Side Effects of Finasteride 

I'm worried I might start taking it and my wife will come back.

I got prescribed 1mg. Based on research and other videos before I even saw this I decided to cut the pill in half and do .5mg everyday. Glad to hear I made the right choice

how long after taking it will i see the effects? great discussion doctors

Thanks for sharing this information, I'm 25 years old and I didn't want to use finasteride since I noticed the hairloss when I was 20 years old. I lost allot of hair since then but better late than never.

I'm curious, have folks done large scale randomized control trials on the effectiveness and side effects of lower dosage? If the effects are obvious I'd expect the scientific (versus observational) evidence. Excuse my skepticism, I'm a professional statistician by training.

Can finasteride have a positive effect on acne or oily skin? I have a very high DHT - 830 (eference range of 250 to 990). Thank you!

Hi! Currently im using finasteride for my hair loss, i have a question? If i take finasteride at night and collagen supplement in the morning, do you think is this safe or worsen?

I have a very important question. I‘m thinking about taking Finasterid (3 times a week 1.25mg) but also take Neuroleptics (Seroquel) 25mg 3 times a day) are there any side effects when i take this two medications together ? I already have Finasterid at home and ready to start. i would really need help please.

For how long are you supposed to take the drug,and at what point do you stop..or it's forever thing kindly asking to know before i go for the drug and finally does that nean if start taking it my hair will have difference

Can this help with Alopecia Areata? I notice that when I take Creatine - I start loosing my hair.. When I stop and supplement with DHT blockers it comes back. Is Alopcia liked to high-levels of DHT? So frustrating! :( Thank you

Can you get a blood test for dht

What do you think about the post finasteride syndrome? I read about that and i don't know what to think

Why is life so complicated

My bro used to have very thin hair on top of his head, but he yet had a hairline, just quite thin. He lowered his stress, enhanced diet, and began using liiitleextra cooconion nourishing shampoo and hair oil. This helped decrease his hair fall in just 4 to 5 months.

Who knew Steven Spielberg was a also a trichologist? A man of many talents!

Best video about finasteride out on RU-vid super underrated

For someone in their field saying that they have never, in 20 years had someone not recover from the side effects is enough for me to try it. Thank you for the videos.

These 2 doctors are sharing amazing valuable information. I’m so glad I was able to find their show

I took it for about two years, and it was bad stuff. I started in my late 30's. I had some erection problems, but the worst was not being able to finish sex. After I stopped taking it, the side effects lingered, and may linger a bit today (almost 50) I would have gotten in on a class action lawsuit, but I took the generic. I have been told that I was in a small group, but when it hits you, it sucks.

Started taking it back in march, 3mg a week (keeps), was good until about September and I noticed some side effects, slight ED, lower sperm volume that stuff. Got off of it just to be safe, we were planning on trying to conceive again. Side effects were gone within like three weeks of getting off of it and wife is pregnant now. But just throwing my story out there for anyone who might find it useful

Thank you Jeremy Corbyn

Great show guys. I think it’s brilliant that you two just stick to the facts and we don’t have to wait to wade through banal comments like other shows by non medical podcasters. Please keep them coming. Much love from the USA!

FINALLY SOMEONE THAT GIVES PROPPER AND EXACT INFORMATION

I've been on finasteride for 7 years I'm 34 years old and I've had zero side effects.. I've heard of the side effects too before using them, guess everyone is different, I stick to the 1mg a day and my hair loss has pretty much stalled completely

I’ve been taking finasteride for close to 25 years… Started at age 20 when my hair was falling out way more rapidly than a single guy ever wanted it to. Anyway, I have had zero side effects. In fact, if you ask my wife, she would say I should take some more considering the loss of libido being one of them. By the way, I was originally given the 5 mg dosage because the doctors were still fairly new at understanding what I can do but a few years later the 1 mg dosage became a thing. So basically, I’ve been taking 1 mg for over two decades, and have for the most part kept the same head of hair in that time.

