71 citations,
November 2012 in “Expert Opinion on Drug Safety” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause sexual side effects like erectile dysfunction and reduced sexual desire, sometimes lasting after stopping the drug.
67 citations,
February 1997 in “Teratology” Finasteride, when given in high oral doses to pregnant monkeys, caused genital abnormalities in male fetuses, but not in female fetuses or those exposed to intravenous finasteride.
59 citations,
September 1994 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride reduces scalp DHT levels, potentially treating male pattern baldness.
56 citations,
April 1998 in “Steroids” Finasteride reduces hair loss and treats BPH without major hormone changes, but may cause sexual dysfunction.
47 citations,
January 2003 in “Current opinion in urology” A new drug, dutasteride, is at least as effective as the older drug, finasteride, for treating enlarged prostate and may have additional uses.
44 citations,
October 2010 in “BJUI” 5-α-reductase inhibitors reduce prostate cancer risk but may cause sexual dysfunction and don't affect high-grade tumor or death rates.
36 citations,
November 2020 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors may reduce COVID-19 symptoms in bald males.
35 citations,
June 2018 in “Urology” The review suggests younger men taking 1 mg finasteride report more side effects, including sexual, skin, metabolic, and psychological issues.
35 citations,
April 2013 in “Sexual medicine reviews” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors slightly increase the risk of sexual and mood side effects, and breast growth in men.
34 citations,
February 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride and minoxidil together promote hair growth better than either alone.
33 citations,
January 2016 in “Skin appendage disorders” The document concludes that sexual and psychiatric side effects from 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are reported, but more high-quality research is needed to understand how often they occur.
33 citations,
October 1994 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride reduces hair growth and is safe for women with excessive hair.
32 citations,
July 2016 in “PubMed” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors are generally safe but can cause sexual side effects and require patient education on risks.
31 citations,
January 2017 in “Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology” Low testosterone and 5α-reductase inhibitors can harm men's metabolic and sexual health; testosterone therapy may help, but discussing 5α-RIs' side effects is important.
30 citations,
September 2016 in “BMJ” Taking 5-α reductase inhibitors for prostate enlargement or hair loss does not significantly raise the risk of erectile dysfunction.
30 citations,
August 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride doesn't affect hormone levels in normal men.
29 citations,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Rats had lasting erectile problems after stopping a certain medication.
22 citations,
August 2014 in “Clinical endocrinology” Taking finasteride for benign prostate hyperplasia may increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially at higher doses.
22 citations,
September 1994 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride reduces dihydrotestosterone, increases testosterone, and may treat hirsutism in women.
21 citations,
March 2018 in “JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors may help stabilize or slow down hair loss in some frontal fibrosing alopecia patients, but more research is needed to confirm their effectiveness and safety.
21 citations,
January 2017 in “Dermatology Online Journal” Finasteride and dutasteride can cause sexual problems like impotence and low libido.
21 citations,
May 2015 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” Progesterone byproduct 5αP stimulates mammary tumor growth, but finasteride can suppress it.
19 citations,
April 2020 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Dutasteride works better than finasteride for hair loss, with both being safe to use.
19 citations,
October 2018 in “PLOS ONE” 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors can slightly improve symptoms of enlarged prostate but have a high risk of sexual side effects.
19 citations,
January 2016 in “Annals of Dermatology” Dutasteride is safe and effective for treating hair loss, but may decrease libido.
18 citations,
June 2017 in “Journal of the neurological sciences” Using 5 alpha reductase inhibitors may increase dementia risk in the first two years.
15 citations,
January 2017 in “Experimental Neurology” Finasteride reduces movement issues in Parkinson's disease rats.
15 citations,
August 2016 in “Urologic Clinics of North America” Finasteride and dutasteride are effective for long-term treatment of enlarged prostates but have sexual side effects and a risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
15 citations,
December 2006 in “Clinical interventions in aging” 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors like finasteride may lower prostate cancer risk and improve cancer screening.
13 citations,
February 2022 in “JAMA Dermatology” Dutasteride is the most effective hair loss treatment after 24 weeks, but finasteride leads to the most hair growth after 48 weeks.