Off-Label Treatments

Hair loss or apolecia sufferers should face the fact that, despite the advances in science achieved today, hair loss treatments are limited to only two drugs with the FDA-approval for safety and effectiveness: Rogaine (minoxidil) and Propecia (finasteride). Women, on the other hand, seem to be facing a narrower option.

Come to think of it, there are a wide variety of hair loss treatments commercially available for both men and women. Unfortunately, off-label treatments lack in scientific evidences to support their claims in preventing and treating hair loss. More so, the FDA has few restrictions as to the use of herbs, including off-label medicinal treatments for hair loss, which makes it harder to determine the possible side effects of natural and herbal hair loss treatment products.

However, your doctor may prescribe off-label treatments for your hair loss problems, provided that the possibilities of underlying medical conditions are cleared out. This is particularly important for women, who are susceptible to temporary hair loss or telogen effluvium, when exposed to severe emotional, psychological, or physical trauma such as that brought about by childbirth. Once the underlying medical causes are addressed will hair revert to its normal regrowth pattern.

The main reason why there is no cure for baldness – only treatment – makes doctors recommend off-label prescriptions only to prevent further hair loss and help promote hair growth by altering hormonal imbalances. These will only work, though, with prolonged use and it may take eight to 12 months for results to be evident. In the case of finasteride, 80-85% of men who have been taking it continuously do see some results.

Male androgenetic alopecia, for instance, is largely controlled by an over activity of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the hormone that causes miniaturization of hair follicles attributed to balding. Some of these off-label treatments aim to inhibit DHT conversion similar to the mechanism of action in finasteride.

For this reason, most hair loss treatment products are off-label prescriptions precisely because they are often used for which they are not approved. Expectedly, in hair loss, doctors will most likely prescribe off-label treatments. Most of these off-label treatments are only backed by few claims or smaller clinical trials (which may or may not provide accurate results).

Besides these off-label for hair loss treatments, doctors also advise maintaining proper nutrition to keep healthy hair. Similar to other parts of the body, hair cells also need nourishment to maintain vitality, thereby preventing hair loss. After all, good nutrition not only promotes healthier hair, it also improves almost all, if not all, vital biological process and overall well-being.

These are some of the off-label medicinal treatments for hair loss, which your doctor may prescribe:

Aldactone/Spironolactone – used as an antiandrogen by acting on androgen receptors to decrease its production in the adrenal glands and ovaries. It's also used to block the mechanisms of androgen to inhibit it from binding with DHT.

Tagamet (Cimetidine) – Cimetidine is the generic name, while Tagamet is the brand name. It belongs to the class of medications that blocks histamine to treat ulcer, and simultaneously used as an antiandrogenic. It blocks DHT from binding with hair follicles.

Cyproterone Acetate – is used to treat androgenetic alopecia in women, and at the same time has DHT inhibiting properties. This drug is not available in the U.S., and is thought to be among the last resort for female-pattern baldness due to its possible toxicity and serious long-term side effects.

Estrogen/progesterone pills may also be prescribed to women who are in the pre-menopausal or menopausal stage. Oral contraceptives are sometimes used, although some women have complained of hair loss after using oral contraceptives.

Off-label treatments for hair loss are not supported by scientific clinical studies and are not FDA-approved. Thus, using them can accompany health risks up for future discovery.