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What is Proscar?
Who should take Proscar?
What can you expect from Proscar?
How do I take Proscar?
What is, 'Male Pattern Hair Loss'?
How does Proscar work?
Why is Proscar for men only?
What adverse (unwanted) effects can I expect?
Who makes Proscar?
How many men have started taking Proscar?
How much does Proscar cost?
What is Proscar?
Proscar is the only prescription pill used to treat hair loss in men. Proscar taken once a day is proven to stop the hair loss process and increase hair growth. Proscar is a small pill containing 1mg of the drug finasteride. It is made by Merck Sharp and Dohme.
Who should take Proscar?
Proscar is for men only. It is available only on prescription for your doctor. Proscar is for the treatment of male pattern hair loss in men.
What can you expect from Proscar?
Most men can expect no further hair loss. In a large clinical trial conducted on 1553 men, where hair loss was measured by the number of scalp hairs a man gained or lost, 83% of those taking Proscar showed no further hair loss after 2 years. In contrast the majority of men taking a dummy pill (placebo) continued to lose hair.
Two thirds can expect to regrow hair.
In a clinical trial conducted on 1553 men an expert panel of dermatologists assessed patients to measure the visible benefits of Proscar. After 2 years 66% of men receiving Proscar had shown increased hair growth compared with only 7% of those receiving placebo (dummy pill).
Remember you should expect to take Proscar everyday for at least three to six months before you see any visible benefits. And you need to keep taking it to keep your hair. Once you stop taking Proscar the hair loss process begins again.
How do I take Proscar?
Taking Proscar is easy - it's a pill you take once a day. You can take it whenever you like, with or without food, in the morning or before you go to bed. The important thing is to REMEMBER to take it. You should expect to take Proscar for at least 3 months before you start to see results.
Try to include Proscar in your daily routine - take it either after you brush your teeth, or before you shave.
What is, 'Male Pattern Hair Loss'?
Male Pattern Hair Loss is the most common type of hair loss in men. With male pattern hair loss your hair begins to thin at the temples and at the crown. As time goes on the hair at the temples recedes further, leaving a central spur of hair at the front, and an increasing bald spot at the crown. Eventually the areas of hair loss at the front and crown meet, and the top of the head becomes increasingly bald. Eventually all the remains is a border of hair around the side and back of the head.
How does Proscar work?
Research has shown that man with male pattern hair loss (known in medical terms as androgenetic alopecia) have higher levels of a chemical called DHT (dihydrotosterone) in their scalp than in other men. This increase DHT in the scalp causes the hair follicles to shrink and reduces the number of visible hairs.
Proscar works by blocking the action of the enzyme responsible for manufacturing DHT in the body. This enzyme is called 5 alpha-reduclase.
This results in lower levels of DHT in the scalp, stopping the hair follicles from shrinking any further, and in many cases resulting in regrowth of normal, visible hair.
Why is Proscar for men only?
Proscar works by blocking the action of an enzyme. In adult men this enzyme is linked to the hair loss process, but in pregnant women, this enzyme is involved in the development of healthy male babies. Interfering or blocking this enzyme in a pregnant woman could affect the health of the unborn baby, so women who might be or are pregnant should not take it. Because of this risk, we advise women not to take Proscar. Proscar comes as a sealed, coated pill, but if a pill is crushed or broken pregnant women should not touch or handle it.
What adverse (unwanted) effects can I expect?
Most men experience no adverse effects whilst taking Proscar. As part of the ongoing clinical trials men were asked about sexual adverse effects. There were two groups, those taking a placebo ( a dummy pill made from sugar) and those taking Proscar. The placebo looked identical to the Proscar pill, so none of the men knew which one they were taking.
The results after one year and after two years of the study show the number of certain sexual adverse effects reported by the men taking Proscar was similar to those reported by the placebo group - less than 2%. Also, when asked in a patient self assessment questionnaire, the men reported that satisfaction with their sex life was not affected.
Who makes Proscar?
Proscar is manufactured and marketed by Merck Sharp & Dohme. Merck Sharp & Dohme is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and is a leading contributor to medical research, employing more than 5,000 research scientists worldwide and spending more than NZ$2.5 billion on research every year.
How many men have started taking Proscar since it was launched?
Worldwide, one million men are taking Proscar.
How much does Proscar cost?
Proscar costs about the same as a cup of cappuccino a day.
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