Quitting Finasteride Leads to Persistent Behavioral Alterations Including Increased Anxiety-like Conduct and Marked Avoidance of New Experiences, According to New Preclinical Research
PFS Foundation
The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation2026-03-09
Summary (paraphrased)
Foundation news post covering Milano Project study No. 2 (Cioffi & Diviccaro, Journal of Neuroendocrinology): in rats treated with finasteride for 20 days, little behavioral change appeared during dosing, but 30 days after withdrawal the animals showed increased locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, and marked avoidance of novel stimuli in open-field and elevated-plus-maze tests. The post also previews Milano Project investigations 3–4 (genital numbness/PIEZO2, synaptogenesis).
Why it’s in the corpus
Preclinical support for the withdrawal-phase onset pattern defining PFS, and a marker for ongoing Milano Project molecular work the corpus should track.
Related records
- Peer-reviewed paper
Finasteride withdrawal induces anxiety‐like behavior and novelty avoidance in adult male rats
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