ArticleSkin appendage disorders2019
Post-Finasteride Syndrome: An Induced Delusional Disorder with the Potential of a Mass Psychogenic Illness?
Article in Skin appendage disorders, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sexual dysfunction associated with 5α-reductase inhibitors in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Sexual, physical, and overall adverse effects in patients treated with 5α-reductase inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Asian journal of andrologyPooled it
- Steroid 5α-reductases in the brain: From neurosteroidogenesis to therapeutic implications.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Disconnect between Patient and Dermatologist Perceptions in Androgenetic Alopecia Therapy: Social Analysis across More than 100,000 Digital Conversations.Skin appendage disorders · 2026Article
- Post-finasteride syndrome - a true clinical entity?International journal of impotence research · 2025Review
- Beliefs and counseling practices among dermatologists regarding sexual and other adverse effects of finasteride.International journal of impotence research · 2025Article
- A clinical guide to rare male sexual disorders.Nature reviews. Urology · 2024Review
- How to Deal with the Issues of Fertility, Malignancies, and the Postfinasteride Syndrome while Prescribing Finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss.Skin appendage disorders · 2022Article
- Psychiatric Comorbidity Related to the Therapy of Male Androgenetic Alopecia Independent of the 5-Alpha Reductase Pathway.Skin appendage disorders · 2022Article
- Suicidality and Psychological Adverse Events in Patients Treated with Finasteride.Skin appendage disorders · 2021Article
- Pharmacological Management of Pattern Hair Loss.Indian journal of plastic surgery : official publication of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India · 2021Review
- Comment on Current Investigations into the Postfinasteride Syndrome.International journal of trichologyArticle
- Morgellons-like Disease of the Scalp.International journal of trichologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) has been claimed to occur in men who have taken oral finasteride to treat either hair loss or benign prostatic hyperplasia, independent of age, dosage, or indication. By definition, the condition is characterized by sexual dysfunction, somatic symptoms, and psychological disorders that persist after cessation of finasteride treatment. As yet, the condition is not recognized by the medical community, although individuals who suffer from PFS present with relatively homogenous symptoms. The concept of PFS has emerged from reports of non-dermatologists, neuroendocrinological research and reflections, and uncontrolled studies of low quality and with a strong bias selection, while a significant nocebo effect among patients informed about possible side effects of finasteride is recognized. There are no predictive factors for the risk of development of PFS. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that a patient history of preexisting mental health disorder, particularly depression, may put patients at an increased risk. We report the first case of PFS in a long-standing (over 20 years) dermatotrichological practice with frequent finasteride prescription observed in a 25-year-old male following dutasteride treatment for male androgenetic alopecia. There was circumstantial evidence that PFS may represent a delusional disorder of the somatic type, possibly on a background of a histrionic personality disorder, which would explain the refractoriness of the condition and a high degree of suggestibility.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.