Generic finasteride: the same warnings?

Is generic finasteride the same as Propecia? Yes. It’s the same medicine, and its UK leaflet carries the same warning that sexual problems have continued after stopping, which patients call post-finasteride syndrome (PFS).

We opened the Propecia leaflet and the three generic finasteride 1 mg leaflets listed on medicines.org.uk, where UK leaflets are published. The lines about problems after stopping matched in every one. So did the warning cards we could find.

The NHS page on finasteride lists erection problems and low sex drive, but doesn’t say they can continue after stopping. The leaflets do.

What exactly does the leaflet in your generic box say?

Is generic finasteride the same as Propecia?

Yes, in the way that matters for side effects. Under UK rules, a generic must have the same active substance as the original and come in the same form. It must also be shown to be “bioequivalent”, which means the body takes it up at the same rate and to the same extent.

Propecia is the original brand of finasteride 1 mg, the hair-loss dose. The generics we read are sold under the medicine’s own name, finasteride.

What can differ, says the EU medicines regulator, is the name, the look of the tablet, the packaging and the inactive ingredients, such as the coating.

Does the generic leaflet have the same warnings?

Yes. The Propecia leaflet lists three problems that can carry on after the last tablet. Each generic leaflet we read lists the same three, in the same words.

• “persistent difficulty having an erection after discontinuation of treatment”.
• “persistent decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment”.
• “persistent problems with ejaculation after discontinuation of treatment”.

The mood warning matches too, with only the name of the product changed. Depression and, less often, suicidal thoughts have been reported. If you get them, each of the four leaflets says to stop taking it and contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you’re struggling, the Samaritans are free on 116 123, day or night.

All four also warn that sexual problems may feed into low mood. Sexual problems have also been reported without any change in mood.

The warning card is the same as well. When the MHRA, the UK medicines regulator, announced the card in April 2024, it said the card would go in “all finasteride packs”.

We compared the Propecia card with the cards of two generics, as published on the same site. Apart from the product name, the wording is identical. Lower sex drive and erection problems have been reported, each card says, “which in some cases continued after treatment was stopped”.

In May 2026 the MHRA told prescribers to explain these risks when they prescribe. It also asked them to tell patients to read the card and the leaflet, in 1 mg and 5 mg packs alike.

Is PFS only about sexual problems?

No. PFS is more than sexual problems, even though they are what the leaflets list. Criteria proposed by doctors and researchers in 2022 also include problems with cognition, depression and suicidality. These can happen alongside the sexual problems, or without them.

For some people it has lasted years after stopping. Nobody knows yet who will be affected, or whether it will ease. The leaflets list the lasting problems under “frequency unknown”: nobody has counted how often they happen.

Our page on finasteride warnings explains how the card came about, and what the pack has said over the years.

What can I do?

These medicines help many people. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. Follow the leaflet: it says to stop and contact your doctor if your mood changes.

Write down the name on your box and your dates: “Finasteride 1 mg tablets, from January 2023, last tablet March 2024.” Many people say it took time to be taken seriously. Bring the leaflet line. You can report it without a doctor agreeing.

Report it: it helps everyone

A doctor’s note helps you. A report to the medicines regulator helps everyone else: it is how patterns get noticed.

• No proof needed. A suspicion is enough, even years after stopping. Generic or brand, the report counts.
• Where: the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, MedWatch in the US.
• Use the right words. If symptoms continued after stopping, write Post 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor syndrome (MedDRA 10082430).

Our reporting guide walks you through it

What else do people ask?

Is generic finasteride weaker than Propecia? It contains the same medicine at the same dose. To be licensed, it has to pass the bioequivalence rule described above. Our page on what Propecia is covers how finasteride works.

What about finasteride 5 mg and Proscar? The prostate dose carries the same kind of warning. The leaflets for Proscar, the original 5 mg brand, and a generic 5 mg both list erection, sex drive and ejaculation problems “which may continue after stopping the medication”.

