What is Ketoconazole and what is it used for?

Ketoconazole is a treatment related to hair growth. Hi-Doctor does not prescribe it today, but our licensed doctors can review your case and propose hair growth alternatives with robust clinical evidence and EU regulatory approval.

Why does Hi-Doctor not prescribe Ketoconazole?

Our doctors only prescribe treatments with robust clinical evidence, an EU-approved indication and a reviewed safety profile. Ketoconazole is not on that list today — it may be investigational, not approved, or outside the scope of what we handle via telemedicine.

What alternatives can I consider within hair growth?

Our doctors review your history and propose the most appropriate treatment among those authorised in the EU for hair growth. The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; sexual health remains a €35 one-off consultation. If your case is not eligible, the applicable fee is refunded.

How would my hair growth consultation work?

You fill in an online medical questionnaire (~4 min). An EU-licensed doctor reviews it and replies in less than 4 hours on average via the private chat in your account. If eligible, they issue a prescription electronic prescription valid in any EU pharmacy.

Can I get a consultation for Ketoconazole from Catania?

Yes. Hi-Doctor runs 100 % online across the EU, so if you live in Catania you can fill in the questionnaire and receive the medical review without travelling. The electronic prescription issued by the licensed doctor is valid in any EU pharmacy under Directive 2011/24/EU; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.

How does a doctor evaluate a hair-loss case in an online consultation?

Through the pattern of loss, how long it has been progressing, family history and current medication. In some cases we ask for scalp photos. The doctor proposes a tailored treatment plan and adjusts it to your tolerance.

What is the private electronic prescription and why is it valid across the EU?

The private electronic prescription (Receta Médica Privada Electrónica) is issued by a licensed doctor in Spain. It is a PDF carrying every field required by EU Directive 2011/24/EU (patient, prescriber with country of registration, active ingredient, dose), which makes it legally recognised across all 27 EU member states. In Spanish pharmacies it is dispensed from the QR; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.

How does Hi-Doctor work step by step?

1) Fill in an online medical questionnaire in about 4 minutes. 2) The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; sexual health is €35 per consultation and a skin consultation is €40. 3) An EU-licensed doctor reviews your case and, if appropriate, issues an electronic prescription. 4) Collect it at any EU pharmacy. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full.

How much does it cost and what does the price include?

The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; a one-off sexual-health consultation is €35 and a skin consultation — acne, rosacea, melasma, ageing skin — is €40. Each includes a licensed doctor's review and an electronic prescription if approved. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full. Medication is paid for separately at the pharmacy at the price it sets.

Ketoconazole pack shot — a prescription medicine an EU-licensed doctor can prescribe online after a Hi-Doctor consultation in Catania.

Ketoconazole · Catania

Ketoconazole in Catania: what you should know.

NOT AVAILABLE IN THE EUKetoconazole has no EU marketing authorisation for this use.

We don't prescribe it today, but our doctors can review your case and propose an equivalent hair growth treatment with EU approval and clinical evidence.

Review my hair growth case

€15/month (billed €45 every 90 days)Full refund if a review is not approved

IN PLAIN TERMS

What Ketoconazole is, and how to get treatment

Ketoconazole is an antifungal medicine. In the EU the shampoo, cream and gel forms are authorised for dandruff, seborrhoeic dermatitis and a fungal skin condition called pityriasis versicolor - conditions caused by a yeast on the skin. The tablet form was suspended across the EU in 2013 because of the risk of liver damage. Some people use ketoconazole shampoo hoping it will help pattern hair loss, but that is an off-label use, the published studies are small and there are no randomised controlled trials, so the evidence is weak. Hi-Doctor does not prescribe ketoconazole for hair loss.

Ketoconazole has no EU marketing authorisation for this use. It may be an approved medicine for something else, or approved in another country — but not something a doctor here can prescribe for this.

Can I get it?

Not for this use. Ketoconazole has no EU authorisation for it, so it cannot be prescribed or dispensed here for that purpose.

Why buying it online is risky

What can I take instead?

Minoxidil is approved in the EU, has published peer-reviewed trial results, and can be prescribed today if a doctor decides it suits you.

Read about Minoxidil

What do the studies show?

Every trial behind Ketoconazole is listed below with how many people took part and whether the results are peer-reviewed or a company announcement.

