61 citations,
April 2014 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” Finasteride affects brain and blood steroids, causing lasting sexual and emotional side effects.
73 citations,
July 2013 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Finasteride use changes brain chemicals, causing lasting sexual issues and anxiety/depression.
December 2013 in “Reactions Weekly” Some men taking finasteride for hair loss experienced anxiety, depression, and sexual problems, which sometimes continued after stopping the medication.
24 citations,
December 2013 in “Sexual medicine reviews” Finasteride can cause sexual problems and depression in young men.
26 citations,
December 2019 in “Neurobiology of Stress” Post-finasteride syndrome causes lasting sexual, neurological, and physical side effects in some people after taking finasteride.
12 citations,
January 2015 in “Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology” Negative expectations can cause adverse effects in dermatology treatments, like with finasteride for baldness, and careful communication can help reduce these nocebo responses.
1 citations,
September 2017 in “Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine” Gut flora changes could potentially indicate depression, but more research is needed.
81 citations,
June 2014 in “American Journal of Men's Health” Finasteride can cause lasting sexual, emotional, and cognitive issues, with varying severity.
February 2025 in “International Journal of Impotence Research”
15 citations,
September 2014 in “JAMA Dermatology”
90 citations,
March 2017 in “JAMA Internal Medicine” Men over 66 taking medication for prostate enlargement have a higher risk of depression and self-harm, especially in the first 18 months of treatment.
9 citations,
January 2018 in “American Journal of Men's Health” Finasteride use can cause lasting negative effects like sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and cognitive issues.
3 citations,
September 2023 in “International journal of impotence research” Post-finasteride syndrome causes lasting sexual, mental, and physical issues, needing more research for solutions.
April 2021 in “IntechOpen eBooks” Androgens, male hormones, affect physical and mental functions, with a decrease leading to health issues like muscle loss, bone disease, and depression, and more research is needed on long-term effects and treatments.
March 2024 in “Journal of Endocrinological Investigation” Finasteride treatment in rats changed the expression of genes related to psychiatric and neurological functions, and these changes persisted after stopping the drug.
6 citations,
January 2020 in “Dermatology” Finasteride may increase suicide risk; more research needed.
20 citations,
November 2019 in “Biomolecules” Finasteride reduces response to stress and rewards, affecting behavior and mental health.
15 citations,
June 2019 in “Journal of Neuroendocrinology” Isoallopregnanolone may be a safe and effective treatment for reducing tics in a mouse model of Tourette syndrome.
37 citations,
September 2018 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride treatment in male rats causes long-lasting effects on depression-like behavior, brain cell growth, inflammation, and gut bacteria composition.
8 citations,
July 2018 in “Current Sexual Health Reports” Finasteride can cause lasting sexual dysfunction, depression, and other side effects, needing more research for treatment.
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.
November 2020 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Finasteride might affect memory by impacting cholinergic system.
December 2020 in “Current Sexual Health Reports” Finasteride can have lasting negative effects on brain function and behavior by disrupting neurosteroid production.
November 2023 in “Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology” Some people experience lasting sexual, psychological, and sleep problems after using finasteride or SSRI antidepressants, possibly due to similar underlying causes.
3 citations,
August 2020 in “Urology Journal” Using 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may increase the risk of mild depression.
58 citations,
April 2017 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” Post-finasteride patients show changed neuroactive steroid levels, possibly causing erectile dysfunction and depression.
8 citations,
March 2020 in “Metabolites” Finasteride treatment changes urine metabolomics and steroid signatures, potentially monitoring effectiveness but may cause sexual side effects.
20 citations,
June 2017 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” Long-term use of dutasteride for enlarged prostate may worsen blood sugar, cholesterol, and erectile dysfunction.
8 citations,
July 2019 in “Endocrine connections” Finasteride affects SRD5A2 gene pattern, possibly causing lasting side effects.
50 citations,
March 2017 in “PeerJ” Using finasteride or dutasteride may cause long-lasting erectile dysfunction.