Androgen Blockade For FPHL: Can I use more than I medication?

Androgen blockade has the potential to be help female pattern hair loss. Caution is needed with any hormone blocker due to significant harm that can come to a developing baby were a woman to become pregnant on any hormone blocker. For this reason they are frequently used with various strict contraceptive methods.

Hormone Blocking Medications for FPHL

Female Pattern Hair Loss (also called female androgenetic alopecia) affects 40 % of women by age 50. There are a variety of treatment options including minxodil, anti-androgens, laser and PRP. 

Anti-androgens can help some women with female pattern hair loss. A long list of anti-androgens exist including spironolactone, finasteride, cyproterone acetate, flutamide, dutasteride. The combination of anti-androgens can sometimes work even better than one alone provided the patient actually has a truly androgen responsive hair loss condition. Most men do. But not all women have a form of FPHL that is truly responsive to anti-androgens.

Anti-androgen Side Effects

The decision to use two or more anti-androgens must always be weighed against potential side effects. The combination of androgen blocking pills has the potential to be associated with side effects such as depression, worsening fatigue, breast tenderness, breast enlargement, weight gain, decreased libido.