Finasteride use and suicide attempts through self-poisoning: a case–control study

This study investigated the potential link between finasteride, commonly used for hair loss, and suicide attempts via self-poisoning. It was -motivated by concerns over unanticipated psychological side-effects like suicidality identified in post-trial adverse event reports. We used data from multiple Danish health registries to assess male patients reported for suicidal intent poisoning. Each case was matched with 10 controls based on age, sex and residential municipality. We collected data on finasteride prescriptions up to 1 year before the index date, which was the date of the suicide attempt for cases and the inclusion date for controls. The study included 3366 cases and 33 660 controls. Adjustments were made for diagnosed bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, as well as occupational status. The analysis showed no link between finasteride use and suicide attempt risk, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 1.03 (95% confidence interval 0.56-1.88) and an adjusted odds ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.45-1.71).