Finasteride remains one of the most popular male pattern baldness treatments currently available [1]. It’s reported that almost 70% of hair transplant surgeons always or often recommend finasteride to their patients, it’s generally considered safe and well-tolerated and millions of people use it worldwide [2] [3].
For many in the United Kingdom, you may wonder if you can get finasteride on the National Health Service (NHS). The simple answer is no, finasteride is not available on the NHS and must be ordered privately, after a consultation with a medical doctor (online or in-person).
In this article, we will cover:
- Whether you can get finasteride on the NHS
- Where to get finasteride
- How finasteride works
- Finasteride vs minoxidil
Can you get finasteride on the NHS?
Finasteride 1mg for hair loss is not available through the NHS, only finasteride 5mg is available for treating conditions like benign prostate enlargement.
Finasteride for hair loss is a NHS-recommended treatment, however it needs to be obtained privately. This is because the NHS determines male pattern baldness as a largely cosmetic condition, which is unlikely to lead to medical issues if left untreated [4].
Can you get finasteride without a prescription?
No, you can’t get finasteride without a prescription. Finasteride cannot be legally sold without a prescription from a medical professional; such as your GP or a hair transplant clinic doctor.
It’s vital to have the consultation to receive accurate and professional medical advice, which allows you to make an appropriately informed decision. As finasteride may interact with other medications, doctors need to assess the risk of these interactions before prescribing finasteride. Doctors are trained to ascertain whether finasteride is suitable for you.
Where to get finasteride
There are a few different options for where you can get finasteride in the United Kingdom:
- Reputable UK hair loss treatment providers like DrHair.
- Reputable online pharmacies.
- High street pharmacies.
At DrHair, we provide online consultations with our experts to help you find out if finasteride is suitable for you.
How does finasteride work?
Finasteride works by inhibiting the activity of the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme, which lowers the amount of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in your body. DHT is a male sex hormone that is responsible for many processes in the body, like body and facial hair growth, but also the development of male pattern baldness.
DHT binds to hormone receptors in your hair follicles, which makes them shrink and eventually stop hair production altogether.
For hair loss treatment, finasteride is usually prescribed as a daily 1 mg dosage and is most effective in the early stages of hair loss. This is because your hair follicles can shrink to a point where finasteride is not able to reactivate them to produce new hair.
Finasteride vs minoxidil
Finasteride and minoxidil are the only two licensed treatments for male pattern baldness in the UK. Whilst both are effective and safe options, they work in quite different ways.
Research shows that finasteride is more effective than minoxidil for treating male pattern baldness [5-8]. However, because these treatments use different mechanisms, you’re most likely to get the best results when you combine finasteride and minoxidil [8-9].
Key differences between finasteride vs minoxidil
Finasteride 1 mg | Minoxidil | |
Mechanism | Affects your hormone levels. | Stimulates blood flow to the hair follicles. |
Effectiveness | Studies generally show finasteride to be more effective. | Minoxidil is also effective, and can also be used to treat other types of hair loss. |
Side effects | Side effects are potentially more significant, though usually temporary and infrequent. | Compared to finasteride, there is a much lower chance of significant side effects. |
Get your finasteride prescription with DrHair now
Finasteride is a safe, well-tolerated treatment for male pattern baldness. It’s an NHS-recommended treatment available through pharmacies and hair loss clinics like DrHair. It is not available through the NHS and you’ll need to consult with a medical professional in order to get a prescription.
If you’re interested in finasteride but aren’t sure if you’d be suitable, book an online consultation with our doctor-led support team and one of our friendly consultants will talk you through all of the information you need, as well as answer your questions. That means everything from risks, benefits to side effects and costs.
The assessment is complete in a few minutes and also includes:
- The cheapest price for finasteride online.
- Plans to suit everyone, whether you want a one-month trial or a year-long subscription.
- Discounts applied to finasteride 3, 6, or 12-month subscriptions.
- Discreet packaging and fast shipping.
- Support from our convenient customer service team.
Get a finasteride prescription from our online pharmacy and kickstart your hair growth with the most effective treatment at the best price.
FAQ
You can get finasteride from as little as £9.83 at DrHair. When you order one box, you get 28 tablets at £11. When you order 3 boxes, you get 84 tablets at £10.33 per box. When you order 6 boxes, you get 168 tablets at £9.83 per box.
As finasteride is not available through the NHS, an NHS GP will not be able to prescribe you with finasteride. You will need to consult with a medical professional, like those at DrHair, who will prescribe you finasteride. Then you will be able to buy it privately.
The NHS can help with hair loss in specific ways. The NHS does not provide treatments like finasteride or minoxidil. However, they may provide wigs and emotional help if losing hair is causing upset.
