Update: There are now various online sources that offer coupons with huge discounts for drugs such as generic Finasteride if you are purchasing them with cash and without any insurance. You need to print the coupon and take it to the pharmacy with your prescription.
Generic Finasteride 1mg (Branded = Propecia)
In November 2013, US-based Merck’s patent on hair loss drug Propecia (made up of Finasteride 1mg) finally expired. Thereafter, numerous generic versions of Finasteride 1mg have come into the US market at a small fraction of the cost of Propecia. I assume the same is true in other countries and blog readers are free to post their findings in the comments to this post.
Today, I called or visited a few major pharmacies in the US to get more information on the cost and country of origin of manufacture of these generic drugs, as well as to find out the name of the company that manufactures these products. If I buy a generic drug, at the very least, I want to check out information on the company that is manufacturing the product and try to make sure that the company has not been frequently cited for bad practices or worse.
Several pharmacists I talked to were uncertain about whether a company made or just packaged these products, but I tried to check my findings online and hopefully there are no errors in the below table.
5mg (Branded = Proscar)
It should also be noted that Merck’s patent on benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH — aka prostate enlargement) drug Proscar (made up of Finasteride 5mg) expired as far back as June 2006. Thousands of people have since been purchasing generic versions of Finasteride 5mg and then cutting each pill into 4 pieces with a pill cutter (i.e., essentially taking 1.25mg of Finasteride per day to treat baldness rather than BPH). This method always works out to be a lot cheaper than purchasing generic Finasteride 1mg pills.
Most hair transplant surgeons are willing to prescribe generic Finasteride 5mg pills to combat hair loss, even though the 5mg dosage has officially only been approved to treat BPH. Therefore I also decided to add information on generic Finasteride 5mg in the below table. I have been taking generic 5mg Finasteride pills for years to help my hair, although I take the 1 quarter (1.25 mg) pill every two days rather than daily. FYI — The half-life of Finasteride is 6 hours.
Generic Finasteride Cost (1mg and 5mg)
According to a pharmacist I talked to at Walmart, there are numerous types of discount cards available these days that will get you $50 off a prescription. She said she was not allowed to tell me where to get such cards, but they are easy to find.
Also note that at Walgreens, the 30 generic Finasteride 5mg pills made by Teva Pharmaceutical (Israel) will only cost $10 rather than $84 if you enroll in the Walgreens prescription savings program for $20 per year. Other pharmacies probably also have savings programs.
Note: Prices and brands at the same pharmacy chains may vary by state. Also keep in mind that many stores will price match.
Pharmacy Name | Generic Finasteride (1mg) — 30 pills | Company Name (Country of Manufacture) | Generic Finasteride (5mg) — 30 pills | Company Name (Country of Manufacture) |
Costco | $13 | Actavis (India) | $12 | Aurobindo Pharma (India) |
CVS | $70 | Camber Pharmaceuticals (India) | $82 | Camber Pharmaceuticals (India) |
Rite Aid | $80 | Aurobindo Pharma (India) | $76 | Aurobindo Pharma (India) |
Safeway | $60 | Actavis (India) | $40 | Accord (India) |
Sam’s Club | $37 | Camber Pharmaceuticals (India) | $26 | Actavis (India) |
Target | $83 | Aurobindo Pharma (India) | $9 | Camber Pharmaceuticals (India) |
Walgreens | $80 | Dr. Reddy’s (India) | $84 | Teva Pharmaceutical (Israel) |
Walmart | $44 | Hetero Drugs (India) | $9 | Camber Pharmaceuticals (India) |
Propecia and Proscar Prices
Note that if you do not want to take generic Finasteride, the cheapest price for 30 pills of Propecia (made by US-based Merck) is $30 at Walgreens if you are enrolled in their prescription savings program. 30 pills of Proscar (made by Merck) will also cost $30 at Walgreen’s if you are enrolled in their prescription savings program. I wish I had known about this program before!
For most people, 30 pills of Proscar will last for 4 months after cutting each pill into 4 pieces and taking 1 daily. For me, it will last for 8 months, so I would rather purchase Proscar at this low price rather than generics.
If Walgreen’s stops offering this discounted price, the typical price of 30 pills of Propecia at most pharmacies is around $100 and the typical price of 30 pills of Proscar at most pharmacies is $150-$200. At that point, generics are a no-brainer.
