Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss Takes off in 2022

I originally wrote this post on oral Minoxidil for hair loss in 2017. However, since an August 2022 NY Times article on this subject went viral, the media keeps covering this topic regularly. I will republish this post every time there are a few new important updates to discuss on top.

Make sure to also check out my post on oral Minoxidil before and after results from Reddit. I selected some of the best hair regrowth results that I have seen during the past year from people taking oral Minoxidil.

When I first wrote the article, doctors from Thailand had already been using oral Minoxidil to treat hair loss patients for a decade. And an Australian doctor was also using it regularly. Thereafter, Spanish doctors also got into the game. It is only in 2022 that this option really took off in the US and parts of Western Europe.

Always consult your physician before taking oral or sublingual Minoxidil. One of the studies I discuss in this post warns on the dangers of compounded low-dose oral Minoxidil (LDOM) often being of a much higher dosage due to compounding error. The generic versions at your local pharmacy are likely safe. However, taking this drug is no joke and it must be used under medical supervision.

Update: Jan 19, 2024

Update: May 18, 2023

Oral Minoxidil and Hair Growth Updates

Update: May 19, 2023 — On today’s Bald Truth show, there were two highly encouraging updates on oral Minoxidil from callers. One (Greg, starting at 16:18) said that it has taken his hair quantity to almost how it was ten years ago. The other guy (starting at 57:13) who is 63 year old said that he was regrowing hair in the area of his scalp with scarring alopecia.

Update: April 20, 2023 — On today’s “The Mane Event” show at around 1:15:00, regular watcher “Andrew 12” said that after 14 years of finasteride and then dutasteride giving him good results, he started oral Minoxidil. He got the best ever hair growth results in his life. He later elaborated in the chat:

“I never regrew a single hair on fin or dut, it only maintained my hair. Oral minoxidil regrew hair.”

Update: April 4, 2023 — Per Dr. Ruth Williams:

“I had a lot of patients grow their hair back on this medication so I’m very familiar with it and I really think it works.”

Update: March 5, 2023 — In this post’s comments section, make sure to read my recent ones on: a long-time German reader who has been taking oral Minoxidil for 20 years (initially 5mg, and then 10mg); and on a reputable HLT forum member named “Kagaho” who is seeing great hair growth from LDOM.

Update: February 20, 2023 — Yet another great testimonial from a 75 year old patient. Below before and after photo is just after a few months use. His doctor Supriya Tomar is very pleased with oral Minoxidil and says that the pill is effective, safe and very cheap. She says that LDOM will not regenerate new hair follicles, but will maintain what you have. I think that besides maintenance, it also thickens what you have if you are one of the lucky ones. And since the topical version can grow new beard hair, I would not be surprised that some people even see new scalp hair.

Oral Minoxidil Before After Older Male.
Oral Minoxidil before and after in an older 75-year old male. Source: WPBF 25.

Update: February 13, 2023 — In a response to a reader question on switching from topical to oral, Dr. William Rassman stated that:

“About 40% of men respond to topical minoxidil, but better than 90% respond to the oral.”

Make sure to read my post on sulfotransferase and Minoxidil to find out why so many people do not respond to the topical.

Update: February 12, 2023 — In a new Healio article, Dr. Ronda Farah states that oral Minoxidil is “awesome” and “we have tons of patients on it.”

Update: January 11, 2023 — Dr. Joyce Davis from New York just concluded that the use of low-dose oral Minoxidil for hair loss was the biggest news in dermatology in 2023. She has used it in both men and women with excellent results. Moreover, “you see results all over the scalp.”

Update: January 10, 2023 — The respected Dr. Bisanga of the BHR clinic in Belgium sent me some amazing 8-month before and after photos of a patient of his who is taking 5mg oral Minoxidil per day.

Oral Minoxidil 5mg Before After.
Oral Minoxidil 5mg per day. Before and after scalp hair growth after 8 months.
LDOM 5mg Before After.
Low-dose oral Minoxidil 5mg per day hair growth after 8 months. Top view.

Update: November 21, 2022 — The below is an interesting quote from Dr. Rodney Sinclair in a new article on oral Minoxidil for hair growth. So “Quentin” who in 2021 pushed me into discussing amino acids (especially cysteine) for hair growth was perhaps justified.

“Minoxidil prolongs anagen duration (increasing hair length), increases fiber diameter, reduces breakage and reverses hair miniaturization. It does this by increasing the uptake of the amino acid cysteine into the hair bulb outer root sheath. Transport of cysteine into hair cortex keratinocytes in the emerging anagen fiber is the final step in hair keratinization and the rate-limiting step in hair growth.”

Update: November 9, 2022 — A highly encouraging anecdotal report from a long-time 74-year old reader (and hospital pharmacy consultant) who I fully trust. He has never seen a drug as effective as low-dose oral Minoxidil for hair growth, and he has tried them all. His past hair transplant surgeon who I know well also verified his legitimacy.

Update: October 13, 2022 — In a recent article from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Wilma Bergfeld is full of praise for oral Minoxidil. Key quote:

“It has really been the best drug we ever had for hair growth.”

Update: October 7, 2022 — How Australia is winning the hair loss battle. Dr. Rodney Sinclair is quoted as follows regarding low-dose oral Minoxidil:

“We’ve now treated 20,000 people with it. It’s been a game changer hair loss treatment. Minoxidil [as a pill] has pretty much 100 per cent success at stopping progression. Regrowth will be about 20 per cent of what they’ve lost.”

Really amazing if true. Dr. Sinclair’s patients are prescribed doses ranging from 1-5 milligrams of Minoxidil. This compares to 10-40 milligrams when used as a blood pressure treatment.

Update: August 25, 2022 — Yet another great video, with several impressive before and after photos. Courtesy of the well known hair transplant surgeon Dr. Nicole Rogers.

Update: August 18, 2022 — The New York Times just published an article on oral Minoxidil for hair loss. It describes the drug as an old medicine that grows new hair for pennies a day. It is becoming increasingly popular for off-label use in treating hair loss. Dr. Brett King makes an interesting point about their likely never being expensive clinical trials for such a low-cost product.

Compounding Dosage Errors

A new study finds that serious adverse side effects with low-dose oral Minoxidil for hair loss were due to compounding errors. After pharmacological lab analysis of formulated capsules, it was found that all the patients with serious side effects were receiving much higher doses than prescribed. This was due to compounding mistakes.

While the prescribed dose of oral minoxidil ranged between 0.5 and 1 mg, these patients were getting between 50 and 1000 mg per capsule. Please be careful if you ever go this route for your hair loss treatment.

Note that per the above article, doses of between 1.25 and 5 mg can be obtained by halving or quartering the marketed drug (Loniten®, Pfizer). The above issue is only with compounded LDOM of 1mg or lower. According to Dr. Robert Haber (US):

“I never recommend compounded minoxidil. Rather, I prescribe the 2.5mg tablet and have the patient cut them in half or quarters, depending on the dose.”

Update: March 4, 2022 — A new study (with Dr. Jerry Cooley as a co-author) concludes that oral minoxidil can be an effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia and telogen effluvium.

Update: January 10, 2022 — An interesting single-patient case report from India. He was put on combination therapy of 2.5 mg oral Minoxidil (tablet) once per day and Dutasteride 0.5 mg (tablet) every alternate day. The before and after 4 months results are excellent.

Update: January 5, 2022 — Coming full circle in the use of low-dose oral Minoxidil (LDOM) in the treatment of alopecia.

Oral Minoxidil versus Sublingual

Oral Minoxidil Generic 5 mg.
Oral Minoxidil 5 mg.

Recently, “Nik” on our Discord group mentioned how sublingual Minoxidil (3 mg/day) was superior to oral Minoxidil in growing hair amongst his friends. Make sure to read my past post on Minoxidil as a sublingual tablet.

He then linked to this 2020 report on 64 patients where the dose was only 0.45 mg/day. The author is Dr. Rodney Sinclair of Australia, who I cover in detail at the bottom of this post. I posted about this on Twitter, and Dr. Corralo and Dr. Bhoyrul responded with very interesting comments:

Sublingual vs Oral Minoxidil

Sublingual Minoxidil Sulfate

Upon further research, I also found this newer August 2021 report from Dr. Sinclair. It entails a Phase 1B clinical trial, which is very encouraging news. Detailed summary from October 2021 can be read here. The interest in oral Minoxidil for hair growth has really taken of during the past few years. Online anecdotes indicate superiority over topical Minoxidil, but I am not yet 100 percent certain.

“Almost 67% of patients who received the 4.05 mg dose experienced improvements in frontal and vertex hair density. In the 0.45 mg dose group, phototrichograms showed a mean increase in terminal hair count/cm2 of 4 for the frontal and 9 for the vertex scalp. Treatment with the 1.35 mg dose resulted in a mean increased terminal hair count/cm2 of 10 and 26. The 4.05 mg dose led to a mean increase terminal hair count/cm2 of 38 for the frontal and 88 for the vertex scalp.

According to Dr. Mirmirani’s succinct summary at the bottom of that page:

“Although the data in this study are positive, it will take more to convince me that it is significantly better than oral Minoxidil (OM). Very few of my patients on low-dose OM for hair loss discontinue the medication due to side-effects. The other consideration is cost. OM it is an inexpensive, generic drug, that is covered by medical benefits.”

Other Newer Studies

Update: October 2021 — New study finds that low-dose oral minoxidil increases hair density and thickness.

Update: August 2021 — A review of low dose oral Minoxidil treatment for hair loss.

Update: February 2021 — Safety of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) for hair loss in 1404 patients. Multicenter study. The most frequent adverse side effect was hypertrichosis.

Oral Minoxidil Hair Growth
Oral Minoxidil Hair Growth Before and After. Source: JAAD.

Since I first wrote this post on oral Minoxidil several years ago, a number of major new developments have occurred.

An October 2020 study of low-dose 1.25 mg nightly treatment with oral Minoxidil (Loniten) for three months concluded favorable increases in hair growth. More here. This is surprising, considering the low dose utilized relative to other studies. The hair loss patients included males and females of various ethnicities. Further treatment with 2.5 mg dosing was also analyzed.

In September 2020, a Thai study found good results for men taking oral Minox 5mg daily. In July 2020, a review of 16 studies encompassing 622 patients concluded that oral Minoxidil is an effective and well-tolerated hair loss treatment. However, more statistical data is still needed. Also see this June 2020 article that concludes low-dose 1.25 mg/day

In August 2019, Spanish researchers published positive findings on low-dose 5 mg per day oral Minoxidil. One of the results from this study can be seen in the above before and after hair growth photo. It was sent to me by Dr. Sergio Vañó.

Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss

For many years, I have heard that oral Minoxidil results in even more hair growth compared to the topical version. This is true for both male and female pattern hair loss (often in combination with Spironolactone for women). However, I always assumed that the side effects from the oral medication would be much worse.

The health related side effects include blood pressure fluctuations, heart rate changes, and potential water retention. However, I was most concerned about the side effect of excess body hair growth from Minoxidil pills turning me into a werewolf. Make sure to read my post on topical Minoxidil and beard growth.

Introduction

I have discussed Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) many times on this blog in the past. It is one of only two drugs officially approved by the US FDA to treat male pattern hair loss. The other being Finasteride, which targets dihydrotestosterone (DHT) reduction.

Most men use 5% topical Minoxidil foam and apply it to their scalps twice per day. For those who get adverse reactions, dosage is sometimes reduced to once per day. Women tend to use the 2% topical formulation to regrow thinning hair. Until recently, very few people used oral Minoxidil to treat male androgenetic alopecia or female pattern hair loss. Some people use extra strength 15% topical Minoxidil to get more hair growth.

Unbeknownst to many, Minoxidil was originally approved in 1979 as an oral medication (brand name “Loniten”) to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). It was only approved for treating hair loss in men in 1988 as a topical medication. The below screenshot is from this 1980 report titled “Reversal of baldness in patient receiving minoxidil for hypertension.”

Minoxidil Hypertension Hair Growth.
A 1980 paper first mentioned that a patient taking oral Minoxidil to treat his high blood pressure saw extraordinary hair growth. The new growth was in totally bald areas of his scalp.

A women’s version was approved in 1991. To this day, it is not entirely clear as to how Minoxidil works in promoting hair growth, with a number of theories out there, implying the likely involvement of multiple mechanisms. These include agonistic affects on adenosine-triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium channels; prostaglandin stimulation in the dermal papillae; and anti-androgenic properties.

Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil Advantages over Topical Minoxidil

Among the advantages that oral Minoxidil has over topical Minoxidil include:

  • Once a day pill is easier to remember than twice a day topical application.
  • Less time consuming to just take a pill or tablet.
  • No mess to deal with on the scalp.
  • No side effects on the scalp such as itchiness, redness, irritation, greasiness, dry hair and so on.
  • No need to wash hair to get rid of the product.
  • No chance of the product getting into the eyes or dripping down forehead.
  • Generic oral Minoxidil pills work out to be cheaper than topical Minoxidil foam.

Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss: 2.5 mg versus 5 mg

Several years ago, I read a very lengthy and thoughtful comment by Thailand based hair transplant surgeon Dr. Damkerng Pathomvanich. He outlined why he prescribes oral Minoxidil to some of his patients. Low-dose oral Minoxidil (LDOM) for hair loss in select patients can be very effective. Moreover, in October 2020, another Thailand based doctor named Ratchathorn Panchaprateep also released positive findings in relation to this drug.

According to Dr. Path (as well as per other physicians that had given him feedback), 5 mg per day was an ideal dosage that did not change patient blood pressure readings significantly. Note that most US physicians seem to recommend 2.5 mg per day. In fact doses as low as 0.25 mg to 1.25 mg per day have shown hair growth results growth in some patients. Women tend to be put on lower doses than men due to the hirsutism side effect.

Side effects are still possible at low doses. Dr. Pathomvanich does not prescribe oral Minoxidil to patients who have blood pressure, heart, liver or kidney problems.

Note that according to the official brochure for Loniten, maximum recommended dosage is listed as high as 100 mg per day, which seems crazy. Most patients taking the drug for hypertension do not cross 40 mg per day.

Side Effects

Another major recent news story regarding oral Minoxidil also comes from Spain in August 2019. Apparently, 17 infant children were mistakenly given oral Minoxidil instead of heartburn medication.

Update: December 2020 — Over a year after the medical error, families of some children are complaining that the body hair keeps growing. Also from Spain, a September 2020 study on low-dose oral Minoxidil and hypertrichosis.

Oral Minoxidil Hypertrichosis Body Hair Side Effect.
Oral Minoxidil Excessive Body Hair Increase Side Effect.

The children subsequently developed a condition called “werewolf syndrome” in which large parts of their bodies become covered in hair. This condition is also referred to as hypertrichosis.

Luckily, the body hair will disappear a few months after the children stop taking oral Minoxidil. Above photo is from the video of this shocking news story.

Dr. Rodney Sinclair Recommends Oral Minoxidil

I had forgotten about the above till today, when commentator “Billa” posted an interesting link to a new audio interview with Australian Dr. Rodney Sinclair. I have covered this well known hair expert a number of times on this blog in the past.

In this latest interview, one of the things that Dr. Sinclair states is that oral Minoxidil is much more effective than topical Minoxidil when it comes to hair growth. He reaches this conclusion based on some clinical trials that his clinic is currently undertaking. Make sure to also check out my post on Dr. Sinclair’s Hairy Pill.

While the article describing the above interview states that side effects from oral Rogaine were not significant, I did not hear that in the audio interview. I am guessing that this must be true or else they would stop conducting the trials.

Dr. Sinclair has also successfully tested oral Minoxidil and Spironolactone combination treatment in female pattern hair loss patients.

Update: Dr. Vikram Jayaprakash from Australia now also recommends oral Minoxidil for hair loss.

Note that oral Minoxidil is not currently FDA approved for treating hair loss.

 

291 thoughts on “Oral Minoxidil for Hair Loss Takes off in 2022”

    1. Approval does not have any bearing on adverse effects. There is no difference in adverse affects of taken for blood pressure or hair loss. Same tablet. Approval depends on clinical studies , similar to the accidental finding with viagra. Again used for high blood pressure but now has licence for érectiles dysfunction. Clinical studies takes years to conduct especially when dealing well th hair loss as it’s a very slow process in looking at results.

  1. As someone who has genetically triggered high blood pressure, I would be keen on trying it…might kill two birds with one stone. However, Im a seriously hairy mofo, weird as I am blond, but If the side effect is more body hair, id be really put off it I guess.

    Admin, if you have the ability to contact the researchers or have access to further info, then I would be super grateful to hear more the subject!

  2. Hi Admin, after 3mth of waiting period I’ve got an doctor appointment with dr.Leona Yip today. She’s Dr.Sinclair peers. Would ask her about oral Minoxidil.

