What other medications or treatments can be beneficial in fighting hair loss?
Besides Propecia and Minoxidil, the two only FDA-approved medications for treating hair loss, what else is available, and even more importantly,
what else actually works?
We recommend that first and foremost you get a diagnosis of the type of hair loss that you are experiencing from a qualified medical professional.
Normally, if you're diagnosed with the most common type of hair loss, Androgenetic Alopecia, then you'll be
prescribed with either Minoxidil, Propecia, or both (except that in most cases Propecia is not prescribed to women). Minoxidil is available over the
counter so you no longer actually need a doctor's prescription to get it.
HairLossFIght.com believes that the proven two treatments of Propecia and Minoxidil
should be what you try first. In most cases these will at the very least slow down the rate of progression of your hair loss, especially when used in combination
with each other.
Having said that, there are treatments available that you can use in conjunction with these, or even in some cases as replacements for these. Just know that they have not been
proven in clinical trials to be effective. Here is an outline
of treatments that we believe may be of additional benefit:
Higher Concentration Minoxidil Solutions: The concentrations of Minoxidil that have been approved for the treatment of hair loss are 2% and 5%. However,
Minoxidil has been shown to produce dose-dependent results. Read our review of Xandrox 15, a product that
contains 15% concentration Minoxidil. This review also contains a Q&A from Dr. Lee, regarding the product.
Topical Anti-androgen / Ant-DHT Treatments: Be careful when selecting products in this category because a lot of unscrupulous vendors will attempt to
convince you that their products work in this category with little or no proof. You should select a topical in this category that contains ingredients that have
shown efficacy in combating androgens and DHT. Some combination products also contains potential growth stimulants. In this category we recommend that you take a
look at Revivogen, Crinagen, and Dr. Lee's topical 5% Spironolactone Cream.
Super-Oxide Dismutase Treatments: SODs are a category of treatments that work via a completely alternate modality from growth stimulants like Minoxidil and anti-androgen / anti-dht treatments.
Take a look at Folligen and Tricomin for good treatments in this category.
Dutasteride: Dutasteride is an anti-DHT treatment technically, but is worthy enough to be talked about on its own. It is available in pill form and approved
for benign prostatic hyperplasia, just like Finasteride (the active ingredient of Propecia) is. Although it has not been approved by the FDA for treating hair loss, it is actually
considered to be more effective in combating DHT than Propecia is by inhibiting both forms of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that combines with
testosterone to form DHT. Many people seek off-label prescriptions for it to treat hair loss, instead of using Propecia. You should not consider using it unless you give Propecia
a chance to work for you (by using it for at least a year in our opinion). If you decide that you want to try Dutasteride do a lot of reading and research on it first and talk
to people in hair loss forums to get an idea of how well it worked for them. With it's increased effectiveness as a DHT-inhibitor also comes the possibility of a higher risk of adverse sexual
side-effects than Propecia.
In addition to these the shampoo called Nizoral has been shown to have mild anti-androgenic properties that can be
beneficial in treating hair loss. If you use this try not to use it more than once or twice a week (although some people that use it as part of their hair loss
regimen use it more often than this).
Since inflammation may also be involved by exascerbating an existing hair loss condition you should do your best to keep this under control. Several people that
use the HairLossFight.com Discussions Forums have had positive things to say about a product called Inflamil that helps control scalp inflammation. While
this doesn't necessarily mean that it will help fight hair loss we thought it was worth mentioning it here so you could do your own research.
There are many other products, medications, treatments, and concoctions that people have tried, but the items that we have mentioned here are an excellent start for
items that you should investigate and consider for your own regimen.
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