. Accord are manufacturing their brand to the same recipe as Actavis so you should not notice any difference apart from the packaging.

We have also introduced a "generic" brand which is the best value for money. The brand supplied will vary from time to time.

Clinical trials conducted by MSD showed that finasteride 1mg helps to reverse the balding process, with 90% of people seeing either increased hair growth or prevention of further hair loss.

It may take 3 to 6 months for the full effect to develop. It is important to keep taking it as, if you stop taking finasteride, you are likely to lose the hair you have gained within 9-12 months.

Finasteride is most effective when used to treat hair loss on the crown of the head or both the crown and temples; it may not yield the same results when hair loss is limited to the temple area only.

Finasteride 1mg is for use by men only and should not be used by women or children. One tablet should be taken daily, with or without food.

Any benefit from taking Finasteride 1mg will be reversed within a year of discontinuing the course of medication.

Hair transplant surgeons recommend that you use finasteride 1mg daily to promote hair growth after a transplant. It will prevent further hair loss and reduce the potential failure of your hair transplant.

Stop taking Finasteride 1 mg Tablets and immediately contact a doctor if you have any of the following experience:

• Symptoms of an allergic reaction: swelling of your lips, face, tongue and throat; difficulty swallowing; lumps under your skin (hives) and breathing difficulties.
• Depression (feeling of severe sadness and unworthiness)
• You should promptly report to your doctor any changes in the breast tissue such as lumps, pain, enlargement of the breast tissue or nipple discharge as these may be signs of a serious condition, such as breast cancer

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people):-

• you may be unable to have an erection (impotence)
• you may have less desire to have sex
• difficulty having an erection
•  you may have problems with ejaculation for example decrease in the amount of semen released during sex. This decrease in the amount of semen does not appear to affect normal sexual function

Not known: frequency

•  breast swelling or tenderness
•  pain in the testicles
•  blood in semen
•  palpitations (feeling your heartbeat)
•  persistent decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment
•  persistent problems with ejaculation after discontinuation of treatment
•  male infertility and/or poor quality of semen
•  changes in the way your liver is working, which can be shown by a blood test
•  anxiety

In some cases, sexual dysfunction and psychiatric side effects have persisted in patients even after they have stopped taking finasteride.

Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not handle broken or crushed finasteride tablets. If finasteride is absorbed through the skin or taken by mouth by a woman pregnant with a male foetus, the child may be born with malformed genital organs. The tablets are film-coated, which prevents contact with finasteride provided the tablets are not broken or crushed.

Patient Information Leaflet for Finasteride 1mg