  3. Update after today my doctor visit, she prescribed finastaride and oral Minoxidil. She did warn me about the side effects but ask me not too worry as they will subside. I showed concern and told her about the sides of taking finastaride from what I read on net. She said only less percentage of ppl who was sides and I asked about men boob she said that’s like .00 percent to happened, she said I will give you prescription for it and you decide if you want to take it or not. Question now should I take it?

    1. 5 mg a day is such a minimal dosis, you will not have any side effects….i take 10 mg day for the hairloss now for almost 20 years

        1. maintained still 20 years in combination with finasterid….not full hairloss stop….but my lost hairs always grow back….

      1. Sounds like you used topical minoxidil 10% for 20 years, which is not the same as 10 mg oral minoxidil. To reach 10 mg of minoxidil by topical use, you must use at least 100ml of the liquid or the foam every day, means almost two bottles a day. Oral minoxidil is just getting attention the last few years.

          1. Wow 20 years of oral Minoxidil!! Did you see any regrowth in year 1? What Norwood level of balding were you at 20 years ago before starting? How many years have you been on the 10mg for?

            Guys, this person is legit and used the same email address for each comment so I trust him. He posted 4 times in this post’s comments since 2018 under the names “bernd” “bernd hermann” and “bulli103”.

    2. Hi Billa,

      Would love to hear about your results from Taking the Oral Minoxidil. How did it go? tell me about: 1) the hair growth results?
      2) Do you’ve any before and after pics you can share?
      3) what was your experience with side effects, did you experience any?

      Any info would be appreciated. Im getting desperate and my hair loss is accelerating a lot recently

      Thank you!!!

  4. I’ve taken oral minoxidil for 1 month. I haven’t noticed any growth of hair on my scalp or anywhere else. But still early, so we’ll see. I haven’t noticed any side effects. I’m also using lots of other treatments simultaneously.

    I started with 2.5mg twice daily (in other words, 5mg total). I measured my blood pressure and heart rate very frequently for a while before starting and then many times each day since I started. It definitely lowered my blood pressure (BP) and raised my heart rate (BPM=beats per minute), although it’s hard to say exactly the precise change because BP and BPM are so variable throughout the day based on food, time of day, sleep, exercise, stress, etc. Even two measurements a minute apart can be quite different. I also tested myself at a local hospital and at the same time with my own devices, just to confirm my home measurements and make sure I’m not missing anything; everything checked correctly. So, bottom line is that it’s tough to say exactly the effect which oral minoxidil has had on my BP and BPM, but looking at averages throughout the day, the 5mg of daily oral minox lowered my BP by about 10/5 and raised my BPM by about 8.

    After 3 weeks on 2×2.5mg daily, I increased to 5mg twice daily (i.e., 10mg a day). There has been no additional change on either my BP or BPM, which is interesting to me because minoxidil is supposed to be dose-dependent, for both blood pressure and for hair (which is why I increased the dose, obviously).

    It’s pretty obvious, but from what I’ve seen, the effect on your blood and heart depends a lot on your BP and BPM when you start. In my case, I’m in very good shape, low body fat, lots of sports including endurance competitions, and a diet which is good for BP. So my BP was already low, and my resting heartrate was very low compared to the general population. So keep that in mind if you’re thinking about it for yourself, it’s clear that the effects will definitely depend on your starting point.

    If you’re interested in buying it, I’ve found several options. Loniten is the brand-name drug. It’s not common, but if you have a prescription, your local pharmacy could probably order it for you, or you can definitely get it from most online pharmacies. Without a prescription, the most common way I’ve seen from guys on forums is to use the online pharmacy thailandpharmacy.net, which sells 100 x 5mg tablets for 23 eur, or 100 x 10mg for 28 eur, although it might be hard to pay depending on your situation because they don’t take PayPal or credit cards, only bank transfer, Western Union, or cryptocurrencies. Another option is to just get it directly from Thailand, where it’s classified as a drug which must be sold in pharmacies, but doesn’t need a prescription. If you are in Thailand, or someone you know goes there on vacation, you can walk into any large pharmacy and buy it without a prescription fairly cheap; the same bottle of tablets costs around US $5 in pharmacies there. You can buy essentially any quantity you’d like from them. The drug label says it’s good for 2 years after manufacture.

    The thread which @admin linked to in his main article has some very interesting experiences with oral minoxidil and is worth a read through if you’re considering it. In addition to the quote from Dr. Pathomvanich (it’s from an article he wrote in a East Asian hair survey book from over a decade ago), what I particularly found interesting are the experiences of forum posters NotUrAvg, RCWest, UKResponder, and RWS. NotUrAvg is a physician himself who met in Thailand with Dr. Path and came away very convinced about the good risk-reward profile of oral minoxidil for hair loss. RCWest and UKResponder tried it and report good results. RWS is particularly interesting, because he made updates over years as he took it mainly for blood pressure – knowing that the hair growth would be a bonus – and consistently increased his dosage size through the years.

    1. I agree
      2.5 oral minoxidil can be increased to 10mg safely.
      Doctors are very careful to avoid lawsuits & license suspensions. So they won’t advertly tell a patient to experiment. I was wondering if anyone tried over 10 mg/day?

    2. Great comment. It’s always nice to hear from honest and cautious self-experimenters. I wonder if the effect on hair growth would be accelerated with oral minoxidil compared to topical? If you’re one month in, maybe not. Did you use topical minoxidil before beginning an oral regimen? You’re not simply maintaining a minoxidil plateau? No episodes of orthostatic hypotension? I’ve experienced some of the same side effects you describe using topical minoxidil, and have been able to document it with my smart watch. My average resting heart rate has increased by 4 beats per minute from 61 to 65 bpm upon resumption of the topical after a month break. As you say, it’s not conclusive, as these things vary during the day and even by month. However, the data from my watch is fairly complete, and can sort activity/exercise from rest and give me reliable averages, so I feel somewhat confident in the correlation. I think it aggravates a pre-existing arrhythmia, but that’s completely anecdotal. I’ve never regularly monitored my blood pressure, though. It seems that the side effects fade rapidly upon cessation of use — and so does the hair, unfortunately.

      I hope you’ll be able to report on your results in the future if this topic resurfaces.

      Regarding dosing, the FDA says only between .3% and 4.5% of the 50 mg of minoxidil in a dosed application of 5% topical solution is absorbed through the skin. That means the systemic absorption is between .15 and 2.25 mg per dose, whereas the absorption of oral minoxidil is stated by the FDA to be AT LEAST 90%, resulting in a minimum absorption of 4.5 mg of a 5 mg dose. That means that a single daily 5 mg oral dose is equal to the best-case scenario for the bioavailability of two applications of a 5% solution per day. That also means a single bottle of 5% solution contains minoxidil equivalent to 600 oral doses.

      I am uncertain if a topical application’s effectiveness is due to its local (non-systemic) effects, or if it’s efficacy is tied to systemic absorption. Does anyone know? Either way, your dosing seems completely prudent and safe.

  5. I’ve taken oral Minoxidil for a year now. Loniten 5mg a day. Saw an increase in new hairs after 3 months. That’s on top the good results I got from the success with dutasteride. Liquid/Foam Minoxidil did nothing for me.

    1. Did you discontinue dut and just use the oral minox for results? Also, you mentioned a year, but seen results after 3 months, what was it like a year later? Did you grow hair abnormal in other places…hard to imagine this does not go systemic.

      Thanks

  6. Hey Admin, in the Sinclair video he mentions an over the counter product available at hair salons. I can’t understand the name of the product. Any chance you know the product he is referring to?
    Thx a lot.

    1. Most likely an Australian product. Can’t rewatch the whole video at the moment, but feel free to post the name of the product if you rewatch.

  7. Wasn’t there probloms with oral minoxidil…so they swtiched to liquid for rogaine? I know a dr. who speaks about this on youtube in relation to hair loss. Swore I seen it on his power points.

  8. Hey guys.
    My dermatologist has told me about Dr Sinclair’s research and stated that the serious side effects of oral Minoxidil are only present at the doses given for BP treatment (14mg to 100mg). He says that at 1mg or so there might be a slight lowering of BP leading to fluid retention which needs to be watched out for, but not likely to happen in men nor at 1mg. And a small proportion of people might need to remove unwanted hair from between the eyebrows, on the forehead or face. But otherwise there aren’t really any side effects at such a low dosage of 1mg. He is happy to prescribe it but I haven’t reached the point of needing it yet. Just sticking with Fin 1mg to see if that stabilises things (no sides for me, have been taking it for 7m so far).

    Check out these links to find where Dr Sinclair references some of his earlier trials with low dose oral Minoxidil, plus other references I have found online. My Dr said that the only reason the drug companies haven’t obtained approval to use this treatment for hair loss is that there is no money in it for them to do so.

    I’m really interested to see when any new results from Dr Sinclair and others are released in future!

    ———————————-

    See the last few pages:
    https://www.sinclairdermatology.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Androgenic-Alopecia-new-insights-August-2014.pdf

    Also:
    https://theconversation.com/starting-to-thin-out-hair-loss-doesnt-have-to-lead-to-baldness-34984

    From Dr. Donovan in Canada:
    https://donovanmedical.com/hair-blog/2017/7/4/oral-minoxidil-for-hair-loss

    And a link to the whole chapter from Dr. Pathomvanich in the book previously mentioned in this thread:
    https://books.google.com.au/books?id=vd6ILG_cOjIC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=male+hair+low+dose+oral+minoxidil&source=bl&ots=4eYxQuYgYV&sig=6k151cH2cMb2aIBibOc7UqDQ0vk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXq7HGpLXWAhWKI5QKHbTYBSc4ChDoAQhZMAc#v=onepage&q&f=false

    Happy reading.

    1. Martinick Hair Restoration
      Predominantly practices out of Perth however the Doctor who consults in Melbourne will prescribe this if your situation warrants it.

  9. Hey guys, I read finasteride blocks DHT (prevent hair loss) while on the other hand Monixidil encourage hair growth.

    My question: Can I combine oral Finasteride 1mg AND oral Monixidil 5mg daily for my hair thinning treatment?

    Thanks.

    1. Hey Tim John,

      It looks like you posted more than a year ago but I’ll take a stab at your question.

      I recently went to a specialized hair doctor here in Texas. I just turned 40 and was hoping to prevent further hair loss. We discussed how effective some store brand finasteride was and he indicated it was difficult to determine. He said that while 1mg is 1mg the inactive ingredients can cut the product’s effectiveness. I was buying inexpensive finasteride at a chain retailer and he said he couldn’t say whether or not it was as good as the name brand Propecia.

      He said when you buy Propecia it was 100 percent “pure.” He even made a Colombian drug analogy. That’s also why you spend $90 a month on it. His recommendation to me was that in Austin there was a compounding pharmacy that made a specialized pill that included 1.1mg of finasteride, 5mg of minoxidil, and 1mg of biotin. Because he was one of the top three hair transplant doctors in Texas he had the pills tested in a lab and found the finasteride was 98 percent legitimate.

      He recommends this pill to all of his patients because of the results he’s seen. I generally buy mine in 90 day supplies.

      Sorry to make this such a long story but if there is a compounding pharmacy in your area you may want to look at it. If you’re in the states you can always get it shipped.

      1. Any chance you can provide more information on the specialist you saw? I’m interesting in the compound.

      2. Hi, what’s the name of the pharmacy and pill? Do you need a prescription or can you order the pill over the counter?

  10. Bună ziua. De unde as putea comanda Minoxidil de 5mg tablete?? Iau fost prescrise pt scăderea tensiunii arteriale. Va mulțumesc

  11. Hi Dr Sinclair from Australia has recently come out with ‘The Hairy Pill’

    https://www.thehairypill.com.au/

    From my email with the business it contains Finasteride, Minoxidil and some vitamins, essential elements and amino acids.

    Apparently it is doctor prescribed and pharmacy compounded so the Fin and Minox dosages are based on your needs as assessed by a doctor.

    I assume that this means the trial above, which I recall seeing some coverage on TV last year were somewhat successful.

  12. Loniten pills are very expensive and hard to get. Liquid Minoxidil from Kirkland is very cheap though. Couldn’t I just dilute it in destilled water to dose it precisely and drink it? Or is that for some reason not effective? I don’t see the point in buying the pills if that’s a possibility… Is there any upside to the pill I don’t see?

  13. The “skin aging” deal is that it’s no deal…another internet falsehood. I’ve been on topical minoxidil for close to 35 years, much of this at high concentration (15%), people say I look young for for my age, very little wrinkles, minor sagging. Very simple, if you don’t take care of yourself you’ll age quicker, and then you can blame it on other factors like minoxidil. Good genes help too, I have crappy hair genes but good skin. BTW, just started oral minox 5mg once a day a couple weeks ago. Very minor shedding, we’ll see how it goes. Did lower my BP which is a positive as I was borderline high. I’ll let the forum know if it has a positive effect on my hair, but this will take 3-6 month to start to tell. Patience boys!

    1. Hi Yoda how did you get on with the switch to oral minoxidil? Last August ‘21 I started taking 2.5mg of Loniten daily, instead of topical minoxidil, which I’d been using for ten years with great results. This was on my consultants recommendation. It’s now 6 months later February ‘22, and the shedding hasn’t slowed down, so I’m wondering if I should go back on topical minoxidil….

  14. Interesting that you’ve been on topical minox for 35 years. I notice the label says it’s not known to work longer than 48 months. Yet, you’re getting a (shedding) response at 35 years from an increased dose.

    Without a DHT inhibitor to go along with it, how long can minox maintain existing hair and prevent future hair fall? Or will the hair fall out anyway if a DHT inhibitor is not used?

    1. I was on 2% topical minox “off label” before it was released by Upjohn as an prescription drug in the late 80’s. I was living in the SF Bay Area at the time and saw Dr. Peter Panagotacos on a local news report regarding a new drug for hairloss coming out aka minoxidil. I wasn’t aware of the 48 month factor but I can say that the drug looses it’s effectiveness and is dose dependent. I next bumped up to 5% and have been at 15% for years. Quite frankly I don’t if it even does much for me anymore but I sure as heck am not going to tempt fate and quit. We’ll see if oral provides and extra boost, I have my doubts as my thinning areas have been that way for a number of years now. You are correct, you need DHT inhibitor as well or the follicles will be killed off. I have my bases covered there, was on fin over 20 years, currently on DUT and RU. My regime is the shock and awe or hair loss. And before the boo birds chime in…little to no sides.

      1. On the topic of oral minoxidil.. I see a few commenting that the have been on it for years and years.. I’ve read multiple studies and patient reviews that minoxidil effects only last for around two years. Can anyone shed light on their results if they have been on it for longer than this?

  15. Hey Austin, who is the doctor that is prescribing you this wonder pill of fin, min, biotin? Need something new to use. Were you on finastetude and minox before trying the new compound pill be prescribed you? Did you grow more hair using it?

  16. This site is the real deal. I follow other forums but this is the only place with real trial and error. I would be interested in more results on low dosing Minox. I am about to start a low dose fin regimen (.25mg/day) but I am quite wary of potential side effects (history of pubertal gyno). On saw palmetto now with minor side effects (lower s. volume), but can’t rule out placebo/coincidence.

  17. I am just doing a quick check in.

    Research continues. I will use JAK topical if it is proven to work even if there is risk OR Tszumi (sp?) whatever comes first.

  18. Real exciting news from Japan guys…Tissuse and J.Hewitt

    30 follicles extracted, cultured, 45 days later 10,000 dermal papillia cells injected back into head

    Trial with 5 japanese starting in Dec results in couple of months and then straight to commercialisation if successful. Dec 2020 realistic IMO

    Have to go to Japan for 2 treatments 45 days apart

    1. Sounds promising.

      Not sure why they could not license out that treatment to the good Ole USA. We might have to wait an extra year or two but…

      I am ready for anything that works it’s time for a real treatment for everyone.

      1. A certain other hairloss forum with the word thought in it..not sure if im allowed to reference other forums, I don’t want Admin getting miffed with me!

        1. They claim to be able to make 10,000 neopapillae. Are these the same as full hair follicles that they can orient and implant? If it’s just injecting cells, then who know what will happen. If they are fully formed follicles with hair starting to grow, the it’s as safe as a traditional hair transplant immediately out of the gate. Can someone please verify the definition of “neopapillae”?

    2. By „injecting“, do they mean injecting cells via a device (like replicel approach) or transplanting cloned follicles (so rather like tsuji)?

  19. Let’s hope there is a REAL treatment in 2020. I’m ready for it and I do not care what it is but it looks as if JAK lotion but given success of tissue growth that is starting to grow in success.

    Let’s end this in 2020 and enjoy hair again.

