40 citations
,
April 2018 in “Endocrine” This review discusses post-SSRI sexual dysfunction and post-finasteride syndrome, highlighting unknowns about their true incidence and underlying causes, and reports no new clinical results.
6 citations
,
January 2018 in “Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety” In this study, 5-α reductase inhibitors were not significantly linked to increased rhabdomyolysis risk, but they may raise the risk of myopathy and myositis in men aged 66 and older.
18 citations
,
June 2017 in “Journal of the neurological sciences” In this study, the use of 5 alpha reductase inhibitors was associated with an increased risk of dementia during the first two years of treatment, but the risk was not significant with longer exposure.
66 citations
,
April 2017 in “International Journal of Andrology” This study found that 5α-reductase inhibitors significantly increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and hypoactive sexual desire in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, compared to placebo.
2 citations
,
April 2017 in “European Urology” Using finasteride for hair loss or prostate issues does not significantly raise the risk of erectile dysfunction.
58 citations
,
April 2017 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” This study found that patients with post-finasteride syndrome exhibited major depressive disorder, severe erectile dysfunction, and neuropathy, alongside altered neuroactive steroid levels in cerebrospinal fluid.
90 citations
,
March 2017 in “JAMA Internal Medicine” In this study, older men using 5α-reductase inhibitors for prostatic enlargement did not show increased risk of suicide, but had elevated risks of self-harm and depression.
50 citations
,
March 2017 in “PeerJ” This study found that longer exposure to 5α-reductase inhibitors significantly increased the risk of persistent erectile dysfunction, especially in younger men exposed to finasteride.
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.
14 citations
,
October 2016 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” This study identified significant changes in the expression of nine proteins in the nucleus accumbens of rats treated with finasteride, suggesting potential novel targets for its neuropsychiatric effects.
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.
57 citations
,
July 2016 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” This study concluded that 5α-reductase inhibitors were linked to increased sexual dysfunction in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but not in men with androgenetic alopecia.
2 citations
,
March 2016 in “The Journal of Urology” This study found that the 1 mg dose of finasteride was associated with a wide range of adverse effects, including sexual, psychological, and metabolic symptoms, in the FAERS data.
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.
31 citations
,
February 2016 in “American Journal of Men's Health” This study found that nearly half of men using finasteride reported clinically significant depression, highlighting the need for psychiatric screening and careful risk assessment by prescribing clinicians.
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.
33 citations
,
December 2015 in “Neuroendocrinology” This study found that subchronic finasteride treatment in male rats altered neuroactive steroid levels and steroid receptor expression in the brain, with some changes persisting after drug withdrawal.
49 citations
,
September 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” This study suggests that the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride modulates sensorimotor gating in rats by affecting D1 and D3 receptors, but not D2 receptors, with varying effects based on genetic strain.
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.
33 citations
,
April 2015 in “Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity” 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.
44 citations
,
April 2015 in “PubMed” This study reports that clinical trials of finasteride for androgenic alopecia provide insufficient and systematically biased safety data, with most participants unrepresentative of those in pivotal trials that led to FDA approval.
16 citations
,
September 2014 in “International Journal of Biological Markers” This study found that the less common CAG-rs4045402 and GGN-rs3138869 polymorphisms were more frequent in patients with post-finasteride syndrome and androgenetic alopecia, suggesting a genetic predisposition to AGA development.
36 citations
,
June 2014 in “PLOS ONE” This study found that men with persistent sexual side effects after using finasteride for androgenetic alopecia had higher androgen receptor expression in certain tissues compared to those who never used the drug.
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.
24 citations
,
December 2013 in “Sexual medicine reviews” This review discusses persistent sexual and nonsexual adverse effects of the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride in younger men, including erectile dysfunction, low libido, and depression. It reports no new clinical results but emphasizes further research is needed.
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.
51 citations
,
July 2013 in “Brain Research” Testosterone needs to be converted to DHT to reduce stress response in male rats.
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.
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.
53 citations
,
October 2011 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride may help improve certain brain function issues linked to dopamine.
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.
39 citations
,
February 2011 in “The Prostate/The prostate” This study found that methylation of the 5-AR 2 promoter region may lead to low or absent 5-AR 2 protein expression in some human adult prostate tissues.
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.
22 citations
,
December 2010 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” The authors concluded that finasteride treatment inhibits hippocampal neurogenesis in mice, potentially impacting emotional behaviors and contributing to the pathophysiology of affective disorders.
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.
16 citations
,
January 2010 in “Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics” This study developed a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model for finasteride, concluding that finasteride's nonlinear pharmacokinetics are likely due to its saturable binding to 5alphaR2.
18 citations
,
June 2009 in “Journal of Molecular Endocrinology” This study found that exposure to finasteride impaired spermatogenesis in male Xenopus laevis by affecting sex-specific feedback mechanisms in the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis.
37 citations
,
January 2009 in “Sexual Development” This study found that chronic exposure to fadrozole or finasteride during frog development induced intersex individuals, which displayed different gene expression profiles depending on the chemical used.
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.
195 citations
,
February 2007 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” In this study, administering 5alpha-reductase inhibitors reduced dihydrotestosterone levels and was associated with mild, reversible decreases in semen parameters in healthy men.
99 citations
,
October 2006 in “BMC clinical pharmacology” This preliminary study suggests that finasteride might cause depressive symptoms, indicating the need for cautious prescription in patients at high risk for depression.
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.
1707 citations
,
December 2003 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Combination therapy of doxazosin and finasteride safely and effectively reduces benign prostatic hyperplasia progression risk.
88 citations
,
October 2002 in “Journal of Dermatology” In this study, 19 patients treated with finasteride for androgenetic alopecia developed moderate to severe depression, which resolved after stopping the medication, suggesting an association between finasteride and mood disturbances.
581 citations
,
October 1998 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In male pattern hair loss, this study found that finasteride 1 mg daily significantly slowed hair loss and increased hair growth over two years compared to placebo.
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.
136 citations
,
March 1996 in “Journal of the American Chemical Society” This study explains finasteride's high potency and specificity as a mechanism-based inhibitor for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia by detailing its interaction with human type 2 steroid 5α-reductase.
70 citations
,
June 1993 in “Biochemistry” This study found that the binding of finasteride to the enzyme 5a-reductase occurs at a slower rate than previously assumed, complicating the estimation of its real inhibitory constant.