Jump to the studies

Local consultation facts

Can I get Ketoconazole in Catania?

Not through Hi-Doctor. Hi-Doctor does not prescribe Ketoconazole. People in Catania, Italy, can request an online consultation for Hair growth with a licensed EU doctor, who may recommend an available option when clinically appropriate. If approved, the EU prescription arrives as a PDF for a pharmacist in Italy, who dispenses the locally marketed equivalent with the prescribed active ingredient.

Availability

Hi-Doctor does not prescribe Ketoconazole. The links below show options in Hair growth that our doctors can assess.

Country: Italy
Language of service: Spanish and English
Prescription turnaround: In less than 4 hours on average, only if the doctor approves
Honoured locally: PDF honoured locally for the prescribed active ingredient

How the EU prescription works where you are: In Italy, show the approved prescription PDF to a pharmacist. They honour it under EU cross-border rules and dispense the locally marketed equivalent with the prescribed active ingredient.

An individualised preparation that can combine finasteride, minoxidil, tretinoin, or other actives, compounded by pharmacies after a medical prescription.

Individual preparation

€15/month

You pay for any medication separately at the pharmacy you choose. Hi-Doctor does not sell medications.

WHAT IT COSTS

One plan, reviewed by a doctor.

Hair growth

ONGOING PLAN

€15/month

Billed €45 every 90 days · cancel anytime

For ongoing treatment and doctor-reviewed renewals.

Lowest monthly price we offer

Start consultation

Full refund if a review is not approved

WHAT'S INCLUDED

First consultation included
Renewals reviewed by your doctor
Ongoing care with your doctor
Cancel anytime

Full refund if a review is not approved

If a review is not approved, we refund that period's €45 fee and cancel the plan.

Read the refund terms

Note: The medication, if the doctor prescribes it, is paid separately at the pharmacy at the price it sets. Hi-Doctor does not sell medications.

VERIFIED EVIDENCE

Ketoconazole: evidence and regulatory guide.

WHAT IT IS

How it works

Ketoconazole is an antifungal that stops yeasts and fungi on the skin from making ergosterol, a substance they need to build their outer wall, so they cannot grow.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Not marketed in the EU

What the studies reported

Results are grouped by source and evidence grade so journal data and manufacturer announcements cannot be confused.

Peer-reviewed

Fields JR, Vonu PM, Monir RL, Schoch JJ. Topical ketoconazole for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review. Dermatol Ther. 2020;33(1):e13202. doi:10.1111/dth.13202 (PMID 31858672)

Fields JR, Vonu PM, Monir RL, Schoch JJ. Topical ketoconazole for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: A systematic review. Dermatol Ther. 2020;33(1):e13202. doi:10.1111/dth.13202 (PMID 31858672)
DOSE OR GROUP	MEAN WEIGHT CHANGE	WEEKS
Topical ketoconazole (formulations and schedules varied between studies)	Five human studies, 318 participants in total; increased hair shaft diameter reported	—

The review's own conclusion is that randomised controlled trials are still needed. The included human studies were small and used different formulations and schedules, so no reliable effect size for hair growth can be quoted, and hair growth is not an authorised use of ketoconazole in the EU.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-07-27

NAMED SAFETY SIGNALS

What has been reported with Ketoconazole.

Local skin and scalp reactions

The Spanish product information for topical ketoconazole 20 mg/g lists a local burning sensation, itching, and contact dermatitis from irritation or allergy.

Changes to hair texture or colour

The same product information records oily or dry hair as rare, and rare discolouration of chemically damaged or grey hair.

Liver injury with ketoconazole taken by mouth

On 25 July 2013 the EMA's CHMP recommended EU-wide suspension of the marketing authorisations for oral ketoconazole because the risk of liver injury outweighed the benefit in fungal infection; the European Commission decision followed on 11 October 2013. Topical forms were not suspended because very little ketoconazole is absorbed from them.

UNAPPROVED PRODUCTS ONLINE

Why buying Ketoconazole online is not a shortcut.

No doctor in the EU can prescribe it for this use — including ours. It may be authorised in another country, or for a different condition.

Check the EU common logo

A legitimate online pharmacy in the EU must display the common logo linked to its national register. The logo is a verification check; it cannot make an unapproved medicine legal.

How the EU common logo works

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS