Ketoconazole
| Ketoconazole at a glance | |
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Treatment |
The good: Readily available, fairly safe in topical form, very common addition to regimens. The bad: Unknown.
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Ketoconazole is a synthetic antifungal drug with antiandrogen properties. It is typically applied topically, but is also taken orally.
Ketoconazole was originally used to prevent and treat skin and fungal infections, but is noted for it's unintended side-effect of being a strong antiandrogen. It is sold commercially as an anti-dandruff shampoo branded Nizoral, and as a topical mousse marketed under the brand name Ketomousse, which is said to be a superior mechanism of delivery to the shampoo.
[edit] Side Effects
Ketoconazole is very lipophilic, which leads to accumulation in fatty tissues. The less toxic and more effective triazole compounds fluconazole and itraconazole have largely replaced ketoconazole for internal antifungal use.