Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Therapy

Low-dose flutamide for hirsutism: into the limelight, at last

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 6, pages 421–422 (2010)Cite this article

Subjects

Evidence indicates that flutamide, a specific and potent androgen-receptor blocker, when given in low dose (∼1 mg/kg daily), confers a first-choice balance between antiandrogenic efficacy and hepatic safety for women and adolescent girls with hirsutism or other androgen-related symptoms.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Paradisi, R. & Venturoli, S. Retrospective observational study on the effects and tolerability of flutamide in a large population of patients with various kinds of hirsutism over a 15-year period. Eur. J. Endocrinol. doi:10.1530/eje-10-0100.

  2. Wysowski, D. K. & Fourcroy, J. L. Flutamide hepatotoxicity. J. Urol. 155, 209–212 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Martin, K. A. et al. Evaluation and treatment of hirsutism in premenopausal women: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 93, 1105–1120 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Muderris, I. I., Bayram, F. & Guven, M. Treatment of hirsutism with lowest-dose flutamide (62.5 mg/day). Gynecol. Endocrinol. 14, 38–41 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ibáñez, L. & de Zegher, F. Flutamide-metformin therapy to reduce fat mass in hyperinsulinemic ovarian hyperandrogenism: effects in adolescents and in women on third-generation oral contraception. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 88, 4720–4724 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Calaf, J. et al. Long-term efficacy and tolerability of flutamide combined with oral contraception in moderate to severe hirsutism. A 12-month, double-blind, parallel clinical trial. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 92, 3446–3452 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ibáñez, L., Valls, C., Cabré, S. & de Zegher, F. Flutamide-metformin plus ethinylestradiol-drospirenone for lipolysis and antiatherogenesis in young women with ovarian hyperandrogenism: the key role of early, low-dose flutamide. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 89, 4716–4720 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Ibáñez, L. & de Zegher, F. Low-dose flutamide-metformin therapy for hyperinsulinemic hyperandrogenism in non-obese adolescents and women. Hum. Reprod. Update 12, 243–252 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ibáñez, L. et al. Low-dose pioglitazone and low-dose flutamide added to metformin and estro-progestagens for hyperinsulinemic women with androgen excess: add-on benefits disclosed by a randomized double-placebo study over 24 months. Clin. Endocrinol. 71, 351–357 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. de Zegher, F. & Ibáñez, L. Flutamide for androgen excess: low dose is best. J. Pediatr. Adolesc. Gynecol. doi:10.1016/j.jpag.2010.02.005.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Woman and Child, University of Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium

    Francis de Zegher

  2. Pediatric & Adolescent Endocrinology, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08950, Spain

    Lourdes Ibáñez

Authors
  1. Francis de Zegher
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lourdes Ibáñez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lourdes Ibáñez.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Zegher, F., Ibáñez, L. Low-dose flutamide for hirsutism: into the limelight, at last. Nat Rev Endocrinol 6, 421–422 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.119

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.119

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing