Use Of Finasteride Reduces Alcohol Consumption

Use Of Finasteride Reduces Alcohol Consumption.
Some men who use finasteride (Propecia) to balm Donnybrook baldness may also be drinking less alcohol, a new study suggests June 2013. Among the potency side effects of the hair-restoring drug are a reduced sex drive, concavity and suicidal thoughts. And it's men who have sexual side effects who also appear to want to guzzle less, the researchers report. "In men experiencing persistent sexual side junk despite stopping finasteride, two-thirds have noticed drinking less alcohol than before taking finasteride," said analysis author Dr Michael Irwig, an assistant professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC.

Although it isn't obvious why the medication might have this effect, Irwig thinks the dull may alter the brain's chemistry. "Finasteride interferes with the brain's capability to make certain hormones called neurosteroids, which are likely linked to drinking alcohol. For younger men contemplating the use of finasteride for manly pattern hair loss, they should carefully up the modest cosmetic benefits of less hair loss versus some of the serious risks".

The report was published online June 13 in the almanac Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. "The biggest object to with this finding is that it is naturalistic rather than a controlled study so cause-and-effect is hard to establish," said James Garbutt, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "This is more of a cloud on the vista than a clear-cut effect".

If these findings are confirmed it suggests there may be a subgroup of people, it is possible that identifiable by their exposure of sexual side effects, who will experience reductions in alcohol consumption who was not involved with the study. "Based on the consumption levels reported in the paper, this denizens would be considered social drinkers and not delinquent drinkers".

It is unclear if these people will begin to drink more again once they have stopped taking the drug for a long enough period of time. But he did note a the silver lining in the finding. "There is interest in the neuroactive steroid system for phenomenon of new medications for problem drinking - this study offers some support for that idea".

In addition, "this highlights the worth of being aware that any medication one takes has the potential to cause side effects and many faction effects are not known for medications until years after they have been on the market". This study also points out that a medication may have an make happen that is not obvious based on initial understanding of how the medication works.

And "For finasteride, the relationship between metabolism of the hormone progesterone, the effort of neurosteroids and the relationship of neurosteroids to alcohol actions and consumption is still being sorted out. For the study, Irwig interviewed 83 men who had persevering sexual standpoint effects from using finasteride, even three months after they stopped using the drug.

Irwig also collected information on the participant's medical histories, libidinous function and alcohol consumption before and after taking finasteride. Of the 63 men who had at least one wet one's whistle a week before using finasteride, 41 men (65 percent) reduced their alcohol consumption after stopping finasteride. In addition, 20 men (32 percent) reported no replace in their demon rum consumption and two men (3 percent) reported drinking more bonuses. There have been reports of finasteride's faculty to reduce alcohol consumption in rodents, but this is the first study to show this model in humans.