Losing your hair can be a frustrating and embarrassing experience. Hair loss affects both men and women and can occur for a variety of reasons. For men, the most common cause is androgenetic alopecia or male-pattern baldness, according to the American Hair Loss Association. Women can also suffer from this condition. Other causes include stress, hormonal imbalances, hair styles that damage the follicles and illnesses such as cancer. Some medications can help prevent hair loss and restore hair growth.
Finasteride
Also known as Propecia for hair loss, this prescription medication belongs to a class of medications known as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. They help to treat male-pattern baldness in men by inhibiting the enzyme 5-alpha reductase from converting testosterone into dihydroxytestosterone or DHT, which stops hair growth. However, this medication is not an overnight fix; it can take up to three months to see any hair growth. Finasteride is not approved for women and can be very harmful if you're of childbearing age. If you are pregnant, you should not touch crushed or broken finasteride pills, warns MayoClinic.com.
Spironolactone
Sold under the brand name Aldactone, this medication is a potassium-sparing diuretic or water pill, according to the American Hair Loss Association. It's a versatile pill that can also treat high blood pressure, water retention or swelling and hormonal disorders. Sprionolactone is also an anti-androgen or androgen-inhibiting drug. It treats hair loss by slowing production of androgens and preventing DHT from binding to androgenetic receptors, states the American Hair Loss Association.
Estrogen or Progesterone
These pills are most commonly prescribed for women with androgenetic alopecia resulting from menopause or other conditions that are affecting their hormone levels. The treatment is also referred to as hormone replacement therapy and helps to restore levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body and restore hair growth.
Corticosteroids
Doctors may be reluctant to prescribe these anti-inflammatory drugs because they cause various side effects, such as suppressing the immune system. However, they can be useful in treating extensive hair loss caused by alopecia areata, states MayoClinic.com. Your doctor will be able to explain all the possible side effects.
Birth Control Pills
Oral contraceptives are also useful for treating androgenetic alopecia as they help to inhibit the production of ovarian androgens, according to the American Hair Loss Association. However, as with all medications, birth control pills can cause side effects, some of them potentially serious. Learn as much as possible from your doctor about each hair growth pill, including all the side effects, before making your treatment decision.
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