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Abstract
[...]blocking should be successful whether the source of the excess androgen is ovarian or adrenal. Because cimetidine has recently been found to have antiandrogenic activity, 1 2 3 we used it to treat severely hirsute women and assessed its effect through measurement of hair growth. The patient with no response (Patient 5) was taking phenytoin, which has been associated with hirsutism.5 Our patients were treated for only three months and during the time of maximal hair growth.4 Therefore, seasonal variation is unlikely to have favorably influenced the results. Since serum androgen levels and urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion were unchanged, cimetidine's effect appears to be derived from its ability to block androgen action by inhibiting binding of dihydrotestosterone to androgen receptors.1, 2 This property has also been used to decrease sebum production.6 Our preliminary results suggest that cimetidine may be a safe, effective treatment of androgen-dependent hirsutism. [Image Omitted: See PDF] From the Kyle Metabolic Unit, Clinical Investigation Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., and the Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md. (address reprint requests to Dr. Vigersky at the Endocrinology-Metabolism Service, Ward 47, Kyle Metabolic Unit, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20012).