Sex Differences in the Effect of Finasteride on Acute Ethanol Withdrawal Severity in C57BL/6J and DBA/2J Mice

The study investigated the effect of finasteride on acute ethanol withdrawal severity in male and female C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. The results showed that pretreatment with finasteride decreased ethanol withdrawal severity in male mice but increased it in female mice of both strains. The study suggests that male and female mice may differ in their sensitivity to changes in levels of GABAergic neurosteroids during acute ethanol withdrawal. The findings may have important implications for men taking finasteride for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia, as it may not exacerbate withdrawal symptoms following alcohol consumption.