Depression Circumstantially Related to the Administration of Finasteride for Androgenetic Alopecia
October 2002
in “Journal of Dermatology”
TLDR Finasteride for hair loss may cause depression, affecting sleep and relationships.
This document from 20 years ago reports on a study involving 19 patients who developed depression during treatment with finasteride for androgenetic alopecia. The depression was moderate to severe and significantly impaired sociofamilial relations, sleep, and eating behavior. The depression promptly resolved after suspension of the drug, but two patients who accepted reintroduction of the drug experienced a relapse within 2 weeks. The authors recommend caution when prescribing finasteride for AGA and suggest further research is needed to fully understand the potential side effects.
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Cited in this study
research HORMONAL THERAPY IN DERMATOLOGY
Hormonal therapy is a treatment option for acne, the only medical treatment for hirsutism, and the most promising for androgenetic alopecia.
research Lack of efficacy of finasteride in postmenopausal women with androgenetic alopecia
Finasteride doesn't effectively treat hair loss in postmenopausal women.
research Female Androgenetic Alopecia: A Separate Entity
Female and male AGA are different diseases.
research Finasteride
Finasteride effectively treats baldness but may cause sexual side effects.
research Clinical and endocrine effects of finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor, in women with idiopathic hirsutism
Finasteride reduces hairiness and androgen levels in women with unexplained excessive hair growth.
research Classification of the types of androgenetic alopecia (common baldness) occurring in the female sex
Common baldness, also known as Androgenetic Alopecia, is caused by a combination of genetic factors and hormones called androgens.