Emerging evidence & commentary on risks of finasteride as a treatment for hair loss
On November 6, Dr. Andrew Huberman spoke to guest Dr. Michael Eisenberg, a urologist and professor at Stanford Health Care in California. In one segment, they discussed post-finasteride syndrome.
Physicians have used flimsy arguments to cast doubt on 5-alpha syndrome. They overlook social context, misread literature, omit inconvenient facts and disparage patients. Rebuttals for each of these arguments are provided.
5-alpha syndrome (post-finasteride syndrome) is appearing more regularly in the medical literature. Recent articles show slightly more openness to the syndrome as legitimate, especially in the fields of andrology and sexual medicine. But they continue to recycle old arguments that pin the problem on the patient, such as pre-existing psychological and sexual disorders, a nocebo … Read more
Dr. Schaeffer, Chair of Urology at Feinberg School of Medicine, does not recommend finasteride for any man. The prostate cancer expert says he knows people who have post-finasteride syndrome “permanently.” Dr. Edward Schaeffer recently spoke about post-finasteride syndrome on The Peter Attia Drive Podcast, in an episode on prostate health. Dr. Schaeffer is Chair of … Read more
A drug-induced syndrome is all in the mind, a Swiss doctor wrote. Editors of the journals had past ties to the drug maker. Men turn to finasteride to try to save their hair, but they might end up with a severe and lasting disability.1 There are countless stories online, usually anonymous because of the embarrassing … Read more
This appendix accompanies the article: Response to Dr. Ralph Trüeb’s writings on post-finasteride syndrome. Table of competing interests ← back to main article Engagements with Merck re: Propecia Skin Appendage Disorders (journal) (1) International Journal of Trichology (2) Experimental Dermatology (journal) Hair Growth and Disorders textbook (2008) Cited by Trüeb Ralph Trüeb, MD Member, Editorial … Read more
Note: In November 2023, Dr. Huberman discussed the risks of finasteride with Dr. Michael Eisenberg. Read the transcript Today’s episode of the popular Huberman Lab Podcast is titled “The Science of Healthy Hair, Hair Loss and How to Regrow Hair.” It includes a five-minute discussion of post-finasteride syndrome. Huberman raises an issue that has been … Read more
Over the past 25 years, finasteride harms have spread invisibly, altering lives and giving rise to confusion and disagreement. This post identifies common themes across all these spheres. Many of these have to do with biases, omissions and collusion among industry, physicians and regulators.
Physician-researchers blamed growing safety concerns on patients, overlooking social context and weaknesses in safety regime The official view of Propecia, fashioned by Merck at a reported cost of $450 million, is that the drug is safe and effective. Upon approval by FDA in 1997, this view was carried forward by dermatologists, some of whom were … Read more
Despite serious methodological shortcomings—including the preposterous use of on-drug safety data as a proxy for a post-drug condition—the authors nevertheless blame the post-drug syndrome on patient shortcomings. Zhang et al. have yoked bad logic to biased data in order to deflect attention away from drug harms.