Written by Dr.Albana Greca Sejdini, Md, MMedSc

Learning about the Side Effects of Finasteride

What is finasteride used for?

common side effects of Finasteride

Finasteride is a drug with proven effect on the prostatic hypertrophy and baldness. The prostatic hypertrophy could be a stage of the development of prostatic cancer (in the future), and that’s why this drug saves human lives, but at what cost?

The most common side effects of Finasteride

Most men do tolerate the drug very well and do not experience any side effects. However, this drug reduces the levels of testosterone and that’s why most of its side effects come from here. The reduced levels of testosterone lead to several phenomenons in the male reproductive system:


  • Decreased libido - the men’s desire to have sex is lowered. This is experienced by 1.8% of the men but it can ruin the relationship with man’s life. Sex is important for maintaining good and healthy relationship and marriage.
  • Erectile dysfunction - This is observed in 1.3% of the patients. Drugs like Viagra could be used to treat erectile dysfunction but the results are not very promising. Patients could consult their doctor whether they can reduce the dosage of the drug.
  • Decreased ejaculate amount - symptom observed in 1.2% of the males. This decreases the possibilities for conceiving. If the couple desires to have kids, this could be a problem for them. This could contribute to the depression, which is observed in several patients on a treatment therapy with Finasteride.
  • Testicular pain - observed in very few patients. The pain could appear at any time during the day but in most case it appears during the night.

Finasteride side effects on breasts

Male breasts will also suffer when finasteride is used, including, they could:

- Become larger

- Become painful

- They could have lumps

- Discharging is also possible

Other possible Finasteride side effects

  • The entire body suffers from the reduced quantities of testosterone and the metabolic paths are disturbed. This is the reason why patients, treated with Finasteride gain weight.

Healthy diet should be applied to limit this side effect. Avoiding alcohol and eating a lot of vegetables could be beneficial for maintaining healthy weight

  • Depression could be observed in these patients, too. It is a result of the gained weight and the erectile dysfunction. These two factors could depress a man greatly.
  • A depressed man will be less productive and he will earn less money in his job. This is why the depression is going to aggravate. Precautions should be taken at all cost. Reduced testosterone levels will make the man feel and act more like a woman.

Finasteride side effects on lipid profile

Many clinical trials have been carried out to confirm whether the lipid profile is affected or not. They estimated one thing: the lipid profile, including triglycerides levels, cholesterol levels, HDL or LDL levels are not affected during the treatment with Finasteride. 

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