Hair Loss Medications Overview

Hairloss medications('hair loss meds') used to be the realm of the traveling medicine man and the witch doctor. Products touting instant hair growth are as old as the 19th century when miracle crèmes dominated newspaper advertisements and salves made of goat excrement were sold as early as the 5th century as a ‘can’t fail’ baldness cure.

Even up until the 80’s, hairloss medications had this much in common….they didn’t work. Electro-shock treatments and insta-grow gels were difficult to keep stocked because of their popularity, not because of their success rate. But then in the 80’s a drug, originally designed to lower blood pressure, was released onto the market and the hairloss meds industry changed forever.

Rogaine (Minoxidil) didn’t just lower blood pressure; it helped grow hair too. This topical prescription solution was found to help 45-60% of all patients stem their hairloss, and in some instances actually promote new hair regrowth in shrunken hair follicles. Patience is a virtue, and this is especially true of Rogaine, where it can often take from 4 months to one year to actually see results. But,unlike many other hair loss medications, those results can be surprisingly good.

And during most of the 80’s and the early part of the 90’s, Rogaine completely dominated other hairloss meds. Then some competition arrived in the form of another medical accident, Propecia (Finasteride). Propecia was devised to help men who had enlarged prostates; it just so happened to stop hairloss. Medication like Propecia works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone) one of the main culprits of hairloss.

Taking Propecia does not guarantee results and it is difficult to determine who it will work for before taking the hairloss medication for at least 4 months. But patients often prefer Propecia to Rogaine for its convenience, (no topical solution to apply), and also its effectiveness rate of nearly 80%. It is important that women not take Propecia, and pregnant women especially should never handle Propecia tablets because of a risk of birth defects.

Hairloss meds have come a long way from the miracle crèmes of the early 20th century. And though no guarantees can be made there is hard medical evidence that these medications can provide good results leading to a fuller head of hair, more self-confidence, and a better quality of life.