Can taking finasteride 5mg daily or dutasteride .5mg daily cause a female to have joint pain and muscle weakness?

It is unlikely that finasteride is causing these symptoms, but I recommend following up with your Doctor. There are great non-invasive alternatives like prp/progesterone and/or hair transplantation. See an expert. Best, Dr. Emer

I dont believe it is the medication, but, if you are a female, dont think it will have much effect unless your testosterone levels are way up. In that case, i wold have that corrected first. I think PRP injectable and infused through microneedling are both cutting edge ways to bolsterr the hairline, and, if available in your area, you should pursue them.

This would be unusual to have as a side effect but the easiest way to find out would be to consult with your physician, then stop taking the Dutasteride and see if the problem goes away. Because it stays in the system longer than Finasteride, it may take a few weeks of being off the drug before you would see the problems go away.

It is certainly possible for an individual using finasteride to have fatigue. Muscle pain and weakness is less common - but certainly possible. I would advise you to see your prescribing physician promptly. Without knowing all your details, it is not possible to give specific recommendations. For my patients with muscle symptoms, I often see what happens with stopping the drug and if muscle issues/fatige go away completely... then possibility reintroducing at a lower dose. In my practice, I often order a blood test for muscle injury called "CK" if my patient has muscle symptoms. I have provided a reference for your interest. Please see your prescriber for further discussion and review.ReferenceFinasteride-induced myalgia and HyperCKemia.
Al-Harbi TM, et al. J Clin Neuromuscul Dis. 2008.