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Doctors & Researchers Speaking Out
Men under the age of 40 who use finasteride for alopecia are at risk for suicide if they develop persistent sexual adverse effects and insomnia.
An important pattern of symptoms was common among all cases who committed suicide in the setting of finasteride use – insomnia and persistent sexual dysfunction after medication discontinuation. Insomnia and fatigue/tiredness were some of the most debilitating symptoms… Men under the age of 40 who use finasteride for alopecia are at risk for suicide if they develop persistent sexual adverse effects and insomnia.
—Finasteride and Suicide: A Postmarketing Case Series: Dermatology, January 14, 2020
[A]t least 17 countries…have warned…of the potential for depression, sexual side effects, or both.
Emerging post-marketing reports of persistent depression and sexual side effects have led to growing concerns about the safety of 5α-reductase inhibitors and prompted product labeling changes in many regulatory jurisdictions. Since 2008, at least 17 countries including the United Kingdom and the United States have warned prescribers of the potential for depression, sexual side effects, or both with finasteride.
—Post-Finasteride Syndrome: Efforts to explain persistent symptoms are undermined by poor long term data on harms: The BMJ, August 9, 2019
Two subjects—eight percent—committed suicide during or after the study.
While the sexual side effects of 5ARIs are well known, there may be persistent genitourinary, physical, psycho-cognitive, anti-androgenic and penile vascular changes after 5ARI discontinuation. Use of 5ARIs for treatment of AGA may lead to persistent sexual, genitourinary, physical, psycho-cognitive, and anti-androgenic sequelae even after cessation of 5ARI therapy… Two subjects (8%) committed suicide during or after the study.
—Penile vascular abnormalities in young men with persistent side effects after finasteride use for the treatment of androgenic alopecia: Translational Andrology and Urology, April 2020
FDA is concerned that use of finasteride by pediatric patients may pose long-term safety risks.
Finasteride inhibits Type II 5(alpha)-reductase, which metabolizes testosterone to the potent androgen 5(alpha)-dihydrotestosterone. FDA is concerned that use of finasteride by pediatric patients may pose long-term safety risks regarding growth, development and sexual function.
New Russian-Language Website Boosts our Potential Readership by 265 Million
May 6, 2020 Dear Friends: Thanks to the latest foreign-language edition of our website, PFS awareness is alive and well and living freely in Russia. Ditto those nations where Russian is an official or secondary language, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Now, […]
Penile Vascular Abnormalities Found in Majority of PFS Patients in Baylor College of Medicine Study
April 28, 2020 Dear Friends: In a newly published prospective case-control study in Translational Andrology and Urology, Mohit Khera, Director of the Laboratory for Andrology Research at Baylor College of Medicine, and his research team report the presence of vascular abnormalities in the penis of PFS patients (median age of 38) who previously discontinued the […]
Wall Street Journal Letter to Editor Addresses Telemeds’ Easy Access to Finasteride
March 11, 2020 Dear Friends: On February 21, The Wall Street Journal ran a 1,280-word story headlined Losing Your Hair? Why This Solution Is No Longer Shameful, which went, in part, like this: [In 1991]…effective methods like Rogaine or hair plugs were discussed in hushed tones. A… TV ad didn’t mention hair loss, hawking instead […]
Young Men Who Use Finasteride for Hair Loss ‘Are at Risk for Suicide if They Develop Persistent Sexual Adverse Effects and Insomnia,’ Says New Research
February 20, 2020 Dear Friends: “Clinicians should be aware that men under the age of 40 who use finasteride for alopecia are at risk for suicide if they develop persistent sexual adverse effects and insomnia.” That, according to new research by Michael S. Irwig, MD, attending endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, […]
France’s FDA-Equivalent Issues Patient Fact Sheet on Finasteride Adverse Effects
December 20, 2019 Dear Friends: France’s FDA-equivalent agency last week issued an Information Point and fact sheet for men currently taking finasteride for hair loss, or for those considering taking the drug for hair loss. “Developed in conjunction with concerned patient associations and health professionals, this fact sheet aims to reinforce patient information on the […]