I've Been on Finasteride and Minoxidil for Just Over a Year. Here's Whether I'd Order From Keeps.
Straight up: I've been on generic finasteride and minoxidil for just over a year, prescribed by my regular doctor. This page is what I learned doing it the hard way, and why Keeps is where I'd order next. VitalityVerdict earns a commission if you sign up through the paid links here. That doesn't change a word below, including the unflattering ones.
Written by Galen Schneider. I am not a Keeps customer. I've used generic finasteride and minoxidil prescribed by my primary care doctor for just over a year, and this page compares Keeps' service to that experience. VitalityVerdict earns a commission if you sign up for Keeps through the paid links on this page.
The verdict up front
Keeps is a real medical service selling the same two FDA-approved generics my doctor prescribes me - finasteride 1 mg and minoxidil 5% - for less than I've been paying, without the office visit. Licensed prescribers review you in 24 to 48 hours, a real pharmacy ships it, and the plain products are exactly what you'd get at a pharmacy counter.
Two things you need to know before you hit checkout, both covered below:
- You buy in 3-month blocks, the first-order discount ends after the first order, and all sales are final.
- Skip the compounded "Chew" and "Drop" products unless you have a reason. Plain finasteride plus minoxidil solution is the combination that has the evidence, and it's the cheapest thing they sell.
How I got here
My wife started pointing it out when I was about 33. Not in a mean way at first - just "your hairline's moving." Then it became a running joke about my gigantic forehead.
I noticed it for two years before I did anything. I told myself what every guy tells himself: it's the lighting, it's the haircut, it's fine. I tried growing my hair out a bit to cover the forehead. That looked worse. Awkward, actually - like I was hiding something, which I was.
I was less confident than I'd been in my twenties and I knew exactly why. The jokes got to be too much. So I went to my primary care doctor and asked for finasteride and minoxidil.
That's the whole origin story. No dramatic photo, no bald spot in a wedding picture. Just two years of a receding hairline and a wife who wouldn't let me pretend otherwise. If that sounds like your house, keep reading.
What actually happened when I started
My doctor prescribed finasteride and minoxidil at a standard dose - the specifics are between you and your provider, and mine aren't the point. I noticed a difference at about 4 to 6 weeks - less coming out, and the hairline stopped looking worse. At around 6 months my hair had its fullness back. Not "fixed," but back to a head of hair I don't think about.
Two honest notes on that. First, my timeline is faster than what the finasteride label tells you to expect. The FDA labeling says to give it at least 3 months before judging, and most guys see the shed slow down before they see anything grow. Some men don't respond at all. Second, I had zero side effects that I noticed. I'd read the same stories you have. I decided the trial numbers - sexual side effects in about 3.8% of men on finasteride vs 2.1% on placebo in the original studies - were worth the bet, and that if anything showed up I'd stop. Nothing did. That's my experience, not a promise about yours.
If I could talk to myself at 33: you can keep your full head of hair. Just be more proactive about taking care of it. Starting two years earlier would have been two years less of the forehead jokes.
Is Keeps legit?
Yes, in the way people mean when they ask. Here's the checklist I ran, because "legit" is what I'd want to know before I put my card in.
| What I checked | What I found |
|---|---|
| Who prescribes | Licensed providers from KMG Medical Group, state by state. Review within 24 to 48 hours. |
| What they sell | FDA-approved generic finasteride 1 mg and minoxidil 5%, plus a range of compounded products (more on those below). |
| Who ships it | Named US pharmacies - Keeps' FAQ lists AFA Pharmacy (Texas) and Innovation Compounding (Georgia). |
| Company | Thirty Madison, Inc., New York. Keeps launched in 2018. Same parent as Nurx and Cove. In Sept 2025 they agreed to be acquired by Remedy Meds. |
| BBB | A+ rating, not accredited, with a Government Action posted (that's the NY settlement). |
| Trustpilot | 3.5 out of 5 on about 277 reviews as of Sept 21, 2026. 48% five-star, 33% one-star. The company replies to 92% of negatives. |
| The one-star theme | Billing and cancellation, not the medicine. |
Nothing in there is a scam signal. There is one thing that's worse than an annoyance, so it gets its own section.
