Finasteride from Hims, Keeps or Boots: risks

Planning to buy finasteride from an online service such as Hims, Keeps or Boots? It is the same medicine as Propecia, with the same risks. The UK leaflet lists sexual problems that can last after stopping, and patients call this post-finasteride syndrome (PFS).

An online questionnaire asks only a handful of questions. The warning you get depends on what you read before you click “order”.

Robb Dixon ordered finasteride online. Watch from 0:49 to hear how easy it was, and what began after he stopped.

Play video: Pharmacists warn against buying prescription drugs online

So what can last after stopping, and how much do these services tell you before you order?

What side effects can last after stopping?

The UK leaflet for Propecia 1 mg lists these under “Frequency unknown”:

• “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”

It also lists depression and suicidal thoughts. For those, it says to stop taking Propecia and contact your doctor as soon as possible. If you’re struggling, the Samaritans are free on 116 123, day or night.

PFS is more than sexual problems. The diagnostic criteria proposed in 2022 say cognitive problems, depression and suicidal thoughts can come with them, or happen without any sexual difficulties.

Men with PFS describe more than the leaflet lists: a numb, shrunken penis, a flat mood, and problems with concentration and memory. For some people it has lasted years after stopping. Nobody knows yet who will be affected, or whether it will ease.

How much do online services tell you?

That depends on the service and what you read. Hims and Keeps are US telehealth companies; Boots Online Doctor is a UK service. You fill in a form, a prescriber reviews it, and tablets arrive by post. There may be no face-to-face talk about side effects at all.

In March 2025 the Wall Street Journal reported on young men who got finasteride through telehealth companies, including Hims and Keeps, and later reported lasting side effects. It noted that, unlike drugmakers, these companies “aren’t required to disclose side effects and other risks in advertisements” in the US.

Adrianne Fugh-Berman, a pharmacologist at Georgetown University, was asked about telehealth start-ups in 2023. “Their job is to prescribe you drugs,” she told Coda Story.

In the UK, the MHRA told prescribers in May 2026 to “inform patients of the risks at point of prescribing”. Every pack comes with a patient card. Read it, and the leaflet, before the first tablet.

Sam was prescribed finasteride by his GP. He was told erection problems might happen. Was anything said about them lasting? “Nothing permanent,” he says. Watch from 3:56.

Play video: The Hidden Devastation of Finasteride – Sam’s Story

Should I get blood tests before starting?

You can ask your prescriber whether a baseline blood test makes sense for you. It gives a “before” picture of your hormones. It won’t prevent PFS, but it can help show later what has changed.

Tests people often discuss:

• Total and free testosterone: the main male hormone, and the part the body can use.
• DHT: the hormone finasteride lowers.
• LH and FSH: signals from the brain that control the testes.
• SHBG: a protein that binds testosterone.
• Oestradiol: a form of oestrogen.

Your prescriber will decide which, if any, fit your situation. An online service may not offer them, so your GP may be the place to ask. Our page on PFS blood tests goes into more detail.

What can I do?

Finasteride helps many men keep their hair. If you have side effects, that’s a decision for you and your prescriber. Follow the leaflet: it says to stop and see a doctor if your mood changes.

If you already have symptoms, write down your dates: “Finasteride 1 mg from January 2023, last tablet March 2024.” Many people say it took time to be taken seriously. Bring the leaflet line. You can report it without a doctor agreeing.

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. It doesn’t matter where you bought it.
• 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 it legal to buy finasteride online in the UK? Yes, from a registered UK service with a prescription. Finasteride 1 mg is prescription-only, so a site that sells it with no prescriber review is not working legally.

Is online finasteride the same as Propecia? Yes. Propecia is the original brand of finasteride 1 mg for hair loss. Online services usually sell generic finasteride, which carries the same warnings. Some also sell it as a spray.

Does topical finasteride carry the same risks? It contains the same medicine and can reach the blood. Our page on topical finasteride covers what is known so far.

How dangerous is Propecia overall? Nobody has measured how often lasting problems happen. Our page on how dangerous Propecia is sets out what the leaflet and studies say.

Robb found ordering easy. What came after stopping was much harder. If yours has lasted, report it, and read our page on post-finasteride syndrome.

Sources

1. Propecia 1 mg film-coated tablets: patient information leaflet, last revised May 2026, electronic medicines compendium (emc). Section 4: persistent erection, sex drive and ejaculation problems “after discontinuation of treatment” under “Frequency unknown”. Section 2: stop and contact your doctor for depression or suicidal thoughts.
2. MHRA, Finasteride and dutasteride: updated safety warnings for psychiatric side effects and sexual dysfunction, Drug Safety Update, 11 May 2026. “inform patients of the risks at point of prescribing and advise patients to read the Finasteride patient cards”.
3. 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 from expert agreement. Section 5: cognitive impairment, depression and suicidality “can occur independently of any sexual difficulties but may also accompany sexual problems”.
4. Wall Street Journal, “They Wanted a Quick Fix for Hair Loss. Instead, These Young Men Got Sick”, 13 March 2025 (US; paywalled). Wording as quoted by the PFS Foundation.
5. Rebekah Robinson, Coda Story, “Telehealth start-ups are monetizing misinformation, and your data”, May 2023, via Harvard TagTeam. Quote from Adrianne Fugh-Berman.
6. Good Morning Britain, ITV, Pharmacists warn against buying prescription drugs online, 11 February 2026. Robb Dixon on ordering online from 0:49.
7. Moral Medicine, The Hidden Devastation of Finasteride – Sam’s Story, June 2025. Warning from 3:56; “nothing permanent” at 4:32.

Sources checked on 22 October 2026. AI-assisted writing and review, not clinical review.