8 citations
,
April 2021 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” Finasteride reduces opioid use and withdrawal symptoms in animals.
40 citations
,
November 2020 in “JAMA Dermatology” This pharmacovigilance study found an increased association of suicidality and psychological adverse events with finasteride use, especially among younger patients using it for alopecia.
32 citations
,
March 2020 in “Drug Design Development and Therapy” This review examines the pharmacology, clinical efficacy, and adverse effects of oral finasteride for female pattern hair loss, and discusses potential new treatments like topical finasteride and dutasteride, but reports no new clinical results.
26 citations
,
December 2019 in “Neurobiology of Stress” This review discusses adverse effects of 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors, particularly persistent side effects such as post-finasteride syndrome, and highlights the need for further investigation.
20 citations
,
November 2019 in “Biomolecules” This study found that finasteride impaired stress reactivity and reduced exploratory and impulsive behaviors in rats, potentially by altering the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function.
11 citations
,
August 2019 in “BMJ” This article reviews ongoing concerns about the safety of 5α-reductase inhibitors like finasteride, highlighting the lack of long-term data on persistent depression and sexual side effects after drug discontinuation; no new clinical results are reported.
23 citations
,
January 2019 in “International Journal of Dermatology” This review found that while finasteride may improve female pattern hair loss and hirsutism in women, more long-term studies are needed to optimize its use and assess potential consequences.
26 citations
,
September 2018 in “Neurobiology of Disease” This study found that both finasteride and dutasteride significantly reduced L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia in a rat model of Parkinson's disease, with dutasteride showing greater effectiveness at lower doses.
10 citations
,
May 2018 in “Neuropharmacology” This study suggests that inhibitors of steroidogenic enzymes may have therapeutic potential for certain behavioral disorders linked to dopaminergic hyperfunction, despite concerns about their endocrine impacts.
13 citations
,
February 2018 in “Dermatologic Therapy” This study found that 65.2% of female pattern hair loss patients showed significant hair growth improvement with a daily dosage of 2.5 mg finasteride, with better outcomes in patients with lower initial Ludwig scores and older age at onset.
25 citations
,
June 2017 in “Scientific reports” This study suggests that stress may worsen Tourette syndrome symptoms in mice by increasing allopregnanolone synthesis, with findings supporting finasteride as a potential treatment to manage symptom fluctuations.
15 citations
,
January 2017 in “Experimental Neurology” This study found that finasteride significantly reduced levodopa-induced dyskinesia in both male and female rats without diminishing l-DOPA's motor benefits, indicating potential for clinical trials in Parkinson's patients.
27 citations
,
January 2017 in “Neuropsychopharmacology” This study found that acute sleep deprivation enhanced 5α-reductase expression and activity in the rat prefrontal cortex, and finasteride treatment reduced associated psychosis- and mania-like behaviors.
49 citations
,
September 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” This study suggests that the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride modulates sensorimotor gating in rats by affecting D1 and D3 receptors, but not D2 receptors, with varying effects based on genetic strain.
111 citations
,
August 2015 in “Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders” 5α-reductase inhibitors may cause persistent sexual dysfunction and depression, needing more research on long-term effects.
69 citations
,
July 2015 in “Pharmacotherapy” This study found that low-dose finasteride use in young men was associated with higher reporting of persistent sexual dysfunction, with some cases linked to suicidal ideation.
24 citations
,
May 2015 in “Schizophrenia Research” This study found that inhibiting the enzyme 5α-reductase with finasteride counteracted stress-induced prepulse inhibition deficits in socially isolated rats by altering neuroactive steroid concentrations in the brain.
81 citations
,
June 2014 in “American Journal of Men's Health” This study highlights that adverse effects from finasteride may persist in men after discontinuation, indicating a potential "post-finasteride syndrome.
42 citations
,
August 2012 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride reduces certain behaviors caused by D1-like receptor agonists but not by D2-like receptor agonists in mice.
134 citations
,
August 2012 in “The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry” This study found that former finasteride users with persistent sexual side effects reported significantly higher rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts compared to controls.
35 citations
,
April 2012 in “Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology” Finasteride reduces gambling symptoms in Parkinson's patients.
53 citations
,
October 2011 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride may help improve certain brain function issues linked to dopamine.
72 citations
,
January 2011 in “Current Pharmaceutical Design” This review discusses the potential role of steroid 5α-reductase inhibitors in treating neuropsychiatric disorders related to dopaminergic hyperreactivity but reports no new clinical results.
49 citations
,
July 2008 in “Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research” This study found that finasteride dose-dependently blocked the acquisition of ethanol drinking in mice and maintained reduced consumption even after treatment ended.
64 citations
,
March 2008 in “Neuropsychopharmacology” 
99 citations
,
October 2006 in “BMC clinical pharmacology” This preliminary study suggests that finasteride might cause depressive symptoms, indicating the need for cautious prescription in patients at high risk for depression.
18 citations
,
January 2003 in “Gynecological Endocrinology” In this study, low-dose finasteride (2.5 mg/day) significantly reduced hirsutism scores in women over 12 months without significant hormonal changes or serious side effects.
113 citations
,
April 1999 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that all four treatments—flutamide, finasteride, ketoconazole, and EE-CPA—significantly reduced hirsutism, but EE-CPA and flutamide appeared most effective, with varying effects on androgen levels and side-effect profiles.
