The Side Effects of Minoxidil | The Hair Loss Show 

My main side effect was hair growing back. Wasnt expecting that

This video is VERY informative. Information in regard to how long it takes to absorb (1hr liquid to much less for foam, it lasting for 21hrs so only need to apply it once per day, shedding is good and shows the person is responsive and new hair will be stronger than the next) is very appreciated!

Very informative. Thank you Dr. Russell Krudsen and Dr. Vikram Jayaprakash.

I experienced COVID that lasted around 10 days. I thought I was fine until I began to lose more hair than usual. After doing some research, I've come to realize it’s from the stress my body went through during that time period and also due to the shampoo I had been using. So I started doing yoga and meditation daily and changed my shampoo and conditioner to littleextrraa coooconion anti hair fall kit. And today i dont face any hair fall. Thanks for this video! I feel so much more at peace.

I’ve been taking minoxidil and finasteride for coming up on 2 years now and it’s made a significant difference for me. My hair is thicker and healthier. It’s had the added side benefit of making the bare patches in my beard full in too! Haven’t had any negative effects since I exercise regularly so no issues with weight gain etc

The Right routine for good hair and preventing hair fall and dandruff. 1. Scalp massage 2. Combing with a comb made of neem wood 3. Don't opt for tight hairstyles 4. Refrain from too much heat styling 5. Protecting your hair from the sun 6. Keep yourself hydrated 7. Good diet 8. Sound sleep 9. Deep conditioning treatment. After oiling, wrap your hairs in a hot towel for sometime 10. Applying warm oil on the hair and regular washing with herbal oil and shampoo cleanser from littleextrra cocoonioon 11. Yogasana with inverted positions that promote blood circulation and stimulate the hair follicles.

appreciate this, very helpful sirs! thank you!

You both have a comforting voice😊👍

Thank you both for your input and show. You are helping many people. Minoxidil and Finasteride combined works well in my case in a compounded oral tablet mix. Been 1 year now slight palpitations first 2 weeks none since. No side affects noticeable. Great improvement of replacement hair in medium thining of crown area. 4 months before some obvious results showed then continued better results from there. Can use fibers to help as well. Its a lifetime commitment though and a daily tablet to remember to take.

Refreshingly honest!

Thanks for the video guys 🦘

Just want to ask incase I missed it, so you mention to work up the oral minoxodil slowly overtime. How much would you work it up to assuming no side effects? What's the end "goal" in mg would you recommend? I unfortunately am a non-responder to topical minoxodil (tried liquid and foam version, on top of combining it with microneedling at a depth of 1 - 1.5mm). I've used it consecutively for over a year now in combination with Finasteride 1mg tablet daily. My hair loss has completely stopped, but I think I'd attribute that to Finasteride. I'm still using Minoxodil just for the sake of using it, even though I don't think I've necessairly seen much results. I was considering switching to Oral minoxodil and seeing if it helps.

The big question not touched upon - what is the response rate to oral min, compared to those without sulfotransferase enzyme on scalp when using topical? Have you found those switching to oral min after trying topical respond well? Thank you

I am a woman who began Minoxidil about 4 years ago. I am aging and my hair started to shed more frequently and I was able to see my scalp through my hair. When I began treatment I started with the woman's formula once a day, and didn't want to go to twice a day until I knew how I reacted to it. Well, I did so well on once a day that I just stayed there and have continued to fill out the thickness of my hair considerably. It was great to hear you agree that once a day is enough. Recently I decided to try the men's version once a day and I am not having any problems with that. My scalp seems quite thick (for me) but the bonus is that I have regrown my thinned out eyebrows (I did not apply it on my eyebrows), and surprisingly it has grown back without any grey! I normally have a few grey eyebrow hairs. The only negative is that they hairs are growing in at varying directions, so it takes frequent grooming to keep them in line. I would say that the minoxidil has restored my hair quantity back to when I was a teenager. What it has not done is make my individual hairs thicker, so the overall look is not as abundant as my teenage years, but no complaints at all from me. I just might go back to the women's formula because I don't want to take anymore than needed. As an aside, in the beginning I had some trouble with the scalp irritation and a greasy build up. I thought I was going to have to quit using it. I stopped it for a week or so but thought to try using the very famous brand of dandruff shampoo we have all seen for years. Ever since I did that I have stopped the irritation and build up and I began tolerating the Minoxodil just as before. I don't even use the dandruff shampoo every time, it is more like every 2-3 times I shampoo. Hope this info helps others!

Thanks docs! The best...

What’s your thoughts on using a scalp electric massager after applying liquid minoxidil?

