Finasteride

FINA = five-a + STERIDE = steroid

Separate finasteride into fina (sounds like five-a) and steride (sounds like steroid). Now imagine a girl on the worst date of her life holding up her five-finger hand to block the male steroids across the table. Her five fingers remind you of five-a (fina), which helps you remember 5-alpha, and her blocking gesture represents an inhibitor, making finasteride a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor.

5-alpha reductase inhibitor FINA = five-a = 5-alpha

1

Decreases DHT, not testosterone - competitively inhibits 5-alpha-reductase, blocking conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).

2

Treats benign prostate hyperplasia and baldness - DHT causes prostate enlargement and mediates androgenetic alopecia.