Two months ago, at his best friend’s wedding, Andre rehearsed his speech when a sinking feeling hit him. “I was like, f**, I really hope I don’t get the urge to panic. If I do, it’s all on camera and I’ve f**ed up this whole wedding,” he recalls. The 28-year-old says this anxiety would have been unthinkable three years ago. “I was the guy who had charisma; I would carry the room,” Andre says. “I was very extroverted socially, but it’s now accompanied with this anxiety.” Andre believes finasteride, a hair loss drug he used for three weeks in 2022, triggered the change. The medication blocks testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which shrinks hair follicles and leads to baldness.
For most men, finasteride is safe—but some, like Andre, report severe, long-term side effects. He is one of half a dozen Australian men who told Background Briefing that the risks were never fully explained. Andre was prescribed topical finasteride at age 25 by Ashley & Martin, a hair loss company he knew from TV ads. “I left that place thinking this is great, I’m sorted. I’ve tackled it early,” he says. But within weeks, his elation vanished. He felt numb, exhausted, and sexually muted. “When I reached the point of climax, I realised that there was no pleasure. It was very bland,” he recalls.
Medication Use
He stopped the medication, but the symptoms worsened. Anxiety, depression, and other psychological effects emerged. Sexual problems persisted. In a statement, Ashley & Martin said treatment agreements listed potential side effects, but Andre says he was never warned they could last long-term.
His own doctor offered little help. When Andre requested a blood test to check DHT levels, he was told it couldn’t be done. “I respect that [they] know more than me, but I’m explaining that I feel this way, and you kind of get gaslit,” he says.
Turning to social media, Andre discovered online forums about finasteride. While some content dismissed complaints as hysteria, he found reports mirroring his own experience. The term post-finasteride syndrome (PFS) appeared frequently—persistent sexual, physical, and psychological effects some men report even after stopping the drug.
Good Doctor
Eventually, Andre found an endocrinologist who listened. “He did acknowledge that it was a thing; he didn’t really dismiss it or anything,” Andre says. Blood tests were ordered, erectile dysfunction medication prescribed, and he was told to give it time—but his mental health issues persisted.
Andre now speaks out because he believes social media ads trivialize the risks. “I will watch to see how they’re targeting these young men … they’re quite good. It’s targeted as a men’s health thing — it’s a good marketing tool,” he says.
