24 citations
,
February 2012 in “Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases” 5α-reductase inhibitors help shrink the prostate, improve urinary symptoms, and may reduce prostate cancer risk.
22 citations
,
November 2018 in “Breast Cancer Research and Treatment” The medications 5α-reductase inhibitors and spironolactone are generally safe for breast cancer patients on endocrine therapies and do not significantly increase breast cancer risk.
22 citations
,
August 2014 in “Clinical endocrinology” Taking finasteride for benign prostate hyperplasia may increase the risk of osteoporosis, especially at higher doses.
19 citations
,
October 2018 in “PLOS ONE” 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors can slightly improve symptoms of enlarged prostate but have a high risk of sexual side effects.
17 citations
,
December 2018 in “The World Journal of Men s Health” Long-term use of dutasteride can cause permanent erectile dysfunction in rats.
15 citations
,
January 2017 in “Experimental Neurology” Finasteride reduces movement issues in Parkinson's disease rats.
15 citations
,
July 2016 in “Urologic Clinics of North America” Finasteride and dutasteride are effective for long-term treatment of enlarged prostates but have sexual side effects and a risk of high-grade prostate cancer.
15 citations
,
December 2006 in “Clinical interventions in aging” 5 alpha-reductase inhibitors like finasteride may lower prostate cancer risk and improve cancer screening.
13 citations
,
June 2018 in “Current Urology Reports” Hair loss drugs may cause sexual issues and infertility in men.
11 citations
,
August 2014 in “Current Urology Reports” Medications for enlarged prostate can cause sexual side effects like reduced libido, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculatory problems.
10 citations
,
October 2018 in “Sexual medicine reviews” Men using hair loss drugs like finasteride may experience sexual side effects like erectile dysfunction, but it's unclear who will be affected and when. Treating depression and sexual symptoms is suggested, as these men often have higher rates of both. More research is needed to understand why these side effects occur.
7 citations
,
July 1995 in “PubMed” Finasteride, a drug that changes testosterone to a different hormone, was studied and its effects over time were modeled successfully.
6 citations
,
May 2020 in “JAMA Ophthalmology” Using 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, drugs for prostate issues and hair loss, may lead to eye abnormalities in men.
6 citations
,
January 2003 in “PubMed” Finasteride reduces prostate size and symptoms with few side effects.
4 citations
,
August 2021 in “Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, like finasteride and dutasteride, may cause depression, but more research is needed to understand why.
3 citations
,
April 2021 in “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry” Finasteride may affect PNMT, causing side effects.
3 citations
,
August 2020 in “Urology Journal” Using 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may increase the risk of mild depression.
3 citations
,
March 2020 in “The Journal of Urology” Older patients sticking to their prostate medication saw lasting health benefits.
3 citations
,
December 2000 in “PubMed” CS-891 may effectively treat hair loss by blocking enzymes in hair follicles.
2 citations
,
May 2019 in “PubMed” Oral finasteride and dutasteride may negatively affect erectile function in rats.
2 citations
,
March 2018 in “Current Opinion in Urology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause sexual, neurologic, endocrine, and cardiovascular side effects, but these are rare and usually stop after ending treatment.
1 citations
,
June 2025 in “European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” Finasteride may increase the risk of suicidality and depression, especially in younger people.
1 citations
,
July 2022 in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention” 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors are safe long-term but may be outdated for preventing less significant prostate cancer.
1 citations
,
June 2021 in “Singapore Medical Journal” Dutasteride and finasteride can help increase hair growth gene expression but need further improvement.
1 citations
,
April 2019 in “Clinical Breast Cancer” Medicines for enlarged prostate may raise the risk of breast growth and tenderness but not breast cancer.
1 citations
,
November 2015 in “Cochrane library” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors help treat urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate.
1 citations
,
August 2015 in “Current Sexual Health Reports” 5α-reductase inhibitors can cause serious and possibly lasting sexual and psychological side effects.
1 citations
,
January 2012 in “Daehan namseong gwahag hoeji” Dutasteride is more effective than Finasteride in reducing prostate size and PSA levels, but both drugs have similar side effects.
August 2025 in “ACS Omega” New compounds show promise as nonsteroidal treatments for hair loss.
September 2024 in “Health of Man” Low-dose dutasteride effectively and safely promotes hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia.