Brand Reference: Propecia (1 mg), Proscar (5 mg)
| Metric | Verified Benchmark | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Finasteride RxNorm Concept ID | 25025 | U.S. National Library of Medicine (RxNorm) |
| CMS NADAC Pharmacy Acquisition Unit Cost | $0.0480 / unit | CMS Medicaid NADAC Weekly Feed |
| Walk-In Chain Pharmacy Cash Average | $62.00 / mo | CMS NADAC + U.S. Retail Markup Index |
| Mark Cuban Cost Plus Wholesale Price | $5.50 / mo | Cost Plus Drugs Wholesale Feed |
| Community Mean Out-of-Pocket Paid | $7.50 / mo | 58 Zero-PHI Verified Patient Logs |
4-azasteroid analogue that irreversibly inhibits intracellular Type II and Type III 5-alpha-reductase isoenzymes in scalp dermal papillae and prostate stroma, cutting serum and scalp dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by ~68%–71% to arrest follicular miniaturization.
Across 58 community cost disclosures for Finasteride (Propecia (1 mg) / Proscar (5 mg)), cash buyers routing around $62.00 retail markups capture a 91% discount ($5.50/mo benchmark vs $0.0480 NADAC acquisition).
Following administration (0.5 mg PO daily (low-dose micro-titration)), Finasteride achieves 65% oral bioavailability and 24 hours dht drop; 3–6 months visible hair shaft thickening onset, governed by a 5–6 hours plasma / 14–30 days tissue enzyme resynthesis terminal half-life through hepatic cyp3a4 oxidative hydroxylation into two low-activity metabolites.
Before initiating Finasteride at 0.5 mg PO daily (low-dose micro-titration), clinical safety checklists rule out pregnancy or handling crushed tablets by pregnant women (male fetal hypospadias teratogen). Logged tolerability patterns center on initial shedding synchronization (weeks 4–8) (16% of reports), watery ejaculate (7% of reports), reduced libido (5% of reports).
Across 58 verified cash-pay logs, Finasteride achieves a 86.90% Worth-It rating with out-of-pocket spend averaging $7.50/mo versus $62.00/mo walk-in retail.
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Switched to Cost Plus Drugs at 0.5 mg PO daily (low-dose micro-titration) for Finasteride; monthly out-of-pocket dropped to $4.84 compared with $62.00 retail.
Completed 10 weeks on Finasteride (1 mg PO once daily (alopecia)). Zero notable side effects on steady dosing.
Consistent biomarker response on 5 mg PO once daily (BPH — Note: drops serum PSA by ~50%) Finasteride sourced via Local Pharmacy ($6.38/mo cash pay without insurance prior authorization).