The unflattering paragraph: the New York Attorney General settlement
On August 24, 2026, the New York AG announced that Thirty Madison - Keeps, Nurx and Cove - would pay $400,000 for failing to clearly disclose that subscriptions auto-renew, that the price goes up after the discounted first order, that some fees are non-refundable, that you have to upload a photo of your government ID, and how to cancel. The AG also cited slow cancellation processing. The company has to change its practices and pay restitution to affected customers.
I'm telling you this because you'll find it on BBB anyway, and because it lines up with what the one-star Trustpilot reviews say: charged after cancelling, refill shipped after cancelling, a cutoff date nobody mentioned. It's a subscription-medicine company that ran its billing like a subscription company. As of this writing the disclosures on keeps.com are clearer than they were. I'd still do the three things in the billing section below.
What Keeps costs (verified Sept 21, 2026)
Keeps sells in 3-month supplies. The banner says up to 30% off your first order. After that you pay list.
| Product | List (3 months) | First order | Per month at list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finasteride 1 mg, 90 tablets | $80 | $56 | $26.67 |
| Minoxidil 5% solution | $33 | $23.10 | $11 |
| Minoxidil 5% foam | $50 | $35 | $16.67 |
| Finasteride + minoxidil solution together | $113 | $79.10 | $37.67 |
| Topical finasteride + minoxidil gel (compounded) | $180 | $126 | $60 |
| Oral minoxidil (off-label Rx) | $90 | $63 | $30 |
| Chew 3-in-1 (finasteride, minoxidil, biotin - compounded) | $154.99 | $94.96 | $51.66 |
| Chew+ 5-in-1 (dutasteride, minoxidil - compounded) | $199.99 | $100 | $66.66 |
| Drop 4-in-1 / Drop+ 11-in-1 (compounded topicals) | $189.99 / $209.99 | $140.02 / $149.93 | $63.33 / $70 |
| Ketoconazole 2% shampoo | $33 | $23.10 | $11 |
Add $5 shipping per shipment. The consultation is $5 a year and the first year is included. No insurance, and Keeps says its products aren't FSA/HSA eligible.
Here's how that compares to what I've been doing. The PCP visit to get the prescription ran me over $200 out of pocket, because it fell outside the annual wellness visit insurance covers. The generics run about $50 a month at my pharmacy. Keeps' finasteride plus minoxidil is $37.67 a month at list, or $26.37 a month for the first three months. That's roughly $150 a year less on the medicine alone, before you count the $200 I paid to sit in a waiting room and ask for it.
Now the part most review sites won't say: if price is the only thing you care about, Costco or Cost Plus with a GoodRx coupon will sell you 90 generic finasteride tablets for roughly $4 to $10 if your doctor writes the script. Keeps isn't competing with that. Keeps is competing with the doctor's visit. You are paying about $20 a month for never having to ask a bored physician for hair pills again. For me that's worth it.
Which Keeps product to actually buy
Plain finasteride 1 mg plus minoxidil 5% solution. That's the combination with decades of trial data behind it, it's the cheapest prescription pairing on the site, and it's what worked for me.
The Chew, Chew+, Drop, Drop+ and Minoxidil+ Spray are compounded - a compounding pharmacy mixes them for you. The individual ingredients are established medicines, but the finished combinations aren't FDA-reviewed as products, and they cost two to three times as much. The FDA put out an alert in April 2025 about compounded topical finasteride specifically, after adverse-event reports. Keeps discloses the compounded status; I'm just telling you what I'd pick. If you've plateaued on the basics after a year and want to talk to a provider about dutasteride or oral minoxidil, that's a real conversation to have. It's not where I'd start.
Side effects - the paragraph you're actually here for
You've read the Reddit threads. I did too. Here's how I think about it now that I'm a year in.
Finasteride: in the original trials, about 3.8% of men reported sexual side effects vs 2.1% on placebo. For most men who get them, they go away when you stop. There is a vocal group online who report persistent problems, and I'm not going to tell you they're wrong - I'm going to tell you I weighed it, started, and had nothing. Minoxidil: scalp irritation, and a shedding phase in the first couple of months that scares people into quitting right before it works. Oral minoxidil (off-label) adds body-hair growth and needs a provider watching your blood pressure.
If you start through Keeps you get a year of unlimited messaging with your provider. Use it. If something feels off, say so and stop. That's the whole plan.
