Using 5 alpha reductase inhibitors safely: What primary care physicians need to know.

5 Alpha Reductase Inhibitor (ARI) is a widely used class of medication; for benign prostatic hypertrophy, androgenetic alopecia and hirsutism. While generally considered safe, ARIs class of medication does have a number of side effects, which can sometimes persist long after discontinuation of the medication. Since this class of medication is generally thought of as being benign, it can be overlooked as a potential cause of new clinical symptoms patients might experience. The purpose of this review is to alert primary care physicians to the more common side effects, so as to always keep adverse drug reaction related to 5ARI as a cause of new symptoms, when evaluating patients, young and old.