Post-finasteride syndrome and post-SSRI sexual dysfunction: two sides of the same coin?
Giatti, Silvia; Diviccaro, Silvia; Panzica, Giancarlo; Melcangi, Roberto Cosimo
Endocrine · 61(2):180-1932018
Abstract (paraphrased)
A review by the Milan group of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction and post-finasteride syndrome, which share symptoms that persist after the drug is stopped: a felt disconnection between brain and penis, loss of libido and sex drive, difficulty with erection and genital paresthesia. It suggests both are probably underestimated and under-explored, summarizes what is known of each, and asks whether the persistent sexual dysfunction could stem from common mechanisms involving dopamine, serotonin and neuroactive steroids.
Plain-language summary (paraphrased)
A review asking whether PFS and PSSD might be two versions of the same problem, by looking at three brain signaling systems they could share: dopamine, serotonin and neurosteroids.
Why it’s in the corpus
The Milan group's bridge review between PFS and PSSD, framing them as possibly linked through dopamine, serotonin and neuroactive steroids. It synthesizes; it reports no new data. The 16-patient study with pudendal nerve testing and CSF steroids is DISC-013.
Some fields on this page come from the release’s Markdown edition, which carries text the JSON edition omits.
Related records
- Peer-reviewed paperSIDEfxHUB pick
Post-Finasteride Syndrome And Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction: Two Clinical Conditions Apparently Distant, But Very Close
Giatti, Silvia; Diviccaro, Silvia; Cioffi, Lucia; Melcangi, Roberto Cosimo · Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology · 72
Argues PFS and PSSD share overlapping clinical features (sexual dysfunction, psychological complaints, sleep disorders) and likely common mechanisms involving neuroactive steroids, serotonin/dopamine/catecholamine signaling and gut microbiota, possibly…
PFS-0032024PFSPSSDCore corpus - Peer-reviewed paper
The pathophysiology of Post SSRI Sexual Dysfunction – Lessons from a case study
Samantha Klaas; Jessica Barbut Siva; Maarten Bak; Mark Govers; Rudy Schreiber · Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy
The authors present a detailed PSSD case and use it to walk through candidate biological mechanisms for the syndrome, noting that although regulators now recognize PSSD, it remains poorly understood, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. The discussion surveys…
LIT-0272023PSSDLiterature sweep · Oct 2026 - Peer-reviewed paper
Post-finasteride syndrome: a surmountable challenge for clinicians
Traish, Abdulmaged M. · Fertility and Sterility · 113(1):21-50
Systematic evaluation of 250+ articles (1989–2019) on finasteride/dutasteride concludes PFS is a real constellation of persistent sexual, neurological, physical and mental effects in a susceptible subset, proposing endocrine disruption plus epigenetic…
PFS-0012020PFSCore corpus