It causes increased amounts of sodium and water to be excreted while potassium loss is minimized. Sometimes spironolactone is used in conjunction with other medications as an antihypertensive treatment. The most notable functions of spironolactone as a hair loss treatment is that it works as an antiandrogen by decreasing the production of testosterone by the adrenal glands and by preventing DHT from binding to its androgenic receptor. Some have suggested that spironolactone can bond to the hair follicles before DHT can bind to the receptor. The former reduces the amount of DHT on our scalp while the latter blocks the remaning DHT at the receptor sites.
Oral minoxidil is an antihypertensive agent.
It has been scientifically proven that oral minoxidil also has positive effects on hair growth. In the late 80's, minoxidil is marketed as Rogain by Upjohn for the treatment of hair loss. Many patients who were on oral minoxidil reported hair growth as one of the side effects. In many cases, the hair growth is not limited to scalp hair alone, but also facial and body hair. One of our readers indicated that oral minoxidil is all that he needs for hair growth.