According to a recent article, all treatments that were evaluated were effective in treating hair loss.
For men, 2% minoxidil, 5% minoxidil, low light therapy, and finasteride were all effective.
For women, 2% minoxidil was effective. Unfortunately, other treatments were not evaluated for women.
Recommendations from Dr. Bader: In my experience finasteride is most effective in men with a high compliance rate. The original 1mg dose was actually pulled out of thin air–no studies to find the most effective dose with the least amount of side effects was used to come up with this dose. I have found that 1mg may not be enough for some patients. 1.25mg (a quarter of a 5mg tablet) works well and some require a 2.5mg dose once or twice a week. I have found that this higher dosing has a greater effect on those who do not get the desired result with a minimal increase in side effects.
For women, I recommend that 5% minoxidil used once daily. This dosing schedule was recently FDA approved, not that this matters. One can buy the 5% minoxidil for men or women, whichever is cheaper. The product is the same. The only difference is the instructions that come with the product. Men are instructed to use the product twice daily. Studies have shown that 5% minoxidil twice a day is no more effective than 2% minoxidil twice a day. For this reason, once a day dosing is recommended for women, not that there is substantially greater risk of using the product twice a day. Side effects from this product include low blood pressure and increased facial hair growth in some. I recommend using the product at night, when one is less affected by lower blood pressure. One should get out of bed slowly to ensure they do not get lightheaded.