Analytical Review: Finasteride's Link to Depression and Suicidality

This paper is dedicated to the memory of a healthy person who started taking finasteride several years ago, 'just' to improve his hair. Within a week, he developed severe neuropsychiatric symptoms that did not abate after stopping the drug.

Treatment attempts by the best specialists did not help, and a few months later, he died by suicide.

Finasteride, a 5α-reductase inhibitor of testosterone conversion, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 for treating androgenetic alopecia (AGA).

The FDA recognized mental adverse reactions starting...

This review looks at the potential for finasteride to cause depression and suicidality and makes policy recommendations for regulating and monitoring drug safety.