(Time ) -- In April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the warning to finasteride, Merck & Co.'s drug marketed to treat both male pattern baldness (Propecia) and enlarged prostate (Proscar). The new warnings noted that the sexual side effects associated with the medication, including problems with libido, ejaculations and orgasm, could last even after patients stop taking the drug. Now a new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine finds that side effects may not only continue after stopping finasteride, but they may last for months or even years. In the study, Dr. Michael Irwig of George Washington University and his colleagues surveyed 54 men under age 40 who reported experiencing side effects for three months or more after stopping the medication Propecia. The patients reported a variety of sexual problems including erectile dysfunction, low libido, trouble having an orgasm, and shrinking and painful genitals. Some men also reported neurological problems like depression, anxiety and cognitive haziness.
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Study finds side effects of finasteride may continue months after stopping medication
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96% of subjects' sexual problems lasted more than a year after stopping medication
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Study authors believe finasteride may do permanent damage
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FDA labels will now warn users of post-use sexual side effects
For @placeholder, the FDA reviewed 131 cases of erectile dysfunction and 68 cases of decreased libido from 1992 to 2010.