Prior literature has suggested that finasteride may negatively impact men’s sexual health. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided a warning on finasteride drug labels to incorporate sexual side effects such as reduced libido and erectile dysfunction. We aimed to evaluate global online interest in finasteride sexual side effects, their penetrance and variation, […]
Tag Archives: Post-finastasteride syndrome
Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin
A set of enduring conditions have been reported in the literature involving persistent sexual dysfunction after discontinuation of serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants, 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors and isotretinoin. OBJECTIVE: To develop diagnostic criteria for post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD), persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) following serotonin reuptake inhibitors, post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) and post-retinoid sexual dysfunction (PRSD). METHODS: […]
How routine pharmacovigilance failed to identify finasteride’s persistent sexual side effects
When confronted with data that their product could cause persistent erectile dysfunction, the Risk Management Safety Team at Merck, in 2009, had the opportunity to take further action to sort out the issue. Realizing that many adverse event reports lacked adequate information, the team could have recommended conducting additional rigorous prospective studies on finasteride to […]
Differential Gene Expression in Post-Finasteride Syndrome Patients
This study is the first to consider gene expression differences in men with PFS in explaining the etiology of this condition. Given gene expression per se is not mechanistic and does not imply causality, experiments with downstream processes of protein expression and activity should be undertaken to provide mechanistic data and clarify the results of […]
Risk of Depression Associated With Finasteride Treatment
Crude pooled rates of depressive symptoms with versus without finasteride were 3.33% versus 2.54%; random-effects meta-analysis yielded an odds ratio of 2.14. In addition, risk of suicidal ideation or behavior was greater with versus without finasteride (21.2% vs 14.0%), and risk of sustained sexual dysfunction was high (60.1%). The findings support a growing impression that […]
Three-Dimensional Proteome-Wide Scale Screening for the 5‑Alpha Reductase Inhibitor Finasteride: Identification of a Novel Off-Target
Data presented here indicate that the 5α-R inhibitor FIN is also able to interact with PNMT. This concept is supported by 3D proteome wide-scale screening, by docking and MD simulations, by an in vitro biochemical assay, and in vivo analysis. We believe that the present findings may help in explaining the various side effects reported […]
The potential involvement of cholinergic system in finasteride induced cognitive dysfunction
Finasteride (100 mg/Kg, s.c.) administration decreased the percent correct choice during the retention trial of the RAM task. This was paralleled by an increase in the number of total number of errors and reference memory errors. In the social interaction test, finasteride (100 mg/Kg, s.c.) administration decreased the time spent with the rat compared to […]
Investigation of Suicidality and Psychological Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Finasteride
In this pharmacovigilance case-noncase study, significant RORs of suicidality and psychological adverse events were associated with finasteride use in patients younger than 45 years who used finasteride for alopecia. The sensitivity analyses suggest that these disproportional signals of adverse events may be due to stimulated reporting and/or younger patients being more vulnerable to finasteride’s adverse […]
Alterations of gut microbiota composition in post-finasteride patients: a pilot study
Sexual dysfunction, psychological and cognitive complaints, muscular problems, and physical alterations symptoms were reported in more than half of the PFS patients at the moment of sample collection. The quality sequence check revealed a low library depth for two fecal samples. Therefore, the gut microbiota analyses were conducted on 21 patients. The α-diversity was significantly […]
Repeated finasteride administration induces depression-like behavior in adult male rats
This study provides the evidence that an animal model of finasteride-induced depression is feasible to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms, and the pharmacology underlying the neuropsychiatric effects of finasteride. Further, these results provide insights into the potential involvement of neurosteroids in depression and will lead to the development of novel therapeutics for its treatment. […]