Thank you so much for your contents. I restored a lot of my hair because of this channel. I always recommend people who are facing Male Pattern Baldness to watch the channel

I've taken a topical minoxidil and finasteride combo for 4 months now and it has worked absolute wonders.

Been on minoxidil 5 mg twice a day for over a year without side effects . However those with renal or cardiac disease can have problems.

I seemed to be a hyper responder at norwood 4... but also felt like shit and discontinued after a few weeks

Feels like I'm being nosy between two hair Doctors talking in the hallway....Don't mind me just being nosey, please continue...

Lot of good points here, in my case I was a hyper responder both in hair growth and side effects. I had crazy scalp hair growth within 6-7 months however the heart palpitations and chest pain were really severe, especially when laying down trying to fall asleep, I'm fit and healthy with normal normal/low BP. Never had anything like that before and after stopping it took about a year for those symptoms to go away completely. Even went for a holter monitor and echo cardiogram, in the midst of it, all normal. I was using 1 dose of foam at night only, so half the recommended amount and I still had that kind of reaction. Now I'm just on topical finasteride with no issues, but man I miss the results from the minoxidil. Finasteride just has me holding ground not regrowing.

One of the most informational sessions i’ve heard/seen on Minoxidil 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 EXCELLENT

Thanks for posting. Do you have any advice on obtaining a prescription for oral minoxidil? Doctors in the states seem to be unfamiliar with it. I am one of those that deal with Migraine symptoms. The migraines will start about 40 mins after I put on the foam. If I cant get an oral prescription, I am going try and keep it on for only 10-15 mins as you described.

It’s good to know I can put it on at night. I recently used Minoxidil to regrow a decently sized bald spot on the back of my head. Half the time I would put it on twice but I hated having greasy hair all day. So I switched to just doing it at night. I worries that not having it on my head all day would be an issue. Side note, Kirkland brand minoxidil is a steal, especially the liquid.

what if you have to stop minoxidil before hair transplantation and resume after it’s more then a month pause, is that critical and how hair reacts to it, does it recover or you will most likely start loosing hair quicker regardless of resuming minoxidil? Thanks!

Thanks a lot for the detailed video. I have a low blood pressure and during my Minoxidil use I feel very lazy and down. I will try to use it 1 hour before sleeping. Hope it will work

I've been using minoxidil/ derma roller for 11 months now. It improved my hairline the most when I paired the minoxidil with a dermaroller. I was also able to grow a handsomely full beard after struggling with that for 10 years. I finally look my age and haven't been carded since. (Had a baby face)

Excellent information Doc's Appreciate it

For anyone watching when I initially used the liquid I experience a minor headache like it’s there but sorta annoying and scalp irritation this is usually due to the hair product I’d recommend washing every week or two weeks if you’re an African American

Hello doctors! Please can you make a video on the possible link between insomnia and finasteride/minoxidil, along with workarounds for the same? Thank you!

You guys are awesome 🎉

The foam was making my hair feel hard so I've been putting the foam in a shot glass and heating the bottom with a lighter to liquidize it and then apply it through the hair

was having amazing results on topical minoxidil until one day my scalp just heavily dryer up and what I had gained started to fall out☹️ scalp was in a very bad way. Stopped using,, was bad for month or so and then when great again just on the finasteride which IMO is brilliant can’t beat it. 🙏

I may have misunderstood something, is it generally safer to apply liquid or foam-based topical minoxidil? Also, is the daily dose of 5mg the typically recommended starting dose?

Using fin and min 2 months. Minox had me like slightly light headed for 3 mins when first started using but gone now. So important to wash it out after one hour for scalp health. Residue is not good for scalp. Pimples. Fin. Small effect. Weaker ejeculation first month. Now totally normal.

Finasteride vs Minoxidil PO? For young men just noticing slight thinning wanting to prevent

Weirdly I’ve had far fewer issues with finasteride than with minoxidil. If anything, finasteride improved my mood, maybe because the reduction in my levels of such a powerful androgen gave me a bit more clarity and sort of took the edge off. Minoxidil actually messed me up much more, I had headaches, palpitations, anxiety, etc. It should be noted that I have a history of palpitations and anxiety anyway, but I hardly ever get headaches, and the the anxiety was particularly bad with the minoxidil. I’m lucky that my hair-loss isn’t that bad, and I’m comfortable just slowing it down/stopping it worsening for now. I don’t want this to be interpreted as fear mongering or anything. Minoxidil is just a medication like any other, and people should feel comfortable trying it out and seeing how they feel. It’s highly highly unlikely that side effects will persist after stopping with minoxidil.

