Read this before you start. The only FDA approved oral minoxidil is for severe high blood pressure, at doses many times higher than the dose used for hair. That label carries a boxed warning for fluid building up around the heart, which can become dangerous, and for worsening chest pain. Hair loss dosing is far lower and no FDA approved product exists at that dose, so the risk at this dose has not been established. Your clinician reviews your heart history before prescribing it.
Finasteride is FDA approved for male pattern hair loss. Oral minoxidil is not approved for hair loss at any dose. Using it this way is off-label, which means the FDA has not reviewed it for this purpose.
Tell your care team straight away if you get chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble lying flat, a racing heartbeat, sudden weight gain or swelling in your hands, feet or face, or you faint. Also tell us if you get depression or thoughts of harming yourself, or breast lumps, pain or discharge.
Common side effects
- unwanted body or facial hair growth
- fluid retention and swelling
- a faster heart rate
- reduced libido
- erectile dysfunction
- ejaculation problems
- a temporary increase in shedding when you start
Rare but serious
- fluid building up around the heart, reported with antihypertensive doses of oral minoxidil
- new or worsening chest pain
- salt and water retention
- depression and suicidal thoughts, reported with finasteride
- a lower PSA reading, which can hide a prostate cancer
- male breast cancer, reported rarely with finasteride
Do not take this if you are pregnant or may become pregnant, or you have a pheochromocytoma.
This is not a complete list of side effects. Message your care team about any symptom that worries you. What we dispense is a compounded preparation made by a licensed US pharmacy. Compounded medications are not approved by the FDA for safety, efficacy or quality.
