A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Finasteride to Spironolactone in the Treatment of Hirsute Women

January 1995 in “ The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism ”

I. Lane Wong, R. V. Morris, Leland Chang, M A Spahn, Frank Z. Stanczyk, Roger A. Lobo

finasteride spironolactone hirsutism androgen anagen hair Ferriman-Gallwey score Propecia

TLDR Finasteride and spironolactone both reduce hirsutism, but finasteride lowers androgen levels more.

This study compared the effectiveness of finasteride and spironolactone in treating hirsutism in women. Both drugs were found to be effective in reducing hirsutism, but finasteride caused a significant decrease in androgen levels while spironolactone did not. Both treatments produced a significant decrease in anagen hair diameters and Ferriman-Gallwey scores. The study suggests that further studies are needed with finasteride to verify its effectiveness as a treatment for hirsutism.

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Research cited in this study

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research Androgen Conjugates: Physiology and Clinical Significance

54 citations, February 1993 in “Endocrine reviews”

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research The Effect of Finasteride in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

1040 citations, October 1992 in “The New England Journal of Medicine”

Finasteride effectively treats BPH but may increase sexual dysfunction risk.

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research Hair Growth Effects of Oral Administration of Finasteride, a Steroid 5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor, Alone and in Combination with Topical Minoxidil in the Balding Stumptail Macaque

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Finasteride and minoxidil together promote hair growth better than either alone.

research The Clinical Development of a 5α-Reductase Inhibitor, Finasteride

211 citations, November 1990 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology”

Finasteride effectively treats BPH, but needs more trials to understand potential.

research The Effects of Two Doses of Spironolactone on Serum Androgens and Anagen Hair in Hirsute Women

142 citations, February 1985 in “Fertility and sterility”

Spironolactone reduced hair thickness and some testosterone levels in women with excessive hair growth.

research Treatment of Hirsutism With Spironolactone

183 citations, March 1982 in “JAMA”

Spironolactone is a safe and effective treatment for reducing excessive hair growth in women.

research A Novel Use of Spironolactone: Treatment of Hirsutism

124 citations, September 1980 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism”

Spironolactone is effective in treating excessive hair growth in women.

Related Research

1 / 1 results

research Effect of Finasteride, a 5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor, on Serum Gonadotropins in Normal Men

30 citations, August 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism”

Finasteride doesn't affect hormone levels in normal men.

A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Finasteride to Spironolactone in the Treatment of Hirsute Women

Research cited in this study

research Androgen Conjugates: Physiology and Clinical Significance

research The Effect of Finasteride in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

research Hair Growth Effects of Oral Administration of Finasteride, a Steroid 5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor, Alone and in Combination with Topical Minoxidil in the Balding Stumptail Macaque

research The Clinical Development of a 5α-Reductase Inhibitor, Finasteride

research The Effects of Two Doses of Spironolactone on Serum Androgens and Anagen Hair in Hirsute Women

research Treatment of Hirsutism With Spironolactone

research A Novel Use of Spironolactone: Treatment of Hirsutism

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research Effect of Finasteride, a 5 Alpha-Reductase Inhibitor, on Serum Gonadotropins in Normal Men