I've been taking Finasteride for 15 months now and NO side affects. My only regret is I didn't start taking it earlier due to all the bullshit fear mongering about Finasteride.

One question: I’m a physician myself and reading studies on pubmed I encountered the possibility of lasting side effects even after discontinuing of the drug. What can you tell about that?

How come the doctor doesn’t take finasteride for his hairline 😊

Excellent video Docs. I'm a hair stylist who works with hair replacement systems, but having medical knowledge is always great to talk to my clients. Thank you

These guys are extremely coherent and logical. Easy to follow their train of thought. Superb information

I just want to say thank you so much for providing this information. I'd been on finasteride 1mg/day for 5 months and started to experience frequent testicular pain and ED. I'm going to give it a break for a few months to see whether those side effects disappear and then I'll reassess dosing or permanent stoppage. It's nice to know that this won't last forever.

The company that patented Finasteride and did the research for prostate enlargement must have gotten a HUGE payday after discovering the benefits for the hair.

This is without a doubt the best Channel by far about Hair Loss and its Treatment! Thumbs up for both of you!

My question is still what about the people who say they got permanent side effects. Even years after quitting

The world is STARVING for high-quality, informative, fact driven and, quite frankly, entertaining content like this. Its is such a relief to hear two experts such as yourselves illuminate the topic. THANK YOU!! (I'll be copying and pasting this comment onto all the videos I watch of yours because it's nothing short of the truth)

Wow, reducing the dosage drastically cuts down the cost too 👌

Maaaan shit is sad I want my hairline back and I’m afraid of taking these drugs cause if side effects

Great video. Was exactly what I was looking for amongst all the stupid scare mongering. Well explained very informative.

If only the pharma companies would write on the bottle to not take 1mg everyday there would be a lot less reports of side effects.

Saw Dr Knudsen a few years back in Canberra. Recommended that I don't get a hair transplant and to reduce my does of Finasteride to three times a week. A lot of respect for him.

This show is so good, i really love the way you think about the numbers in science, im a student of kinesiology so very often i think in terms of dose-response relationships... Very sophisticated information here, thank you so much for sharing :D

Do you suggest taking zinc with finasteride to decrease the risk of side effects? and does using zinc with finasteride makes the finasteride less effective or it doesnt have any role in the decreasing or increasing the finasteride effect ?

Problem is, for many people they will be left with permanent adverse effects after trying the drug once. So this approach of taking it and seeing what happens is completely irresponsible. Once you get the sides it can be too late. Research post Finasteride syndrome if you haven’t already. I wish I had known about PFS before I took it.

I tried taking it on 2 separate occasions. My doctor warned me but I insisted and she prescribed it for me. I immediately lost my sexual function but kept taking it because the guidelines are to keep taking it and you will eventually regain sexual function. This didnt happen for me. When I came off the drug though I swung the other way and became a sex crazed maniac. A year or two later I tried it again only taking a quarter of a pill every other day. Even with that dosage I had significant and immediate hair regrowth, and much less severe sexual side effects. However the sexual side effects were still not worth it. Losing your confidence in the bedroom in exchange for a better hairline is just not a worthwhile trade off. And again when I quit the drug my hormones went berzerk and I became an absolute carnivore. I suspect many men who do not report sexual side effects are so desperate to keep their hair that they are in denial. Many of you reading this may actually be in that situation. This denial is compounded by the denial commonly associated with the shame of experiencing sexual dysfunction in the first place. I also suspect that doctors in the hair restoration industry are highly biased, since the success of their treatments relies on tolerance of the drug. It is a cruel irony to have to choose between having hair or having a boner, but I’ve never been exceptional in any other way so I doubt that I’m the only one or even in the minority. On the other hand I’m not going to tell you that women find bald men attractive either or that people perceive us to be dominant. It sucks not having hair. But if God had made me tall, confident, intelligent, talented, compassionate, with a great body and a huge rock hard cock, and a full head of hair, it just wouldn't be fair to everyone else. So I’m willing to trade my hairline for some humility and character.

