- Reaction score
- 3,024
In researching other oral anti-androgens, I came across this very interesting study from 1996:
Comparison of four different treatment regimes in hirsutism related to polycystic ovary syndrome.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8908525
They compared 4 medication regimens for excess facial hair and hair loss in women suffering from PCOS:
In their words: "All four drug regimens were effective in the treatment of hirsutism related to polycystic ovary syndrome, but the most effective seemed to be ketoconazole". In addition, although it wasn't significant, ketoconazole reduced testosterone slightly more than the other treatment regimens.
I find this fascinating, especially since still in 2017, no one quite knows how ketoconazole works. I'm guessing it never picked up as a standard therapy due to risks of liver inflammation with regular oral dosing. But it clearly shows this is a powerful drug that shouldn't be ignored.
I have to go buy some more Nizoral ...
Comparison of four different treatment regimes in hirsutism related to polycystic ovary syndrome.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8908525
They compared 4 medication regimens for excess facial hair and hair loss in women suffering from PCOS:
- Group 1 (n = 48): low-dose combined oral contraceptive
- Group 2 (n = 65): cyproterone acetate 100 mg daily for the first 10 days of a 21-day cycle with an oral contraceptive containing 2 mg cyproterone acetate
- Group 3 (n = 12): spironolactone (100-200 mg daily)
- Group 4 (n = 16): ketoconazole (400 mg daily)
In their words: "All four drug regimens were effective in the treatment of hirsutism related to polycystic ovary syndrome, but the most effective seemed to be ketoconazole". In addition, although it wasn't significant, ketoconazole reduced testosterone slightly more than the other treatment regimens.
I find this fascinating, especially since still in 2017, no one quite knows how ketoconazole works. I'm guessing it never picked up as a standard therapy due to risks of liver inflammation with regular oral dosing. But it clearly shows this is a powerful drug that shouldn't be ignored.
I have to go buy some more Nizoral ...