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.
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.
1040 citations
,
October 1992 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” In this study, 5 mg of finasteride per day significantly improved urinary symptoms and reduced prostate volume in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but increased the risk of sexual dysfunction.
823 citations
,
February 1998 in “Analytical Chemistry” Method detects finasteride in plasma at very low concentrations.
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.
506 citations
,
March 2005 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that testosterone therapy improved physical performance and strength in older men with low testosterone over 36 months, whether administered alone or with finasteride.
417 citations
,
February 2004 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that testosterone therapy increased bone mineral density in older men with low testosterone, and combining it with finasteride may reduce prostate enlargement associated with testosterone treatment.
239 citations
,
November 2000 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” In this study, finasteride 1 mg/day for 12 months did not improve hair growth or slow hair thinning in postmenopausal women with androgenetic alopecia compared to placebo.
225 citations
,
July 2007 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” In this study, patients informed about finasteride's potential sexual side effects reported a significantly higher occurrence of these side effects, suggesting a nocebo effect.
215 citations
,
November 2006 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study found that dutasteride increased scalp hair growth in men with male pattern hair loss, particularly at a 2.5 mg dose, and was more effective than finasteride over 24 weeks.
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.
187 citations
,
June 1999 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This study reported that finasteride 1 mg/day significantly increased hair growth and slowed hair loss in men with frontal scalp hair thinning over one year, and these benefits continued or improved in the second year.
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.
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.
147 citations
,
April 1990 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that finasteride significantly suppresses serum dihydrotestosterone levels at all tested doses in normal male volunteers without significant adverse effects.
145 citations
,
December 1999 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” Finasteride 1mg helps reverse hair miniaturization in men and postmenopausal women.
143 citations
,
August 1991 in “Endocrinology” This study found that blocking androgen receptors inhibits testicular descent in rats more effectively during the early stages of gubernacular outgrowth than inhibiting 5a-reductase.
137 citations
,
March 2006 in “Cns Drug Reviews” This review explores finasteride's effects on neuroactive steroid levels and their potential influence on disorders like depression and alcohol withdrawal but reports no new clinical findings.
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.
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.
134 citations
,
February 2005 in “Neuropsychopharmacology” GABRA2 gene variations impact alcohol response, and hair loss medication finasteride reduces some effects.
129 citations
,
October 2000 in “British Journal of Dermatology” This study found that finasteride increases anagen hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia.
127 citations
,
June 2006 in “International Journal of Pharmaceutics” This research found that liquid-state liposomes and niosomes may enhance finasteride delivery to pilosebaceous units in hamsters more effectively than gel-state vesicles or hydroalcoholic solution.
127 citations
,
May 2004 in “PubMed” This randomized pilot study suggests that finasteride may benefit some men with category IIIA chronic pelvic pain syndrome, although it is not recommended as monotherapy unless benign prostatic hyperplasia is also present.
125 citations
,
January 1999 in “Drugs” This study found that oral finasteride 1 mg/day promotes hair growth and prevents further hair loss in a significant proportion of men with male pattern hair loss over two years.
124 citations
,
January 1993 in “The Prostate” Finasteride effectively inhibits 5α reductase, while plant extracts like Permixon and Bazoton don't show significant results.
122 citations
,
July 1990 in “Teratology” This study found that oral administration of finasteride to pregnant rats caused dosage-related developmental toxicities, including hypospadias and decreased anogenital distance in male offspring.
118 citations
,
May 2003 in “Toxicological Sciences” This study found that prenatal exposure to finasteride in rats led to permanent changes in developmental endpoints like anogenital distance and nipple retention, which were predictive of further reproductive tract malformations.
113 citations
,
April 1999 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” This study found that all four treatments—flutamide, finasteride, ketoconazole, and EE-CPA—significantly reduced hirsutism, but EE-CPA and flutamide appeared most effective, with varying effects on androgen levels and side-effect profiles.
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.