Association of 5α-Reductase Inhibitors with Depression and Suicide: A Mini Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

5α-Reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) are widely prescribed for treatment of benign prostatic obstruction and androgenic alopecia. Several studies with controversial findings regarding 5-ARI exposure have been published over a number of years, and concerns were recently raised about the potential risks of depression and suicide associated with 5-ARIs. To investigate this association, we conducted a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis. Five studies involving 2 213 600 patients met our inclusion criteria. We found no statistically significant association between 5-ARI exposure and the risk of depression (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.85–2.00; p = 0.23) or suicide (aHR 1.30, 95% CI 0.65–2.61; p = 0.45). Subgroup analyses for finasteride and dutasteride revealed similar results. When restricting the analysis to patients without a prior diagnosis of depression, we observed similar findings (aHR for suicide 1.00, 95% CI 0.68–1.46; p = 0.98).

Patient summary

We reviewed study data for more than two million patients taking drugs called 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs), which are widely prescribed for urinary problems caused by benign prostate enlargement and for male-pattern hair loss. In a pooled analysis we found no evidence of an association between 5-ARI use and the risk of depression or suicide.