Prices first
Go to the Price ComparisonThe hair options
Medicine, form and monthly price for each of them.
One moment
This page is on its way. Nothing has gone wrong and nothing you have entered has been lost.
Care for a body that is changing
The best time to look at this is before it worries you.
Most of this starts quietly, and the earlier a provider sees it the more there is to work with. Prescription options for hair, skin and the menopause transition, and a questionnaire you can finish in one sitting.
Where most people start
A question you have had for a whileBring it. It is the normal way in.01 · What you would actually be taking
Two medicines, and more than one way to fit them into a normal week.
Two medicines. More than one way of taking them. One questionnaire.
02 · Three numbers worth knowing
What the schedule actually looks like.
None of this is fast, and knowing that up front is the difference between a plan you keep and one you abandon in week four. Your provider checks in before the first honest look, so no one is counting weeks on their own.
1 cm per month
Nothing is visible in week three
Roughly how fast scalp hair grows, which is why nothing visible happens in the first weeks. The first honest look is at 3 months. Take the photo now so you have something to compare with.
12 months to the full picture
The trials read at a year, not a quarter
Finasteride trials read their main result at 12 months, not 12 weeks. Your provider checks in before that, and the plan can change at any point along it.
2 medicines named on every page
Finasteride and minoxidil, by name
Finasteride, first prescribed for hair loss in 1997, and minoxidil, sold for it since 1988. Every option page says which one is in it and in what form, so nothing is a mystery ingredient.
03 · Three ways in
Start where you actually are.
Three ways in. Take the one that suits you.
Before you decide
Work Out What You Are SeeingWhat is changing
Words for what you are noticing.
The whole path
Walk the Whole PathHow care works
Questionnaire, review, decision, month one.
04 · After you answer
You are not left holding it on your own.
The questionnaire is a health history: current medicines, conditions, what you have tried. A provider reads all of it before deciding anything, and can decide that none of them is right for you, in which case they say so and tell you what to do instead.
- 01
You answer, once
One sitting. Health history, current medicines, what you have already tried. Nothing goes into ordinary email.
- 02
A provider reads every answer
Not a form check. A person who can ask for more, prescribe one of them, or tell you none of them fits and why.
- 03
You get a decision either way
If a provider prescribes, you are told which option and what it costs each month. If they do not, you are told that too.
- 04
It stays adjustable
Hair changes over 12 months, so the plan is allowed to change with it. Write in and a provider looks again.
05 · Whenever that is
There is no right week to begin. There is only the one you pick.
Read it all. Answer when you want to.
Questionnaire · Open
One sitting, whenever that is
A provider reads every answer and decides whether Finasteride Capsule is right for you. The $65/month price is confirmed to you before any charge.
Safety information
What to know before you start
Finasteride
A once-daily tablet that blocks the enzyme converting testosterone to DHT, the androgen associated with pattern hair loss.
Finasteride is FDA-approved for pattern hair loss in men. Prescribing it for hair loss in women is off-label, most often after menopause. A provider may do that, and should tell you why.
Not for
- Children.
- Anyone who has had an allergic reaction to finasteride or dutasteride.
Handling
- A woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken tablets. Finasteride can affect the development of the external genitalia in a male fetus. Whole tablets are coated, which prevents contact with the active during ordinary handling.
Common effects
- Reduced sex drive, difficulty getting or keeping an erection, and reduced volume of ejaculate. These were reported by a small share of men in trials and resolved for most who continued or stopped.
- Breast tenderness or enlargement, and testicular pain.
Serious effects
- Sexual side effects that continue after stopping have been reported after marketing.
- Depression and, in reports, thoughts of self-harm.
- Breast cancer in men has been reported in people taking finasteride.
- Allergic reactions, including rash, hives, itching, and swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat.
Get medical help if
- A lump, pain, or discharge in the breast.
- Swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat, or trouble breathing or swallowing.
- A change in mood, or thoughts of harming yourself.
Tell your provider
- Finasteride lowers the PSA reading used in prostate screening. Tell anyone ordering a PSA test that you take it, so the result is read correctly.
- Do not donate blood while taking finasteride, and wait at least one month after your last dose.
Sources
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information, warnings and precautions. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information, clinical pharmacology. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
Finasteride, applied to the scalp
Finasteride delivered onto the scalp rather than swallowed. Some of it is still absorbed, so the systemic cautions for the tablet apply.
Finasteride is FDA-approved for pattern hair loss in men. Prescribing it for hair loss in women is off-label, most often after menopause. A provider may do that, and should tell you why.
Not for
- Children.
- Anyone who has had an allergic reaction to finasteride or dutasteride.
Handling
- A woman who is pregnant or may become pregnant must not handle this product or come into contact with it on your skin, hair or pillow. Finasteride can affect the development of the external genitalia in a male fetus.