  20. Interesting read on the new trial in Japan coming up. I do have some questions. For example, why only 5 test subjects? Can you really tell if it works based on 5 people? I mean you could pull 5 random people off the street and douse their heads in minox and maybe one has a solid response. And then you pull 5 more and maybe 4 out of 5 have a nice response.
    And has this particular technology been tried before? How is their technology different then what aderand and intercytex and shiseido etc have tried with cell based manipulation?
    I recognize I probably wont get a response from anyone here but food for thought.
    Mjones I realize this isnt follica but I’d like your take on my questions as we both have been here about the same amount of time.

  21. Tissuse! Thought they were dove for sure.
    Talk about an ambush that was an epic cone back.

    Not only are they still alive their in Japan staying human trials in 3 months with a release planned soon after. If they prove it they drain shiseido profit. Shiseido better speed up they’ve got a knife at the back now!

    By the way I’m so glad I never invested on that tsuboi rumor

  22. Oh wow Jesus I’m senial at 32 guys this was already reported and I totally forgot.

    Am I going to mutter enthusiastic false memories like Biden now?

  23. A really none sense dangerous side effects ( low blood pressure, water retention ) 40 years old drug. It was already tested oral and very popular back in 2000s in combination with ora spironolactones. It didn’t give better results than dutasteride or finasteride plus topical minoxidil.

  24. I fund this tissuse company intriguing but also I’m very skeptical this may be a scam. When something is too good to be true, it usually is. Now, if they have been doing things behind the scenes and low key that’s a different story. 5 test subjects is very small. How can they release it after 1 trial? Hair needs cycle and they need to see if the shed hair comes like normal. I’ve been in the game a long time, I’m going to give this 40% chance of being successful. .. it’s to coincidental that they come out of nowhere soon after tsuji latest news.

  25. @admin I’d love to hear your take on the latest news from Tissuse. There seems to be lots of excitement about that.

  26. I’m a diffuse thinner. What upcoming treatment / potential cure should I be rooting for? Which one should I be most excited about? RCH-01?

  27. Follica, SM, pretty much all of them work best for diffuse thinners. Transplants are better for regular mpb hair loss sufferers just filling in bald sections and hair lines. I’m diffuse where my right half top of scalp is half the density of my left side. Takes me an hour in the morning to style it to look normal. Exhausting task..hopefully something new comes out next year that can grow something back. Propecia worked great for me for over 10 years. Are you on Propecia or minox?

    1. SM?

      I hear you about the exhausting nature of styling diffuse hair. Exhausting is the perfect word.

      I tried Rogaine for about a year, but it didn’t really help. Just made my hair brittle. Can’t take propecia as my wife and I are trying for kids. As soon as we get that blue line, I will start finasteride.

      I’m currently looking into oral minoxidil. Thoughts?

  28. Use Rogaine foam at night or try 82M. It’s a more robust minox with tretoin. However, without Propecia it won’t work long. Get busy making that baby hahaha then hit up the propecia:)

    1. I plan to get on the propecia as soon as I can. I would like to do something in the meantime, though. At the moment, my options seem to be:

      -PRP (Expensive, not convinced)
      -Regenera Activa (Same)
      -Oral Minox (Offputting side effects)

      Anything else worth considering for a diffuse thinner who is looking to thicken existing hair?

  29. The only thing you can do is Propecia. It’s the only thing proven to work. At leaat for me it did. I am looking into prp but afraid of a shed which will make diffuse hair worse. Plus haven’t heard much of any good results. My derm pushes prp for me stating it won’t cause shed and will grow back lots of hair but I don’t know.

    Take country life maxi hair vitamin, vitamin d3 2,000 iu a day, scalp massages and lean head over your bed for 10 mins each day. This will help thickening and keeping hair healthy but without Propecia to block dht, it’s pretty much a uphill battle.

    What Norwood are you? Do you blow dry your hair to style?

  30. MJ, don’t waste your time and money on PRP. I’m not saying it has no effect, probably best for low norwoods just beginning to thin or women. Not guys like us who have been thinning for years. I had four rounds within a year by a very reputable hair surgeon that pioneered PRP. I did shed and little to nothing to show for it besides my wallet being $5k lighter.

    1. Agree on PRP. They need better results to convince me. What I am doing now, I am using liposomal Fin 1% from Ron Shapiro.
      I don’t know anwhere else to get.
      I have been using Minox topical 5% bu will switch to oral Minox. I don make my own liposomal Fin. Easy to get what you need to make.
      Dr Shapiro mentioned some new formulas he is coming out with, ie, Liposomal Dut + Minox + Clobestol + retinoic acid + Azelaic Acid + maybe Progesterone, maybe some other. It is a maybe right now he said all the indgredients should cutting edge whatever that is. Maybe the kitchen sink formula?
      I will try and report back but looking for help! lol

  31. Cool. I’ll try those out. Do you think they’ll make a noticeable difference? I used to use Saw Palmetto (for about a year) but it made no difference.

    Not sure what Norwood I am. With concealer, I think (hope) my thinning isn’t noticeable to the average person, but my hair is becoming see-through under bright light. I don’t blow dry it.

    Part of me wants to buzz my head, but I’m too much of a wimp. Would you consider a transplant? If so, where would you go? Or are you holding out for Follica?

  32. I’m holding out for follica, unless an fue can fill in density without causing shockloss. Underbright light my left and right side of hairline is see through about an inch deep backwards. If folluca can grow even 30 hair cm2 and thickening of existing hairs then that will be a game changer for me. If ykh style your hair up then I would use a blow dryer on cold setting. It helps me a lot for an illusion of denser hair.
    The hair vitamins are just to keep your healthy,, reduce some shedding and scalp health. Nothing will slow down mpb but Propecia. Once you get your wife pregnant hop on asap! You’ll get stabilized and potentially some density. I would hold off on rogaine until after 2 years of using rogaine.

    Are you on Nizoral 2%? If not use that 3x a week. Helps block androgens and promotes growth.

    Thanks yoda, Ill save the cash and not get prp.

    1. Are you optimistic about Follica? What’s the next stage for them? As in, are we am waiting on trial results?

      I dont use Nizoral. I thought it was supposed to cause crazy shedding?

      What kind of concealing products do you use? I’d recommend Jamie Stevens’ MR range.

  33. I believe they are to start pivotal phase 3 in the next couple months then release after. Maybe next year

    Nizoral won’t cause a shed unless you use it daily and leave it on your head for like 20 minutes lol. I use it 3x a week and leave it on for 3 to 5 min max. It makes my hair thicker and cleans out my sebum and oils.

  34. As long as you guys don’t stop buying inefficient and health threatening last century products like minoxidil and fin companies will never feel a financial pressure to work on a cure or a more advanced treatment. Think about it

    1. Not much to think about Red, these treatments have worked for most, me included. I should now quit and loose the hair I’ve saved over the past 30 years? Your conspiracy theories are quite entertaining though, kind of like a car wreck…you have to look at the mangled mess.

  35. So Red you suggest I stop using the big 3 and go bald in a year so that companies will work harder to find a cure lol. I get your point but that isn’t really good advice. They are working on cell therapy now which is theoretically cure if they can figure it out. The owners of Propecia and Rogaine are not developing new hair loss treatments nor do they seek to find a cure. They are praying nobody else does so they don’t lose money. People buying the big 3 has no effect on tsuji , tussue, follica coming to market. Hypothetically if we all decide to stop buying the big 3 there is no guarantee a cure will replace it shorty after lol.

    1. MJ, Red made his political leanings known in a different thread. This combined with his conspiracy theories (given his politics, no surprise) and ridiculous suggestion, I’ll just say you can’t debate logic with stupidity.

      1. Yoda karma is, when a cure comes but you can’t even celebrate it due to your balls having the size of raisins thanks to your super 20th Century medication. „Conspiracy Theory“ Jesus…so what is your theory you base your defense of such s products on? Probably not the fact that they won’t keep you from balding anyways and potentially have severe long term consequences for your health. It’s not a conspiracy theory, it’s called economics you genius. Something called supply and demand. You probably heard of it if you’re not from the Soviet Union

  36. I can buy 2% topical minoxidil in my country. It has 20 mg drug in 1 ml of the solution.

    What about drinking 0,1 ml of the drug a day? For the beginning and sides checking.

    The only no for me is because I’ve read that drug can be destroyed before it absorb that way. On the other hand I read about studies conducted on animals. You can’t give a pill to lab rat so they simple give them minoxidil in drinking water.

