May 2016 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Younger people (median age 35) experience more PFS-like symptoms with 1mg finasteride; more research needed.
January 2020 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Using 5α-reductase inhibitors for hair loss can cause lasting sexual, physical, mental, and vascular health issues in men, even after stopping the medication.
May 2017 in “Urology and andrology” 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.
July 2018 in “Reactions Weekly” Lower finasteride doses had more side effects; dutasteride caused back pain; more research needed on post-finasteride syndrome.
May 2017 in “Psychiatric news” BPH medications may increase the risk of self-harm and depression, especially in the first 18 months.
1 citations,
November 2015 in “Cochrane library” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors help treat urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate.
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.
29 citations,
September 2014 in “Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity” Finasteride and dutasteride effectively treat hair loss in men and women, but may cause side effects like low libido and depression.
22 citations,
August 2014 in “Clinical endocrinology” Taking finasteride for benign prostate hyperplasia may increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially at higher doses.
1 citations,
January 2020 in “Skin appendage disorders” Finasteride may help treat frontal fibrosing alopecia, but more research is needed.
December 2016 in “Reactions Weekly” Dutasteride and finasteride have equal safety for treating BPH without increased heart risk.
195 citations,
February 2007 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Dutasteride and finasteride may reduce sperm count and volume but don't affect movement or shape; effects are reversible after stopping.
38 citations,
February 2019 in “Clinical Interventions in Aging” Dutasteride more effectively treats hair loss than finasteride, but may increase risk of altered libido.
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.
28 citations,
May 2018 in “Scientific reports” Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and hormone regulation in PCOS rats.
26 citations,
September 2020 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” A certain genetic variant in the androgen receptor may predict the severity of COVID-19 in men.
24 citations,
September 2008 in “International Braz J Urol” Lovastatin doesn't improve lower urinary tract symptoms treatment.
21 citations,
January 2020 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Lack or blocking of SRD5a, a key component in hormone creation, can lead to conditions like pseudohermaphrodism and affect hair growth, bone mass, muscle strength, and reproductive health. More research is needed on its regulation from fertilization to adulthood.
4 citations,
October 2020 in “Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods” Hesperidin protects rat testicles from finasteride damage and improves sperm health.
4 citations,
September 2020 in “Andrologia” Oregano extract helps fix testis and sperm damage caused by finasteride.
4 citations,
April 2018 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Finasteride for female hair loss has low side effects, more research needed.
4 citations,
December 2019 in “Minerva Urology and Nephrology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may reduce bladder cancer recurrence and improve survival.
3 citations,
April 2013 in “International Journal of Clinical Practice” Combination therapy for 9+ months maintains symptom improvements after stopping alpha-blockers or finasteride.
2 citations,
March 2019 in “American journal of physiology. Renal physiology./American journal of physiology. Renal physiology” New treatments targeting fibrosis could improve urinary symptoms in BPH.
2 citations,
July 2013 in “ISRN Urology (Print)” Finasteride may reduce bleeding after TURP, but more research needed.
1 citations,
March 2021 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” The letter suggests testosterone replacement therapy might worsen COVID-19 outcomes.
1 citations,
July 2017 in “The Journal of Urology” Low-dose finasteride and dutasteride reduce PSA levels by 27.8% in men with male androgenetic alopecia.
April 2024 in “International journal of impotence research” Some men experience persistent sexual, neurological, and psychological symptoms after stopping finasteride, but evidence of permanent damage is inconclusive.
June 2021 in “EBioMedicine” The authors maintain that shorter androgen receptor alleles may lead to milder COVID-19 by positively affecting the immune response, not due to changes in testosterone levels or activity.
November 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Men with male pattern baldness may be more at risk for severe COVID-19, and anti-androgen treatments could offer protection.