What Are The Side Effects Of Minoxidil?

Hi everyone! After writing so much about minoxidil, I thought I now had to write something about the side effects of minoxidil.

What are the side effects of minoxidil? This is the number one question on the minds of practically everyone using, or planning to use minoxidil is. It is not surprising, because most of the medications we take have its share of side effects, including minoxidil.

Most of the time, people only suffer from minor side effects, and nothing dangerous. It’s only in rare cases that a person suffers from dangerous side effects like

• Facial swelling
• Increased hair loss
• Acne
• Facial hair growth
• Swelling around the hair follicles

I found out through my research that in most cases, people suffered from these adverse side effects because of using too much of minoxidil or for not following the prescribed dosage. So you could say it’s mainly human error that leads to its dangerous side effects and not just the medicine.

What are the side effects of minoxidil?

What I have found out is that everyone who plans to use, or is using minoxidil should know about its potential side effects before starting the treatment. It is also good news to know that this is a widely used hair loss treatment. This means it is thoroughly tested and that doctors and researchers know about its side effects.

Minor and common side effects

The most common side effects you can experience after using minoxidil are skin irritation. It is the formulation that mainly decides if you may get side effects.

Besides, the irritation may be either at or near the spot it was applied. There may sometimes also be a skin rash or some mild burning sensation after using minoxidil spray or foam.

The main reason for this irritation or burning sensation is your body’s reaction to either minoxidil or to some of the other ingredients found in its formulas. The commonly used ingredients in minoxidil products are propylene glycol and alcohol. There is a chance of both of them creating some skin rashes or irritation on topical application.

Minoxidil and increased hair loss

While the other side effects mentioned above are quite rare amongst minoxidil users, I noticed that another common side effect associated with its use is increased hair loss.

I, however, was rather intrigued upon learning that this is not actually a side effect, but is part of minoxidil’s mechanism to stop hair loss and trigger more hair growth!

Yes, it’s true. The increased hair loss you experience may be because once you start applying your minoxidil formula to your hair roots, the hair follicles quickly go through the hair growth cycle. This leads to the same shedding and hair loss that occurs before the anagen phase, which is normal and part of minoxidil’s working mechanism.

What are the rare or serious side effects of minoxidil?

The excessive use of the medication may end up leading to major and dangerous side effects. They usually get triggered after using too much of minoxidil at once. This leads to the body’s bloodstream absorbing high levels of the medication.

These dangerous side effects include:

• Fainting
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Flushing
• Irregular heartbeats
• Blurred or altered vision
• A rapid increase in weight
• Swollen hands, feet, face or legs
• Numbness in the hands, face or feet

These side effects are dangerous and are caused by your body bloodstream absorbing too much of MXD. It could be because of an overdose, which is why your physician will suggest reducing the dosage to stop to the side effects.

How to treat the side effects?

The best thing you should do if you notice side effects, and it gets bothering to you is to stop using the medication. The problem usually reverses and starts healing once the formula is stopped. However, if you suffer from the dangerous side effects, it’s better to consult your doctor as soon as possible.

Other questions people tend to ask

Side effects of minoxidil foam

Most people ask if the chances of suffering from minoxidil side effects are higher if you use its foam. The answer may seem to be es’ because people who get a skin irritation after using it experience maximum irritation and burning around the area where the foam or spray was applied. There’s nothing to worry much about as the side effects usually reverse and reduce once you stop using the foam.

In fact, as mentioned earlier, a common reason for the skin irrational after using minoxidil topical solution is your skin’s reaction to propylene glycol and not MXD. So this is why doctors even suggest switching to using the foam version to reduce the irritation because the foam is free of propylene glycol.

Can minoxidil cause dark circles?

I noticed that another query many MXD users ask is if dark circles are one of the side effects. Well, I learned that the circles are definitely not related to a lack of sleep, but that it’s once again because of an overdose of MXD.

Stop the medication and consult your doctor if you notice dark circles. You’ll most probably have to stop the medication and the dark circles tend to subside with time.

Minoxidil and hypertrichosis

Some people using MXD notice a change in the color of their body hair and that it grew longer and thicker. All these are symptoms of hypertrichosis, another side effect of minoxidil.

It usually affects the temples and between the eyebrows within three to six weeks of starting the treatment. While stopping minoxidil will help reduce any new growth of hair, it takes at least six months for your hair to return to normal.

Minoxidil and swelling

Increased salt and water retention is another serious side effect of using minoxidil that affects up to 7% of users.

Minoxidil and pets

I have to stress that I found out through my research that minoxidil is really toxic to cats. This is because cats do not have the enzyme to metabolize and eliminate minoxidil from the body. Cats that get exposed to minoxidil either dye after the exposure or survive after aggressive treatment.

So make sure you do not even accidentally apply minoxidil to its skin or fur. It’s better if you use a minoxidil spray or foam in an isolated room away from your cat. Always keep your medication away and out of reach of your pets.

How to prevent complications

The best way to prevent minoxidil complications and side effects is by using it according to its specified dosage and directions.

• Keep MXD away from children and pets.
• Rise immediately with cool water if it enters your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Store in a tightly closed container away from direct sunlight.
• Seek immediate medical attention if MXD is accidentally ingested.
• Do not smoke while, or immediately after using minoxidil foam because it’s highly flammable and can lead to serious injury upon contact with hot smoke or flames.
• Always consult your doctor before starting minoxidil, especially if you do not know the cause for your hair loss and if you do not have a family history of hair loss.
• Avoid using minoxidil products if you are allergic to any of its ingredients.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women shouldn’t use MXD as it’s not proven if it’s safe for the fetus or not.
• It’s also not proven or approved to be safe for those less than 18 years of age.
• Avoid driving or operating machinery or doing anything dangerous until you are the user you don’t suffer from any minoxidil side effects like dizziness.
• Consult your doctor before starting MXD if you are taking any other form of medications or if you suffer from cardiovascular problems, hypertension or hypotension. Minoxidil gets absorbed into the bloodstream and may interact with the other medications to lead to side effects.
• You can consider using a derma roller to apply minoxidil using a process called micro needling. This can help reduce any adverse side because a derma roller needs less minoxidil to cover your scalp, which in turn reduces the related side effects. At the same time, micro needling increases the effectiveness of minoxidil.

Judging by all this, I’d say that it is always safe to first consult your physician before starting any form of medication, including minoxidil. You never know how your body will respond to it because each person reacts differently depending on your personal health and circumstances.

Besides, minoxidil side effects are quite rare, and in case you do experience them, they usually subside once you stop using the medication. The most common side effect is skin irritation, which may not be because of minoxidil, but your skin’s reaction to propylene glycol. Shifting to a propylene glycol free option like a foam can help stop the irritation.

On the whole, I found out that side effects are a rare occurrence with minoxidil. In fact, this is why it’s considered to be one of the safest hair loss treatments available in the market today.