Started losing my hair in my early 20s. It became noticeable at 22. Hopped onto finasteride, and then had a small transplant to thicken up the thinned section (thank God for cheap Estonian cosmetic surgery). Very satisfied with the result. The transplant did most of the heavy lifting visually. But I'm hoping the finasteride will prevent further progression.

I started taking 1 pill a day and then went down to 3 per week and for the last 5+ years I take 1.25mg once a week (I cut the 5mg pills in quarters) and I've lost no hair. I've been using it probably 20 years now.

hello i am a pharmacist in the US, i would really enjoy seeing some sources that you can cite detailing the half life of finasteride the.. skin tissue, i am not aware of any studies performed to detail the half life of an oral medication in the skin. thank you!!

Question to the public: i have been taking 1 mg every day for about 3 - 4 years now. I for sure notice decreases in libido and some ED. My hair has not gotten any worse in that time , and possibly has gotten better. But i personally feel it can cause a bit of depression considering you have little drive to seek out a partner then if you do you have the paranoia of not everything working when the time comes. Has anyone else experienced the same feelings? I dont necessarily want to stop taking it because im single and would like to keep my hair but the double edge sword to this is really a problem. Wondering if i should take a few months off and or change my dosing/schedule.

Ive been taking it for almost 4 months now. There has definetly been noticeable improvement in my hair which I started losing when I was 15. Thankfully, I have zero signs of any major side effects except for one side effect which has only been reported 5 times. It's uncontrollable eye twitching specifically in my left eye. It happens quite frequently, maybe twice every day for atleast 5 mins. It's annoying but barely anything to worry about.

Been taking it for over 20 years. In the last 2 years I've been only taking 1mg 3 times a week instead of everyday. No side effects and all seems the same . Im 60 years old.

Does taking oral 1mg finasteride 3 times a week have effect on sperm count? If so, is it reversible if a person stops taking the medication?

Since January I have been taking Minoxidil for my MPB. It wasn't until this channel that I was being brave and decided to start taking Finasteride. The option to do it 3 times a week just made so much sense, and the results for me personally have been amazing! I did a whole 6 month video about the treatment and the before and after just made me realise how much it all grew back! I haven't really noticed any side affects other than a bit of brain fog, but I imagine it to be much of a placebo affect anyway, (If you think you will get side affects, you probably will!) Thanks again Vikram and Russell!

I m using finasteride for last 10 days. Hope everything go well. Still libido and erection is ok. Will update after 1 or 2 months. If i get sides i will stop it.

Damm this was the video i needed

I take Finnastride and haven’t noticed any sexual problems. But I also do take very good care of myself. I don’t drink any alcohol at all, I don’t smoke or take any drugs, I exercise hard at least 5 times a week and I eat very healthy too. I started losing my hair at age 19 and once I started taking Finnastride, my hair loss stopped. Now I also did have my hair restored, but the surgeon told me that I should still keep taking Finnastride and that I don’t need to use rogaine anymore. My hair looks great and even though I straighten my hair, I do take good care of my hair and I use coconut oil which helps a lot. I think the side effects happen for men who don’t take care of themselves, who are overweight, unhealthy, consume lots of alcohol, smoke, don’t exercise, and eat junk food consistently. If you eat healthy, workout hard, drink lots of water, who don’t masturbate anymore like I do, I’m on day 80 now of Semen Retention, you should be just fine.

Going to be honest. This was keeping me from taking it. I've ben taking it for 1.5 - 2 months now, 1mg a day. Haven't noticed any growth yet (don't expect to for at least 6-8 months) but I have noticed some side effects. Definitely have a reduced (not gone) libido and reduced by about half volume. I'm sticking with it, but sometime in the future (6 months+)I will be reducing my dosage to every other day as suggested here.

I used finesteride everyday for about ten years from mid 30s. Never had any side effects

I just heard about these side effects recently. As my son is using the product, I have concerns. Your video seems well informed and has eased my worries a bit.

Taking oral finasteride 3x a weel sounds really good. Will applying Topical Finasteride 3x a week also be effective in terms of hair regrowth and limiting side effects profile?