The generic pills that I currently use are the 5mg ones made by Camber Pharmaceuticals. I hope to send one of the pills to a lab to test and make sure that they are identical to Proscar. A local custom pharmacy that I contacted did not offer such a service. Perhaps I need to go and approach a university’s chemistry lab?
I will delete any unrelated comments to this post. Please only post questions pertaining to these drugs, or post your own price findings.
Has Merk lowered Propecia’s price after patent expired ?
Walmart, Florida 90 pills used to be 213 dollars from what I remember.
My last purchase of 90 pills from Walmart was 65 dollars!
This is not the Generic, this is the pink – Merck’s as before.
I tried the generic from India, never again – lots of itching
and going back to work after the summer, I thought I saw a worse result than before, but back on the real stuff and now
I am back to normal, In my mind at least.
Never go back to an Indian brand again, stupid thing to try
after 20 plus years and good results with the original – no matter what the price difference.
Any word when generic dutasteride will be available?
This is sweet., especially the Walgreen discount plan. Thanks Admin!
In Argentina you can get if for USD 10 at pharmacies which sell generic meds only (Farmacia Doctor Simi or Farmacia del Doctor Ahorro). But more than discussing about the price I’ll consider the sever side effects this drugs have on their users.
Please look for post finasteride syndrome symptoms.
$12 at costco is damn good. Do you have a list like that for dutasteride?
From what I have read, generic Dutasteride won’t be available in pharmacies till after the patent expires in October 2015.
Dear ROBERT RONALD FORREST,
I took finasteride for 4 years and end having sleeping problems, depression and low mood and mood changes, decreased libido, poor ejaculation load, memory loss and bone and calcium absorption issues like osteopenia (which is the first grade for osteoporosis). I gave up the pills and started to fill better about 2 year later. This pill is not a candy and a lot of investigation is being done to find out more about its side effects.
…… But how’s your hair?
4 years is a long time for changes to change naturally. Truth be told nothing in life ever remains constant things always change just on their own so its never possible to say it was solely the propecia that did it. You have to believe your instinct though. Hair isnt worth your health so if I felt like that I would drop it too
I was looking on Walgreens for this Prescription Savings Plan and they say Propecia is not covered under the program. Does the discount still apply?
That is strange, and maybe they changed rules or the rules vary by state? Maybe the generic is still covered.
After reading this I went to Walgreens hoping to find a reasonable price for Propecia. However, it was actually more expensive there than what I had ever paid at my local pharmacy. Maybe Merck had raised the price, but regardless.
I did a little research online and found a good option from a Canadian pharmacy. I was skeptical, and cautious as I was ordering from another country (do your research). The place I found required a prescription and had good customer service via 1-800 number. Their Propecia shipped to me from the UK. Not Merck, but Merck Sharp & Dohme. It came in the original box and the pills are sealed in 7-pill “cards”/sheets (the kind of “card” where you push the pills through a thin foil to release them).
The price for 84 pills was roughly $196—including shipping. Walgreens is charging about $330 for 90 pills.
I switched to generic Finasteride when it came out, but I didn’t feel it was as effective for me, so I’m staying with name brand.
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to leave the name of the website I used, but if you google “propecia prices” and go past the goodrx links you’ll find a site with price comparisons for online pharmacies.
Good luck, all.
Yes feel free to leave the name.
A lot of Canadian stuff is from India or Mexico. You have to be careful as they can be produced in a toxic and unsanitary environment. I would be leary of UK product as they have a great relationship with India as well.
And yes, the propecia pills from the UK look identical to the ones I’ve been using for over 10 years.
Quake
Since you have taken for 10 years could you please share the improvements to your hair thickness? New hair etc that
would be very useful
Any side effects you have felt would be very kind if you share
I am having thinning hair in my whole head also going mostly bald on the top and back of my head.
I ordered UK Propecia from Maple Leaf Meds.
I’ve been using finasteride tablets for over 6 years. With great success. I always used (and still use) 5mg tablets which I split into four parts. You can of course also cut them into five. The dosage is not that important although you want to avoid fluctuations of testosterone and DHT in your body. Therefore cut one tablet at a time, so that over 4 days (or 5 in case you cut into 5) you always take in the same amount, and which averages to 1.25mg (or 1mg) per day. It’s as simple as that…
More important I think is that you make sure you get reliable quality which means it comes from a legit pharmaceutical. If you buy online (without prescription) you better make sure the finasteride is produced in a country where it is available over the counter. If not, it is most likely fake.
Avoid any generic made in India like the plague, particularly Dr. Reddy..
