Welcome

The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation’s primary mission is to fund research on the characterization, underlying biologic mechanisms and treatments of post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). Other goals include generating public awareness of PFS and providing support for patients suffering from the condition.

Read our FDA Citizen Petition to remove finasteride from the market.

Adverse drug reaction reports worldwide

Adverse drug reaction reports worldwide

PFS research studies published

PFS research studies published

Known suicides worldwide

Known suicides worldwide

Doctors & researchers speaking out

Doctors & researchers speaking out

Nations warning of PFS

Nations warning of PFS

National media reports worldwide

National media reports worldwide

Sources

Patient Services

Connect with other PFS patients

Consult knowledgeable doctors

Report your side effects

Doctors & Researchers Speaking Out

Using finasteride for hair loss is like shooting at sparrows with cannons.

Using finasteride for hair loss is like shooting at sparrows with cannons. The drug.…blocks not only the super hormone but also other hormones that affect thinking and psyche, mood and emotions. Discontinuation of the drug should actually make the hormones work again.…but apparently, something breaks down in some men, in the prostate, in the brain, in the whole organism.

—I Didn’t Want to Go Bald. A Pill the Doctor Gave Me Destroyed My Life (English translation): Die Zeit, Feb. 22, 2018

Michael Zitzmann, MD, Andrology Professor
University of Munster, Germany

We wouldn’t recommend that any man take [finasteride], especially not young men.

We are certainly very cautious, because we see the side effects. We wouldn’t recommend that any man take [finasteride], especially not young men. The longer they take it, the greater the risk of experiencing persistent side effects, including after they’ve stopped.

—Do Anti-Baldness Remedies Make You Impotent? Puls, SRF-TV, May 7, 2018

Doris Mannhard, MD, Urologist
University Hospital Zürich

For the first time, we demonstrate a tissue-specific methylation pattern of SRD5A2 promoter in PFS patients.

For the first time, we demonstrate a tissue-specific methylation pattern of SRD5A2 promoter in PFS patients [which] could represent an important mechanism of neuroactive steroid levels and behavioral disturbances previously described in PFS… The SRD5A2 promoter was more frequently methylated in the CSF of PFS patients compared to controls (56.3 versus 7.7%).

—Altered methylation pattern of the SRD5A2 gene in cerebrospinal fluid of post-finasteride patients: a pilot study: Endocrine Connections, July, 2019

Roberto Melcangi, PhD, Head of Neuroendocrinology, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences
University of Milano

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.

—FDA response to Merck & Co.’s citizen petition requesting that finasteride be added to the List of Approved Drugs for Which Additional Pediatric Information May Produce Health Benefits in the Pediatric Population: May 2000

Janet Woodcock, MD, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
US Food and Drug Administration

Number of Nations Logging onto PFS Foundation Website Rises 22% in 2014

SOMERSET, N.J., Jan. 6, 2015 – The number of nations that logged onto the Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation website jumped 22 percent in 2014, according to Google Analytics. In all, users in 157 countries—or 81 percent of the world (as defined by the 195 nations recognized by the U.S. Department of State)—accessed information on the condition […]

2014 PFS Foundation Annual Address

Aug. 4, 2014 Dear Friends: I’m pleased to report that 2014 is shaping up to be a turning point on the road to widespread awareness of post-finasteride syndrome. Couple that with the steady progress of our clinical studies and I become ever more hopeful that the coming year will bring not only worldwide acceptance of […]

Doctors Recruiting PFS Patients for Research Studies

SOMERSET, N.J., June 16, 2014 – Post-finasteride syndrome research initiatives at two major U.S. medical institutions, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (a Harvard Medical School Teaching Affiliate) in Boston, Mass., and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, are currently recruiting patients for their respective studies on the condition. If you are interested in participating, or […]