Major side effect of finasteride: your wallet gets empty

I took it for 8 years, 1 ml a day. I got severe panic attacks, brain fogs, palpitations, a total nightmare. It took me years to realize that finasteride was the problem. After I stooped it took a while ( years) to get rid of the side effects, since is so difficult to pin point the exact side effects. Maybe getting the dose right would make a difference, but I would not want to go through it again.

I was taking 1mg a day for a month straight and noticed the ED/low libido side effects. No 30 year old man should wake up with no morning wood. I'll try 3x a week, hopefully the side effects subside. Thanks guys!

It’s good to hear that having a break from finasteride shouldn’t cause any dramatic hair loss. As I know I’ll probably need to take a break if I plan to have children with my partner at some point.

I have taken 1/4 a 1mg tablet, even a 1/8 and even done topical finasteride, unfortunately after about 2 weeks, what I experience is this, immediate sluggishness almost like depression, decreased blood flow to penis, even when flaccid, feels numb. Once I stop takes like a week maybe more and Im fine. I really would love to take this drug as it seems to work wonders, but for me each way i try it, I get sides. Wish I didnt.

Oh daymn, finally hitting two birds with one stone. I'm sick and tired of wet dreams

meanwhile a local tv show in my countery reports about the devastating side effects of finasteride like PFS or depression leading to suicide Oo

Hmm okay very informative! I think I've been convinced to take it. Thank you!!

I don't know, I know someone in real life that got impotent with a following severe depression that he still hasn't recovered from fully. Also, I'm at the age where I actively want to have my own children... I just don't see the point of risking my sexual health for a better hairline.

Doctor I took finasteride 1 mg for 3 weeks as per the prescription of my doctor, but had to discontinue it due to the side effects like loss of libido and difficulty in having an errection. After a week, I was back to normal and the side effects were gone. The side effects can't be psychological because I hadn't read about the medicine anywhere and started taking it as per the doctor's prescription.

Hey doctors, and everyone! Can we take Finasteride (1mg) and PreP (Truvda/Ricovir/Tenof em etc) at the same time? Does it have any effect on each other?

Problem is post finasteride syndrome, where the side effects continue after discontinuation of then drug for life. Not worth the risk.

Hi Doc! I just started taking it for 2 Weeks and i think i am facing some side effects like not getting erection like that.

lowest dose necessary to achieve desired results should be the mantra of all doctors! Start small, work up to what's needed. I've known far too many people who were given way too much of something based on BS generalizations of what a "normal" dose supposedly is.

If I start finasteride is it something I need to commit to for life? Also is finasteride effective to restore a receding hairline?

Is it better to take 0,5mg every day or 1mg every two days?

If the drug stays in skin tissue for 30 days, then why is there a need to take it so often? Surely taking 1mg once every 10 days would be more than enough? If a single 1mg dose stays in the skin even for 20 days, and you keep adding a new dose every few days, then if you take 1mg even twice a week, that cumulative sum of days keeps adding, so if you follow that for a year and stop, you would be left with over 1700 days accumulated (almost 5 years), for the drug to then completely wear off. Maybe I'm missing something in my logic but that could also explain PFS. Also where is there any link to any study that proves that the drug stays in skin tissue for any length of time?

I had to stop after 7 years due to dry eyes. I had started struggling with eyes so dry that my eyelids were sticking to my eyes and it was incredibly painful. After damaging my cornea and going to 2 doctors who were both stumped and just tried to give me eye drops I did some personal research and found that testosterone affects eye tearing. I stopped taking fin and my dry eye issues stopped. A year later i thought I was crazy and stared fun again. Within a week I started having dry eyes again. This is just a heads up that this is one of the lesser known side effects.

I can see that you both are going rather thin on top. Do you both benefit from Finasteride?

I have multiple side effects, but have been on it for 10 years. I am planning to swap to the topical dutasteride instead and hopefully that helps.

