108 citations
,
February 2008 in “The Journal of urology/The journal of urology” Inhibiting 5α-reductase can help reduce prostate cancer risk and improve treatment.
71 citations
,
November 2012 in “Expert Opinion on Drug Safety” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors can cause sexual side effects like erectile dysfunction and reduced sexual desire, sometimes lasting after stopping the drug.
39 citations
,
April 2018 in “Hormones” No consistent link between genotype and phenotype in 5-α-Reductase type 2 deficiency.
38 citations
,
October 2014 in “Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity” 5-alpha reductase deficiency leads to male sexual development issues and treatments like finasteride help with prostate enlargement and hair loss.
37 citations
,
January 2009 in “Sexual Development” Fadrozole and Finasteride change frog sex ratios and cause intersex animals with altered gene expressions.
35 citations
,
April 2013 in “Sexual medicine reviews” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors slightly increase the risk of sexual and mood side effects, and breast growth 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.
8 citations
,
June 2020 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Taking 5α-reductase inhibitors with prednisolone can worsen its negative effects on metabolism.
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.
78 citations
,
January 2000 in “Gynecological Endocrinology” Norgestimate is the most effective birth control progestin for reducing an enzyme linked to acne and excessive hair growth in women.
57 citations
,
July 2016 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” 5α-reductase inhibitors increase the risk of sexual dysfunction, especially in men with enlarged prostate.
35 citations
,
June 2018 in “Urology” The review suggests younger men taking 1 mg finasteride report more side effects, including sexual, skin, metabolic, and psychological issues.
34 citations
,
August 2011 in “Journal of Natural Medicines” Puerariae Flos extract may help treat hair loss by blocking a hair loss-related enzyme and promoting hair growth.
33 citations
,
January 2016 in “Skin appendage disorders” The document concludes that sexual and psychiatric side effects from 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are reported, but more high-quality research is needed to understand how often they occur.
29 citations
,
July 2012 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Rats had lasting erectile problems after stopping a certain medication.
28 citations
,
May 2018 in “Scientific reports” Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and hormone regulation in PCOS rats.
27 citations
,
May 2015 in “Neuropharmacology” Dutasteride protects dopamine neurons in Parkinson's mice, but Finasteride doesn't.
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
,
April 2020 in “Dermatologic Therapy” Dutasteride works better than finasteride for hair loss, with both being safe to use.
19 citations
,
January 2016 in “Annals of Dermatology” Dutasteride is safe and effective for treating hair loss, but may decrease libido.
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
,
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
,
January 1998 in “Journal of Clinical Periodontology” Finasteride helps treat hair loss by blocking enzyme activity.
13 citations
,
November 2012 in “PubMed” 5α-reductase inhibitors may worsen sexual drive and spontaneous erections but don't worsen existing erectile or ejaculatory problems.
12 citations
,
April 2018 in “Physiology & Behavior” Finasteride raises suicide-linked aggression and stops clozapine's positive effects in schizophrenia animals.
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
,
January 2018 in “Reproduction” Inhibiting 5α-reductase increases progesterone levels in late pregnant mares.
5 citations
,
August 2018 in “Sexual Medicine Reviews” 5α-Reductase inhibitors do not consistently increase testosterone levels in the blood.
3 citations
,
April 2021 in “Journal of Medicinal Chemistry” Finasteride may affect PNMT, causing side effects.