Men taking the baldness drug Propecia face a significantly greater risk of developing depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts, according to new research out of George Washington University.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, indicate men who developed persistent sexual side effects while on Propecia (finasteride) were a whopping 14 times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those not taking the drug.
"The potential life-threatening side-effects associated with finasteride should prompt clinicians to have serious discussions with their patients,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael S. Irwig, with the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “The preliminary findings of this study warrant further research."
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Propecia, manufactured by Merck, is used to treat male pattern hair loss. Previous studies have tied the drug to sexual side effects – including problems with libido, ejaculation and orgasm – that can persist even after men have stopped taking the drug. Last spring, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added warning labels to the drug.
For the new study, Irwig surveyed 61 former users of Propecia who had persistent sexual side effects for more than three months and compared the results to 29 other balding men who had never used the drug. Both groups were also administered a standard mental health used test to measure depressive symptoms.
According to the results, 11 percent of Propecia users had mild depressive symptoms, 28 percent had moderate symptoms and 36 percent had severe symptoms. But 44 percent reported having suicidal thoughts. Only 10 percent of those in the non-drug group had mild depressive symptoms, and just 3 percent had suicidal thoughts.
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