Best video on fin Ive seen. Interesting how Russell speaks confidently to the camera yet Vikram speaks to Russell as if to make sure Russell approves of what he's saying

Interesting to hear that you only need to take 1mg three times a week instead of every day. How ever I disagree that side effects are very unlikely to happen As someone who has taken finasteride for a few years I have definitely had sexual side effects with decreased sex drive and erection size and have also noticed brain fog and low mood when taking it. If I stop taking it for a few months all the side effects go away and I feel back to normal , finasteride is definitely the most potent of none surgical treatments but please do not believe side effects are unlikely

Im 20, i experienced impotence from only one dose of 1mg finasteride i dont know if is placebo effect or i am alergic to it

After 2 years Finasteride destroyed my libido. I stopped and it’s mostly returned. It did nothing for my hair loss. I will never use Finasteride again. I rather be bald.

I just want to know that since I am using a topical solution having 5% Minoxidil and 0.1% Finasteride, am I recommended to use oral finasteride 1mg thrice a week or should I go to the medical store to see for minoxidil 5%only solution to use oral 1mg finasteride tablets?

Dr. Russel, you said you never had any patient in 20 years who didn't recover after stopping medication. Did they even recover from gynecomastia?

You think if I take two pills a week it still would get results with less side effects?

Was on fin for almost 2 years. Rx was 1mg / day. Never took that much (experimented with various dosing protocols). Near the end I was taking 0.5mg / 3x / wk and was still having ED issues (43yo, never had issues prior). I talked to a "pelvic health" colleague about it and she recommended I stop taking it immediately. So, I stopped taking it and about a week or 2 later, my "better" erections came back as well as being able to fully urinate more easily. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Thank you for all the valuable informations that you are giving us. Do you recommend the combination of propecia and minoxidil?

I know were talking about finasteride, but I just started minoxidil and after less than 2 weeks, got a nasty rash on both my scalp and forehead and swollen lymph nodes behind my ears, and this was with Kirkland foam product. I’m all done with minoxidil.

Here's a side effect no one seems to be talking about. You can't donate blood while you're on finasteride. I've donated blood heaps of times, but not in a few months. I recently got on fin, went in to donate blood and found out that it's a total no go for blood donors (because it can't go to pregnant women). I'd rather keep getting thinner hair and still be able to give blood consistently again, than keep the hair and not be able to donate blood. Pretty easy choice. Hopefully some stem cell treatement options get better/more accessible soon.

Come on people even daily food that we are eating have some side effects

I am 54years old, i had hair transplant, and i was recommended finasteride everyday 1 mg. after 11 months, i stopped. the balls and penis started paining and later i noticed the size of the penis has decreased drastically. now i am suffering with after effects. Please advise what should I do !!

Anyone tried this 3x a week of finasteride to report back on how well it works?

1mg finasteride per day with Minoxidil spray 5% gave me satisfying results and took out my depression about being bald. Been taking it for 2.5 years. I did not have any bad side effects since the initial period I'm taking it which lasted 2 weeks. Side effects include random ball ache and watery sperm. But it all went away after a month and now I got no side effects at all.

Please do a Video on managing Weak erections! I am into finasterid 7-8 months and didnt know about weak erections. I experienced weak erections more and more and Can’t really maintain one without physical touch. I am 23. please do a Video.

Thanks guys. I bit the bullet, went to my doctor and got a prescription for finasteride thanks to your videos. Taking 1mg three times a week along with 5% minoxidil twice a day and micro needling with 1.5mm derma roller once a week. I’ve been a long time user of minoxidil and had great results, but as I’m getting older (33 years old) my hair wasn’t progressing anymore.

I took finasteride for about two months and couldnt get IT up. Stopped immediately and luckily everything is working again. It was very scary.

Can you comment more on fin and it's complications with male fertility, i.e trying to conceive? I am stopping fin usage now whilst trying to have a child with my partner (will start minoxidil). What are the known issues and how confirmed are they? Is there a definitive risk ? I am up for having a kid but also worried about MPB!

It's not side effects... it's the effects!

Getting watery semen, pain in testicles is imaginary?? I must have a powerful imagination when I was taking it