Are the side effects for oral minoxidil life threatening? is kinda scary to have those side effects.

This is such a great video thank you for sharing your knowledge

Thanks for the vid, but i read that you shouldnt use water on your head till 4 hours after applying minoxidil, so quite a bit longer than only 60-90 Minutes for it to be absorbed?

Good day Docs. A great video, thanks for that. Was wondering why my scalp has been so itchy recently and breaking out in rash. I figured it may be the minox spray, its only been 1.5 months. I fear teying the oral application considering i have had a heart attack many years ago and trying sumthing that may trigger palpitations seems scary. Any advice for me? Is minix the only good meds on the market to use or are there others worth trying? Where can i go to see results of minox. Does it reverse hair loss? Can i get a full set of hair again? Thank you and keep up the great work.

I will start to only use it once a day then. 👍🏻 I would love to get facial hair growth from Minoxidil 🧔🏽 but it does not seem to grow my beard that well 😐 It does seem to make my eyes more dry though.

So you touched on the different size of hair loss area but you didn't talk about how to use a half cap's worth of foam on a large area. How do I do that? I don't have enough - I'm thinking about focusing on different parts of the area per day so as to rotate the foam - I want to use it further but I run out of foam. My dermatologist examined me and suggested I use minoxidil 5 /once a day, so the area is not so large as to be beyond the help of minoxidil. How do I make it last on all parts of the area? Do I use as much as I need to put foam on the scalp where it's needed - which might increase side-effects? Do I rotate which scalp part gets foam each day? How do other people do it? I've researched but either found people using it way too freely or people who have a very small area of focus. Thanks - I just started using it 2 days ago so I appreciate your advice!

Hi I'm hoping you can answer a question for me. Alot of these products recommended for alopecia are sulphides. Wouldn't MSM sulphur work just as well? And no prescription required? I ask because I'm in rogaine and corticosteroid foam. Why wouldn't MSM work as well ? It's a sulphide.

I hate that I’m one of the few that got the major symptoms. Dizzyness, rapid heart rate, and swelling/cramps on my feet. Can’t even do Rosemary or Peppermint oil. Sucks man

Thanks for this video. I started using the topical foam and the bottle said to call the doctor if you notice weight gain. And I’m like “topical minoxidil doesn’t cause weight gain.” It makes sense that the oral minoxidil causes weight gain.

But you didn’t mention whether from switching from topical to oral do you still get the shedding if you’ve been on topical for years?

Are there blood pressure issues when using the TOPICAL application? Or are there blood pressure issues with only the ORAL tablet?

Topical Minoxidil works fine for me. I won't dare try oral Minoxidil. I don't want to mess around with blood pressure. Great product. It works💪

Is oral minoxdil and finasteride good to mix together if used alongside aromatase inhibitors and a test booster like clomid?

Don’t worry about the shedding faze there are products out there that help cover thinning and bald spots. SureThick is fantastic a life saver for me why’ll I was waiting for my hair to regrow. At home I didn’t care but if I had to get a new passport picture or was going to spend time out in public I used this product. It’s actual hair fibres that bound to your existing hair and scalp and then you spray on a holding agent and let it dry for a good 30 minutes before heading outside. It’s held up to snow rain sweat wind. It really helped fill in my head make it look darker and thicker. I was so excited when my hair was shedding I knew the drugs were working.

So for men, what's the lowest effective dose of oral minox? If you use just 1.5mg is that still likely to be effective over time?

Hello doctors. Nice channel with great contents by the way ! I wanted to ask you 2 questions about topical / oral minoxidil. First question: Is minoxodil responsible for causing red face or rosacea due to the dilation of blood vessels in the circulatory system ? To sum up, do you think there is any link between minoxodil and redness in the face ? Second question: Can the dilated blood vessels go back to their normal size after stopping minoxidil or the blood vessels stay dilated permanently even if we stop using minoxidil ? Thanks for your answers and have a good day. Greetings from France.

If I'm using minoxidil foam, differin gel, and a moisturizer, what order should these be applied and how long between applying each? Also, does adapalene enhance the efficacy of minoxidil the same as tretinoin?

How long does it continue to be effective?? I’ve heard people saying it completely fell off in as short a period of time as a year!

thank god these people exist! I hope the best, the BEST

Was using minoxidil foam (Kirkland) twice a day for a month and ended up in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Its taken nearly 6 months to feel somewhat normal again despite stopping it. Panic attacks, anxiety, heart palps, and chest tightness were my symptoms. Also had incidents appear on an EKG. I've never had any heart issues prior. Be careful with this stuff. It's potent and it made my lose more hair in the areas I was using it. It causes a shedding phase once you stop, so beware of that.

