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[비즈월드] Earlier this month, as reports about the psychiatric side effects of the’finasteride’ drug, a hair loss treatment, spread, anxiety among patients taking the drug is growing. Amid the spread of stimulating expressions and unconfirmed information, we reviewed the misunderstanding and truth of the side effects of hair loss treatments with Oh Kims Dermatology Clinic Director Jo Hyeon-rae, who has been treating hair loss patients for a long time.
Q. What kind of drug is finasteride in the article?
A. Finasteride formulations are used differently depending on the dosage. Usually 1mg is used for male pattern hair loss and 5mg is used for prostatic hyperplasia. Among them, the 1mg formulation, which is a treatment for male pattern hair loss, is better known to us as’Propecia’, an original medicine.
Male pattern hair loss occurs when the male hormone (testosterone) meets the 5-alpha reductase and is converted to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and this DHT acts as a major action, causing the hair near the crown and front to become thinner. Finasteride formulations act to prevent hair loss by inhibiting the 5-alpha reductase.
Q. Is there a fact that the recently reported finasteride drugs cause depression and extreme choices?
A. Finasteride drugs are not pharmacologically unaffected by the neuropsychiatric system, but it is difficult to conclude that they directly affect psychological side effects. Although there was a report in the JAMA journal in November of last year, this report has a problem that other variables such as the patient’s pre-existing mental illness and personal disposition were not considered.
Rather, there are many patient surveys and studies that show that hair loss disease itself can cause depression in patients rather than hair loss treatment. Personally, I have been treating patients for a long time, but there have been very few cases of psychological side effects.
Q. Was this the first time any side effects that triggered this extreme choice were reported?
A. It is not. However, it is known that the frequency is very low, and it is difficult to predict reliably or sell it due to a causal relationship with drug exposure because it is reported voluntarily from an unspecified population of patients who took the drug.
In the case of finasteride products sold in Korea, the precautions for use may include mood changes and depression.
Q. Patients are anxious about the side effects of hair loss treatment. Is it okay to take it?
A. It is okay if you receive the prescription through sufficient consultation with a specialist. Finasteride is a drug that has been used for more than 20 years in Korea after the first license for Propecia in 2000. Even if side effects occur, the half-life of the drug is not long, so most of the side effects disappear when you stop taking it.
Q. What should be noted when taking hair loss pills?
A. If you feel any side effects of your medication, it is important to see a specialist. If you stop taking it arbitrarily, you should be careful about this, as hair loss may occur again. In addition, overseas direct or second-hand transactions for hair loss treatments have been booming, and it is wise to avoid drugs purchased through such illegal transactions as safety or efficacy cannot be guaranteed.
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