What the Keeps visit is like
- A short quiz about your hair loss, health history and medications.
- Photos of your scalp, plus a photo of your government ID - New York made them disclose this up front, so I'm doing the same. You're getting a controlled prescription from a doctor who's never met you; the ID is how they confirm you're you.
- A licensed provider reviews it within 24 to 48 hours.
- The pharmacy ships in 1 to 2 business days; plan on 5 to 7 days in transit. Keeps says under two weeks for the first order.
- Refills ship every 3, 6 or 12 months, your choice, changeable in your account.
Billing and cancellation - the three things I'd do
- Screenshot the checkout price and the renewal date. Your second order is at list, not the discount.
- Put the renewal date in your calendar with a reminder a week early. Keeps processes refills about 15 days before your supply runs out, and all sales are final - no returns, even unused.
- If you cancel, do it in your account, then confirm. If your refill is within 24 hours, you have to call: (551) 290-3248, 8am to 8pm Eastern, seven days. Keep the confirmation email.
Do those three and you avoid every complaint in the one-star reviews.
Keeps vs Hims vs your doctor vs Costco
| Keeps | Hims | Your PCP + pharmacy | Costco/GoodRx generic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finasteride, per month | $26.67 list / $18.67 first order | ~$25 to $44 | Rx cost + visit | ~$1.50 to $3.50 |
| Doctor visit | Online, 24 to 48 h | Online | In person, your time | In person, your time |
| Trustpilot | 3.5 (277) | 2.9 (9,300+) | - | - |
| Regulatory noise (2025 to 2026) | NY AG $400K settlement, Aug 2026 | FTC and state lawsuit filed Jul 2026 (allegations); FDA warning letter Sept 2025 | none | none |
| Cancel | Account or phone; 24-h rule | Account; heavy complaint volume | Just stop refilling | Just stop refilling |
Happy Head is the other name you'll see. It's the maximum-strength compounded option at $59 to $119 a month and we've reviewed it separately. Different buyer.
Who Keeps is not for
- Sudden or patchy hair loss. That's a doctor-in-person problem, not a telehealth problem.
- You want to run it through insurance or an FSA. You can't.
- You're a Norwood 6 or 7. Finasteride and minoxidil hold ground; they don't rebuild a scalp. Talk to a transplant surgeon.
- You want a live video visit. Keeps is questionnaire-and-photos.
One more thing. Keeps now also sells testosterone therapy and ED treatment. I'm looking at the TRT side myself for reasons that have nothing to do with hair, and that's a separate page.
FAQ
Is Keeps a scam?
No. Licensed prescribers, named US pharmacies, an eight-year-old company with a BBB A+ rating. It did pay a $400,000 New York Attorney General settlement in August 2026 over billing disclosures, which is why the billing section above exists.
Does Keeps actually work?
Keeps' plain products are generic finasteride and minoxidil, the two best-evidenced hair-loss drugs there are. They worked for me on the same generics from my own doctor. Give it 3 to 6 months. Not every man responds.
Why does Keeps need a photo of my ID?
To confirm your identity before a licensed provider writes a prescription for someone they've never met. It's standard for telehealth prescribing; the New York settlement was about disclosing it up front, not about the requirement itself.
How do I cancel Keeps?
In your account, or call (551) 290-3248 (8am to 8pm ET, seven days). If your refill is within 24 hours you must call. Keep the confirmation.
How much does Keeps cost per month?
Finasteride is $26.67 a month at list ($18.67 for the first 3-month order); finasteride plus minoxidil solution is $37.67 a month list. Plus $5 shipping per shipment. Prices verified Sept 21, 2026.
Keeps or Hims?
Same generics, similar prices. Keeps has the better Trustpilot score (3.5 vs 2.9) and, as of Sept 2026, no federal lawsuit. Hims has the wider menu. I'd pick Keeps.
My verdict
I've spent a year getting finasteride and minoxidil the annoying way. It worked. Next time the refill comes due, I'm ordering from Keeps: same drugs, less money than my doctor route, no waiting room. Screenshot the price, calendar the renewal, buy the plain products, and ignore the forehead jokes because they stop.
I have not been a Keeps customer. I've used the same medicines from my own doctor, and this page compares Keeps' service to that. VitalityVerdict earns a commission on the paid links below.