Finasteride is an orally administered drug approved for male-patterned baldness manufactured by Merck, Inc. Finasteride helps regrow hair in many men, that is a fact. In the United States, finasteride is sold as Propecia and other trade names, and minoxidil is sold as Rogaine. See hair for more information. If you suffer from finasteride side effect of sexual dysfunction or low libido, consider Passion Rx which could, in many cases, reverse this low libido.

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Finasteride side effects
Although the maker of finasteride denies serious side effects from the drug, there are some finasteride side effects that have been reported. These finasteride side effects include decrease in libido, low sperm count, and a decrease in general vitality. These finasteride side effects occur gradually and in a subtle manner, and many men do not realize it is occurring and forget how they felt before they started finasteride treatment for hair loss. Some men feel that life is not as exciting as it used to be and others may even experience low mood or depression. Another finasteride side effect may be an increase in abdominal fat (increase in size of the belly).

Finasteride depression side effect
Finasteride induced depression: a prospective study.
BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Oct 7;6:7. Clinical Pharmacy Laboratory, Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Animal studies have shown that finasteride might induce behavioral changes. Additionally, some cases of finasteride -induced depression have been reported in humans. The purpose of this study was to examine whether depressive symptoms or anxiety might be induced by finasteride administration. One hundred and twenty eight men with androgenetic alopecia, who were prescribed finasteride (1 mg/day) were enrolled in this study. Information on depressed mood and anxiety was obtained by Beck Depression Inventory, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Participants completed BDI and HADS questionnaires before beginning the treatment and also two months after it. Conclusion: This preliminary study suggests that finasteride side effect might be depression; therefore finasteride medication should be prescribed cautiously for patients with high risk of depression.

Finasteride side effect of low sperm count
Finasteride induced spermatogenic failure: A report of two cases.
Fertil Steril. 2007 Dec. Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toronto, Reproductive Biology Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Two patients with azoospermia and severe oligospermia using finasteride 1 mg for hair loss. Patient A had documented azoospermia over 1 year and was initially booked for a testicular biopsy. Six months after discontinuation of finasteride 1 mg daily he showed improvement in sperm concentration to 5.5 x 10(6)/mL. Patient B had severe oligospermia with a sperm concentration of 4 x 10(6)/mL. Sperm concentration improved to 6.6 then 18.7 x 10(6)/mL at 3 and 6 months after stopping finasteride.

Finasteride masks PSA test for prostate cancer
Finasteride, which is made by Merck & Co Inc. and sold under the trade name Propecia, is a leading drug to treat male-pattern baldness while Proscar is used for prostate enlargement. Proscar contains 5 milligrams of finasteride while Propecia has 1 mg of finasteride. Finasteride apparently artificially lowers a protein called prostate specific antigen (PSA). High levels of PSA in the blood can signal prostate cancer or other problems. Dr. Anthony D'Amico, the lead author of the study from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recommends that middle-aged men taking finasteride have their PSA levels multiplied by two in tests to account for the difference. Merck said in a statement that the study results were first presented in 2000 and are "consistent with information that has been included in the label for Propecia (finasteride 1 mg) since the product was first approved in 1997. In an earlier trial of a drug called Proscar, which contains a higher dose of finasteride, PSA levels were also lowered as well as the risk of prostate cancer. But men taking Proscar who developed cancer had a more aggressive disease. D'Amico and Dr. Claus Roehrborn, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, studied the impact on PSA levels on 355 men ages 40 to 60 years old who took finasteride for one year. The research was funded by Merck and the findings are reported in the journal Lancet Oncology.

Effect of 1 mg/day finasteride on concentrations of serum prostate-specific antigen in men with androgenic alopecia: a randomised controlled trial.
Lancet Oncol. 2007 Jan;8(1):21-5. D'Amico AV, Roehrborn CG. Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Use of 5 mg/day finasteride ( Proscar ) for benign prostatic hyperplasia is known to affect serum concentrations of prostate-specific antigen PSA. When men taking this treatment undergo screening for prostate cancer, a compensatory adjustment of the PSA concentration (to multiply the value by two) is recommended. Whether this recommendation should apply to men taking 1 mg a day finasteride ( Propecia ) for the treatment of androgenic alopecia is unknown. We aimed to assess the effect of 1 mg/day finasteride on serum PSA in men aged 40-60 years with male-pattern hair loss. Within 48 weeks of randomisation, men aged 40-49 years and 50-60 years who were assigned 1 mg/day finasteride had a median decrease in serum PSA concentration of 40% and 50%, respectively. In men assigned placebo, the median changes were 0% and a median increase of 13%, respectively. Conclusions: In men aged 40-60 years, 1 mg a day finasteride for 48 weeks lowers serum PSA concentration. Therefore, the existing recommendation for the adjustment of serum PSA concentration in prostate-cancer screening in men taking 5 mg a day finasteride should also apply to men taking the 1 mg/day preparation for male-pattern hair loss. Research is needed to assess the effect of 1 mg/day finasteride preparation beyond 48 weeks of treatment.

