The side effects of taking finasteride as a treatment for hair loss, with particular focus on its sexual and psychiatric side effects; research has indicated that there are high and low outliers in terms of prevalence of sexual side effects, but it is usually between 3-5%, while evidence of lasting sexual side effects comes from lower quality sources.
Being overweight may increase finasteride side effects due to higher aromatase activity converting testosterone to estradiol. Maintaining a healthy weight could reduce these side effects.
Finasteride can cause sexual side effects in less than 2% of men, but these often disappear over time, even if the treatment continues. Some users report persistent side effects, while others experience no issues or only temporary ones.
The effects of finasteride and dutasteride on beard growth, whether minoxidil would help with facial hair loss caused by DHT blockers, and anecdotal evidence from users who have experienced either decreased or increased facial hair density while using these treatments.
A user initially had side effects from finasteride, attributed them to anxiety and the nocebo effect, and after resuming the drug, experienced positive effects and now warns against misinformation about Post Finasteride Syndrome.