Finasteride, or Propecia, can also cause sexual dysfunction Two-thirds of these men will experienced a reduced desire to drink alcohol - even after finishing the drug Could be because it reduces brains ability to make the hormones which make alcohol tempting By Emma Innes PUBLISHED: 11:21 EST, 14 June 2013 | UPDATED: 11:23 EST, 14 June 2013 Two thirds of men who take finasteride, and who develop side effects such as low sex drive, drink less as a result of the drug Some men who take anti-baldness drugs lose interest in alcohol, new research has revealed. Those who take finasteride (also known as Propecia) to stop their hairline receding also tend drink less alcohol after starting the medication. The research, carried out at the George Washington University, revealed that two thirds of men who take the drug, and who develop side effects such as low sex drive, drink less as a result. It showed that this side effect continues even after the man has stopped taking the medication. Finasteride is the only once-a day pill developed to treat mild to moderate male pattern hair loss. In a clinical study of 535 men taking the drug, 99 per cent had visible … Continue reading →

Some men who take the drug finasteride (Propecia) to slow a receding hair line may also find it reduces their interest in drinking alcohol, new research reveals. Almost two-thirds of the men in the study noticed they were drinking less alcohol than before taking Propecia, said study researcher Dr. Michael Irwig, an endocrinologist and assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine. But the decrease in drinking seen in the study may not be found in all men who use the popular hair-loss treatment. (A higher dose of finasteride is also prescribed to men for an enlarged prostate, and is sold as Proscar.) The study, which was aimed at better understanding the drug's sexual side effects, looked at only younger men, ages 46 and under, who had quit taking the medication for male-pattern hair loss for at least three months, yet continued to experience effects such as a reduced sex drive and erectile dysfunction. Although the exact mechanism for reduced alcohol consumption is not known, Irwig said he suspects that Propecia interferes with the brain's ability to make certain hormones, known as neurosteroids, which are likely linked to drinking alcohol. The findings are the first to link … Continue reading →