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Concept
Finasteride
Summary
Finasteride, sold under the brand names Proscar and Propecia among others, is a medication used to treat pattern hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men. It can also be used to treat excessive hair growth in women. It is usually taken orally but there are topical formulations for patients with hair loss, designed to minimize systemic exposure by acting specifically on hair follicle.
Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor and therefore an antiandrogen. It works by decreasing the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by about 70%, including in the prostate gland and the scalp.
In addition to DHT, finasteride also inhibits the production of several anticonvulsant neurosteroids including allopregnanolone, androstanediol, and THDOC.
Adverse effects from finasteride are rare; however, some men experience sexual dysfunction, depression, and breast enlargement. In some men, sexual dysfunction may persist after stopping the medication. It may also hide the early symptoms of certain forms of prostate cancer. that finasteride topically administered have less likelihood of these adverse effects.
Finasteride was patented in 1984 and approved for medical use in 1992. It is available as a generic medication. In 2020, it was the 90th-most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 8 million prescriptions.
Finasteride has been used for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with an enlarged prostate and for the treatment of male pattern hair loss (androgenetic alopecia) in men.
Physicians sometimes prescribe finasteride for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), informally known as an enlarged prostate. Finasteride may improve the symptoms associated with BPH such as difficulty urinating, getting up during the night to urinate, hesitation at the start and end of urination, and decreased urinary flow.
The use of the drug showed significant sexual adverse effects such as erectile dysfunction and less sexual desire, in particular when obstructive symptoms due to an enlarged prostate were present.
Official source
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