Can you make a video about using Minoxidil and hair fibres at the same time? I've been thinking of starting Minox for a while but I'm so much used to hair fibres and I don't know how to combine using both at the same time. I'm sure there are plenty of guys like me. Thank you for your very informative professional content!

Hello Can you use the shampoo ketoconazole 2% shampoo with the topical nioxin ?

Hi guys, love the videos. They have helped me a lot. I do have a question about minoxidil. A lot of people have mentioned recently about my eyes and the black circles around them. My eyes appear to be sunken in a little. is this a possible side effect and is there anything I can do about it? Thank you from the UK!!

Hello Doctors, which brand would you recommend for minoxidil? What strength would you recommend starting at?

Sushmita: Minoxidil 5% works wonders - use it once per day in the morning and massage well. Wash hands throughly thereafter. Presently on my 4th month - no side effects - keeps the bio hair that I still have but unfortunately no re-growth so in essence I've only retained 1/4 of my thick mane of glossy hair which is better than having no hair 😊

Dear Docs Wd Appreciate I U can have a Show on the Safe Donor Area Parameters Thanx

Thanks but as a woman, if I hear something is going to potentially cause weight gain, that's a very significant thing for me; I was hoping you two would go into more detail about it...

I started on topical minoxidil 5% 1 month ago and I've already noticed some new wispy hairs sprouting up on my hairline nothing cosmetically significant but I am surprised that anything at all has happened this early is it possible that certain people respond exceptionally quickly to minoxidil or is this a normal respond this early?

I definitely got the water retention from the oral form and I didn't realise it till I stopped it and the water weight dropped immediately.

Hi Doc, After my hair transplant a month ago, things were going well until I began using minoxidil. I discontinued use after three days, but I've since developed strong scabs throughout the transplanted area. During washing, it appears that all transplanted hair is gone; I hope it's just shedding. How can I safely remove these scabs without causing additional harm?

I just bawled my eyes out when you said if your hair is shedding then you're a responder. Which means I've got hope. Thank you for that. I'm not very regular with my use of Topical Minoxidil but watching all your videos has given me a better understanding of Minoxidil compared to what I've known for the past 10 years. The last 3 months I've been using minoxidil regularly-ish and now I'm shedding like I'm gonna be bald any day now. But after hearing your explanation. I'm going to keep going. Thank you both.

I had to stop minoxidil due to an uncomfortable case of palpitations that refused to go away. Now only on finasteride and still maintained the growth even after 2 full months, no shedding at all. It's actually nearing 2.5 months

Topical minoxidil gave me chest pain and irregular heart beats, tried one week and never took it again.

MY urologist just two weeks ago absolutely told me to NOT use Finasteride > > > ETD that could be permanent, growing breasts and it barely if at all works. He put the 'fear' in me for sure.

Nice insights. Would you be able to touch on and refer to on the usage of minoxidil for people with no hair loss history in family.

Why did the smaller dose oral minoxidil and topical finasteride take years to hit the market? Because 5mg generic finasteride and a pill splitter began to cut into Big Pharma's margins. So they delayed the launch of these "new" products as long as the previous products made them rich.

What about reported aging effect of oral minoxidil?

I think i'll keep mixing rosemary oil with coconut oil and using a derma roller. Too many risks involved

I get severe headache(similar to migraine) from 5% minoxidil solution, so i am planning to shift to 2% minoxidil topical solution but i cant find any 2% minoxidil topical solution with 0.1% finasteride, is it ok to mix crushed finasteride tablet on my own in 2% solution(1mg finasteride per 1ml of topical minoxidil solution)? Or should i dilute the 5% minoxidil + 0.1% finasteride solution with a dilutant consisting of 50% propylene glycol + 20% ethanol + 30% distilled water? If i should go with the dilutant version please let me know if the dilutant i am using is appropriate or should i make any changes in it?

Do you Drs. recommend the combined use of Finasteride with Minoxidil? Why isn’t that the first go treatment for everyone from consultation 1? Thanks

I’ve tried both Oral Minoxidil & the Topical Version. I definitely think that the Oral Minoxidil as far better, in conjunction with Finasteride

Thank you for all the advice. I just want to share that I started to use Minoxidil about 7 months ago. The side effect for me is Red Eyes and it feels almost like conductivities (I only use it on top of my head), but my eyes hurt, they feel like I have not slept in days, and are reddish. When I stop using it for a couple of days, this effect goes away. Looking forward to your comment on this.

I used it for my beard. It worked! But since then I have problems with my hair. I lost a lot at the tonsur and it will not fully grow back.