    Other solution is putting my dose just before swallowing in gelatin capsule. You can control dose even better in this way of course if we believe that 1 ml of drug contains 20 or 50 mg of minoxidil.

  37. I am in Canada. Where is the best place to get Loniten?

    Can I buy from a pharmacy in Thailand that anyone knows is reliable?

    x

    1. I am going to Mexico in 2 weeks so I will buy there. It won’t be Loniten because as a name brand, too expensive.
      Can’t your doc write you script? Take him studies that explains it use?

  38. I have taken oral minoxidil 10mg for about 15 years straight and Finasteride for over 20 years. Just recently (past 4 months) I had to stop oral Minoxidil due to heart palpitations / PVCs firing off. I was getting skipped beats and missed beats with fluttering/flopping sensations in the chest that would be extremely worrisome and wouldn’t go away. They kept me awake at night and often woke me up out of a dead sleep. I experienced this for several months. I freaked out and went to the hospital. I was cleared of any serious condition and told to stop Minoxidil if the condition didn’t subside, which it didn’t. I am otherwise very healthy, run 6 and a half minute miles and am not fat.

    I can’t say for sure the Minoxidil caused my problems, but have my suspicions as the issue has drastically reduced since stopping I tolerated this medication well for a long time (15 years or more) with no side effects, but as soon as I hit 40 my body said “no more”.

    After discontinuing the oral Minoxidil, I immediately switched to topical 5% foam (twice daily). After making the switch, I seemingly lost a lot of hair, but have noticed little new hairs growing in the front that I never got with oral minox. After several months of topical, my hair is starting to thicken again, but my scalp hair had become see-through and made it very difficult to style. I am optimistic that the topical foam will give me similar results as oral Minoxidil.

    My recommendation is to use both oral and topical Minoxidil if you can tolerate it. I may choose to go back on a lower oral dosage; say 5 mg.

    1. I’m wondering if you lost all the hair that you grew all this years?!!
      So basically you need to take the oral version for rest of your life, right??

  39. This is all good news, but I am Canada. Where can I find a doctor who will prescribe Oral Minoxidil for me in Canada (Ontario) ?

    1. I live in Canada and I saw my dermatologist/internist plus a hair loss specialist. My dermatologist is who prescribed it for me after a lengthy chat. We first tried the 5% topical but it wasn’t doing much so we went to oral. I am surprised by the amounts (5mg, 10mg) ppl on here are taking right off the bat. I’m taking 1.25mg to start and may stay on that. Some even start at the lowest dose of .625 mg which is recommended on most research sites but I don’t have any heart issues or anything in the lists of concerns so my doc figured I’d be ok at 1.25. You’re supposed to gradually increase is what my dermatologist/internist, hair loss specialist and even pharmacist all told me but after at least 4 weeks of monitoring (I’m at week 3 of checking in). They need to make sure you don’t have any reactions and that you don’t have any BP issues cuz for some, it could be serious or even dangerous. My feet and hands swelled a bit, thankfully that was my only reaction so they prescribed a diuretic which is another reason to remain at a low dose. But I am sure your dermatologist would go over all the risks with you and options you have. Good luck

      1. Can you provide the name of your dermatologist? Many of them won’t prescribe loniten. I am in Canada as well, so if you can guide me in the direction of your dermatologist that would be great.

        Thanks in advance

  40. I’m a female Metastatic Breast cancer survivor. Good news is I have survived for 7 years after given 2 to 3 years to live. Bad news is I’m experiencing hair loss from the cancer drugs. Topical Minoxidil does not work. Probably because I take a daily aspirin. I’ve been taking Spirolactone for two years. It is not helping. I started oral Minoxidil 3 months ago. Now my hair is falling out like I am doing chemo treatment. I will be bald in another week or two. I’m so sorry I started it. Now what? I called the doctor last month. She said hair loss is normal in the beginning. I see my doctor next week. I’m sure she will be shocked. Especially if I have to wear my chemo wig.

  41. Where in Ontario Canada can I find a Doctor to prescribe Loniten (Oral Minoxidil)?

    There is one Dr in Vancouver, but I have to fly there and meet him, and he’s very strict. I don’t want to waste thousands of dollars in Airfare just to be turned down.

    I am in Ontario Canada. Anyone can direct me how to get me a prescription for Loniten?

  42. Hey there,

    So is oral Minoxidil an option for me if I have not responded well to topical minoxidil? (no side effects, just did not seem to stop hairloss).

    Thanks for your help!

  43. I’ve been taking oral minoxidil for over two years because I’m allergic to topical Minox….
    The results have been brilliant. I still have some frontal areas that had receded years ago where the hair hasn’t grown back but the thickness of my hair overall, has improved immensely.
    I take about 3.5 mg a day. My wrist hair has grown slightly thicker but that’s all. I can’t take 5mg because I get slight palpitations and slight swelling at my ankles. 3.5mg is my sweet spot. Yours may be different.

  44. Typo in todays update in the quote “received the 4.05 mg dose” . Other than that, good info that I can personally vouch for, not the low dose but the overall effectiveness of oral vs. topical minox.

  45. Sorry Admin, I read it wrong, thought it was a typo for the low dose of 0.45 mg dose. Trying to watch football, drink beer and read hair loss blogs don’t mix ! ;-)

  46. I switched years ago for ease of use (to oral minox). No change. At all. It’s probably better if some don’t like applying it (or are allergic), but for me, it made no noticeable difference.

      1. Oh, yeah. Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Minox does an okay job of maintaining. I’m still losing the fight (a little less hair every year) but I feel like it’s slowed it down some. I’d likely be way balder without it. I wouldn’t stop entirely. It is kind of easier with a pill, especially when traveling, so I can see that type of benefit. But for me, both worked (and continue to work) the same. Mild help for maintenance.

    1. I take 5 a day and that definitely has not happened to me. Good for him, though. Good growth, though it’s always hard to tell when one photo is short hair and the next is grown out.

  47. I want to make clear that i took a tablet (5mg) sublingual and that resulted into 48 hours of a very rapid heartbeat (>140bpm) and puking. Never felt so s in my life. A month later, I am still experiencing shortness of breath. @admin, I would like to see a disclaimer here that people should not try sublingual themselves without supervision of a doctor.

      1. I’ve taken multiple EKG’s on my smartwatch (the readings are 96% accurate from the studies) and it’s still fine. I am thinking about trialing it on lower dosages again. What is the discord? Are more people trialing this at the moment?

  48. Hi,

    I have been a follower of your page, for years and years. I do have a question. Have you heard of oral minoxidil affecting androgens or decreasing sex drive and erection ?! I’m a hair loss sufferer. Have been trying topical minoxidil for years with out any problem apart from hair dryness. Lately I stopped topical regaine for 2 moths in which I had massive hair loss. Then I started oral minoxidil 0.625 mg daily; at the first two weeks I experienced some lightheadness which disappeared in few weeks of using it. I also noticed that hair shedding stopped in few weeks of using it. However, I feel a massive drop in my sex drive, erection, etc similar to my experience with oral finasteride years back which made me stop it. I read a lot about oral minoxidil and some personal reviews link it to anti androgen effect, increase prolactin level, drop sex drive and erection. Not sure that’s all true or not ????

    1. I have read that oral Minoxidil reduces blood pressure. But not anything about it affecting your male hormones. Have you checked Pubmed for any studies?

          1. I strongly believe minoxidil effect for hair loss is not only because of its vasodilator effect, but mostly also because it has anti andogenic effect. In my case, the quick response of oral minoxidil in terms of stopping shedding and decreasing sex drive made me doubt. I just hope it’s not only in my head. Since I experienced bad sexual side effects from oral finasteride some years back, I have got kind of doubt for any medication that prevents hair loss efficiently.

  49. I can vouch for the effectiveness of LDOM. Five months into a daily 5MG regime, thick, dense hair is emerging like the green shoots of spring at an astonishing rate. Almost exclusively out of my nostrils, that is. As far as on the scalp goes… perhaps modest improvement… but the nose hairs really are where the glory lies.

    1. Sorry to hear that Keyboard, I had great luck with oral minox. As far as body hair I did notice my arm and leg hair got a bit longer. My ear hair was under control with dut, when I switched to topical dut is became more aggressive again. However when I switched brands to a topical that had .75% dut it’s under control now. Hope with time you have better success, you will need some sort of anti-androgen (topical or oral) to achieve the best benefit for the long(er) haul.