- Wash your hands after applying, and let the scalp dry fully before it touches anyone or anything.
Common effects
- Itching, dryness, flaking or redness where it is applied.
- The systemic effects reported for the tablet, including reduced sex drive and difficulty getting or keeping an erection, have also been reported with topical use.
Serious effects
- Sexual side effects that continue after stopping have been reported after marketing.
- Depression and, in reports, thoughts of self-harm.
- Allergic reactions, including rash, hives, itching, and swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat.
Get medical help if
- Swelling of the lips, tongue, face or throat, or trouble breathing or swallowing.
- A change in mood, or thoughts of harming yourself.
- A lump, pain, or discharge in the breast.
Tell your provider
- Finasteride lowers the PSA reading used in prostate screening. Tell anyone ordering a PSA test that you use it.
- Anyone in your household who is pregnant or may become pregnant, so a provider can weigh the transfer risk with you.
Sources
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information, warnings and precautions. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
- Finasteride 1 mg tablets, FDA prescribing information, clinical pharmacology. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
Minoxidil, applied to the scalp
A solution applied to the scalp. Topical minoxidil is sold over the counter for hair regrowth, which is the wording of its approved labeling.
Not for
- Anyone whose hair loss is sudden, patchy, or came with a rash, pain or scaling, until a provider has looked at it.
- Anyone who has had an allergic reaction to minoxidil or propylene glycol.
Handling
- Wash your hands after applying, and let the scalp dry before it touches a pillow or another person. Solution that transfers can grow hair where you did not put it.
- Keep it away from children and pets. It is dangerous if swallowed, and it is toxic to cats.
Common effects
- Itching, dryness, flaking or redness where it is applied.
- More shedding during the first few weeks, as follicles reset into a new growth cycle.
- Unwanted hair on the face if the solution runs or transfers.
Serious effects
- Contact dermatitis that does not settle.
- Absorbed minoxidil can, rarely, cause the heart and fluid effects listed for the tablet.
Get medical help if
- Chest pain, a fast heartbeat, faintness or dizziness.
- Sudden unexplained weight gain, or swollen hands or feet.
- Scalp redness or irritation that keeps getting worse.
Tell your provider
- Any heart condition, and any other product you put on your scalp.
Sources
- Minoxidil topical solution and foam, FDA-approved over-the-counter labeling. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved OTC labeling, DailyMed
- Randolph M, Tosti A. Oral minoxidil treatment for hair loss: a review of efficacy and safety. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol 2021;84(3):737-746
Minoxidil, taken by mouth
A tablet that widens blood vessels. In hair follicles it is understood to lengthen the growing phase.
Minoxidil tablets are approved to treat severe high blood pressure, not hair loss. Prescribing them for hair loss is off-label. A provider may do that, and should tell you why.
Not for
- Anyone with a pheochromocytoma.
- Anyone who has had an allergic reaction to minoxidil.
Common effects
- Hair growth in places you did not intend, most often on the face, arms and back. This is the most frequently reported effect at hair-loss doses.
- Fluid retention, which usually shows first as puffy ankles or a quick gain in weight.
- A faster heartbeat, lightheadedness, or headache.
Serious effects
- Fluid around the heart, which can become an emergency.
- Worsening angina.
- Heart failure from salt and water retention.
Get medical help if
- Shortness of breath, especially lying down.
- Chest pain, or a heartbeat that stays fast.
- Swelling of the hands, feet or face, or a weight gain of more than 2 kg (about 5 lb) in a few days.
- Fainting or near-fainting.
Tell your provider
- Any heart, kidney or blood-pressure condition, and every blood-pressure medicine you take.
Sources
- Minoxidil tablets USP, FDA prescribing information, boxed warning. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA-approved labeling, DailyMed
- Randolph M, Tosti A. Oral minoxidil treatment for hair loss: a review of efficacy and safety. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol 2021;84(3):737-746
- Randolph M, Tosti A. Oral minoxidil treatment for hair loss: a review of efficacy and safety. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. J Am Acad Dermatol 2021;84(3):737-746
Biotin
A B vitamin used in keratin production. Evidence that supplementing it improves hair growth in people who are not deficient is limited.
Common effects
- Biotin is generally well tolerated.
Serious effects
- Biotin interferes with laboratory immunoassays. It can make a troponin result (the test used to diagnose a heart attack) read falsely low, and it can distort thyroid results in both directions.
Tell your provider
- Tell any clinician and any lab that you take biotin before a blood test, and ask whether to stop it beforehand.
Sources
- The FDA warns that biotin may interfere with lab tests. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA safety communication
- Patel DP, Swink SM, Castelo-Soccio L. A review of the use of biotin for hair loss. Skin Appendage Disorders. Skin Appendage Disord 2017;3(3):166-169
