Finasteride Use Does Not Lead to Depression or Suicide: Insights From a Large-Scale Cohort Study and Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

BACKGROUND

Finasteride is widely used in clinical practice to treat androgenetic alopecia (AGA). However, its potential role in increasing the risk of depression and suicidal tendencies among users remains a topic of significant controversy.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Five datasets were used as exposures and ten as outcomes. Mendelian randomization (MR) is used to evaluate the causal relationship between finasteride use and the risk of depression or suicide. We also utilized a COX regression model on the large-scale UK Biobank cohort to explore the potential correlation between finasteride use and the risk of depression or suicide.

RESULTS

MR analysis reported that Finasteride prescription is not related to depression or suicide after the false discovery rate (FDR) correction. COX regression analysis also showed that finasteride use is not significantly associated with depression or suicide events in the UK Biobank cohort, whether or not covariates were considered.

CONCLUSION

The existing evidence does not support the relevance between systemic use of finasteride and increased risk of depression or suicide.