Follow your doctor’s instruction.
- Take one tablet by mouth each day. To avoid forgetting to take Proscar, you can take it at the same time every day.
- If you forget to take Proscar, do not take an extra tablet. Just take the next tablet as usual.
- You may take Proscar with or without food.
- Do not share Proscar with anyone else; it was prescribed only for you.
You should see your doctor regularly while taking Proscar. Follow your doctor’s advice about when to have these checkups.
- Checking for prostate cancer. Your doctor has prescribed Proscar for BPH and not for treatment of prostate cancer — but a man can have BPH and prostate cancer at the same time. Your doctor may continue checking for prostate cancer while you take Proscar.
- About Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). Your doctor may have done a blood test called PSA for the screening of prostate cancer. Because Proscar decreases PSA levels, you should tell your doctor(s) that you are taking Proscar. Changes in PSA levels will need to be evaluated by your doctor(s). Any increase in follow-up PSA levels from their lowest point may signal the presence of prostate cancer and should be evaluated, even if the test results are still within the normal range. You should also tell your doctor if you have not been taking Proscar as prescribed because this may affect the PSA test results. For more information, talk to your doctor.
Active ingredients: finasteride
Inactive ingredients: hydrous lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, hydroxypropyl cellulose LF, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, titanium dioxide, magnesium stearate, talc, docusate sodium, FD&C Blue 2 aluminum lake and yellow iron oxide.
Do Not Take Proscar if you are a woman who is pregnant or may potentially be pregnant. Proscar may harm your unborn baby.
A warning about Proscar and pregnancy:
Women who are or may potentially be pregnant must not use Proscar. They should also not handle crushed or broken tablets of Proscar. Proscar tablets are coated and will prevent contact with the active ingredient during normal handling, provided that the tablets are not broken or crushed.
If a woman who is pregnant with a male baby absorbs the active ingredient in Proscar after oral use or through the skin, it may cause the male baby to be born with abnormalities of the sex organs. If a woman who is pregnant comes into contact with the active ingredient in Proscar, a doctor should be consulted.
- Store Proscar tablets in a dry place at room temperature.
- Keep Proscar in the original container and keep the container closed.
Keep Proscar and all medications out of the reach of children.
Do not give your Proscar tablets to anyone else. It has been prescribed only for you.
Proscar is a medication used to treat symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate. Proscar may also be used to reduce the risk of a sudden inability to pass urine and the need for surgery related to BPH in men with an enlarged prostate. Proscar may be prescribed along with another medicine, an alpha-blocker called doxazosin, to help better manage BPH symptoms.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Proscar is for use by MEN only.
Do Not Take Proscar if you are:
- a woman who is pregnant or may potentially be pregnant. Proscar may harm your unborn baby. Do not touch or handle crushed or broken Proscar tablets (see warning in “Pregnant” section).
- allergic to finasteride or any of the ingredients in Proscar.
Proscar (generic: finasteride) is a prescription medication used to treat symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) enlargement of the prostate gland, in men. Proscar belongs to a group of drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which block the conversion of testosterone to DHT. DHT causes the prostate to enlarge, so by reducing the amount of DHT, Proscar can help decrease the size of the prostate.
This medication comes in tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food.
Common side effects of Proscar include trouble getting or keeping an erection, decrease in sex drive, and decreased volume of ejaculate.
Proscar may increase the chance of a more serious form of prostate cancer.
The most common side effects of Proscar include:
- trouble getting or keeping an erection (impotence)
- decrease in sex drive
- decreased volume of ejaculate
- ejaculation disorders
- enlarged or painful breast. You should promptly report to your doctor any changes in your breasts such as lumps, pain or nipple discharge.
The following have been reported in general use with Proscar and/or finasteride at lower doses:
- allergic reactions, including rash, itching, hives, and swelling of the lips and face
- rarely, some men may have testicular pain
- trouble getting or keeping an erection that continued after stopping the medication
- male infertility and/or poor quality of semen. Improvement in the quality of semen has been reported after stopping the medication.
- depression
- decrease in sex drive that continued after stopping the medication
- in rare cases, male breast cancer has been reported.
You should discuss side effects with your doctor before taking Proscar and anytime you think you are having a side effect. These are not all the possible side effects with Proscar. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at: 1-800-FDA-1088.
Proscar is not for use in women. It is not known if Proscar is excreted in human breast milk.