Finasteride Side Effects – Uses, Doses & Warnings

Finasteride Side Effects

Finasteride side effects – If the world is full of diseases, then scientists and doctors are doing everything to treat those diseases. Different companies launched medicines for every disease and symptom of those diseases.

In that series, today, we will talk about Finasteride. We will try to cover everything related to the medicine, starting from Finasteride side effects, uses dosage, warnings, etc.

What Is Finasteride?

Finasteride Is a prescription drug, and it usually comes as an oral tablet. Doctors suggest this medicine alone or in combination to treat enlargement of the prostate gland in Men.

The medicine is used to lower the symptoms of BPH, including frequent urination and acute urinary retention. Apart from that, it can lower the chances of needing prostate surgery. 

Sometimes doctors may also suggest Finasteride treat male pattern hair loss. Kindly remember that Finasteride is not used to treat thinning hair.

Uses of Finasteride

Now, let’s take a look at The conditions your doctor might suggest you use for Finasteride. Kindly remember it is a prescribed drug, and you cannot buy it as Over-the-counter medication.

Finasteride is generally prescribed to men only. If you are a woman or any children younger than 18 are using this medication, kindly consult with your doctor.

• First of all, your doctor might suggest you use Finasteride in order to treat male pattern hair loss. 
•  Your doctor might also suggest you use Finasteride if you have any problems like enlarging the prostate. Usually, doctors use it as a part of therapy which means you have to take this drug along with other drugs to make it work.

Finasteride Side Effects

Now let’s take a look at all the common Finasteride Side Effects. Kindly remember these are just common side effects. We have also added a list of serious side effects, which you should read before taking medicine.

Skin Rash

The first thing people start noticing after taking Finasteride is that they get skin rash here and there. Most of the people who take the medicine report back this side effect, and it is also a very popular side effect of the medicine.

Usually, you get mild side effects that may disappear within a few days or weeks. But if they are not going even after a week, then kindly talk to your pharmacist or doctor regarding the same.

Increase in Breast Size

The next thing you will notice is the increase in your breast size. People usually start having growth in their breast size after they start taking medicine. Apart from that, you might also experience some tenderness in your breast area. 

Kindly remember most of these side effects are temporary, and they usually go away within a week or two.

Sexual Problems

Finasteride may cause new sexual problems in men once they start taking Finasteride. First of all, you might have an inability to have or maintain an erection which is pretty normal with the medication.

Apart from that, you may also feel a decreased sexual drive. The decreased sexual drive may also result in not having enough erection. 

Apart from all that, you might have problems while ejaculating. You might experience extremely low levels of volume during ejaculation. At the same time, you might also feel a bit of pain in the testicles.

Depression

Last but not least, a common side effect of ejaculation is depression. Finasteride May cause fresh depression in a person, or it may be old symptoms. Along with sexual problems, it is a very common problem and most men who take medicine face it. Fresh problems of depression may go away once you stop taking medicine, while for older problems, you have to take separate medication.

Serious Side Effects

Now let’s take a look at all the serious side effects of the medication. Till now, we have only talked about the common side effects, which go away as soon as you stop taking medicine.

You are always advised to call your pharmacist or doctor as soon as you see these serious side effects after taking the medication. You may also call 911 as these side effects can be life-threatening.

Swelling in Your Face

Swelling in your face, including lips, tongue, and throat, is not normal. Usually, you get swelling like this when you have a serious Allergic reaction, and you should call 911 in case you start having swelling. Kindly remember that allergic reactions do not go away like other normal side effects of the medication. You have to get a specific treatment for the same.

Nipple Discharge

Nipple discharge Is not a very common problem or side effect after taking the medication, but it can happen in some rare cases. Kindly call your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible once you start seeing any kind of nipple discharge.

Overall Weakness

Apart from all that, you might also experience overall weakness, which may cause dizziness and feeling like you might pass out soon. Usually, it happens when you first start taking the medication, so you should start taking the medication under the watch of your doctor. 

Doses of Finasteride

Now let’s take a look at the dosage of Finasteride. Kindly never overdose on your medication. Your doctor is the best judge, and the doctor suggests the dosage depending on your ability to handle and needs. 

You may face some serious consequences in terms of physical health if you overdose on any medication like Finasteride. Always try to stick to the right dosage.

Finasteride is available in 1MG tablets. Usually, doctors also recommend you take one tablet each day. Apart from that, you might be suggested to take it for at least three months.

Warning on Finasteride

Finasteride Has a few warnings associated with the medication. Kindly don’t try to ignore these warnings, and you should consult everything with your doctor before you start taking the medication.

For example, if you have any allergies, then kindly let your doctor know about it as Finasteride may cause some serious allergic reactions and symptoms are going as trouble breathing and swelling.

Even though doctors don’t recommend this medicine to any woman, if you are a woman and you are trying to get pregnant, or you are already pregnant, then kindly stop taking this medicine as soon as possible. This medicine may cause birth defects.

Apart from that, if you have any liver disease, then kindly let your doctor know about it. People suffering from liver diseases have problems digesting anything, and a regular dosage of medication may build up this drug in your body, which could increase your risk of side effects.

Your doctor may suggest you take small doses of medication if you have any kind of liver disease to ensure the safety of your overall health.

Kindly remember, Finasteride can also increase the chances of irregular prostate cancer. Apart from that, if you were already suffering from prostate cancer and prostate cancer in the past, then Finasteride may worsen the symptoms.

Takeaway 

Finasteride is a very good medication to treat people who have a large prostate. Apart from that, your doctor might suggest you take this medicine in case of male pattern hair loss. 

Finasteride Is known to decrease the growth of enlarged prostate and increase hair growth at the same time. 

Even though it is a very good medicine, there are many common and serious side effects associated with the same. For example, you might experience sexual problems after taking medicine.

Apart from that, depression and skin rash are also possible side effects of Finasteride. You may also experience fresh depression or, worse, older effects of depression.

At the same time, Finasteride also comes with a few warnings. For example, pregnant women and women who are planning to get pregnant in the future should not take this medicine as it may cause birth defects.

If you are suffering from any liver disease, then kindly let your doctor know about it before you start taking the medication. Your doctor might decrease the dosage of Finasteride or suggest you take a new medication that has fewer side effects.

Source – Mayoclinic.org