Is topical finasteride a generic? No. Under UK rules a generic comes in the same form as the original, and a spray or solution isn’t a tablet. It does contain the same medicine. Our page on topical finasteride covers what is known.

If your box says finasteride 1 mg, every leaflet we found carries Propecia’s warning, word for word. If your symptoms have lasted, report it, and read our page on post-finasteride syndrome.

Sources

1. Propecia 1 mg film-coated tablets, patient leaflet, electronic medicines compendium (EMC 2194), leaflet last revised May 2026. Section 2, mood alterations and depression: “stop taking Propecia and contact your doctor for further medical advice as soon as possible”. Also: “Impaired sexual function that may contribute to mood alterations, including suicidal thoughts, has been reported”; “A patient card reminding of the above is provided with the package”. Section 4, frequency unknown: the three “persistent … after discontinuation of treatment” lines. Read 6 November 2026.
2. Finasteride 1 mg film-coated tablets, patient leaflet, EMC 13542, leaflet last revised September 2026, last updated on EMC 28 September 2026 (PDF). Same section 2 and section 4 wording, with “Finasteride 1 mg” in place of “Propecia”. Read 6 November 2026.
3. Finasteride 1 mg Tablet, patient leaflet, EMC 100138, leaflet last revised August 2026. Same wording, with “Finasteride Tablets” in place of “Propecia”. Read 6 November 2026.
4. Finasteride 1mg tablets, patient leaflet, EMC 7068, leaflet last revised September 2026. Same wording, with “Finasteride” in place of “Propecia”. Read 6 November 2026.
5. Patient cards filed on EMC as risk materials: Propecia (EMC 2194), and finasteride 1 mg (EMC 100138 and 13542). Each reads: “Decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction have also been reported (which in some cases continued after treatment was stopped)”. Apart from the product name, the three cards are word for word the same. The card for EMC 100138 gives “MHRA approval date: 12/03/2024”; the card for EMC 13542, “04/09/2026”. On 6 November 2026 these were the only three finasteride 1 mg generics listed on EMC (search “finasteride”). Read 6 November 2026.
6. MHRA, Types of application for marketing authorisations, section 2.2, last updated 30 June 2025. A generic “has the same active substance”, “has the same pharmaceutical form” and “has been shown to be bioequivalent” to the reference medicine. Read 6 November 2026.
7. European Medicines Agency, Generic and hybrid medicines: “a generic medicine’s inactive ingredients, name, appearance and packaging can be different”. EMA glossary, bioequivalent: the active substances are “absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent”. Read 6 November 2026.
8. MHRA, Finasteride: reminder of the risk of psychiatric side effects and of sexual side effects (which may persist after discontinuation of treatment), Drug Safety Update, 29 April 2024: “a patient card will be introduced in all finasteride packs”. Read 6 November 2026.
9. MHRA, Finasteride and dutasteride: updated safety warnings for psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction, Drug Safety Update, 11 May 2026. Prescribers should “inform patients of the risks at point of prescribing and advise patients to read the Finasteride patient cards and the patient leaflet”. These “are both supplied in the 1 mg and 5 mg packs”. Read 6 November 2026.
10. NHS, Finasteride, page last reviewed 5 November 2026. Side effects include “erection problems”, “low sex drive” and “problems ejaculating”; nothing about these continuing after stopping. Read 6 November 2026.
11. Healy D, Bahrick A, Bak M and colleagues. Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin. Int J Risk Saf Med 2022;33(1):65-76. Proposed criteria. Section 5: “cognitive impairment”, “depression” and “suicidality” can occur “independently of any sexual difficulties but may also accompany sexual problems”. Read 6 November 2026.
12. Proscar 5mg film-coated tablets, patient leaflet, EMC 1008, leaflet last revised August 2024: “An inability to have an erection which may continue after stopping the medication”. The same is said for sex drive and ejaculation. Finasteride 5mg Tablets, patient leaflet, EMC 547, last updated on EMC 22 July 2026: the same lines. Read 6 November 2026.

Sources checked on 6 November 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.