Adverse Effects with Finasteride 5 mg/Day for Patterned Hair Loss in Premenopausal Women

    Rui Oliveira-Soares, Marisa C André, M Peres-Correia
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    Finasteride →

    Frontline, gold standard treatment for combatting androgenic alopecia

    Minoxidil →

    An essential vasodilator with some anti-androgenic effects

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    Studysummary Taking 5 mg/day finasteride can cause side effects in women with hair loss, but these are usually mild and fade over time, making the treatment beneficial in the long run. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    In 2017, Oliveira-Soares R, André MC, Peres-Correia M conducted a study on 256 premenopausal women with Female Pattern Hair Loss (FPHL), examining the side effects of 5 mg/day finasteride. After 3 months of treatment, 20% of patients experienced one or more adverse effects, which generally decreased in intensity or disappeared over time. After 3 years, only 3.33% of patients still had an adverse effect. The most common side effects were libido reduction, mastalgia, or hypertrichosis/hirsutism. The study concluded that finasteride is beneficial for premenopausal FPHL patients not planning to become pregnant, particularly those who had a low response to topical minoxidil. The side effects were common but mild, and usually disappeared over time, making long-term treatment feasible.
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