Allergic reactions

Stop using Proscar and immediately contact a doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat, difficulty swallowing and breathing difficulties (angioedema)
• Skin rashes, itching, or lumps under your skin (hives).

Other side effects may include:

• You may be unable to have an erection (impotence)
• You may have less desire to have sex
• You may have problems with ejaculation, for example a decrease in the amount of semen released during sex. This decrease in the amount of semen does not appear to affect normal sexual function.

These side effects above may disappear after a while if you continue taking Proscar. If not, they usually resolve after stopping Proscar. Other side effects reported in some men are:

• Breast swelling or tenderness
• Palpitations (feeling your heartbeat)
• Changes in the way your liver is working, which can be shown by a blood test
• Pain in your testicles
• Blood in semen
• An inability to have an erection which may continue after stopping the medication
• Male infertility and/or poor quality of semen. Improvement in the quality of the semen has been reported after stopping medication
• Depression
• Decrease in sex drive that may continue after stopping the medication
• Problems with ejaculation that may continue after stopping the medication
• Anxiety

You should promptly report to your doctor any changes in your breast tissue such as lumps, pain, enlargement or nipple discharge as these may be signs of a serious condition, such as breast cancer.

If any of the side effects get serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet please tell your doctor or pharmacist. It will help if you make a note of what happened, when it started and how long it lasted.

What else should you know about Proscar?

Proscar (finasteride) is not licensed to treat prostate cancer. Information collected for a clinical trial in men taking finasteride for 7 years showed:

• The number of men who developed prostate cancer was lower in men taking finasteride compared with those taking nothing.
• The number of men who had a high score in a tumour grading system was higher in some of those taking finasteride compared to those taking nothing.
• The effect of long-term use of finasteride on tumours of this kind is not known.

If you would like further information about the tumour grading system or this trial, please talk to your doctor.