What the hell makes you say that? Dr. Reddy’s I used myself and it was no different from others.
I’ve been using finasteride 1mg for 6 or 7 years that I ordered from a canadian pharmacy. They require a prescription and the generics come from India.
Is this bad? Are Indian generics typically fake or something? I can’t say I grew new hair as I was only 23 when I started and had plenty of hair – but I can say I’m not nearly as bald as my older brother is at the same age.
Hey guys. I can confirm that Walgreens no longer seems to offer the $30 price for 30 pills of 1mg propecia through their own prescription savings club (which costs 20 bucks to join btw). But they will do 30 pills of generic 1mg finasteride for $32.60 with a UNA Rx card, which is a free discount card you can find online. Best deal in retail, other than Costco, of course, which charges an annual membership fee.
In Israel the original is $40 for three months and the local one (made by Teva) is $18 for 1 month.
That’s with a HMO (which almost everyone has (except the very rich who have private) like Clalit (gold discount).
Does propercia really work thou
I’ve read ur comments and lot of u hav been using hair loss product for decades. Is the any change in hair line or u jus hoping the product wil work some day
Everyone’s body ia different. Many of us use propecia/finasteride for maintenance of our current hairline. That is the best way to use it. Start as soon as you notice thinning, it will hold the line there. Some people experience thickening in thin spots as well, over half the users in some studies. Personally I had thick enough hair when I started using it that this was not a big concern for me. Just wanted to not lose any more, and it has worked great for that.
I have been taking Propecia (non generic) for 18 yrs, I agree with the “hold the line” comment above. It pretty much stopped by hair loss when I started it. Have experienced no negative side effects that I know of but a nice bonus is that much of my other body hair (back, butt, arms, chest, etc) has thinned dramatically as if it reapportioned that hair back to my head. Was a welcomed “side effect”.
Great to hear! Thanks and please come back to read my posts on body hair and body hair transplants when I write several soon. You will find some things interesting.
Good info admin. I appreciate the 5mg tip. I will talk to my dr this week. Thanks!
I’ve been taking Propecia 1mg for well over a decade. I don’t believe my receding hairline has grown back any, but it has stopped receding. Several years ago I tried a 90 day supply of generic from Walgreens and I felt like I started losing hair during that period, so I went back to Propecia. It certainly could be my imagination, but I have never tried generic again. A note on pricing – In Illinois, I’m getting hammered on price! A 90 day supply at Jewel is $365 and $385 at Walgreens. Crazy!
I took Merck Propecia for ~ 15 years. Tried the generic, both Dr Reddy and Camber. First time about three years ago and was visibly losing hair after a couple months or so. Went back to Merck. Then recently decided to try the generic again since people told me they are the same thing. Again losing hair after 2 to 3 months. I’m a great believer in generics so this is very surprising to me. I hate to go back to Walmart Merck non generic due to $280 price, and they increase the price every year, for 90 pills but I guess I must
ADMIN how can i split proscar pill into 4 equal parts?
They sell pill-cutters at most pharmacies.
I’m 33 yo, I have thick wavy hair in some parts while a reciding hair line on the right side of my forehead and on the vertex is 50% of what it used to be when it was once full. Most people say you are fine, do not worry, but I don’t want to act when it’s too late. So last week I got myself a 90 day rogaine extra strength 5% andoneof my coworkers and myself have notice my hair looking thicker, not the bald spot at the crown, but where I have hair is looking fuller and stronger, it’s been a week but it has helped the healthy hair looking healthier. I have gone to the derma and did blood work- everything is good so he prescribed me propicia 1mg. Wallgreeens sells it for $225 for the generic 90 day supply and I was devastated as I know this is a lifetime commitment, with the membership it would be $165 (plus the $20 yearly membership). So I stepped aside and googling it- I got this card from Rx and the total came to $98!! So I will try my first pill today right now on this journey to see if I can regrow my hair on the crown and hairline and if not at least to keep it steady as is and not be bald when I turn older. Fingers cross and good luck to all!!! And I find this thread very encouraging! Thanks!
With a Sam’ Plus membership ($100/yr) at Sam’s Club, you can get a 30 day supply of 1mg Finasteride for $4.
I’ve been takin Marck Propecia for 3 years and ive paid 2500 euro in 3 years but was not the right thing to do in my opinion compareing the side effects and i decided the hair transplant FUE in Turkey,, it costs me same price and i dont have to worrie anymore about drugs and my hairline is staying in my head for all the rest of my life