In this postmarketing case series of 6 former finasteride users who committed suicide, all reported insomnia and persistent sexual dysfunction after medication discontinuation. The most prominent psychiatric symptoms were depression, anxiety, panic attacks, feelings of isolation and “brain fog.” Some of the most debilitating symptoms were insomnia and fatigue. Apart from 1 case who had […]
Tag Archives: suicide
Post-finasteride syndrome: An emerging clinical problem
[T]hese data indicate the urgent need for high quality clinical trials, with long-term follow up, specifically addressing sexual function and mood disorders. In addition, it is imperative to study in detail the molecular mechanisms that cause this condition, trying to identify a possible genetic predisposition, in order to limit the burden of PFS. Finally, therapeutic […]
The Steroidogenesis Inhibitor Finasteride Reduces the Response to Both Stressful and Rewarding Stimuli
[W]e tested the effects of [finasteride (FIN)] in a battery of tests aimed at capturing complementary aspects of mood regulation and stress reactivity in rats. FIN reduced exploratory, incentive, prosocial, and risk-taking behavior; furthermore, it decreased stress coping, as revealed by increased immobility in the forced-swim test (FST). This last effect was also observed in […]
Finasteride, not tamsulosin, increases severity of erectile dysfunction and decreases testosterone levels in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Conclusions: This study showed that long-term 5α-RIs therapy but not tamsulosin in men with BPH is associated with continued worsening of ED, which does not resolve with continuing treatment, contrary to previous claims. Most importantly, it appears that 5α-RIs therapy but not tamsulosin results in a reduction of T levels and increased AMS score as […]
Safety concerns regarding 5α reductase inhibitors for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.
Recent postmarketing reports and a US Food and Drug Administration analysis have documented uncommon persistent sexual and nonsexual side-effects in a subset of younger men who have taken finasteride 1 mg for androgenic alopecia. While the mechanisms of the sexual side-effects in humans is incompletely understood, one study found lower cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of dihydrotestosterone, […]
Team Melcangi Launches ‘Milano Project’ to Map the Basic Science of PFS so Research Can Move from an Animal Model to Human Clinical Trials
Initial therapeutic target is allopregnanolone April 11, 2024 Dear Friends: Roberto Cosimo Melcangi, PhD, is taking a page out of Robert Oppenheimer’s playbook. The Head of the Neuroendocrinology Unit in the Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of Milano (UniMi) this week launched an initiative to supercharge post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) research and, […]
Search for Sources of Major PFS Symptoms Pinpoints 186 Brain Genes
New UniMi study enumerates pathologies including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and cognitive dysfunction potentially linked to finasteride-induced genetic dysregulation March 16, 2024 Dear Friends: Turns out, post-finasteride syndrome may indeed be all in your head—namely, your hypothalamus and hippocampus. So demonstrates the latest research from the University of Milano (UniMi), which has identified 186 genes in […]
Canada to Health Pros: All Finasteride Patients Should ‘Be Screened for Suicidal Ideation, Self-harm, and Depression’ Before Being Prescribed the Drug
Japanese disproportionality analysis of finasteride ADRs, meanwhile, shows completed suicides 270% higher than expected Jan. 28, 2024 Dear Friends: Canada is taking no chances vis-á-vis finasteride wreaking havoc on its citizens’ psyches. Pre-prescription edict Last week, drug-regulatory authority (DRA) Health Canada (HC), via its monthly Health Product InfoWatch bulletin, informed its nation’s healthcare professionals that: […]
Internet Access to Prescription-Free Finasteride ‘Is a Serious Risk,’ Warns PFS Investigator Roberto Melcangi
‘My colleagues are seeing many cases’ of this condition, the UniMi endocrinology professor notes in his first-ever long-form TV interview Jan. 7, 2024 Dear Friends: After a decade of being reduced to mere soundbites on TV news reports, Roberto Cosimo Melcangi is finally getting some quality time in the spotlight. Last month, Italy’s Byoblu TV—having […]
ED that Occurs During Finasteride Treatment Differs from ED that Persists Post-Treatment, Says New UniMi Research
PFS Investigator Roberto Melcangi suspects the post-treatment variety springs from neuroendocrine disorder, rather than genital pathology Aug. 28, 2023 Dear Friends: Finasteride use can, and does, lead to erectile dysfunction that can, and does, last indefinitely in a subset of patients. By this point in the epidemiology of PFS, few self-respecting doctors would argue with […]