Does Finasteride Cause Sexual Dysfunction?

Finasteride is an oral medicine that has been effective in treating hair loss for the past 20 years. This drug is clinically proven to stop the procedure of hair loss as well as balding, mainly in men suffering from androgenic alopecia. 

What is Finasteride?

Finasteride is an effective medicine that treats male pattern hair loss. Remember this drug is not going to treat thinning hair at the temples and is not recommended for women & children to treat hair loss.

Male pattern hair loss is a condition when there is a gradual thinning of the hair on your scalp, causing a receding hairline or balding on the top of the head, especially in men. Finasteride belongs to a class of medicines known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.

It is important for you to know that finasteride 5mg works by restricting the conversion of testosterone into Di-Hydro-Testosterone (DHT). Most men experiencing balding either have an additional number of DHT receptors around the hair follicle or enhanced activity.

This medicine is available in tablet form and is consumed by mouth. Doctors usually recommend taking Finasteride once a day with or without the food.

How does Finasteride cause sexual dysfunction in men?

This medicine also blocks an enzyme known as 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme responsible for converting testosterone to DHT. Intake of the finasteride pill can also induce male sexual dysfunction because of its effect on testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction.

Several hair restoration medicines including Finasteride can have damaging effects on a man’s sexual health like erectile problems, decreased volume of ejaculation, and reduced sexual drive.

Reducing the body’s level of DHT can correct hair loss but problems often arise. This is because sex hormones are necessary for maintaining the structural integrity of nerves, connective tissue, smooth muscles, and signaling pathways in the male reproductive organ.

You must know that Propecia might make you suffer from loss of sexual desire, inability to reach orgasm, and inability to ejaculate. Even after the medicine is stopped, these sexual dysfunctions might continue for some time.

Sometimes finasteride might also cause male infertility or poor semen quality. But these side effects decrease or disappear once you stop taking the medicine.

Men who take Finasteride who a long time often have a high risk of experiencing persistent erectile dysfunction when compared to men who are less exposed to male hair baldness medicines.

In some cases, persistent erectile dysfunction can continue for some time even after stopping the medication. It is vital for you to know that erectile dysfunction is a condition when a man is not able to achieve and maintain hard erections for sexual activity.

Among young men, continued exposure to this drug can pose a greater risk of persistent erectile dysfunction than other assessed risk factors.

This further means that there is a strong relationship between taking Finasteride and having persistent erectile dysfunction than having hypertension, diabetes, or smoking, which are considered other risk factors.

Being a man, if you experience persistent erectile dysfunction then it is difficult to attain normal erections for months or years even after stopping the intake of the Finasteride pill. 

It is often noticed that young men who are exposed to this drug for a long time have an increased risk of persistent erectile dysfunction by almost five times more than men with shorter exposure.

During your treatment with Finasteride, you can also experience another side effects like decreased interest in sexual activity. This happens because intake of this medication makes you suffer from loss of libido which is a very common sexual side effect of finasteride.

Such undesirable complications in relation to sexual function can lead to a negative impact on the quality of your life. Intake of this pill is also linked with various ejaculatory disorders.

Ejaculatory disorders range right from premature ejaculation, and delayed ejaculation to complete inability to ejaculate at the time of sexual activity.

How sexual dysfunction is treated?

You need to understand that sexual dysfunction is usually treated by assessing the underlying problems that are responsible for causing dysfunction. In case, the cause is physical then the treatment will be done through ED medicines or mechanical aids. 

On the other hand, if the reason behind sexual dysfunction is psychological then certain counseling, therapy, and behavior modification might be required. However, when you suffer from sexual dysfunction due to the side effect of the Finasteride pill, the doctor recommends your treatment options accordingly.

When taking Finasteride, it is important to follow the direction of your doctor for the prescribed dosage in order to reduce the chances of side effects like sexual dysfunctions.  

Therefore, during the treatment with Finasteride, if you experience any male sexual dysfunctions then consult the doctor immediately.