Treatment of female androgenetic alopecia with cimetidine

Ten white women with moderate to severe androgenetic alopecia were treated with cimetidine 300 mg by mouth five times a day. Duration of therapy ranged from 1.5-9 months, with a median of 5 months. Seven patients (70%) showed good to excellent regrowth of hair. No major side effects were noted. The patients were followed up for 5 months. Cimetidine presumably has the ability to block androgen action. Cimetidine is not a first-line drug for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia in women and should be used only in selected cases.