December 2025 in “Cureus” Using 5α-reductase inhibitors for hair loss may increase the risk of dry eye disease.
January 2020 in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine” Using 5α-reductase inhibitors for hair loss can cause lasting sexual, physical, mental, and vascular health issues in men, even after stopping the medication.
70 citations
,
August 1995 in “Fertility and Sterility” Finasteride reduces hairiness and androgen levels in women with unexplained excessive hair growth.
4 citations
,
September 2006 in “European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” Finasteride doesn't affect omeprazole metabolism in Japanese people.
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.
37 citations
,
April 2008 in “The Cochrane library” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors can lower prostate cancer risk but may increase high-grade tumors and cause sexual side effects.
36 citations
,
November 2020 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors may reduce COVID-19 symptoms in bald males.
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.
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.
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.
32 citations
,
May 2013 in “The Journal of Urology” Using finasteride or dutasteride does not increase the risk of male breast cancer.
29 citations
,
April 2019 in “BMJ. British medical journal” Men taking dutasteride or finasteride have a slightly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
20 citations
,
May 2018 in “The Journal of Urology” Men taking 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors before or after bladder cancer diagnosis had a lower risk of dying from the disease.
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.
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
,
January 2017 in “Experimental Neurology” Finasteride reduces movement issues in Parkinson's disease rats.
15 citations
,
January 2016 in “Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin” Bee venom helps hair grow and may work better than some common treatments.
14 citations
,
January 2020 in “International Journal of Biological Sciences” Ranitidine and finasteride lower TMAO levels, reducing heart and kidney damage by changing gut bacteria.
13 citations
,
June 2018 in “Current Urology Reports” Hair loss drugs may cause sexual issues and infertility in men.
12 citations
,
February 2003 in “European Urology Supplements” Dutasteride reduces DHT more effectively than finasteride.
9 citations
,
August 2019 in “Clinical genitourinary cancer” Taking 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors before bladder removal surgery might make high-grade bladder tumors less aggressive.
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.
4 citations
,
December 2019 in “Minerva Urology and Nephrology” 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may reduce bladder cancer recurrence and improve survival.
4 citations
,
January 2016 in “Journal of analytical & bioanalytical techniques” The herbal hair gel could be a safe hair growth treatment with minimal side effects.
2 citations
,
January 2017 in “Annals of Dermatology” Taking 5-alpha reductase inhibitors does not increase breast cancer risk in men.
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.
January 2026 in “Yonsei Medical Journal” Finasteride and dutasteride have little effect on Type 2 Diabetes risk.
30 citations
,
September 2016 in “BMJ” Taking 5-α reductase inhibitors for prostate enlargement or hair loss does not significantly raise the risk of erectile dysfunction.