Proscar is indicated for treatment of symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and also is approved to reduce urinary retention risk or the need for surgery related to BPH. Propecia is approved for use only in men as a treatment for male pattern baldness.

Among specific changes the FDA is calling for are:

• a revision to the Propecia label to add libido disorders, ejaculation disorders and orgasm disorders that continued after the drug was discontinued;

• a revision to the Proscar label to include decreased libido that continued after the drug was discontinued; and

• revisions to both drugs’ labels that describe reports of male infertility and/or poor semen quality that normalized or, at least, improved after discontinuing the respective drug.

According to the agency, the changes were based on its review of hundreds of case reports of sexual dysfunction that persisted after patients ceased using the drugs. It should be noted that in 2011, the FDA called for both drugs’ labels to be revised to include erectile dysfunction as a side effect that continued after discontinuation of the drug.

via Finasteride Sexual Side Effects Prompt FDA Warning, Label Changes — AAFP News Now — American Academy of Family Physicians.