Post-Drug Syndromes: A Neglected Challenge in Pharmacovigilance and Public Health
December 2025
in “
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
”
The policy brief highlights the issue of post-drug syndromes (PDS), which are persistent conditions caused by medications that continue after the drug is stopped, such as Post-Finasteride Syndrome and Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction. Current pharmacovigilance systems are inadequate for detecting these long-term adverse effects, leading to misclassification and under-recognition, which affects risk assessments and patient consent. The brief identifies systemic failures in safety science assumptions, reporting system limitations, and educational gaps. It proposes solutions like recognizing PDS in safety frameworks, improving reporting mechanisms, and enhancing medical education to address these challenges and improve drug safety oversight.