11 citations
,
January 2017 in “Journal of Endocrinology/Journal of endocrinology” This study observed that female mice with disrupted 5α-reductase 1 showed increased insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, suggesting altered glucocorticoid metabolism contributes to metabolic disorders.
14 citations
,
December 2016 in “Sexual Medicine” This study identified differences in adverse symptoms among patients with post-finasteride syndrome based on short and long androgen receptor gene polymorphisms.
13 citations
,
November 2016 in “The Journal of urology/The journal of urology” In a population-based study, over 72,000 older men were examined, and dutasteride showed no increased risk of heart failure, myocardial infarction, or stroke compared to finasteride, as reported by the researchers.
50 citations
,
September 2016 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found no evidence of androgen deficiency or decreased peripheral androgen action in men with persistent sexual symptoms after finasteride use, but identified links to depressed mood and abnormal brain function.
19 citations
,
September 2016 in “Pharmacotherapy” This study found that the risk of persistent sexual dysfunction was higher in men who stopped using finasteride 1 mg compared to omeprazole users.
32 citations
,
February 2016 in “Journal of Dermatology” This study found that in Japanese male patients with androgenetic alopecia, dutasteride 0.5 mg daily over 52 weeks was associated with improvements in hair growth and appearance, with reported adverse events mostly mild.
43 citations
,
January 2016 in “International Journal of Andrology” This study found that men experiencing long-term symptoms after finasteride use for androgenetic alopecia frequently reported loss of penis sensitivity and anhedonia, among other effects, indicating potential post-finasteride syndrome.
19 citations
,
January 2016 in “Annals of Dermatology” This study found that dutasteride 0.5 mg was generally well-tolerated and led to overall improvement in male patients aged 18 to 41 with androgenic alopecia in a Korean clinical practice setting.
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.
20 citations
,
June 2015 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” This study found that long-term finasteride therapy in men with BPH worsened erectile dysfunction and reduced testosterone levels, while these effects were not observed with tamsulosin.
54 citations
,
May 2015 in “Endocrinology” In this study, manipulation of the enzyme 5α-reductase type 2 in human hepatocytes altered lipogenesis, suggesting clinical implications for patients using 5α-reductase inhibitors by affecting glucocorticoid action on hepatic lipid metabolism.
15 citations
,
October 2014 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” This report advances the hypothesis that finasteride and dutasteride inhibit 5α-reductase activities, potentially altering steroid metabolism and increasing the risk of insulin resistance, diabetes, and vascular disease.
93 citations
,
September 2014 in “Diabetes” This study found that male 5αR1 knockout mice and obese Zucker rats treated with finasteride showed increased insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, potentially implicating 5α-reductase activity in metabolic liver disease development.
15 citations
,
September 2014 in “JAMA Dermatology” This discussion highlights the use of minimal incision extraction for lipoma removal, noting that it is a favored technique among dermatologists due to its efficiency, despite some hesitance with larger lipomas.
50 citations
,
July 2014 in “International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics” This study found that both topical and oral finasteride significantly reduced plasma DHT after one week, with lower finasteride plasma exposure for the topical formulation.
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.
61 citations
,
April 2014 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” This study reports that men with androgenic alopecia experience altered neuroactive steroid levels associated with persistent depression symptoms even after stopping finasteride treatment.
75 citations
,
January 2014 in “Korean Journal of Urology” This review discusses the adverse effects of 5α-reductase inhibitors, finasteride and dutasteride, on sexual, psychological, and vascular health, emphasizing the need for physicians to inform patients of these risks.
73 citations
,
July 2013 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This study observed that androgenic alopecia patients taking finasteride had altered neuroactive steroid levels and persistent depression symptoms even after stopping the treatment.
66 citations
,
June 2013 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment” This study reported no significant difference in efficacy or sexual dysfunction risk between 5α-reductase inhibitors and placebo for androgenetic alopecia, suggesting that dutasteride 0.5 mg may be considered pending further research.
27 citations
,
June 2013 in “Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research” In this study, 65% of men with persistent sexual side effects after stopping finasteride reported a reduction in alcohol consumption, echoing findings in rodent models.
