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Topic F350: Aldactone or Spironolactone for female women hair loss

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Re: To Judy re dexamethasone

From: Karen
Date: 2/26/2004
Time: 6:08:39 AM
Remote Name: 81.174.216.222

Comments

Hi Judy I know exactly how you feel. My hair loss started about 10 years ago and it is a constant struggle to keep going. Usually my hair recovers to some extent over the winter but this has not happened this year. It is quite noticeably thinner and I have resigned myself to having to wear a hair piece.

I had a hysterectomy 2 years ago which has not helped. I took HRT before but afterwards switched to estrogen therapy alone. Whilst on HRT I supplemented this with Androcur for a year. (In the US Spironolactone is prescribed instead because Androcur is not a FDA approved drug) whereas in Europe Androcur is regarded as helpful in the case of hirsutism and by implication androgenic hair loss. Both drugs are of course anti-androgens. However, this will only work if the hair loss is due to elevated androgen levels.

As I said, I have heard that dexamethasone has helped some people - it's just that not many doctors will agree to prescribe it for something as 'trivial' as they see it, as hair loss. Why don't you have a chat with your doctor if you are worried about the side effects. Although I would guess that the prescribed dosage is very small and therefore unlikely to cause problems. Great if it works but you won't know for some months - as with all hair loss treatments. Keep me updated.

Actually, something to do for peace of mind is getting a hair piece. Have it custom made and get the best one you can afford. It can then sit in your wardrobe as a kind of fall-back - if all else fails. This is what I did. I bought mine 2 years ago and didn't wear it until very recently and then only when I went out. It's undetectable, easy to fit and gives me confidence. It doesn't mean that I've given up looking for treatments but it's an alternative until something better turns up.

In all honesty and very depressingly I've never known anybody 'recover' from androgenic hair loss. Apart from this forum I also visit a European forum and there's hardly any difference between them. Doctors either don't care or just don't know and medicine really isn't a science.

Anyhow, try not to get too disheartened and the dexa may yet work. I hope it does.

Karen.

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