I think I have PFS: what do I do?
Should you stop finasteride? Who to talk to, and how to look after yourself right now if you suspect PFS.
Not sure where to start? Write down when you took finasteride and what has changed, then take that to your GP. Post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) is the name for side effects that can last after stopping, and you can report it and find support even before anyone confirms it.
The UK Propecia leaflet lists “persistent decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment”. You’re not imagining this.
So what should you do first, and who can help along the way?
What are the first things I should do?
Write it down today, while it’s fresh. That one page will help you with your GP, with a report and with your own memory later.
- The medicine: name, dose and dates, for example “Finasteride 1 mg from March 2022, last tablet June 2023.”
- What changed: in your own 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.”
The leaflet asks for the same: “It will help if you make a note of what happened, when it started and how long it lasted.”
Then book a GP appointment. Our guide to approaching your doctor about PFS goes through it step by step, and our free letter for your doctor puts it on one page.
At the appointment, know that no test diagnoses PFS. Your GP may check hormones, blood sugar or thyroid to look for other explanations, and that’s still worth doing.
Normal results don’t mean nothing is wrong. Ask for the actual numbers and reference ranges, and keep them with the date. The 2022 criteria are proposed by a group of doctors and researchers, and no NHS guideline uses them yet, so your GP may not know them.
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.”
Chirag was told PFS wasn’t real. Then it happened to him. Watch this if you’re worried about not being believed: he talks about going from doctor to doctor.
Should I stop taking finasteride?
That’s a decision for you and your prescriber. The leaflet gives one clear instruction: if you have depression or suicidal thoughts, stop taking it and talk to your doctor as soon as possible.
PFS is more than sexual problems. Proposed criteria from 2022 say problems with cognition, depression and suicidal thoughts can happen without any sexual difficulties at all.
Some people in our community say they’d rather come off gradually than all at once. The UK leaflet says nothing about tapering, so we can’t tell you that one way is safer. Talk it through with your GP before you change anything.
If your mood has dropped to thoughts of not wanting to be here, don’t wait for an appointment. In the UK and Ireland, call Samaritans free on 116 123, day or night. In an emergency, call 999. Our page on anxiety and depression after PFS has more.
Who can I talk to?
Tell one person you trust: a partner, a relative or a close friend. Carrying this alone adds to the stress, and someone who knows can notice if your mood changes. Our page on talking to family and friends about PFS has words you can use.
Then talk to people who’ve been there. Our WhatsApp peer support groups are run by people with PFS and related conditions. You can ask how others raised it with their GP, or just read for a while.
Many people say the first weeks are the hardest. It can help to hear from someone further along that they found ways to cope, and that some people improve.
How do I look after myself right now?
Keep it simple. These won’t treat PFS, but they make the days easier to get through.
- Sleep: it’s often badly disrupted at first. A fixed bedtime and a wind-down routine can help.
- Food and drink: regular, balanced meals. Many people find alcohol makes them feel worse.
- Fresh air: even a short walk outside can lift your mood a little.
- Rest your mind: cut down on hours of searching forums late at night.
Avoid big decisions while you’re scared. That includes expensive private tests, supplements bought online and treatments with bold promises. Give yourself time, and talk them through with your GP first.
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.
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
Not sure what a report involves? The UK regulator’s own short film shows how the Yellow Card scheme works.
What else do people ask?
How do I know it’s PFS and not something else? You can’t be sure on your own, and that’s why the GP visit matters. The criteria ask whether symptoms began with finasteride and whether another condition could explain them. Our PFS page lists what people describe.
Does PFS go away? For some people it has lasted years after stopping. Nobody knows yet who will be affected, or whether it will ease. Some people do describe improvement over time.
Does it happen with dutasteride too? The criteria cover 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which include dutasteride. Our page on dutasteride side effects explains more.
Chirag kept going until someone listened. Write your dates down today, and take that page to your GP.
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 decrease in sex drive after discontinuation of treatment”, also erection and ejaculation problems “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.” Section 2: “stop taking Propecia and contact your doctor for further medical advice as soon as possible” if depression or suicidal thoughts occur. No tapering advice.
- 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 but may also accompany sexual problems include: cognitive impairment, depression, 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, Contact a Samaritan: 116 123, free, day or night, UK and Ireland.
Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.
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