December 2022 in “International Journal of Biomedicine” Androgens may worsen COVID-19 and hair loss could indicate the disease's severity.
January 2019 in “Actas urológicas españolas” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may have additional effects on cancer, mental health, heart health, and hormone levels beyond treating prostate enlargement.
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.
78 citations,
June 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings” TGF-β1 from dermal papilla cells suppresses hair growth, and targeting it may help treat androgenetic alopecia.
70 citations,
June 1993 in “Biochemistry” Finasteride slowly binds to 5-alpha-reductase, affecting enzyme stability and inhibitor potency.
46 citations,
October 1999 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Finasteride effectively treats male pattern hair loss with a 1 mg daily dose.
38 citations,
July 1989 in “Archives of dermatological research” Testosterone causes hair loss in AGA mice, which are good for testing baldness treatments, and both minoxidil and cyproterone acetate can prevent this hair loss.
37 citations,
April 2008 in “The Cochrane library” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors can lower prostate cancer risk but may increase high-grade tumors and cause sexual side effects.
35 citations,
May 2013 in “Sexual medicine reviews” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors slightly increase the risk of sexual and mood side effects, and breast growth in men.
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.
32 citations,
November 2013 in “The Journal of Urology” Using finasteride or dutasteride does not increase the risk of male breast cancer.
30 citations,
August 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride doesn't affect hormone levels in normal men.
29 citations,
April 2019 in “BMJ. British medical journal” Men taking dutasteride or finasteride have a slightly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
29 citations,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Rats had lasting erectile problems after stopping a certain medication.
25 citations,
March 2018 in “Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology” Using anabolic androgenic steroids can cause serious, lasting health problems in many parts of the body.
20 citations,
October 2018 in “The Journal of Urology” Men taking 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors before or after bladder cancer diagnosis had a lower risk of dying from the disease.
19 citations,
April 2020 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Dutasteride works better than finasteride for hair loss, with both being safe to use.
19 citations,
January 2016 in “Annals of Dermatology” Dutasteride is safe and effective for treating hair loss, but may decrease libido.
16 citations,
December 2007 in “Andrologia” DHT is a strong androgen that may pose less risk to the prostate compared to testosterone.
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.
11 citations,
August 2014 in “Current Urology Reports” Medications for enlarged prostate can cause sexual side effects like reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculatory problems.
9 citations,
December 2019 in “Clinical genitourinary cancer” Taking 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors before bladder removal surgery might make high-grade bladder tumors less aggressive.
9 citations,
July 2011 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Hair loss drugs like finasteride may cause lasting sexual and mood side effects, and more research is needed to understand these risks.
6 citations,
May 2020 in “JAMA Ophthalmology” Using 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, drugs for prostate issues and hair loss, may lead to eye abnormalities in men.
4 citations,
December 2019 in “Minerva Urology and Nephrology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may reduce bladder cancer recurrence and improve survival.
2 citations,
May 2019 in “PubMed” Oral finasteride and dutasteride may negatively affect erectile function in rats.
2 citations,
March 2018 in “Current Opinion in Urology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause sexual, neurologic, endocrine, and cardiovascular side effects, but these are rare and usually stop after ending treatment.
2 citations,
January 2017 in “Annals of Dermatology” Taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitors does not increase breast cancer risk in men.
2 citations,
January 2010 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” Low dose finasteride decreases certain steroids, possibly increasing depression risk.
815 citations,
May 2010 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” Women with PCOS should be screened for heart disease risk and manage their health to prevent it.