Spironolactone for Hair Loss: Benefits, Side Effects, & Risks- K Health
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It comes with serious risks if you don’t take it as prescribed. Spironolactone oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works.
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I was taking ashwaganda for two months and didn't see any improvement for hair loss, hormonal acne, pcos symptoms, and the facial/body hair that was growing like crazy. I read the above post and read it and was thinking if this is the right drug for me bc my symptoms are not getting any better. I do have to say unknown that it is typical to wait 2-3 weeks as doctors always say to give the drug time to work.
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The rates of adverse events reported in at least two studies were scalp pruritus or increased scurf (18.92%), menstrual disorders (11.85%), facial hypertrichosis (6.93%), and drug discontinuation (2.79%). The anagen hair increased, telogen and vellus hairs decreased and the terminal hair/vellus hair (T/V) ratio increased compared with baseline significantly both after 12 months of use of spironolactone gel or mixed gel. ‘Female pattern baldness—also known as androgenetic alopecia — is the most common type of hair loss in women, characterised by gradual thinning of the hair, typically at the crown and along the parting line. Unlike male-pattern balding, women often experience an overall thinning, which maintains the normal hairline.’ Explains Dr Balwi. A 2017 pilot study involving 100 females with hair loss concluded that combining spironolactone with minoxidil may be a safe and effective treatment for FPHL. The study participants experienced increased hair growth and reduced shedding.
Spironolactone, Oral Tablet
The most frequently encountered adverse event was scalp pruritus or increased scurf, which is a minor and manageable side effect. Menstrual disorders, facial hypertrichosis, and drug discontinuation were also reported in some studies. The overall adverse events rate was 3.69%, but there was significant heterogeneity in the rates of different adverse events.
Why it’s used
Dutasteride, a potent type I and type II 5-alpha reductase inhibitor, is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, but is also prescribed as an off-label treatment for pattern hair loss. Both the 2% and the 5% topical minoxidil solutions were superior to placebo. Intriguingly, beyond its diuretic capabilities, Spironolactone garnered attention due to its anti-androgenic properties.
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Estrogen and combined oral contraceptive (COC) drugs with estrogen or progestogen have been reported as effective, but data are limited (Adenuga et al., 2012, Raudrant and Rabe, 2003, Scheinfeld, 2008). Both components of COC drugs increase the levels of sex-hormone-binding globulin (Schindler, 2013). These actions decrease androgen secretion from the ovary and the quantity of free, biologically active androgens, which reduces their effects on the hair follicles (Schindler, 2013).
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Oral spironolactone doses ranged from 25mg to 200mg daily, with the vast majority between 80mg and 110 mg. Dosage forms for topical spironolactone use include gels of 1% and solutions of 5% twice daily. Both oral and topical spironolactone have been shown efficacy for alopecia recovery, but topical use has significantly fewer side effects and is suitable for any gender. It showed better efficacy in combination with other therapies such as oral or topical minoxidil compared with monotherapy.
When to contact a doctor
Research is promising regarding the effectiveness of popular hair loss medications. However, more research is needed overall, particularly on the long-term effects of using hair loss treatments. A randomized control trial32 in 416 men with male pattern hair loss demonstrated that dutasteride 2.5 mg was superior to finasteride 5 mg in terms of increasing hair count over 24 weeks. Additionally, a meta-analysis33 found that finasteride and dutasteride had similar efficacy in treating pattern hair loss. Androgens are sex hormones that play a role in reproductive health and body development.
However, this study had several limitations, and more research is needed to confirm its results. Minoxodil may be more effective if a person combines it with other hair loss treatments. For instance, a 2017 study found that females who took 0.25 milligrams (mg) of oral minoxidil and 25 mg of spironolactone as daily capsules saw an improvement in FPHL.
On March 26, 2023, we searched for eligible papers in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus. We tailored the search strategy based on each database; the detailed strategy is provided in Appendix 1. All data analyzed in this systematic review can be searched in publicly available databases including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science. The core reasons as to why this happens are ambiguous, but studies suggest a strong relation to unexpected stress as the trigger.
Our practice when prescribing COC drugs is a combination of ethinyl estradiol 20 mcg plus drospirenone 3 mg. This treatment combination is approved by the FDA for the treatment of acne but not alopecia. Alopecia is a common issue that can cause significant morbidity because even though scalp hair is not biologically essential, it can have great psychological and social significance. In one study, 55% of affected women displayed symptoms of depression (Camacho and Garcia-Hernandez, 2002). In that same group, 89% of women experienced an improvement of those symptoms after treatment for hair loss (Camacho and Garcia-Hernandez, 2002).
My dermatologist said that it was not the medication and that the medication was actually used for hair lost. I switched primary care doctors and my new primary care doctor is an internist. It works similar in form and function to Yaz birth control, so if you are sensitive to hormonal changes then it can be a problem. I am sensitive to hormonal changes and it always causes hair loss whether it be child birth or birth control.
They may also suggest alternative treatments such as microneedling, laser caps or combs, or more invasive treatments, including corticosteroid injections, hair transplants, and certain blood treatments. A person must answer questions online before connecting with a physician. A person can then get a prescription for hair loss treatments if the doctor thinks it is necessary. This medication is FDA-approved to treat and manage heart failure and high blood pressure. However, doctors can also prescribe it for FPHL if other treatments have not worked.
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