Post-Finasteride Syndrome: An Underestimated Phenomenon
May 2017
in “
Urology and andrology
”
finasteride dutasteride 5 alpha reductase inhibitors androgenic alopecia post-finasteride syndrome erectile dysfunction ejaculatory dysfunction decreased libido emotional sensitivity attention deficiency depression panic attacks anxiety muscle atrophy dry skin thin skin chronic fatigue tinnitus gynecomastia scrotal shrinkage penile shrinkage Peyronie's disease Propecia Avodart 5ARIs AGA PFS
TLDR Finasteride and dutasteride, used for prostate issues and hair loss, can cause side effects like sexual dysfunction and mental issues, which may continue even after stopping the medication, a condition called post-finasteride syndrome, for which there's currently no cure.
The document "Post-Finasteride Syndrome: An Underestimated Phenomenon" from 2017 discussed the side effects of 5 alpha reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), such as finasteride and dutasteride, which are used in the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and androgenic alopecia (AGA). The side effects, including erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction, and decreased libido, were found to be more frequent in higher doses and at the beginning of the therapy. Some of these side effects persisted even after treatment cessation, leading to a condition known as post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). PFS, which was increasing in prevalence, also included physical, mental, and neurological adverse effects such as emotional sensitivity, attention deficiency depression, panic attacks, anxiety, muscle atrophy, dry and thin skin, chronic fatigue, tinnitus, gynecomastia, scrotal and penile shrinkage, and Peyronie's disease. At the time of the document, there was no known cure or effective treatments for PFS. The authors urged caution in prescribing 5ARIs and called for more research into PFS.
