I'm not going to say anyone's experience is false and messing with hormones may well cause issues, especially if you're younger.. But avodart sales were half a BILLION dollars in 2014.
http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2014/11/03/patent-expiration/
Why do we not hear about lawsuits from people taking it for prostate issues? I know avodart is not the exact same drug as finasteride but they both crush DHT levels.
So either finasteride has some unknown side effect that we can't identify or DHT reduction specifically causes issues in people suffering from male pattern baldness.
Everything in life is risk/reward. ALL drugs, including aspirin, have risk profiles. I tend to agree with the other post that said if you try to "power through" finasteride side effects you're being foolish.
Personally if I were to try finasteride I would start with a single 1mg tab dissolved in a 10mg dropper of vodka and I'd take at most 0.1mg EOD for a while to see how I feel. Not just blow up all DHT in my body one single day out of the blue.
I honestly do feel for the bros suffering from side effects but as someone who has experienced anxiety and panic disorder I can tell you firsthand that the mind truly has a mind of its own. Once you become hyper-vigilant about something it's really hard to have a balanced life in any way.