Emotional Consequences of Finasteride: Fool’s Gold

The article discusses the emotional consequences of finasteride, a medication used to treat androgenetic alopecia (AGA), also known as male pattern hair loss. The study found that finasteride users report serious physical and emotional adverse effects, collectively known as post-finasteride syndrome. The article emphasizes the need to screen for psychiatric history and counseling patients about the potential psychological consequences of finasteride. The study recommends that prescribing clinicians obtain past and familial psychiatric histories from patients pursuing finasteride therapy and factor this marker of anomalous brain substrate into the discussion of potential long-lasting, adverse effects from finasteride prior to prescribing it for AGA.