Lingering sexual side effects of finasteride and dutasteride after drug cessation may be explained by epigenetic mechanisms like silencing of the 5-AR gene through DNA methylation.

“what I find most interesting about this and I'm not doubting that there's something there is why does it linger after the drug stops that's the part that is undoubtedly most disconcerting yeah it's if this is real how is it that a guy can take this drug for a year stop it and two years later he is still suffering the sexual side effects associated with it that that strikes me as epigenetic I can't come up with another explanation that's exactly right so there are many plausible mechanisms one being that could be epigenetic one is silencing of the 5 AR Gene through DNA methylation so that's been the most common revealing thought okay uh but we don't know”