      1. Very kind of you Yoda! Actually I’m quite pleased with the LDOM, I’d say some modest gains in density overall, and that’s five months in, on a 55 year old scalp. Been on fin then dut for several years, and these mainstays have served me well I believe. Glad for the LDOM addition to the regime, and grateful for your encouragement when setting out on the LDOM voyage. Cheers legend!

        1. My father’s nose (and ear and beard) hair growth is off the charts. I am pretty sure the nose hair growth only took off around his mid-50s, so it might just be your destiny… with or without LDOM.

    2. I’m so sick of posts like this. Looking for hopeful news since LDOM is my last hope, seemingly have it, only for it to be a sarcastic post midway through. gfy.

  50. I went to an endocrinologist a few months ago as I was getting gyno after a week on Fin. He confirmed that it was real, and said there was nothing he could do to stop it, so I stopped it.

    Off the cuff he suggested oral minoxidil and wrote me a prescription – I never filled it as I’ve been on 5% topical minox for 10 years now, and figured oral would do the same thing but with more side effects.

    After reading this article and listening to Dr Sinclair’s podcast I see there’s a chance it may be more effective than topical. I’m going to fill the prescription (2.5mg a day) and see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted.

    1. Thanks, and good luck. Only thing preventing me for now is not wanting more body hair, especially on face area!

      1. Yes, that’s a risk. However, if it grows hair on my head I’ll be more than happy to shell out the money for laser hair removal elsewhere on my body!

  51. I took oral minox for years. It did nothing. Or rather, it was exactly the same as topical. I don’t notice a difference at all. I was taking 5mg daily. I wasn’t impressed.

  52. Been on Oral Minoxidil for 8+ months. No change (except for usual loss which feels like it’s accelerating). Also on Nutrafol… But that’s it. In time I will be bald! Friggen come up with something else soon!

    1. Yeah, I feel like sales dip every so often so someone pushes some study, along with some slick marketing from other sources, to get it moving again. Minox isn’t terrible but it’s time to move on. We’re living in the past, hung up on some clown from the 60s (sorry, that’s from Seinfeld, couldn’t help myself, great episode).

      You can swallow it or rub on your head or backside. Whatever you want. It’s not going to be the miracle we want it to be. Not a game changer, imo.

    1. Not true cowlick Baldwin.

      We have a only 1 in phase three.

      Here’s to hoping more do so in the next 20-50 years.

  53. We always talk about the side effects of finasteride, but please don’t forget the subtle side effects of minoxidil, especially on the heart and arteries.

    Before using minoxidil orally you should have a cardiological examination, minoxidil is a very powerful dilator vessel.

    1. Thanks Ben. For those who do not know, that is Dr. Paus’ new company. I mentioned it in my past post on Dr. Paus, but will try to update it again this year.

  54. It’s an incredible statement to say that 100% won’t lose any more hair, so the next generation will be mostly cured. I am happy for them. Unfortunately, it’s the worst case for currently bald people in that they might stop searching for a cure for current bald heads because no one else will be bald in the future due to this profitable preventative medicine. Anyway, regardless, another effective option is good news. I wonder what it will do for a NW 7. Time will tell.

  55. What a joke. I know dozens of people on oral (and I took it myself) and they all continued to lose hair – though perhaps slower than they might have otherwise. It’s another way to repackage and rebrand a product that has seen a decline in sales and another money grab because the market for snake oil has been slowing (and because they have nothing else to offer after decades of research. It is FAR from a cure and even farther from a miracle. Regrowing 20% – laughable. I mean, come on. Regrowing 20%? Whoever believes this…I got a bridge and a dinosaur bone (that looks coincidentally like a chicken bone) to sell you. I’ll give you a good price.

  56. “Note that oral Minoxidil is not currently FDA approved for treating hair loss. I do not intend to take the drug, mostly because I do not want to risk getting any more body hair.”

    Body hair, OMG, this logic is just unbelievable. Since the scalp is dependent on continued use of oral minoxidil, you could just stop taking it if you’re bothered by the body hair.

  57. Oral minox is a “game changer” for me when topical stopped having much of an effect, nice regrowth. However, I find it hard to believe that you won’t loose anymore hair due to oral minox. I believe that you still need to inhibit DHT ala fin/dut, stop it from binding with some of the coming treatments (or unapproved versions if that’s your jam) or Spironolactone.

    1. Hello Yoda,

      I am on Avodart. I have to use it for BPH (it’s intended purpose). Have been on Propecia since 1999. Switched over in 2010. Never used topical minox since 1992.
      Anyway, I started 18 month ago with Loniten (5mg). I did this because of your experience. Slight improvement but nothing dramatic. Both medications are taken under medical supervision. No sides that I am aware of except thicker eyebrows.

      Many thanks for sharing your experiences over all those years.

      1. Hi MRKA, Likewise, thank you for sharing your experience. Sorry you didn’t have better results from oral minox. Goes to show that no treatment works the same for everyone and side effects vary from person to person. No one size fits all, “everyone” or “no one”.

  58. This is promising, thanks for keeping us all updated admin. I think minoxidil will be truly successful coupled with a device like Follica has in store, though when that will be marketed is still to be seen. Most of my hairloss is in the frontal region (my forehead keeps getting bigger) and unfortunately minoxidil alone (neither oral nor topical) seems to help much in this area.

    1. Thanks Daniel. The 100 percent maintenance figure seems exaggerated, but maybe more US doctors will finally get on board and we get more feedback outside Australia and Spain.

      James1, I think generic Minoxidil pills may work out cheaper than topical Minoxidil foam. So not sure about the money making aspect. Most people who try oral will probably switch from topical.

      1. I use both topical and oral, my feeling is you need to throw everything you can at this, within reason. That’s not for everybody, you have to do what you feel comfortable with. The prospects of being bald by my late 20’s scared the s out of me. Even though I’m soon to be 60 and have kept a lot of hair I still carry that fear with me.

      2. True they may be cheaper…I guess we’ll see. I agree anything that helps is a good thing. I just hate these bold claims that are almost always bogus. It won’t do what they’re claiming it will. Not for the majority.

        I won’t go into again (since I’m beating a dead horse) at all the docs I’ve spoken to that have said long term oral minox is really bad for you.

          1. I was taking 2.5 and my doc said to stop. He said long term effects are not good, even in low doses. He didn’t reference any study so who knows. But I like and trust this doc so I stopped taking it.

            Did it help maintain? Yeah but no more than topical. And I definitely didn’t regrow anything. Not a single hair that I could tell. Maybe 5mg would do more, I dunno. I didn’t try it after my doc said what he said.

            1. Good feedback James1. I was initially on 5mg and had good regrowth (within reason). Decided to bump up to 10mg as I’ve had borderline BP for many years. That didn’t add anything to my hair and not enough to affect my BP. Recently I started a BP medication and have dropped the OM down to 2.5 mg, we’ll see how I do. I think any drug can have the potential for short, long term side effects or both. Is the risk worth the reward is the decision. For me I figure if it is 100% causing dangerous side effects then it would be pulled off the market. However no one really wants to be putting these drugs into our system. It’s an unfortunate choice we’re forced to make.

              1. You’re totally right. For some maybe no side effects but it hasn’t been taken long enough, orally, to really see long term sides (20 years out). Is 5% regrowth worth heart issues? Not in my opinion. I’ve heard many stories of BP and chest pain and heart issues they suspect linked to it. And yeah, some regrowth maybe but not like they’re claiming (they’re acting like it’s a flat out cure – with no mention to the potential dangers). It’s in no way a cure. It’s minox for crying out loud.

    2. Daniel, are you on an anti-androgen (fin/dut)? Go with topical if you’re reluctant to do oral. My best recent gains were due to oral dut and minox, however topical dut helped when I gave oral a break.

      1. I’ve definitely considered trying those drugs, but I’m highly risk averse, especially since the results don’t appear to be dramatic enough (for me) to warrant any long term consequences of using anti-androgens.

  59. Oral minox is just easier than topical. May have added regrowth but def not 100% stability and 20% regrowth lol….They are just remarketing a 40 yr old drug. This is why we will never see a cure for mpb. Our industry is the biggest scam….just like those quick weightloss cures and wrinkle creams…..at least wrinkle can be tackled well with botox….anywho….let’s see what happens by 2030.

  60. I got approximately 20% regrowth after topical minox stalled many years ago. I appreciate the comments from other posters that tried OM without much success. I’ve considered myself an aggressive hair loss sufferer as I started to loose hair at 17, more than 40 years ago. Once again, just goes to show there is no silver (or even bronze) bullet for everyone. I doubt this is a money maker, my GP writes the RX, 90 days of OM costs me about $25. Possibly some transplant docs docs are marketing and up-charging as usual.

