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

From the encyclopedia

Finasteride →

Frontline, gold standard treatment for combatting androgenic alopecia

Spironolactone →

powerful topical and oral anti-androgen used mostly by women

Studysummary This study observed that finasteride and spironolactone both led to a similar significant, but limited, improvement in hirsutism despite their differing effects on androgen levels.

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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

7 / 7 results

research Androgen Conjugates: Physiology and Clinical Significance

54 citations , February 1993 in “Endocrine reviews”

This review examines the physiological role of androgen conjugates in cutaneous androgen metabolism and questions their association with hirsutism, without presenting new clinical findings.

research The Effect of Finasteride in Men with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

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

In this study, 5 mg of finasteride per day significantly improved urinary symptoms and reduced prostate volume in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia, but increased the risk of sexual dysfunction.

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 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

34 citations , February 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism”

In this study, the combination of finasteride and minoxidil significantly increased hair growth in balding male stumptail macaques compared to each drug 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”

This study found that spironolactone reduced serum androstenedione and anagen hair shaft diameter in hirsute patients but did not significantly alter unbound testosterone levels, suggesting its effects are primarily peripheral.

research Treatment of Hirsutism With Spironolactone

183 citations , March 1982 in “JAMA”

This study reported that spironolactone at 200 mg/day significantly improved facial hair growth in women with hirsutism and showed a sustained reduction in ovarian androgens over one year.

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”

This study found that spironolactone significantly reduced hair growth in hirsute women, with noticeable effects in 3-5 months, and decreased serum testosterone levels in all participants.