Finasteride, also known as Proscar or Propecia, is a drug given to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy, male pattern baldness, and the side effects are mild to moderate. It’s also used to alleviate male pattern baldness, although the Food and Drug Administration has not approved finasteride for the treatment of male pattern baldness. When used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy, finasteride is usually given in combination with another drug, doxazosin (also see our article on Lansoprazole Side Effects). Finasteride does not prevent prostate cancer.
Finasteride helps shrink the prostate, which in turn relieves the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy. These are frequent urination, which interferes with sleep, and difficulty with urination. Taking finasteride may decrease the need for prostate surgery including transurethral resection later in life.
Finasteride for male pattern baldness, finasteride decreases thinning at the crown of the head but doesn’t affect hair loss at the temples. It works by suppressing the production of a male hormone or androgen. The same androgen hormone regulates the size of the prostate and hair growth in men.
As with all drugs, there are side effects. Finasteride’s side effects include decreased sexual desire or libido. Side effects also include decreased sexual arousal and decreased ability to have or maintain an erection, also known as erectile dysfunction. Moreover, side effects may include a decreased amount of semen produced at climax and a painful sensation in the testicles. Other side effects are changes in the breast, including breast enlargement, the development of lumps or a discharge from the nipple. These are considered severe enough to warrant prompt medical attention. Rashes, itching, and hives have been noted as side effects from taking finasteride. Swelling of the lips and/or face is another possible side effect. These allergic-type symptoms warrant immediate medical attention.
Rare Finasteride Side Effects
Rare side effects include feeling faint and edema in the extremities. This means swelling of the hands or feet. Even less frequent side effects were fatigue and malaise; postural hypotension, meaning a drop in blood pressure upon a change in the body’ s position and rhinitis or stuffy nose. Less than 0.2 percent of men who participated in the study experienced these side effects.
Other finasteride side effects also include masking some of the symptoms of prostate cancer. For example, prostate-specific antigen or PSA levels fall in men who take finasteride, even when prostate cancer is present. Thus when taking finasteride, it’s important for men to have a secondary test to detect prostate cancer, rather than to rely on PSA levels. In men over 55 years of age, taking finasteride increased their risk of developing high Gleason score prostate cancer, 1.8 percent compared to placebo at 1.1 percent. The need for regular prostate examinations cannot be overemphasized for men taking finasteride.
It is extremely important that women never take finasteride. Besides not helping women with age-related hair loss, finasteride has severe effects on a developing fetus. The damage may occur before the pregnancy is known. The birth defects include failure of the genitalia to develop. Men taking finasteride are usually restricted from donating until a month after the last does of drug has been taken.