Persistent Sexual Dysfunction and Suicidal Ideation in Young Men Treated with Low-Dose Finasteride: A Pharmacovigilance Study

This review discusses the potential persistent adverse effects associated with 5α reductase inhibitor treatment for androgenetic alopecia but provides no new clinical results; it emphasizes the importance of discussing these risks with patients.

This study highlights that adverse effects from finasteride may persist in men after discontinuation, indicating a potential "post-finasteride syndrome.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This review proposes focusing on relationships between neuroactive steroids and psychiatric disorder symptoms, rather than relying on traditional disorder classifications, and reports no new clinical findings.