Men's Health
Men's health medicines for prostate enlargement and male pattern hair loss: finasteride, dutasteride, tamsulosin, alfuzosin, minoxidil tablets and lotion, plus bicalutamide for prostate cancer.
Finasteride
Finasteride
1mg
Finasteride 1mg tablets slow male pattern hair loss by lowering DHT in the scalp; packs of 10 to 360 tablets, sold under the generic name.
Tamsulosin
Tamsulosin
0.2/0.4mg
Tamsulosin capsules in 0.2mg and 0.4mg strengths, an alpha blocker taken once a day to ease the urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, including weak flow and getting up at night.
A weak stream or getting up at night
An enlarged prostate squeezes the urethra, so the stream turns weak and the bladder never feels empty. Two ways of treating it sit side by side here. Alpha-blockers relax the muscle around the prostate and bladder neck and work within days. Tamsulosin is listed as Tamsulosin and Flomax, capsules in 0.2mg and 0.4mg, taken once a day after the same meal each day. Alfuzosin is a 10mg tablet swallowed whole. Neither shrinks the prostate; they ease the flow while the gland stays the same size. Light-headedness on standing up is the effect to watch for with both.
The other route is to shrink the gland itself, which takes months rather than days. Fincar and Proscar are finasteride 5mg tablets. Dutasteride is sold as Avodart and Dutas (also listed as plain dutasteride), 0.5mg capsules. Each blocks the hormone dihydrotestosterone, the driver of prostate growth.
A few things to know up front. Libido can dip, and erections or ejaculation can weaken. Both medicines also roughly halve the PSA result in the blood test that screens for prostate cancer. And a pregnant woman should not touch a leaking dutasteride capsule.
Thinning hair: finasteride 1mg and minoxidil
If your hairline is going at the temples or the crown is thinning, DHT is usually behind it. Finasteride 1mg blocks the enzyme that makes it. You can buy that tablet as Finasteride, Finpecia or Propecia. Nothing much happens for three to six months, and whatever you gain slowly goes if you stop. All five finasteride listings, the 5mg prostate tablets too, are on the finasteride ingredient page.
Minoxidil works differently, by keeping hair follicles in their growth phase. Rogaine is the scalp liquid, in 5% and 10% bottles, applied to a dry scalp; some extra shedding in the first weeks is normal, and it needs about four months to judge. Minoxidil tablets, 5mg and 10mg, are a different product: originally a blood pressure medicine, swallowed rather than rubbed on, and able to cause fluid retention, a faster heartbeat and extra hair growth elsewhere on the body.
Bicalutamide, the odd one out
Bicalutamide (50mg tablets) is an anti-androgen listed for prostate cancer, where it blocks testosterone's effect on tumour cells. It is not a prostate-enlargement or hair-loss tablet, and common side effects are breast tenderness and hot flushes.
Matching the tablet to the problem
Hair thinning points to finasteride 1mg or minoxidil, a weak stream to tamsulosin, alfuzosin, finasteride 5mg or dutasteride. Strength matters more than brand: 1mg and 5mg finasteride are not the same product, however similar the names look.
Sources
- Prostate problems | healthdirect — Healthdirect
- Hormone replacement therapy for men | CUH - Cambridge University Hospitals — Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Which men's health tablets and liquids can I buy online in Hong Kong?
PockDose sells finasteride tablets in 1mg and 5mg strengths, including generic Propecia and generic Proscar, plus dutasteride 0.5mg as generic Avodart or Dutas. Tamsulosin and alfuzosin come as tablets for prostate enlargement, while minoxidil is available as 5mg and 10mg tablets or as a liquid in bottles.
Which finasteride and dutasteride strengths are listed?
Finasteride comes as 1mg and 5mg tablets under names like Finpecia, Fincar, generic Propecia and generic Proscar. Dutasteride is 0.5mg as generic Avodart or Dutas (also listed as plain dutasteride). Tamsulosin and alfuzosin are separate tablets.
How discreet is delivery for men's health orders to Hong Kong?
Orders arrive in plain, unbranded packaging. Tracked courier takes 5–9 business days; standard airmail takes 14–21 business days and is untracked. See delivery and ordering details.
What is the difference between finasteride 1mg and 5mg?
1mg (Finpecia, Propecia, Finasteride) is the hair-loss dose. 5mg (Fincar, Proscar) is the prostate dose. The tablet is the same ingredient at five times the strength, so they are not swapped.
How long does finasteride take to work for hair loss?
Slowly. Thinning usually eases after three to six months of daily tablets, and the full result takes about a year. Stop, and the loss picks up again within months.
Should I choose tamsulosin or finasteride for an enlarged prostate?
Tamsulosin relaxes the muscle and eases the stream within days. Finasteride 5mg shrinks the gland slowly over months. Some men use both, and the two are listed here as separate ingredients.
Is Rogaine the same as minoxidil tablets?
No. Rogaine is a 5% or 10% scalp liquid. The minoxidil tablets (5mg and 10mg) are swallowed, are a blood pressure medicine, and bring body-wide effects the liquid mostly avoids.