Depression Risk of 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors: Impact of Active-Comparator Versus Non-Drug User Control Groups on Risk Measurement

    February 2026 in “ Postgraduate Medicine ”
    Minh-Ha Nguyen, Tien H Tran, Jeffrey Donovan
    Studysummary This meta-analysis reports that 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are associated with a 31% increased risk of depression, with varying outcomes depending on the comparator group, highlighting significant heterogeneity across studies.
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    Research cited in this study 7

    1. Association of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors With Depression and Suicide: A Mini Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis European urology focus · 2024
    2. Association of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors With Dementia, Depression, and Suicide JAMA network open · 2022
    3. Risk of Depression After 5 Alpha Reductase Inhibitor Medication: Meta-Analysis The World Journal of Men's Health · 2019
    4. Neuroactive Steroid Levels and Psychiatric and Andrological Features in Post-Finasteride Patients The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology · 2017
    5. Association of Suicidality and Depression With 5α-Reductase Inhibitors JAMA Internal Medicine · 2017
    6. Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Thoughts Among Former Users of Finasteride With Persistent Sexual Side Effects The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · 2012
    7. Finasteride Induced Depression: A Prospective Study BMC clinical pharmacology · 2006