Finasteride and women
When given in combination with oral contraceptives, finasteride can improve female-pattern hair loss in most women. At present, the main treatment for female-pattern hair loss is topical minoxidil, which is somewhat effective. Whether treatment with agents such as finasteride, which show activity against male hormones, might promote hair growth in women has been unclear. However a research group reports in Archives of Dermatology, March 2006, that women with female-pattern hair loss who were treated with finasteride in combination with an oral contraceptive did report benefits. Finasteride has been linked to birth defects and that was the reason the women were given birth control pills. After 12 months of finasteride therapy, and out of 37 women treated, hair growth improvements were rated as "great" in three patients, "moderate" in eight and "slight" in twelve women. Thirteen women had no improvement and one patient experienced a worsening of her female-pattern hair loss.

Avodart or finasteride
Both Avodart and finasteride are available to treat an enlarged prostate. I am not sure which drug is better. Both Avodart and finasteride can also treat male pattern hair loss.

The importance of dual 5alpha-reductase inhibition in the treatment of male pattern hair loss: results of a randomized placebo-controlled study of dutasteride versus finasteride.
J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Dec;55(6):1014-23. .
Male pattern hair loss is a potentially reversible condition in which dihydrotestosterone is an important etiologic factor. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of the type 1 and 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor dutasteride in men with male pattern hair loss. Four hundred sixteen men, 21 to 45 years old, were randomized to receive dutasteride 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 or 2.5 mg, finasteride 5 mg, or placebo daily for 24 weeks. Dutasteride increased target area hair count versus placebo in a dose-dependent fashion and dutasteride 2.5 mg was superior to finasteride at 12 and 24 weeks. Dutasteride increases scalp hair growth in men with male pattern hair loss. Type 1 and type 2 5alpha-reductase may be important in the pathogenesis and treatment of male pattern hair loss.

Finasteride and acne
Effect of finasteride 5 mg (Proscar) on acne and alopecia in female patients with normal serum levels of free testosterone.
Gynecol Endocrinol. 2007 Mar;23(3):142-5. Kohler C, Tschumi K, Bodmer C, Schneiter M, Birkhaeuser M.
Division of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Department Ob/Gyn, University of Berne. Berne. Switzerland.
In some women with acne or alopecia who have normal serum levels of free testosterone, no clinical improvement can be reached by the classical treatment with antiandrogens, isotretinoids or corticosteroids. Our hypothesis is that some of these women have an excessive activity of the enzyme 5alpha-reductase. We evaluated the subjective benefit of the treatment with finasteride (5 mg/day) in women with normal serum levels of free testosterone suffering from acne or alopecia. This was a retrospective study evaluating a questionnaire filled out by 12 patients, six of whom had acne and six of whom had alopecia. Nine of the 12 patients benefited from the finasteride treatment, their symptoms decreased significantly and they felt better psychologically than before the administration of finasteride. The other three patients did not benefit at all from finasteride and reported no change in the extent of the acne or alopecia. Treatment was generally well tolerated, only a few adverse effects were noted. Conclusions. Nine of the 12 patients benefited from the finasteride treatment. This supports our hypothesis of an excessive activity of 5alpha-reductase enzyme in peripheral tissue in these patients. The fact that three of the patients did not realize any change in their symptom severity implies that there must also be other pathways in the genesis of acne and alopecia in women with normal levels of free testosterone.

Finasteride Questions
Q. I am currently taking finasteride Proscar, do I need to reduce my dose if I am taking Prostate Power Rx?
   A. Perhaps you will need less of a dose but your doctor is the person who makes the final decision since he or she prescribed the finasteride and knows your condition best.

Q. I am the one very unlucky person who has used Finasterin - finasteride - and I now suffer from serious erection problems. I am in Finland. Can you tell ANY methods of healing from this very serious and fatal state that started with finasteride. I'm afraid I can't take this for very long anymore. I have suffered this now for about 1.5 years. I've tried several vitamin, testosteroine etc but they have not lifted me from this state, just slight changes have occurred but my problem is still present. I suffer from serious depression and this can't continue like this for rest of my life. I will not allow it to be that way, no matter of what it takes. This really is not life worth living right now.
   A. You may consider taking a look at the impotence page.

Q. Do you think finasteride decreases sensation of the nerves in the body? Ever since I started taking finasteride for hair growth, I think that skin, nipples, genital organ, just don't seem to be as sensitive. Finasteride is helping regrow hair, so I am happy about that, but I just don't feel as alive. I'm not sure but I think my vision is not as clear.
   A. This is an interesting observation and perhaps finasteride does have something to do with neural sensation being decreased but since we have not seen research on this topic and we have not had other people mention this yet, perhaps it is a subtle finasteride side effects, we can't say for sure.

Q. Hi I found your name on the web. My husband started taking finasteride Propecia in March of 2006. I started to notice a change in him right away looking back now in hindsight., He was tired fell asleep more often when putting kids to bed. Took in prompt to naps during the day. Had no real gusto for life that he used to have. In May of 2006 we were on a cruise had a simple argument and he jumped overboard. He could not swim. He had nothing in his life that was going wrong. He was very successful and loved to travel and live life to the fullest. I am trying to prepare a case to get a warning put on this product. It is not mention in any of the medical literature about the possible finasteride side effect of depression. If this had been noted we may have had an early idea that this medicine was not a good fit for my husband. Any help you could provide me would be greatly appreciated. Do you know of any clinical studies going on in the US regarding this link between depression and finasteride?

