Off-Label Treatments

Hair loss is affecting an increasing number of people and many of them will do almost anything either to prevent further hair loss or to promote new hair growth. Not to put too fine a point on it, people suffering from hair loss are vulnerable and are therefore at the mercy of charlatans. Some people are so desperate that they will even go against the advice of their physician and start seeking so called miracle drugs from elsewhere. These drugs are not Government approved and are off label treatments, that is to say they do not have a recognizable name on them.

There are dozens of products out there that claim to promote new hair growth and this makes it difficult for a busy doctor to stay ahead of the flow. This means that your doctor may not be able to advise you on the benefits or side effects of a particular off label treatment. Minoxidil for example is FDA approved so your doctor will know of its benefits and any problems with it. However there are generic or off label versions of the drug. Most off label treatments are available over the internet and sometimes the advice given with these treatments can cause more harm than good. Generic forms of minoxidil for example can promote hair growth but some websites advise that it has greater efficacy when used with another product – in truth the efficacy of Minoxidil in promoting hair growth is actually reduced when a person does this. Other things that may be advertised are solutions that are supposed to reduce the irritation of the scalp which sometimes occurs when people take minoxidil.

A major problem with off label treatments is that there is not always a guarantee that they are the genuine article and have undergone the necessary clinical trials. There are for example some problems with finastride because insufficient clinical trials have been carried out into finastride’s interaction with other drugs and medication.

Many off label treatments do not do what the seller says they will do, or at the very least the claims for some of these treatments are vastly exaggerated. Along with off label drug treatments experts suggest that claims for the properties of some herbal treatments may also be exaggerated, or at least based on very little evidence. Saw palmetto is one treatment that is mentioned and experts call into question claims for its efficacy in reducing hair loss and promoting regrowth. Avocar is another treatment that is called into question, it is sold only over the internet, and although there is a report available, it is only available to those who first buy the product.

Bottom line is before you use off label treatments do your homework and be aware that herbal and natural products may not always work.