Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride: Could They Be Permanent?
Irwig, 2012
“[I]t is important for the medical community to be aware of this population of men who developed persistent sexual side effects associated with finasteride in the setting of no baseline sexual dysfunction or psychiatric conditions.”
54 men were reassessed at a mean of 14 months following their initial interview dates. Participants had a mean age of 31 at time of assessment.
Participants had no baseline sexual dysfunction or psychiatric conditions before use of finasteride.
Persistent sexual side effects continued to be present in 96%. Severity of sexual dysfunction did not correlate to duration of finasteride use or duration of persistent effects.
Irwig noted a broad range of commonly reported persistent effects beyond those formally assessed by the ASEX including decreased volume of ejaculate, loss of penile size and/or testicular size, testicular pain, prostatitis, penile curvature, reduced penile sensation, a reduction in spontaneous erections.
Additionally, subjects reported difficulty sleeping, mental impairment, and depressive symptoms.
Irwig notes the typical experience of patients with persistent symptoms is unsuccessfully seeking help from multiple providers, and stresses the importance of physicians acknowledging with their patients the current limitations in medical knowledge.