Finasteride induced depression: a prospective study.
BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Oct 7;6:7. Rahimi-Ardabili B, Pourandarjani R, Habibollahi P, Mualeki A. Clinical Pharmacy Laboratory, Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Finasteride is a competitive inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase enzyme, and is used for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia. Animal studies have shown that finasteride might induce behavioral changes. Additionally, some cases of finasteride -induced depression have been reported in humans. The purpose of this study was to examine whether depressive symptoms or anxiety might be induced by finasteride administration. One hundred and twenty eight men with androgenetic alopecia, who were prescribed finasteride (1 mg/day) were enrolled in this study. Information on depressed mood and anxiety was obtained by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Mean age of the subjects was 26 years. Finasteride treatment increased both BDI and HADS depression scores significantly. HADS anxiety scores were increased, but the difference was not significant. This preliminary study suggests that finasteride might induce depressive symptoms; therefore this medication should be prescribed cautiously for patients with high risk of depression. It seems that further studies would be necessary to determine behavioral effects of this medication in higher doses and in more susceptible patients.

Finasteride questions
Q. I have noticed decreased libido since starting on finasteride. Is this possible?
   A. Yes, some users have noticed low libido after beginning finasteride treatment.

Q. I am taking the drug finasteride for hair loss. I have side effects from finasteride. Can taking mucuna pruriens improve libido which it the side effect I have. Finasteride is causing low libido.
   A. Finasteride use does lead to side effects including low libido. Mucuna pruriens does improve libido. Another option is Passion Rx which many people report improves libido in those who have taken or taking finasteride.

Q. I have read in some journal at one time that finasteride Proscar acts like a SSRI and can lead to increased serotonin especially in the GI tract. I have taken finasteride Proscar for about twenty years and have IBS and am wondering if there is a correlation.
   A. Finasteride blocks testosterone conversion to DHT. I can't imagine any close relation of this effect with blocking the uptake of serotonin. Finasteride use could lead to low mood, low vitality, and possible depression in some users. I have not seen any direct connection between finasteride and irritable bowel syndrome.

Q. Firstly, I very much enjoyed reading the finasteride drug information on your web page. I would very much appreciate an answer to the following question as I had been considering beginning taking a 50mg supplement of DHEA either every day or every other day. I have been taking 1mg finasteride medication for the past 4 years for male pattern baldness and have had pretty good results both in maintaining and regrowing new hair. However, I have noticed over the past 12 months that despite no real change in my diet or exercise plan that I have begun to slowly put weight on around the middle waist and have almost totally lost interest in sex. My erections are far less frequent and less long-lasting. I also get tired very easily. I have recently started taking finasteride only every other day to see if that makes a difference, but so far no visible sign! According to the "hype" DHEA would seem to be the perfect answer. More energy, increase in lean muscle, decrease in fat and increased libido. Having read you articles on DHEA, I am now worrying about DHEA side effects...not least the potential for my hair to fall out!! Do you think that keeping it to a low'ish dose every other day maybe when I take finasteride medication and then stopping after 3months...waiting a month and then doing another 3 month cycle should be ok?
   A. DHEA use can cause hair loss which counteracts the benefit of hair growth from finasteride. There are natural herbs that improve sexuality and libido, along with erectile function, and these are safer than DHEA hormone use and are not likely to influence hair loss.

Q. I've been taking finasteride for more than a year for enlarged prostate. During this time, I have had the normal loss of libido, erectile dysfunction and more recently a strong rigidness (not elastic as before) in the penis during erection that causes the penis to curve. It is a bit uncomfortable in this state and almost useless. My consideration is to quit taking finasteride but wanted to check to see if this is a known side effect to taking finasteride.
   A. Loss of libido and impotence are finasteride side effects, but I am not sure whether curving of penis is related to finasteride medication use.

Q.  I came across your website when doing research to see if some of my recent symptoms could be caused by the finasteride use of my husband. He started taking the medication about 3 months ago for his hair loss. I am currently using birth control and have been for a long time now. We were aware of the possible birth defects in fetus' that can be caused by finasteride use, but I am wondering if it can cause other side effects as well. I have been having severe headaches since about maybe a month after he started taking the drug. I have also been noticing a heightened growth of hair in myself as well. I have missed my last period and am 2 days into missing this months by the way the birth control pills are set. i have taken a pregnancy test and it shows negative. I steer clear of the drawer that the medication is kept in, as well as never handling the bottle pills, or the pill cutter that he uses. Could the transfer of the medication through my husbands semen be causing these possible finasteride side effects? Any information you would be able to share with me would be most helpful in trying to resolve my unknown symptoms.
   A. This is a very interesting question but beyond my range of knowledge. I am not familiar with research regarding the transfer of finasteride through semen and it's potential effects in a woman. You may wish to contact Merck to see if they have gathered any such information.