Finasteride, or Propecia for hair loss and Proscar for prostate enlargement, is a 5α-reductase inhibitor, and operates biochemically to decrease the production in the body of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is a male (androgen) sex hormone that binds to certain parts of the body like the prostate gland and the scalp. It can lower DHT levels in the blood by up to two-thirds of pre-treatment levels.

Sadly, though effective for prostate enlargement and treatment of DHT-caused forms of baldness, it also has a profound on some people by lowering DHT drastically, causing erectile dysfunction and lowered sex drive (along with severe depression in some people).

As earlier is 1998, researchers knew a dose of 5g a day of finasteride, though very effective at lowering the substance indicative of prostate enlargement serum prostate specific antigen) by 50% after 6 months of treatment, also affected DHT by lowering 60% by 3 months of treatment and was affected even more so by 6 months. level decreased by 42% and 50%.¹

In 2011, a collaborated discussion paper was written which discussed that there were adverse side effects to finasteride treatment, causing persistent lowered libido 9i.e., sex drive), erectile dysfunction, and even depression in a significant subset of patients undergoing finasteride treatment. Versus placebo-treated individuals, the writers remarked, "ED, ejaculatory disorders, and decreased libido were more frequently observed in finasteride- than placebo-treated men (15% vs. 7%, respectively)."² That is a significant increase in these issues, and cannot be attributed to happenstance.

IN 2012, a rat study confirmed that oral finasteride had a drastic effect on prostate weight (where finasteride shines ot treat prostate enlargement) but lose the weight of the corpus cavernosum by 25.9%! This is the spongy tissue in the male member that fills with blood to enlarge the member and achieve erectile success. They found no effect on erectile function in the rats³, but if that reduction in the weight of corpus cavernosum holds true for humans also, that would be a severe side effect for the an issue of concern to most men: size.

In 2013, an expert opinion paper was published stated that though clinical trials showed erectile dysfunction rates of 5-99, that is inhibition of the 5-a reductase “may alter psychological functions, including increased depression, melancholy and loss of general well being”.⁴ That is quite scary ot anyone who values their mental well-being. IS it worth saving your hair to undergo perhaps worse depression than any hair loss could cause?

In 2014, researchers looked into past users of finasteride who had taken from 1 to 1.25 mg a day (the dose given by this point in the drug’s history; far less than when first given to patients). The researchers were at a loss to explain what they called the “persistent sexual adverse effects” because the mena levels of androgens in the men studied were the same as other studies. The confirmed lower androgen levels was 132%, vastly higher than the 5% expected. The semen volume was between the 25% and 50% percentile, but sperm motility (the movement of the sperm in general) was between the 10% and 25% percentile. Sixteen percent of the men had oligospermia, whereas in the general population it occurs in only 3% of fertile men.⁵

This is eerily similar to what happens to former steroid users and their fertility after ceasing steroids. THough the medical industry does not like to call alteration of the hormonal system anything harmful, any drug with this degree of effect on reproductive system is of extreme concern for those wishing to have children still.

IN 2015, the finasteride issue became quite a bit more serious. Not only did researchers find that sexual dysfunction was 11/8% of 577 persistent sexual dysfunction adverse event reports, that 87.2% of the men experiencing Suicidal Ideation also experienced Sexua lDysfunction. Many men know this sad fact: a man's’ sexual potency, and his ability to enjoy his sexual being, is intimately tied to a man’s joy in the world or possible deep depression with his very being and the potential for thoughts of suicide.

In total, of 4910 reports, 577 persistent SD and 39 SI adverse event reports (11.8% and 7.9%, respectively) were identified for young men using low-dose finasteride; 34 (87.2%) of the 39 men with SI also experienced SD. The majority of these events were serious (e.g., contributed to the patient's death, hospitalization, or disability).⁶

As a final discussion, we see some findings given in 2015 after researchers surveyed 131 former finasteride users to determine if they had lingering adverse effects in six areas: physical symptoms, sexual libido, ejaculatory disorders, disorders of the penis and testes, cognitive symptoms, and psychological symptoms . ALL six areas had persistent effects as reported by the men, and the researchers speculate on the possible existence of a “post-finasteride syndrome.”⁷

This is only a small sampling of the research done on finasteride. In many men, it seems to cause no ill effects, but in a disturbing percentage of men it seems to cause a moanfold of effects, all of which affect the virility of a man, and consequently a great degree of hsi well-being as that is intimately linked to part of his existence being essentially a sexual being.

Bald and depressed or impotent and depressed? No one can make that choice for you; and non-balding men may think the choice is easy, but any balding man will tell you it is a choice that is agonizing, no matter how well you know the possible dangers of finasteride; however for sexual health, of you value that more than some lovely locks, finasteride is a no-go in every way.