Finasteride warnings: what the pack now says
UK finasteride packs warn of depression and suicidal thoughts, and list sexual problems lasting after stopping. Patients call it post-finasteride syndrome.
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The UK warning for finasteride says it is linked to depression, suicidal thoughts and sexual problems that may continue after stopping. A card for every pack says so, and patients call the lasting effects post-finasteride syndrome (PFS).
Patients told the UK medicines regulator that many people, doctors included, didn’t know about these side effects. The card came out of the review that followed. We think it has a limit: it reaches you inside the box, after you’ve decided to take the medicine.
The story in 3 lines
1. The UK regulator says finasteride is linked to depression, suicidal thoughts and sexual problems that may continue after stopping (MHRA, May 2026).
2. In 2024 it announced a card for every pack, after patients said the warnings weren't reaching people (MHRA review).
3. Nobody has measured how often the problems last (UK leaflet: "Frequency unknown"). Patients call it PFS.
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Sam wanted to stop his hair falling out. His GP suggested finasteride and gave him a link to the NHS website, where he read that erection problems might happen.
Was anything said about them lasting? “Nothing permanent,” he says.
He describes numbness and shrinkage of his penis. In his words, the tablets were “handed out like it was nothing”.
What does the finasteride warning say?
The card for every pack, 1 mg or 5 mg, says finasteride can cause depression and, in some cases, thoughts of suicide. Lower sex drive and erection problems have also been reported, it adds, “which in some cases continued after treatment was stopped”.
The leaflet for the 1 mg dose is more specific. It lists “persistent difficulty having an erection after discontinuation of treatment”, along with lasting problems with sex drive and ejaculation. Its May 2026 version also warns that sexual problems may feed into low mood, including suicidal thoughts.
Doctors got the same message that month. The MHRA, the UK medicines regulator, told them to explain these side effects when they prescribe finasteride. They should ask first about any history of depression.
How the UK warning for finasteride grew
Why is there a warning card in every pack?
Because patients said the warnings weren’t reaching people. When the MHRA reviewed finasteride in 2023, most of these side effects were already in the leaflet. Lasting erection problems had been added in 2010, and depression in 2017.
In the MHRA’s words, patients were worried about “the apparent lack of awareness among health care professionals and patients”. So its independent expert advisers recommended a card inside the box, to highlight the mood and sexual side effects. The MHRA announced it in April 2024.
Does the warning reach people who buy finasteride online?
The card reaches them when the box arrives. What comes before that depends on the pharmacy. The 1 mg dose for hair loss isn’t prescribed on the NHS, and the MHRA says people more often buy it from online pharmacies than from private clinics.
Robb Dixon bought finasteride from a high street pharmacy that sells online, years before the card existed. “I filled out a basic form,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain. It was done in “30 seconds probably”, he said, and the tablets came in the post a few days later.
The MHRA met online pharmacies as part of its review. Some, it found, “have thorough screening and monitoring processes in place, others do not”. In October 2024 the pharmacy regulator, the GPhC, told pharmacies that “providing finasteride at a distance carries particular risk”.
What can you do if you have finasteride side effects?
These medicines help many people. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber.
If you develop low mood, depression or suicidal thoughts, the leaflet for the 1 mg dose says to stop taking it and contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you’re struggling, the Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, day or night.
Many people say it took time to be taken seriously. Bring the card or the leaflet line to your appointment. Write your dates down too: “Finasteride 1 mg from January 2023, last tablet March 2024.”
Report it: it helps everyone
A doctor’s note helps you. A report to the medicines regulator helps everyone else: it is how patterns get noticed.
- No proof needed. A suspicion is enough, even years after stopping.
- Where: the Yellow Card scheme in the UK, MedWatch in the US.
- Use the right words. If symptoms continued after stopping, write Post 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor syndrome (MedDRA 10082430).
Our reporting guide walks you through it
Frequently asked questions
Is finasteride banned in the UK? No. It is still licensed, and the 1 mg dose for hair loss is sold on private prescription. The MHRA has added warnings and a card for every pack. You may know it by its brand names: Propecia for hair loss, and Proscar for an enlarged prostate.
How often do the side effects last after stopping? Nobody has measured how often this happens. The leaflet for the 1 mg dose lists the lasting problems under “Frequency unknown”. For some people it has lasted years after stopping. Nobody knows yet who will be affected, or whether it will ease. Our page on stopping finasteride has more.
Is post-finasteride syndrome an official diagnosis? Patients asked the MHRA to recognise it as one, and the regulator said that wasn’t its role. The dictionary regulators use to file reports does have a term for it: Post 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor syndrome. Our page on post-finasteride syndrome explains what is known.
