Why are doctors still prescribing Finasteride for hair loss? Is it worth the side effects?

Thank you for your question. I suggest that you consult with a board certified facial plastic surgeon and consider NeoGraft Hair Restoration.  The results of our NeoGraft Hair Restoration method are extremely natural, and patients enjoy a shorter, more comfortable recovery period to hair transplant surgery. Always work with a board certified facial plastic surgeon.
Best wishes,

I would recommend looking into alternative options. 
There are several known problems that exist when using Finasteride as a hair loss medication, lets take a look at each one:
Finasteride only works for a short
period of time.  It works for just a few hours a day (its half-life is 6 hours).Finasteride
does a poor job of
actually blocking DHT production. In fact, it only blocks 1 out of 3
types of DHT receptors. That means hair loss is
STILL taking place while you are using the medication. This combined
with the short half life means that Propecia is about 60% effective at
stopping DHT from thinning your hair. Finasteride
is not customized to the
individual. Like millions of Big Pharma medications out there, the exact
same dose of Finasteride is given to people who have different heights,
weights and
biochemistry. This means that men who want to stop hair loss for good
can take the recommended
dose of Finasteride every day, and experience nasty side effects for no
good
reason! While for other's their dose may be insufficient to even reduce
DHT by the 60% it is rated at.It
is also worth noting that any medicine that actually can make changes
inside your body, are required under the FDA to be available by
prescription only. This therefore means that it is not possible for
anything that does not require a prescription to cure or prevent hair
loss or regrow thinning hair. Thus, a personalized medicine will be the
best choice because instead of a "one size fits all" approach, you will
be taking something which is truly catered to your body's needs.

The number one first step I recommend is a
comprehensive consultation with a hair regrowth specialist who will
perform lab tests to determine  the underlying cause of your thinning.
Without labs, no-one can really know what your true cause is and any
treatment will be temporary at best. From here, you can receive the best
treatment for your case.
The treatment is out there. Good luck on your search.

Hello, thank you fo your great question. As with most medications, most people have great results while a minority have adverse side effects. Finasteride does work very well for the majority of my patients.

 No question that Finasteride may cause some side effects in a very low percentage of patients. I prescribe the medication to my patients. It is the best oral medication for Male pattern Hair Loss and FDA approved. The other FDA approved medication with excellent results is topical Minoxidil 2 % and 5%. I will suggest you to schedule an appointment with a local hair loss specialist to review the possible hair loss treatments. 

Great question!
Not everyone experiences adverse side effects to Finasteride. Finasteride does demonstrate efficacy in regard to hair loss and has demonstrated efficacy in cases of enlarged prostate and recent clinical studies suggest it will help prevent most forms of prostate cancer. 
Thus, it appears to have its' place in conventional medicine until such time something better replaces it. Doctors attempt to strike a balance between benefit of treating the indication and side effects.       
Therefore, most doctors will prescribe and monitor patients for adverse side effects and when they occur the doctor will normally change you to something else.
Personally, Finasteride is certainly not my first go to medication for hair loss. This is demonstrated in the many times I have written on hair loss and Finasteride herein Realself. This is especially true for younger patients of childbearing years and women in general. 
Medications such as Finasteride and Minoxidil treat only the general symptoms of a problem. It is far better to accurately identify the root issues and specifically address them. Complementary Alternative Medicine and Precision Medicine as I practice, offer a wider array of solutions and produces greater efficacy with no to far fewer side effects.    
There are now many alternatives to Finasteride. For some, it may remain as easy as taking a pill a day, and for others its' a bit more complicated. Some alternatives are low cost and others are more expensive. Your individual condition is the determining factor.
There are treatments such as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) that not only safely provide good to great efficacy, but also improve one's overall health and wellness.
New peptides are now demonstrating good efficacy with no to far fewer side effects. Regenerative medicine techniques such as PRP (mild to moderate efficacy), PRP with cocktails of medications or biologics are demonstrating stronger efficacy than PRP alone with nearly zero side effects. 
Patient safety is always my first concern and then attempt to balance cost considerations with the budget of the patient. 
I hope I've helped answer your question.
Warmly,
Arbella Sarkis, MD