71 citations
,
November 2012 in “Expert Opinion on Drug Safety” This article reviews the reported sexual and psychological side effects of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors for benign prostatic hyperplasia, emphasizing the need for further clinical studies.
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.
112 citations
,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” In this study, 96% of men with persistent sexual side effects from finasteride reported continued dysfunction after discontinuation, suggesting these effects may endure long-term.
44 citations
,
July 2012 in “Endocrine Practice” This review highlights the need for a deeper understanding of 5alpha-reductases and neuroactive steroids to reduce potential adverse effects of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors used for conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenic alopecia, but reports no new clinical results.
29 citations
,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” In this study using a rat model, discontinuing dutasteride improved some relaxant responses but did not fully restore erectile function, indicating a potential time-dependent detriment of the drug.
185 citations
,
March 2011 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This study found that 94% of healthy men reported low libido and 92% reported erectile dysfunction as persistent sexual side effects after using finasteride for male pattern hair loss, with these effects lasting on average 40 months post-discontinuation.
223 citations
,
December 2010 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This review discusses persistent adverse effects of 5α‐reductase inhibitors, like diminished libido and erectile dysfunction, in some patients and highlights the need for patient discussions before therapy, especially for androgenetic alopecia.
152 citations
,
October 2010 in “Archives of Dermatology” This study found that daily oral finasteride may increase hair count and improve hair appearance assessments in men with androgenetic alopecia, but it also appears to raise the risk of sexual dysfunction.
45 citations
,
August 2010 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” This study found that SRD5a-3 is a highly efficient enzyme for converting hormones into androgens, with dutasteride being a much more potent inhibitor of SRD5a-3 than SRD5a-2.
260 citations
,
July 2010 in “Cell” This study identifies mutations in the SRD5A3 gene as a cause of a new type of congenital disorder of glycosylation, impacting mental, ophthalmologic, and cerebellar functions.
27 citations
,
July 2009 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” This study found that finasteride significantly improved hirsutism scores in women over 12 months and was well-tolerated with no serious side effects.
78 citations
,
December 2008 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This review highlights that sexual dysfunction associated with 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors is recognized in clinical literature, with erectile dysfunction being the most common adverse effect, followed by ejaculatory dysfunction and decreased libido.
72 citations
,
April 2008 in “The Journal of urology/The journal of urology” This study found that 1-year use of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors, dutasteride or finasteride, significantly lowered dihydrotestosterone levels without adversely affecting bone density, lipids, or hemoglobin in normal men.
215 citations
,
November 2006 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that dutasteride increased scalp hair growth in men with male pattern hair loss, particularly at a 2.5 mg dose, and was more effective than finasteride over 24 weeks.
25 citations
,
January 2006 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This study found that finasteride decreases DHT/T levels more significantly in the vertex scalp hair than in the occipital hair of patients with male pattern baldness.
408 citations
,
May 2004 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism” This study found that dutasteride more effectively reduced serum dihydrotestosterone levels than finasteride in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
11 citations
,
May 2002 in “The Journal of Urology” This study reports that long-term use of finasteride does not affect bone mineral density in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia over a four-year period.
12 citations
,
October 1999 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” 
56 citations
,
April 1998 in “Steroids” Finasteride reduces hair loss and treats BPH without major hormone changes, but may cause sexual dysfunction.
1054 citations
,
February 1998 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” In this study, men with benign prostatic hyperplasia who took finasteride for four years experienced reduced urinary symptoms, fewer surgeries, less acute urinary retention, increased urinary flow rates, and decreased prostate volume.
6 citations
,
August 1996 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” MK-386 and finasteride together effectively reduce DHT levels, potentially treating acne and male pattern baldness.
22 citations
,
September 1994 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that three months of oral finasteride treatment significantly decreased dihydrotestosterone levels and hair growth in hirsute women without negatively affecting gonadotropin secretion.
59 citations
,
September 1994 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that 4 weeks of finasteride treatment significantly decreased DHT levels in bald scalp to levels similar to hair-containing scalp in men with male pattern baldness.
48 citations
,
November 1992 in “Clinical Endocrinology” Long-term finasteride use doesn't change bone density or metabolism.
30 citations
,
August 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that lowering serum DHT levels with 5 mg finasteride daily did not significantly alter serum gonadotropin levels in healthy young men after 28 days.
