Balding might bruise your ego — but your hair-loss fix could be messing with your mind.
New research out of Israel suggests that patients using a popular drug for male pattern baldness face a significantly higher risk of mood disorders and suicidal thoughts compared to those who don’t.
“The evidence is no longer anecdotal,” Dr. Mayer Brezis, a professor at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center and lead author of the study, said in a statement. “We now see consistent patterns across diverse populations. And the consequences may have been tragic.”
The drug in question? Finasteride — better known as Propecia — which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in the ’90s.
Animal studies have linked finasteride to long-term brain inflammation and changes in the hippocampus, the brain’s center for learning, memory and emotions.
While the FDA added depression as a potential side effect in 2011 and suicidal ideation and behavior in 2022, Brezis found apparent warnings dating back to 2002.
In a trial linked to one user’s suicide, Brezis uncovered internal FDA documents purportedly showing that experts recommended adding “suicidal thoughts and behavior” to the drug’s label back in 2010.
“The advice was rejected by the agency without disclosing the internal discussion and the rationale for the final decision,” Brezis wrote last month in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
In another internal FDA document from 2010, Brezis said he found large sections blacked out as “confidential,” including estimates of how many people might be affected by the purported side effects.
By 2011, the agency had logged 18 suicides tied to finasteride, but Brezis argues the actual toll could be thousands worldwide, based on global use of the drug.
“It wasn’t just underreporting,” he wrote. “It was a systemic failure of pharmacovigilance.”
Brezis partly blames Merck, finasteride’s original maker, for allegedly skipping basic safety research using database analyses — and regulators for allegedly failing to demand it or conduct it themselves.
Given his findings, Brezis is calling for a suspension on the marketing of finasteride for cosmetic use until its safety profile is fully reassessed.
He’s also pushing the FDA to mandate and strictly enforce post-approval studies for drugs like finasteride and to ensure drug histories are systematically recorded in suicide investigations.
The Post contacted the FDA and Merck for comment.
A sweeter solution
If Brezis’ findings have you eyeing that bottle of finasteride with suspicion, don’t panic — your dream of regrowing a full head of hair isn’t over yet.
There’s still topical minoxidil — the active ingredient in Rogaine — which is FDA-approved to treat androgenetic alopecia (aka male or female pattern baldness).
It’s available over-the-counter in the US, but there’s a catch: topical minoxidil has poor water solubility and skin absorption, meaning not all of it actually makes it to your hair follicles.
Fortunately, a new study may have found the solution — stevioside, a natural sweetener that comes from the stevia plant.
Researchers found that mixing stevioside with minoxidil helped it soak into the skin better. When tested on mice with androgenetic alopecia, the combo jump-started hair follicles into growth, leading to new hair.
“Using stevioside to enhance minoxidil delivery represents a promising step toward more effective and natural treatments for hair loss, potentially benefiting millions worldwide,” co-corresponding author Lifeng Kang of the University of Sydney in Australia said in a statement.
Androgenetic alopecia is common, affecting an estimated 80 million in the US alone. By 50, more than half of men and a quarter of women will experience some degree of hair thinning or loss.
Studies show minoxidil works best in younger users and in the early stages of hair loss, when follicles are still active but shrinking, according to the Mayo Clinic.
But heads up: if you stop using it, the progress won’t last. Hair loss usually returns within months after treatment ends.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
