Switching from Mylan to Northstar finasteride tablets

[thisisme]

I started using Propecia at age 19, but then switched to the generic version of finasteride at age 20, which were tablets produced by a drug company named Mylan. I used the Mylan tablets until this past December (age 23), and they had been working very well. However, I ran out of Mylan and the local pharmacy had begun carrying Northstar brand finasteride tablets. So for all of January I've been using the Northstar tablets and have noticed my hair thinning quite a bit. Is my body just trying to adapt to the new tablets? They're also 5mg of finasteride and appear to be the same except for the northstar tablets seem to be less "powdery."

It could be that my hair has been thinning a bit anyway and switching tablets has caused me to be more attentive to my hair. Unsure. Appreciate any insight! I'm going to give it another few months anyway before I really worry but just was curious if anyone had ideas.

One last thing to mention is male pattern baldness does occur in my family so I'm doing the best to mitigate it.

[DaveB23]

I'm sorry that I'm responding to your question with a question of my own, I don't know anything about mylan/northstar tablets, but maybe since you've been taking finasteride for a while you could help me?

Ive been using minoxidil for 13 months now, and while its helped stop my thinning and improve the hair I have left, it hasn't done anything to regrow the hair I had already lost before starting minoxidil.

In your time using finasteride (around 4 years right?) has it actually helped REGROW hair that was ALREADY lost prior to beginning your treatment? Or has it only helped maintain the hair you had left when you began treatment?

Also, I have a prescription for Propecia, but I don't want to use the 'brand' stuff because of how expensive it is compared to generic. In your experience does the generic stuff work exactly like the brand stuff? And can you get the generic stuff without a prescription at the pharmacy or does it still require a prescription?

Thanks in advance man, really appreciate it

[iwannakeephair1674]

Originally Posted by thisisme

I started using Propecia at age 19, but then switched to the generic version of finasteride at age 20, which were tablets produced by a drug company named Mylan. I used the Mylan tablets until this past December (age 23), and they had been working very well. However, I ran out of Mylan and the local pharmacy had begun carrying Northstar brand finasteride tablets. So for all of January I've been using the Northstar tablets and have noticed my hair thinning quite a bit. Is my body just trying to adapt to the new tablets? They're also 5mg of finasteride and appear to be the same except for the northstar tablets seem to be less "powdery."

It could be that my hair has been thinning a bit anyway and switching tablets has caused me to be more attentive to my hair. Unsure. Appreciate any insight! I'm going to give it another few months anyway before I really worry but just was curious if anyone had ideas.

One last thing to mention is male pattern baldness does occur in my family so I'm doing the best to mitigate it.

I faced a similar situation in that the normal generic I was using (Teva 5mg Finasteride Tablets) had been replaced by this morning star brand. I was concerned like you and asked a friend of mine, who's opinion I value, about their thoughts... and their simple concern was is that they don't trust Indian pharmaceuticals (where NorthStar 5mg Finasteride tablets are made). Although I didn't get any particular reason why.. it was just their opinion.

So what I did is that I called my local pharmacy and asked if they could still order my old generic and they said that they can order it anytime.. I just have to call and ask.... so every time that I'm about to refill I always ask that they fill it specifically to Teva brand.. and sometimes they can do it right away or it takes just a few days... so I refill about a week in advance.

I wasn't willing to take a chance in fear that I might have lost what I gained... so my suggestion to you is to call your local pharmacy and ask if they can refill them to your old generic.

Hope this helps,
Destin

[thisisme]

Originally Posted by DaveB23

I'm sorry that I'm responding to your question with a question of my own, I don't know anything about mylan/northstar tablets, but maybe since you've been taking finasteride for a while you could help me?

Ive been using minoxidil for 13 months now, and while its helped stop my thinning and improve the hair I have left, it hasn't done anything to regrow the hair I had already lost before starting minoxidil.

In your time using finasteride (around 4 years right?) has it actually helped REGROW hair that was ALREADY lost prior to beginning your treatment? Or has it only helped maintain the hair you had left when you began treatment?

Also, I have a prescription for Propecia, but I don't want to use the 'brand' stuff because of how expensive it is compared to generic. In your experience does the generic stuff work exactly like the brand stuff? And can you get the generic stuff without a prescription at the pharmacy or does it still require a prescription?

Thanks in advance man, really appreciate it

Good questions. I don't feel the finasteride actually did regrow hair that I had lost. But it definitely helped me keep the hair I had, which was definitely worth it.

And the propecia is definitely too expensive. The generic works just as well, I used propecia for two years with good results and when switching to the generic, there was no difference at all (except for now of course, with this northstar stuff). The propecia tablets just look a little fancier and you don't have to split them apart since they're already in 1mg doses from what I recall. The minor annoyance of splitting the pill is worth the savings and I'm used to it.

And unfortunately, the generic stuff also requires a prescription.

And I deeply appreciate the response about asking for a specific brand at the pharmacy. I wouldn't be surprised if they switched to this cheaper Northstar brand to appeal to customer's wallets. There isn't still a chance I could take back the unopened trays of northstar pills and swap them for the Mylan brand is there? I'll end up asking my pharmacist anyway, but just was curious in the meantime. What a fantastic forum.

[norwood2]

I was switched over to northstar finasteride as well and am extremely worried it is defective. I have been losing a lot of hair. Does anyone have any insight?