People taper antidepressants with protocols. Finasteride for hair is not that monograph. Halving a film-coated tablet is still a handling problem if someone who may be pregnant lives there.
Propecia-style prescribing information is written for a daily 1 mg film-coated tablet in men with androgenetic alopecia. It does not publish a 0.25 mg every-other-day “wean” as an FDA-endorsed hair protocol. Some clinicians discuss dose changes; that is their licence, not a Reddit spreadsheet. After stopping, DHT-related miniaturisation can resume and a shed can appear — timing varies. The American Academy of Dermatology discusses 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors as prescription options with sexual and pregnancy counselling. This page will not invent a 90-day reverse titration and is not medical advice.
If you stop because of side effects, call the prescriber rather than micro-dosing leftover pills. Compounded topical finasteride is a different exposure story. Dutasteride has a longer half-life and blood-donation rules on this site’s other page. Do not donate the “taper leftovers” as a plan.
Mood change, breast tenderness, or sexual side effects are clinician visits, not a reason to crush tablets. This is not medical advice.
Sources: AGA review (CCID) ↗
FAQ
Does a slow taper prevent post-finasteride shedding?
There is no labelled wean that guarantees that. Shedding after stop is a known worry. Ask the prescriber.
Can I take 1 mg every other day as a taper?
That is off-script unless your prescriber wrote it. Do not split tablets if pregnancy is possible in the home.
Will one missed week ruin years of use?
Hair drugs are chronic experiments. A week is not a moral failure. Restart only as advised. Do not double up.
Switch to saw palmetto instead?
Saw palmetto is not a labelled 1 mg equivalent. Herbal DHT stories are marketing, not a substitute insert.
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- Plaques ou zones chauves circulaires soudaines
- Rougeur, desquamation, pus, douleur ou démangeaison (possible alopécie cicatricielle — à traiter en urgence)
- Cheveux cassés ou chute rapide
- Chute accompagnée de signes généraux (perte de poids, fatigue, changements du cycle, acné, pilosité supplémentaire)
- Chute survenant juste après un nouveau médicament
- Toute chute de cheveux chez un enfant