Short answer: The Propecia label dose is one 1 mg tablet taken once daily, with or without meals. The label says daily use for three months or more is generally needed before benefit is seen, that continued use is needed to keep it, and that stopping reverses the effect within 12 months. A forgotten tablet is not made up with an extra one.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Propecia is approved for: Propecia is a 5α-reductase inhibitor approved for male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in men only. The label says efficacy for receding hair at the temples has not been established, and it is not for use in women or children (section 1).
Source
PROPECIA (finasteride) tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Patient Information. Organon. DailyMed, version published October 14, 2024. DailyMed setid 6f904709-65aa-44ce-b144-b4c8a0416e36
Propecia is one 1 mg tablet by mouth once daily, with or without meals (section 2).
The Patient Information says it will not work faster or better if taken more than once a day.
Women who are or may be pregnant should not handle crushed or broken tablets (section 5.1).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Item | What the label says |
|---|---|
| Recommended dose | One tablet (1 mg) taken once daily |
| Food | May be administered with or without meals |
| Time to benefit | In general, daily use for three months or more is necessary before benefit is observed |
| Continuing | Continued use is recommended to sustain benefit, which should be re-evaluated periodically |
| Stopping | Withdrawal of treatment leads to reversal of effect within 12 months |
Not taking Propecia as prescribed can affect PSA test results, so the label says this should be considered when PSA is interpreted.
The label says caution is used in people with liver function abnormalities, since finasteride is broken down extensively in the liver. No dose change is needed for kidney impairment (section 8.7).
If you forget to take Propecia, do not take an extra tablet. Just take the next tablet as usual.
More on this: missed a dose of Propecia.
In Dose Track you set up Propecia as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.