A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Low Dose Flutamide, Finasteride, Ketoconazole, and Cyproterone Acetate-Estrogen Regimens in the Treatment of Hirsutism
April 1999
in “
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
”
TLDR All treatments reduce hair growth; low dose flutamide most effective with fewer side effects.
This document summarizes various studies that compared different drug regimens for treating hirsutism in women. The studies found that all treatments were effective in reducing hair growth, but some had more side effects than others. Low dose flutamide was found to be the most effective treatment in several studies, while cyproterone acetate-estrogen was the most effective in others. Finasteride was also found to be effective with no side effects. Ketoconazole had frequent and important side effects. Overall, the studies suggest that low doses of antiandrogens may be a better choice to prevent side effects.