Oral Finasteride Presents With Sexual-Unrelated Withdrawal in Long-Term Treated Androgenic Alopecia in Men
September 2015
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR Most men stopped using the hair loss treatment not because of sexual side effects, but because they didn't see positive results.
The study from 2015 evaluated long-term adverse effects and reasons for therapy withdrawal in 130 patients with androgenic alopecia (AGA) treated with either a combination of 5% minoxidil (M5) and oral finasteride (FT) or M5 alone. Erectile dysfunction (3%), diminished libido (4%), and reduced ejaculation (7%) were reported in patients taking M5+FT, but not in those taking M5 alone. However, only 1 out of 100 patients discontinued the M5+FT therapy due to sexual adverse effects. The primary reasons for therapy withdrawal in the FT group were lack of positive results (11%), while in the M5 group, it was side effects (4%). Increased body hair was reported by 6.6% in the M5 group and 4% in the M5+FT group. The study concluded that the main cause of therapy withdrawal in long-term treated AGA patients was unrelated to sexual side effects.