In simplest terms, off-label treatments suggest that a drug which works for a certain ailment has found to have a desirable side effect which may be so coveted by consumers that they will seek out physicians who will prescribe the medication even though the patient does not suffer from the indicated ailment – just so that the secondary side effect will set in. This is the case with hair loss. Off-label treatments have been found to use substances that are indicated for the treatment of an enlarged prostate, leukemia, and also disfiguring acne.
Generally speaking, the idea of off-label treatments is not new. Entire new sets of drugs have been spawned simply because a side effect could be marketed. It is important to realize that simply applying a drug for its desired side effect negates the fact that the drug is designed first and foremost for a different purpose and thus the idea of off-label treatments puts into question the safety of the notion that the body can be manipulated in such a manner as to treat a non-existent ailment.
Off-label treatments may actually prove to have unintended consequences beyond the desirable side effect. For example, if the side effect of a prostate gland drug specifies a cure for hair loss, how will you know that the side effect of an increased risk of heart attack will not also apply? In addition to the foregoing, if you are visiting a doctor you may find that she or he will be hesitant to prescribe something that really does not apply to your symptoms or ailments.
Unfortunately, this indicates the most dangerous aspect of off-label treatments: the self medicating consumers who seek to circumnavigate the medical professional altogether by imply purchasing the desired drugs online or in foreign countries. Those traveling to Canada and Mexico will sometimes stop by some of the free for all pharmacies located in the border towns and stock up on substances that promise a cure for hair loss as a side effect. On the ‘Net these substances are also easy to come by.
Unfortunately, since you will not be under a physician’s care, you will not be monitored for safety and thus you may find that your heart is becoming damaged and you may not even know about it until it is too late. Thus, the notion of an off-label treatment may indeed grow some hair on your pate, but it may also cost you your health.