Support Program Connects PFS Patients Worldwide

SOMERSET, N.J., Sept. 21, 2016 – The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation has launched a program to connect PFS patients with one another for mutual support. Any PFS patient or family member of a PFS patient who would like to participate should download the PFS Patient Support form, complete it and email it back to social@pfsfoundation.org. Due […]

2016 PFS Foundation Annual Address

Aug. 4, 2016 Dear Friends: I began last year’s annual address by letting you know how encouraged I was that the National Institutes of Health had not only added PFS to its Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center but linked to our website. Now I’m equally encouraged to note a similar milestone, achieved exactly one […]

Two European Documentaries a Milestone in PFS Awareness

SOMERSET, N.J., July 14, 2016 – A pair of European documentaries focusing on post-finasteride syndrome mark the first time the condition has been the subject of extended TV coverage on any continent. The first documentary, titled “Pills in Search of an Illness,” debuted April 19 on the Spanish public TV network TV3 in Barcelona. Reported […]

Finasteride-Induced Suicides up 8.4% in WHO’s VigiBase

SOMERSET, N.J., July 13, 2016 – Reports of finasteride-induced completed suicides are up 8.4% in the World Health Organization Progamme for International Drug Monitoring’s database of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for Q1 through Q2 2016 over Q4 2015. The absolute number of completed suicides rose from 59 to 64 within that period.  Also in the […]

Reminder: Report PFS Symptoms to National Pharmacovigilance Authorities

SOMERSET, N.J., Sept. 9, 2015 – The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation is reminding PFS patients to report all persistent side effects to their respective national pharmacovigilance authorities for inclusion in the World Health Organization Progamme for International Drug Monitoring’s VigiBase database for adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Run by Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), which provides scientific leadership […]

Data Available on Adverse Side Effects of 5α-RIs Don’t Conclusively Suggest They’re Safe, Say Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine

SOMERSET, N.J., Sept. 7, 2015 – Data from preclinical and clinical studies have provided substantial evidence that 5α-Reductase inhibitors (5α-RIs) such as finasteride and dutasteride cause loss or reduction of libido, increase the risk of erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory dysfunction, and may contribute to the onset of depression. These agents interfere with the biosynthesis and […]

Suggestion That Sexual Side Effects Appear Early in Finasteride Therapy then Return to Normal is ‘Inaccurate,’ Say Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine

SOMERSET, N.J., Aug. 26, 2015 – Twenty-five percent of men currently taking finasteride or dutasteride (brand names Proscar and Avodart) for the treatment of benign prostate enlargement (BPH), appear not to benefit from taking these medications. Those prescribed Propecia or Avodart for male pattern hair loss are also at risk for adverse events elicited by […]

2015 PFS Foundation Annual Address

Aug. 4, 2015 Dear Friends: By many accounts, we’ve reached a tipping point on post-finasteride syndrome awareness within the medical community. The most significant advancement occurred in March, when the U.S. National Institutes of Health added PFS to its Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. “Studies are under way to understand the safety profile of […]

Southwest Brain Bank Launches PFS Brain and Spinal Cord Donation Program

SOMERSET, N.J., July 15, 2015 – The Southwest Brain Bank (SWBB) in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio has received its first donation of the brain and spinal cord of a post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) patient and formed a program to collect and study post-mortem human brain […]

U.S. National Institutes of Health Adds PFS to Genetic and Rare Diseases Info Center

May 19, 2015 Dear Public Health Official: The U.S. National Institutes of Health recently added post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) to its Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, noting that: “Studies are underway to understand the safety profile of 5-alpha reductase inhibitor drugs with respect to adverse events…and their permanency.” This federal listing of PFS comes in […]