Overview
Post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) describes persistent sexual, neurological, physical, and mental adverse reactions in patients who have taken finasteride, a 5-alpha reductase type II enzyme inhibitor used to treat hair loss (under the brand name Propecia or generics) and/or enlarged prostate (Proscar or generics). Unfortunately, PFS is a condition with no known cure and few, if any, effective treatments. As an increasing number of men report their persistent side effects to health and regulatory agencies worldwide, medical and scientific communities are only beginning to realize the scope of the problem.
Related news: First-Ever PFS Diagnostic Criteria Published in Medical Literature
Reported PFS Symptoms
Sexual
Libido
- Decreased or complete loss of sex drive
Erection
- Erectile dysfunction, impotence
- Loss of morning and spontaneous erections
Orgasm Disorders
- Sexual anhedonia, loss of pleasurable orgasm
Ejaculatory Disorders
- Decreased semen volume and force
Penis
- Penile shrinkage and numbness
- Peyronie’s disease
Testes
- Scrotal shrinkage and numbness
Physical
Gynecomastia
- Female-like breast development and enlargement
Fatigue
- Chronic fatigue, listlessness
Muscle
- Myalgia, including muscle pain
- Myopathy, including muscle weakness, cramps, stiffness and tetany (twitching)
- Myasthenia, including muscle weakness
- Rhabdomyolysis, including muscle atrophy
- Creatine kinase elevation
Skin
- Decreased oil and sebum production
- Chronically dry, thinning of skin
- Melasma (brownish macules and patches that typically affect sun-exposed areas on the face)
Tissue
- Lipoatrophy (localized loss of fat tissue)
Hearing
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Vision
- Optic neuropathy (damage inflicted on the optic nerve)
- Retinopathy (disease of the retina)
- Ocular toxicity (includes inflammation and atrophy of the optic nerve and inner retina, loss of white matter, and gliosis of the occipital and parietal lobes causing various degrees of blindness)
Metabolism
- Diabetes mellitus
- Increased fat deposition, obesity and elevated body mass index
- Decrease in body temperature
- Reduced HDL cholesterol, raised fasting glucose and triglycerides
- Elevated rheumatoid factor
Self-Harm
- Attempted suicide
- Completed suicide
Mental & Neurological
Memory
- Severe memory/recall impairment
Cognition
- Slowed thought processes
- Impaired problem solving, decreased comprehension
Psychological
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Suicidal ideation
Emotional
- Emotional flatness and anhedonia
Sleep
- Insomnia
- Obstructive sleep apnea