Sam was warned about erection problems, but “nothing permanent”. If yours have lasted, report it: the line about lasting effects in today’s leaflet began with reports like yours.
Sources
- MHRA, Finasteride and dutasteride: updated safety warnings for psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction, Drug Safety Update, 11 May 2026.
- MHRA, Finasteride: reminder of the risk of psychiatric side effects and of sexual side effects (which may persist after discontinuation of treatment), Drug Safety Update, 29 April 2024.
- MHRA, Finasteride: review of safety data and expert advice on management of risks, 29 April 2024. The full report (PDF) covers the 2010 and 2017 product information changes (section 3.3), online pharmacies (sections 3.1, 4.3 and 6), the request to recognise post-finasteride syndrome (section 4.2) and the patient card wording (annex 1).
- Propecia 1 mg film-coated tablets: patient information leaflet, last revised May 2026, electronic medicines compendium (emc). Lasting erection, sex drive and ejaculation problems are listed under “Frequency unknown” in section 4.
- General Pharmaceutical Council, finasteride update for pharmacy teams, 7 October 2024.
- Moral Medicine, The Hidden Devastation of Finasteride – Sam’s Story, June 2025. Sam’s warning from 3:56; “nothing permanent” at 4:32; “handed out like it was nothing” at 4:50.
- Good Morning Britain, ITV, Pharmacists warn against buying prescription drugs online, 11 February 2026. Robb Dixon on ordering online from 0:49.
This information does not replace medical advice. Talk to your doctor before you make any decision about your treatment.
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Finasteride: what the official texts say, country by country
For the 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride (Propecia), the product information we read in the United Kingdom, in the United States, in Canada, in Australia, in New Zealand, in Germany, in France, in Italy, in Spain, in Brazil and in India, in some places that of another product, lists sexual dysfunction that continued after treatment was stopped. In each of those texts it stands among side effects reported once the medicine was in general use. Several add that these reports come from a group of unknown size, so how often this happens, and whether finasteride is the cause, cannot always be established. Patients call lasting effects after finasteride post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). The wording a European Commission decision set for the EU in 2025 is about mood and thoughts of suicide, and has no sentence about sexual side effects continuing after the medicine is stopped.
This is a record of what each text says and of the date it prints. A text is quoted in its own words, or summarised where the row says so. It is not a comparison of countries. All medicines and countries
| Country or region | What the text says | Document | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Undesirable effects · Psychiatric disorders: · Uncommon*: Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Undesirable effects · Reproductive system and breast disorders: · Uncommon*: Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8 Undesirable effects The same text also says4.8 Undesirable effects Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Undesirable effects Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Undesirable effects This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC): Propecia 1 mg Film-Coated TabletsPropecia 1 mg film-coated tablets, Organon Pharma (UK) Limited · Read in a compendium of product information: emcAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; 5 related documents, with such a sentence; 5 related documents, with no such sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| European Union | This text has no sentence about sexual side effects continuing after the medicine is stopped. This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. This is wording for national product texts. There is no single EU product text for this medicine. | Document from the regulator Finasteride- and dutasteride-containing medicinal products, Article 31 referral: Annex III Amendments to relevant sections of the Product InformationRead on the regulator's site: European Medicines AgencyAlso on record: 2 more related documents, with no such sentence | The text prints no dateChecked |
| United States | Sexual side effects that continue after stopping6 ADVERSE REACTIONS · 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The same text also says6 ADVERSE REACTIONS · 6.2 Postmarketing Experience This sentence stands in the list of adverse reactions. The warnings section of this text has no entry on sexual function. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. This text names sexual side effects in several places that this row does not show. Together those passages are too long to reproduce here. The document link in this row opens the text. That they are not shown says nothing about how common these side effects are. On 14 October 2026 we searched the labels in openFDA, the FDA's open database. A sentence that sexual dysfunction continued after treatment was stopped stood on 151 of the 181 labels in that database that name finasteride, and on each of them among the adverse reactions, in no warnings section. Of the 30 without it, 10 are hair products with labels in the Drug Facts style, 5 are listings of compounded solutions for the skin, 2 have no text on adverse reactions, and 13 are older labels of 5 mg tablets with an earlier list of adverse reactions. A table cell or list line is shown whole, as the text prints it. Some of them also name side effects that are not sexual. | Text for professionals PROPECIA® (finasteride) tablets for oral use: Full Prescribing InformationPropecia tablets 1 mg, Organon LLC · Read in the government's medicines database: DailyMedAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; 2 related documents, with such a sentence; 3 related documents, with no such sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| Canada | Sexual side effects that continue after stopping8 ADVERSE REACTIONS · 8.5 Post-Market Adverse Reactions Sexual side effects that continue after stopping8 ADVERSE REACTIONS · 8.5 Post-Market Adverse Reactions The same text also says8 ADVERSE REACTIONS · 8.5 Post-Market Adverse Reactions This sentence stands in the list of adverse reactions. The warnings section of this text has no entry on sexual function. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. This text names sexual side effects in several places that this row does not show. Together those passages are too long to reproduce here. The document link in this row opens the text. That they are not shown says nothing about how common these side effects are. A table cell or list line is shown whole, as the text prints it. Some of them also name side effects that are not sexual. | Text for professionals PRODUCT MONOGRAPH INCLUDING PATIENT MEDICATION INFORMATION: PrPROPECIA® finasteride tablets, Film-coated Tablets 1 mg, USPPropecia film-coated tablets 1 mg, Organon Canada Inc. · Read in the regulator's own database: Drug Product DatabaseAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; 2 related documents, with no such sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| Australia | Sexual side effects that continue after stoppingSection 4.8 · Post-marketing experienceIn section 4.8, under post-marketing experience, Australia's product information for Propecia lists a lower sex drive, and sexual dysfunction (erection and ejaculation problems), each as having gone on after the treatment was stopped.Summarised, not quoted, because of the TGA's access terms. The same text also saysSection 4.8 · Post-marketing experienceThe text says these reports come from a group of unknown size, so how often this happens, and whether the medicine is the cause, cannot always be established.Summarised, not quoted, because of the TGA's access terms. The regulator's site asks readers to accept its terms before it shows this text. This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals AUSTRALIAN PRODUCT INFORMATION PROPECIA (finasteride) TabletsPROPECIA, Organon Pharma Pty Ltd · Read in the regulator's own database: TGA eBSAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| New Zealand | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Undesirable effects · Adverse events identified during clinical trials The same text also says4.8 Undesirable effects · Adverse events identified during clinical trials Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8 Undesirable effects · Adverse events identified during postmarketing experience · Psychiatric disorders: Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8 Undesirable effects · Adverse events identified during postmarketing experience · Reproductive system and breast disorders: The same text also says4.8 Undesirable effects · Adverse events identified during postmarketing experience This sentence stands in the list of adverse reactions. The warnings section of this text has no entry on sexual function. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals New Zealand Data Sheet, PROPECIAPropecia 1 mg film coated tablet, Organon (New Zealand) Limited · Read in the regulator's own database: MedsafeAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; patients' leaflet, with such a sentence; related document, with such a sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| Germany | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Nebenwirkungen · Psychiatrische Erkrankungen: · Gelegentlich* Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Nebenwirkungen · Erkrankungen der Geschlechtsorgane und der Brustdrüse: · Gelegentlich* Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8 Nebenwirkungen The same text also says4.8 Nebenwirkungen Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Nebenwirkungen This is the holder's own copy. The regulator's database asks visitors to accept its terms first, which we did not do. This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals Fachinformation (Zusammenfassung der Merkmale des Arzneimittels)Propecia® 1 mg Filmtabletten, Organon Healthcare GmbH · Read on the holder's own site: Organon Healthcare GmbHAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; patients' leaflet, with no such sentence; 2 related documents, with such a sentence; related document, with no such sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| France | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Effets indésirables · Affections psychiatriques · Peu fréquent* Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Effets indésirables · Affections des organes de reproduction et du sein · Peu fréquent* Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8. Effets indésirables The same text also says4.8. Effets indésirables Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Effets indésirables The text itself prints no date of revision. An official list of medicines we read shows the originator product as cancelled, revoked or archived. This is the text of another product, the one named in this row. This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals Résumé des Caractéristiques du ProduitFINASTERIDE ARROW LAB 1 mg, comprimé pelliculé, ARROW GENERIQUES · Read in the government's medicines database: Base de données publique des médicamentsAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; patients' leaflet, with no such sentence; 9 related documents, with such a sentence; 3 related documents, with no such sentence | Updated by the regulatorChecked |
| Italy | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Effetti indesiderati · Disturbi psichiatrici: · Non comune* Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Effetti indesiderati · Patologie dell’apparato riproduttivo e della mammella: · Non comune* The same text also says4.8 Effetti indesiderati Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8 Effetti indesiderati Sexual side effects, as listed4.8 Effetti indesiderati The text itself prints no date of revision. This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals Riassunto delle caratteristiche del prodottoPropecia 1 mg compresse rivestite con film, Organon Italia S.r.l. · Read in the regulator's own database: Banca Dati FarmaciAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; 2 related documents, with such a sentence; 2 related documents, with no such sentence | Made available by the regulatorChecked |
