Can finasteride cause side effects?
Yes. Like most medications, whether over-the-counter drugs, prescription drugs, or drugs in medical studies, finasteride may cause side effects. Decreased sexual desire, impotence (difficulty achieving an erection), and decreased ejaculate volume are known side effects of this drug. There are treatments available that may lessen these side effects. Participants in the PCPT were regularly asked about side effects and were encouraged to call the study site any time they had concerns or symptoms they thought might be related to the study. In the PCPT, men taking finasteride reported more sexual side effects than men on the placebo. However, men on finasteride were also less likely to experience urinary symptoms such as urgency/frequency of urination or incontinence. Study Results • What were the initial results of the PCPT? The PCPT was the first study to show that a drug can reduce a man’s chances of developing prostate cancer. Men randomized to take finasteride were 25 percent less like
