Why Isn’t Minoxidil an Oral Medication?

Why isn’t minoxidil taken orally? I’ve always been under the impression that drugs taken orally (like Propecia) get to the root of the problem as opposed to ones topically. For instance, if caffeine theoretically helped hair loss, I would think consuming caffeine would work better than putting caffeine on one’s head.

Minoxidil was originally used as an oral anti-hypertensive medication for the treatment of high blood pressure. It was unpredictable in its use so it was abandoned, but people taking it (women) would notice face and body hair appearing from the oral pills. That is why it is not used orally today, as it has a tendency to drop blood pressure. That even occurs when you apply it topically, as some of the medication is absorbed into the body after a skin application.

Hypertrichosis and minoxidil

Will the hypertrichosis caused by minoxidil stop at one time if I stop minoxidil, Or will the unwanted hair all over the body keep growing longer and darker if I keep taking minoxidil? Here in France, no doctor have knowledge about this issue….

If you are getting hypertrichosis with minoxidil, then as long as you take the drug, it will continue. When you stop it, the hypertrichosis should go away in a matter of months


2020-12-15 10:22:36Hypertrichosis and minoxidil

Widow’s peak

Had a question about my hairline and widows peak. My mom has three brothers. Two have normal straight hairlines and one has a widows peak. My mom also has a widows peak. Her other sister does not. My moms mom does not have a widows peak but my moms dad does.

On the opposite side my dad or grandfather does not have a widows peak. My moms brother who has a widows peak has a good hairline for 60. Much like my moms father up until he passed away at 40. Is it safe to say im following there pattern for hair given my widows peak?

The widow’s peak is a remnant of the juvenile’s hairline which means that the hair around it (when you were a child) disappeared leaving the point called the Widow’s peak. I would suspect that you might follow this pattern as well

I Am 25 Years Old And I Am Scared I Will Bald In 2 to 3 Years.

Am 25 yrs old. I am suffering from hair fall since 3 yrs. Am not bald but scared that i might get bald in next 2-3 yrs. wen i suffer more hair fall, shortening and regrowing hair gives me good result, but as the hair grows longer,again i suffer more hair fall..over these 2 yrs, i can say my hair has thinned and reduced in density .consulted dermatologist and i was suggested to use minoxidil topical solution(mx-10) + finasteride. I don’t have hereditary. As my dad and grand dad has good hair… so using minoxidil + finasteride is a good move?. after gaining hair back, can i stop using minoxidil as i don’t have hereditary?

Genetic male pattern balding is hereditary but it does not always follow a specific inheritance pattern. If you have the gene for male pattern balding there is no definite cure. There are medications such as Propecia and Rogain to help slow down and even reverse some hair loss but in the long term it is not a complete solution. The first thing you must do is establish a good diagnosis by your doctor and come up with a long term Master Plan and treatment plan. We have written many times that even those people who appear not to be balding but have balding in their families, can be balding and would not know it unless they lost more than 30% of their hair. We can detect that level of hairloss in our office with a special instrument that measures the hair bulk in various parts of your scalp and compares it to the back of the head where balding never really occurs. IF you should have clinically detectable hair loss with out instruments, then taking drugs like finasteride work great to slow it, stop it or reverse it.

If you don’t have genetic male pattern balding, Propecia will not help. This is why you need to talk with your doctor and have a good understanding of your long term goals and plans.
Rogaine and Propecia are long term medications. You don’t just take it to try it you come to a doctors’s office and get your hair bulk measured.

I am developing side effects from minoxidil

I use 3 pr 4 ml daily of minoxidil and I am scared of developing cardiovascular sides. I am young and it has been 3 years that i have been taking it.

Does low dose oral min ( 1.5 mg ) is safer?

Like all drugs, there can be side effects and one of the many side effects can be dangerous to the heart. If you take minoxidil, as any drug, and you get side effect, speak with your prescribing doctor or if it is not a life altering drug like minoxidil, just stop it. Are you taking it orally now? If so, what dose are you taking? Generally, the 1.5mg oral dose is safe, but there are exceptions and that is why you need to see your doctor.


2020-11-04 10:02:52I am developing side effects from minoxidil

Will Hair Grow Back After My Car Accident?

i was in a car crash 4 months ago and got a bleed to the brain that needed to be operated on..im just wondering seen as im only 18 wil hair ever grow back on the scar if not is there anyding else i could do?

Incisions from brain surgery often produce scars because they widen slightly (about 1/4 inch on many people). If they are located in the hair baring scalp, then these scars are easily treated with hair transplants, quite successfully. The hair will not grow back on its own in the scar.

Will I See a Difference Between Avodart and Propecia?

I’m 24 and for the past year I’ve noticed some light thinning near the front of my scalp. I wanted to start taking Propecia or Avodart to prevent further hair loss and hopefully regrow some hair. I’ve read Avodart is more effective than Propecia. Do you think someone my age with moderate hair loss will notice much of difference between the two?

I realize there are many sources of information on the internet about both Avodart and Propecia. I generally do not recommend Avodart in my regular practice (although I have prescribed it on an individual basis) because of its very long half life (the time it takes for half of the drug to be out of your blood stream — which is in the order of many days). Propecia on the other hand has a half life of a few hours. Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is the only FDA approved medication for the treatment of male pattern hair loss. I would not therefore recommend Avodart over Propecia until you go through a trial on Propecia for a minimum of 12 months. The rest is up to you and your doctor.

Remember, before starting any medication you should first consult with a medical doctor to quantitatively record your current miniaturization hair loss pattern with a hair densitometer so you can follow-up up in 6 to 8 months to see the effects of the medication.

I believe I have diffuse thining

Diffuse thinning may or may not be uniform thinning. See the distinction in a recent commentary I published in the HT Forum: https://newhair.com/pdf/Kumaresan-Muthuvel-Bernstein-Rassman-Commentary.pdf You need to see magnified views of your hair in different parts of your scalp. By going to Amazon, look for hand microscopes and for under $50 you can get good digital photos of your scalp at the hair roots. Then get a map of the head from Google, label each area you photo (a, b, c, etc) and then send them to me and I will look at them and give you a diagnosis. Be sure to include your donor area from the back of your head.