How to approach your doctor about PFS
Should you say PFS straight away? Which tests your doctor may do, and what to try if you are not believed.
Planning to see your GP about symptoms since finasteride? Go in with three things: the dates you took it, what has changed in your own words, and the line in the UK leaflet that says some effects can last after stopping.
That gives your GP something concrete to work with when you raise post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). PFS is new to many GPs, and a clear, short account helps them take it seriously.
Chirag took finasteride and was told PFS wasn’t real. Then his symptoms came on. In this interview he talks about going from doctor to doctor, which many readers will recognise.
So what should you bring, what should you say, and what if you are not believed?
What should I bring to the appointment?
Bring a short written record. GP appointments are short, and a page saves you from forgetting things.
- The medicine: name, dose and dates, for example “Finasteride 1 mg from March 2022, last tablet June 2023.”
- What changed: in plain words, such as “less sex drive”, “brain fog”, “feel emotionally flat”, “can’t sleep”.
- When it started: while taking it, or after stopping.
- How you were before: “No problems before 2022.”
- Other medicines and supplements, and any earlier test results with dates.
The leaflet itself asks for this: “It will help if you make a note of what happened, when it started and how long it lasted.” Our free letter for your doctor puts the condition, the sources and your dates on one page.
Should I say “PFS” straight away?
That’s your call, and people in our community do it both ways. Some start with the symptoms and the dates, so the GP looks at them without a label first. Others name PFS early and show the leaflet line.
Either way, the leaflet line is your strongest card. It’s the official UK patient leaflet, under side effects of unknown frequency. It lists lasting erection, sex drive and ejaculation problems “after discontinuation of treatment”.
If you’re unsure, ask others in our WhatsApp peer support groups how their GP reacted.
Three questions for your GP
- Could anything else explain these symptoms, and how can we check?
- Can you note in my record that this started after finasteride?
- What's our next step if things don't improve?
You could start with: “I took finasteride for hair loss, and since then things haven't been the same. The leaflet says some effects can continue after stopping.”
What tests will my doctor do?
No test diagnoses PFS. Tests look for other explanations, and that’s still worth doing.
PFS is more than sexual problems. Proposed criteria from 2022 list cognitive problems, depression and suicidal thoughts, which can happen without any sexual difficulties, so tell your GP about all of it.
Your GP may suggest blood tests, such as hormones, blood sugar or thyroid, depending on your symptoms. Normal results don’t mean nothing is wrong. They mean those causes look less likely. Ask for the actual results and reference ranges, and keep them with the date.
The 2022 criteria are proposed criteria, agreed by a group of doctors and researchers. No NHS guideline uses them yet, so your GP may not know them.
What if my doctor doesn’t believe me?
Many people say it took time to be taken seriously. Stay calm, bring the leaflet line, and ask for your symptoms to be written in your record.
You can ask for a second opinion from another GP in the practice, or a referral. Our page on which doctor to see for PFS explains the options.
It can help to bring someone you trust. They can take notes, ask the questions you forget, and say how much you’ve changed.
If your mood drops, don’t wait. The leaflet says to stop finasteride and talk to your doctor if you have depression or suicidal thoughts. If you feel unsafe, get help the same day.
In the UK, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time. In an emergency, call 999.
Finasteride helps many men with hair loss. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. Follow what the leaflet says.
Go in prepared, write it down, and ask for it to go on your record. Then report it.
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. Your doctor doesn’t have to agree.
- 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
The UK regulator’s own short film explains how a Yellow Card report works.
What else do people ask?
Should I bring research papers? One or two pages is enough. The leaflet line and our research overview work better than a stack of studies. Your GP has little time, so lead with your dates and symptoms.
Can my GP report it for me? Yes, doctors can send a Yellow Card too. If yours won’t, you can do it yourself online. Both count.
Is there a list of PFS symptoms I can show? Yes. Our PFS page lists what people describe, from sexual changes to brain fog and low mood.
Chirag kept going until he was heard. Write your dates down today, and take the leaflet line with you.
Sources
- Organon Pharma (UK). Propecia 1 mg film-coated tablets, patient leaflet, Electronic Medicines Compendium, last revised May 2026. Section 4, frequency not known: “persistent difficulty having an erection after discontinuation of treatment”, “persistent decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment”, “persistent problems with ejaculation after discontinuation of treatment”. Section 4: “It will help if you make a note of what happened, when it started and how long it lasted.” Sections 2 and 4: stop and talk to your doctor if depression or suicidal thoughts occur.
- Healy D, Bahrick A, Bak M and colleagues. Diagnostic criteria for enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment with antidepressants, finasteride and isotretinoin. Int J Risk Saf Med 2022;33(1):65-76. Proposed criteria agreed by experts. Section 5: “Additional finasteride effects that can occur independently of any sexual difficulties” include cognitive impairment, depression and suicidality.
- GOV.UK. Report a problem with a medicine or medical device.
- Moral Medicine, Doctors Said Post-Finasteride Syndrome Wasn’t Real. Then It Happened to Him, March 2025.
- MHRA, MHRA Yellow Card scheme, November 2024.
- Samaritans, 116 123, free and open 24 hours.
Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.
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