No, Finasteride does not really help in regaining lost hair in women. However, some doctors prescribe the drug off-label to post-menopausal women for treating the hair loss issues. Finasteride is not intended to be used in young and reproductive women or women of child bearing age as the drug has the potency to cause birth defects.
Propecia is not approved by the Food and Drugs Administration to treat hair loss in women. There is little and reliable evidence available about the use of this medication in women for treating androgenetic alopecia.
Hair loss in women
About one third of ladies are known to experience alopecia at some point of their life. Post-menopausal ladies are known to experience thinning of the hair or notice visible bald spots. Hair loss has a great impact on women than in men and it also affects their emotional and mental well-being. Hair loss in women is observed as gradual thinning in the part line which in turn leads to increasing diffuse hair loss that is radiating from top of the head.
A lot of men take Finasteride to treat male pattern baldness. But this drug works little differently for ladies. There can be many causes responsible for hair loss in ladies like physical or emotional stress, usage of medications, and underlying medical conditions. If you happen to experience hair loss, then it is very important to consult any health care provider or dermatologist in order to get diagnosed on time and receive appropriate treatment.
Finasteride and other receptor blocking drugs
Androgen receptor-blocking medications like Aldactone and Finasteride are not approved by the FDA for treating female pattern hair loss. Also, there is very little evidence available that the drug can be effective. However, there are certain cases that suggest that ladies who were known to not being respond properly to minodoxil could get some benefit from the spironolactone.
In certain uncommon cases, where excess of androgen is observed, the doctor might prescribe about 100 to 200mg of the androgen receptor blocking drug to be taken on a daily basis along with any oral contraceptive pill for women who is in her reproductive age.
Finasteride in post-menopausal women to regain lost hair
The use of this pill is contraindicated in ladies when they are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. However, a research was conducted so as to evaluate the efficacy of the drug in post-menopausal women. Yet, there was no significant hair growth after one year.
It is said that hair loss in women is related due to the action of an enzyme aromatase which is not affected by this medication. Further, the study added that low DHT levels seen in post-menopausal women could be held responsible for lacking to respond to Finasteride.