| Spain | Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Reacciones adversas · Trastornos psiquiátricos: · Poco frecuentes* Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Reacciones adversas · Trastornos del aparato reproductor y de la mama: · Poco frecuentes* The same text also says4.8 Reacciones adversas Sexual side effects that continue after stopping4.8. Reacciones adversas Sexual side effects, as listed4.8. Reacciones adversas This text also has a warning about changes in mood that names sexual dysfunction as something that may contribute to them. That warning says nothing about sexual side effects continuing after stopping. It is not reproduced here, because this record shows the sexual side effects a text lists and whether it says they continue after stopping. The document link in this row opens the text. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Text for professionals Ficha técnicaPropecia 1 mg comprimidos recubiertos con película, Organon Salud, S.L. · Read in the regulator's own database: CIMAAlso on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence; 2 patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; patients' leaflet, with no such sentence; related document, with no such sentence | Text revisedChecked |
| Brazil | Sexual side effects, as listed8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? · Reação comum (ocorre entre 1% e 10% dos pacientes que utilizam este medicamento): Sexual side effects, as listed8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? · Reação incomum (ocorre entre 0,1% e 1% dos pacientes que utilizam este medicamento): The same text also says8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? Sexual side effects that continue after stopping8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? · Frequência desconhecida: durante a comercialização do medicamento, as seguintes reações foram relatadas voluntariamente, não sendo possível estimar o tamanho da população exposta: Sexual side effects that continue after stopping8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? · Frequência desconhecida: durante a comercialização do medicamento, as seguintes reações foram relatadas voluntariamente, não sendo possível estimar o tamanho da população exposta: Sexual side effects that continue after stopping8. QUAIS OS MALES QUE ESTE MEDICAMENTO PODE ME CAUSAR? · Frequência desconhecida: durante a comercialização do medicamento, as seguintes reações foram relatadas voluntariamente, não sendo possível estimar o tamanho da população exposta: This is the holder's own copy. The regulator's database refused our requests (it blocks by country; we asked from Denmark). An official list of medicines we read shows the originator product as cancelled, revoked or archived. This is the text of another product, the one named in this row. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. | Patient leaflet finasterida, EMS S/A, comprimido revestido 1 mg: bula para o pacienteFinasterida 1 mg comprimido revestido, EMS S/A · Read on the holder's own site: Sara – Plataforma Oficial de Bulas Digitais de Medicamentos do Grupo EMSAlso on record: 2 texts for professionals, could not be opened; 3 more patients' leaflets, with such a sentence; 2 more patients' leaflets, could not be opened | Text approvedChecked |
| India | Sexual side effects that continue after stoppingUndesirable Effects · Postmarketing Experience · Reproductive System: The same text also saysUndesirable Effects · Postmarketing Experience This is the holder's own copy. This regulator publishes no database of such texts. This sentence stands in the list of adverse reactions. The warnings section of this text has no entry on sexual function. Texts for other products in this country do not all say the same. The ones we read are on the full record. This text names sexual side effects in several places that this row does not show. Together those passages are too long to reproduce here. The document link in this row opens the text. That they are not shown says nothing about how common these side effects are. A table cell or list line is shown whole, as the text prints it. Some of them also name side effects that are not sexual. | Text for professionals FINPECIA TabletsFinpecia tablets (finasteride IP 1 mg, film-coated), Cipla Ltd. · Read on the holder's own site: Cipla (ciplamed.com)Also on record: 1 more text for professionals, with such a sentence | Text revisedChecked |
Brand names
These are the brand names of finasteride we saw in the official lists, compendia and regulators' pages we opened on or after 14 October 2026. A country may have more.
- Propecia
- United Kingdom, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain
- Proscar
- United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain
- Chibro-Proscar
- France
- Ricit
- New Zealand
- Prostide
- Italy
- Genaprost
- Italy
- Finastid
- Italy
- Asterid
- Italy
- Ridestin
- Italy
- Finestar
- Italy
- Fendazel
- Italy
- Stecur
- Italy
- Sitas
- Italy
- Finacapil
- Italy
- Ormicton
- Italy
- Carefinast
- Italy
- Finedor
- Italy
- Terip
- Italy
- Alocare
- Spain
- Litace
- Spain
- Maxpil
- Spain
- Excalv
- Brazil
- Finalop
- Brazil
- Finarid
- Brazil
- Finastil
- Brazil
- Prohair
- Brazil
What is not known
- How often PFS happens is unknown. The UK text for professionals says the frequency of the side effects reported after marketing, among them sexual dysfunction that persisted after treatment was stopped, “cannot be determined”, because they come from spontaneous reports. (source)
Code and reporting
In a report to a medicines regulator, the term is Post 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor syndrome (MedDRA code 10082430). Where to report, country by country
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