Does Minoxidil work if someone is taking hypothyroidism medication? I have no baldness in my family but I have been taking thyroid medication for 35 year. That has caused a lot of hair loss over the years. I heard that minoxidil does not work with thyroid condition. Is there anything else that will help for my particular situation. I am now in my 60s but still would like to try something that really works. Thank you!!

How about minoxidil and growth oils used together, such as rosemary essential oil?

How does minoxidil affect styling your hair? I heard it makes the hair super dry, Is it really that bad?

I clicked to learn steven Spielberg's point of view.

So if the foam absorbs in around 10 mins. Can we wash it maybe 30mins after applying the foam?

I started experiencing intense itching sensation and extreme flaking after 2 years of usage (I may have double dosed on few occasions). Any alternatives?

Can you use oral and topical?

I think I have eczema on my scalp that causes a tonne of dandruff - would my scalp respond well to monoxidil 😊?

Its giving an unbearable itching in the scalp and make hair white but hair growth increases thats for sure

I think the biggest issue I had with it was the weight gain. I must have added roughly 15-20 lbs after starting using minoxidil, especially around my sides and chest. I started getting bad headaches and irritation on the scalp too from dosing too much, tuning down the dosage helped resolve those issues, but I still couldn't shake the weight gain. Overall, I didn't find using minoxidil worth it. I'd rather be a healthier, more preferred weight with less heart disease risks than worry about having a full head of hair.

Dear Doctor, I have been diagnosed with FPHL grade 2 and I have been on oral finasteride 2.5mg (for 1 year) and oral Minoxidil (started with 0.0625 for 2 weeks, 1.25 for 2 weeks and 2.5mg for 9.5 months). I have seen increased hair shedding for about 8 months, and it continues. (At the same time as I started full dose Minoxidil ie. 2.5mg, I got A cell PRP also done). Will the hair shedding EVER reduce or stop? Will increasing or reducing the dose of Minodixil help to reduce hair shedding? Is the hair shedding seen with Minodixil use proportional to the dose? So far I have had no side effects from Minodixil with 2.5mg for 9 months. Is it that I may never benefit from using Minodixil? Actually, my hair fell out with the bulbs and clogged the drain. Even before I started the treatment it used to come out in clumps. I read that if the hair come out in clumps it cannot be andogenetic alopecia or FPHL. When I asked my doctor he said that it could also have a component of Telogen Effluvium. Pls, advice what should I do?

Dry flaky scalp, brain fog, and peach fuz is what I'm getting.Still worth it.

Foam definitely goes systemic! I definitely get slight shortness of breathe

A few months after I started taking topical minoxidil, I started having some acne in my forehead. I wonder if this could be a less known side effect of the minoxidil.

My own hair growth success story i followed method below - didnt need minoxidil either: 1. Fragrance free shampoo. Korean cosmetic industry understand why years ago, we are still behind. 2. Taoist soap for hair growth 2x a week only: stops further loss, stimulates new growth. 3. Nettle tea to drink 2x a day at least for removing hormone residue in the liver, further supporting hormone balance, altho not fully but enough. 4. Scalp massage for 30 minutes a day. Do not skip, just massage with your finger tips slow and hard, be gentle at first as next day can get sore. 5. Collagen powder 2x a day w tablespoons each time. Dont get pills they are not high dose enough. 6. Cold water rinse on just top of scalp, dont let cold water on back of neck or head much as you might get sick. But once a day or a couple times a week does wonders. Learnt this from my brother who spent years looking for answers. He has a full head of hair now and 38. But at 23 he had very thin hair all over. I had thin hair too. Stick to the regimen, and you will see results. Hair growth requires many angels and this is why its hard to cure. Minoxidil is great if it works for you however, but if you have kidney issues in your family, you should stay away from the oral one for sure - and the topical caused so much water retention on face for me, i didnt want to take it for life. better this natural way for me anyway.

The most english Jayaprakash I've heard in a while

I've been using topical monoxidil on my receding hairline, for almost 2 months, my hair did grew hair . But the problem is i also grow unwanted hair specially on my face and also on my side ear. My question is, if i shave it, should it be grow back? Also if i stop taking it will the hair on my face will go back to normal?

I was getting wayyyy too many heart palpitations with minoxidil. Had to eradicate it completely.

I'm getting a lot of wierd dandruff. It's not dry dandruff but soft skin flakes . It's hard to describe but it causes hair to come out too . Its not itchy either. I use Costco brand rogain but don't know if that's the cause . Please someone let me know what is causing it. I use dandruff shampoo and it's still happens 😢