    1. Yeah but that’s your copay, right? Who knows what your insurance company is paying them for it. A lot of my meds are 10 bucks – for me (and my insurance pays 10x that amount).

      And it probably costs the company two cents to make. They wouldn’t be making it in pill form if they weren’t making profit off it. They’re definitely making money, esp if they convince the masses to take it (and perhaps prices go up once everyone is on it).

        1. You’re right, that’s cheap. Pretty cool. So far though, I haven’t been able to find anyone that took it that claimed it gave the results they’re saying it does, consistently, without horrible sides. Most either it didn’t do anything, did something for a short while only, or did something and and horrible sides (if you Google it you’ll find quite a few sites saying potential chest pains and BP problems, among other things). I want hair too but not that bad. Hair is no good to me if I’m dead.

          To each their own but I wouldn’t take it for free. But I think it’s one of those things where people are just going to haven to try it for themselves and we’ll see in a few years what the results are. I wish them well. Maybe they’ll tweak it and get rid of the sides down the road. Who knows.

      1. No copay bro, that is my cash price at Costco. Cheaper than going through insurance. Plus a 90 day fill (as mentioned), not 30 day insurance fill. Not sure who’s “making the money’ but I certainly ain’t paying it. :-)

        1. Okay it’s cheap. But it’s not philanthropy lol. So obviously they’re making money off it it somehow. It’s definitely not a charity. How? Heck if I know. But obviously who cares if it’s cheap to us, I agree. And that’s super cheap.

      2. Sorry, I was wrong. Verified my cash price is only $15.99 for 100 oral minox pills from Costco, less than I thought. Not understanding what the issue is though insurance is anyways, isn’t what we net the bottom line? James1, you mentioned oral was no better than topical, you should stick with that, I definitely would if I was in your shoes. Besides a few unscrupulous hair transplant surgeons I can see a cabal of drug companies resurrecting a 40+ year old generic drug to fleece hair loss sufferers.
        U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving minoxidil (with the brand name ‘Loniten’) in the form of oral tablets to treat high blood pressure in 1979.[48][4

  61. Hello Admin,

    In 2019 we had great news from You about Hairloss Herbal From Thailand. And you quoted as it was going to be available in 6 months time, but we have not got updates on it. Kindly please update us. I have also seen NEO hair lotion from Thailand. Is it the same company you mentioned or is this Neo from another company?

  62. Hello Yoda,

    Yes, I expected more from minox especially since I have never used it before. Nevertheless I will continue with 2.5mg. Thats because there has been an improvement and perhaps more in the future (good things take time).
    Both treatments get me through until a better product hits the market (one day…). However I have to continue indefinitely with Dutasteride for obvious reasons.

  63. The stupidity of sublingual version for minoxidil. You are using it orally cause it go to the liver and there, it is convert it to sulphate minoxidil . Now, with sublingual you bypass the liver !

    1. I don’t think that that’s actually true. Additionally, it’s my understanding that you still need SULT1a1 in the scalp for it to work, even with oral minox.

  64. Heard from a long-time 74-year-old reader and e-mailer who I fully trust. He used to work in a pharmacy and also compounds his own medications at times. In this case, he purchased oral Minoxidil from Inhouse Pharmacy, but I cannot vouch for safety if anyone makes an online drug purchase. There is always some danger. I will likely try oral Minoxidil soon, but will purchase it from my local pharmacy using GoodRx.

    This man said that using oral Minoxidil for just a few months has already given him thicker and thicker hair…and faster hair growth and almost no obvious daily hair shedding. He has tried everything under the sun over the years, and this is by far the best result he has ever seen from any medication.

    He did say that oral Minoxidil is likely not causing any brand new hair growth, but he will only know for sure after the 1 year mark next summer.

    He had a small hair transplant in the front 12 years ago, but all his other hair is becoming thicker and bushier. He sent me an after photo, and his hair looks amazing. And it is all dark and pigmented.

    He started with 1/4 pill of 2.5mg per day for a month; then moved to 1/2 a pill per day for 3 months; and now takes half a pill twice a day. So 2.5 mg per day as of now.

    1. I always find regrowth at an older age much more impressive. Thanks to these posts, I called my general practice to get a recipe for oral minoxidil.
      And took my first 2.5mg (1/4 pill) today.

      In the Netherlands it costs about 100 euros for 100 pills. So it’s not bad at all.

      I’ve been on Dutasteride for many years. Same with topical minoxidil. I’m doing ru58841 for a couple years now and the dermapen for like a year. I’ll come back to post an update in about 3 months. Unless I get body hair as a side effect then I quit.

      1. Good luck! I am planning to start 2.5 mg/day oral Minoxidil soon too (but cannot fathom any more facial hair). How have your results been with the other products you took over the years?

          1. I have been on either Fin or Dut for around 15 years. Facial hair growth is still more plentiful and faster than anyone else in my family. Not a big deal, but I was hoping DHT blockage would reduce my body hair.

            1. Honestly Admin, it could increase somewhat with oral minox. Only thing I noticed was my leg and arm hair got longer. I’d say I’m average in the body/facial hair department. Not too much but not sparse/smooth either.

        1. Hard to tell. I guess i’m maintaining, but i would have expected (much) more considering with all that i’m taking.
          Maybe i have something else going on….( i do know i have acquired kinking of the hair as well)

          I had a HT in the frontal area and behind that you can clearly see some thinning. I’m hoping oral minox fixes that area so it can cover the HT area beter.

          Luckily i’m not getting any sides so far. And even if i did i can’t afford to not take it.

          1. so far still no noticable results. It’s actually still quite bad (with some shedding as well).

            I have however taken a lot of creatine these last year and a half so maybe that’s the reason.
            I’ve decided to stop taking creatine and up my minox dose to 5mg per day. I will report back if it makes any difference.

            1. Almost one year into oral minox, of which the last 5 months were 5mg daily (i do forget to take them occasionally).

              Still nothing noticeable unfortunately.
              Maybe my dosage should be even higher?

              i will continue taking them and report back.

              1. Are you on an anti-androgen (fin or dut)? Need to control DHT to have meaningful results. Oral and topical preferred, next just oral, last just topical.
                Minox is dose dependent but you don’t want to go too high, side effects, added gains probably minimal.

        1. @Lope. Yes he did, he’s well aware of my struggles with hairloss so he’s very helpful in that regard. (also been on duta since my early 20s).

          It’s been about 3 months now and i’ve said i would report back my results.

          So far i’m leaning towards getting thicker hair. But i find it difficult to say for sure so i’ll wait a couple more months. before i claim such things with certainty.

          Luckily i’m not getting any noticeable side effects. Sometimes a very slight chest pain. And no extra body hair yet.

          And roughly 1,5 month in i experienced some shedding. which is something i think is positive because it means it has ‘some’ effect (taking 2.5mg daily).

    2. I am a little confused. Did this reader start by taking 1/4 of a 10 mg pill? Or 1/4 of a 2.5 mg pill. Thanks admin.

  65. Hello guys, don’t know if there is a big diference between USA and Europe (Specifically Spain), but here, when you realize you’re loosing hair and you want to stop it, first of all, you start with finasteride, then in a time if its not enough with fin, you start using topical Minox 5% (as I started 3 years ago), and then almost a year ago, I started with oral Minox 5%, (always took it daily), I had a hair transplant (as many of my friends) and here in Spain, always you go for a hair transplant they ask you to take Fin or Dut, and also Minox (they give u a prescription for oral Minox and also fin/dut), when i did the hair transplant the doctor ask me to change from fin to dut.
    Would like to mention that I never had side effects taking Fin or Minox and probably I will not have with Dut,
    Some friends are with oral Minox 5% and Dut (0,5mg) and works a lot better than fin (1mg) and Minox.
    my friends (and also me) are in our 30’s (32-34 yo)
    I hope this help for those who have doubts about if take it or not.

  66. An update on this from me as I posted back in August. I’m 40, and I first noticed hair loss about 10 years ago. I’ve been using 5% minox foam since then – I tried finasteride a few times (oral and then topical), but had side effects almost immediately every time, so had to stop.

    I obviously don’t have a control, but I’m confident that the topical has slowed down my hair loss. However, it’s losing its effectiveness. I would say I’m a NW 3V-4 at this point and the remaining hair on top is getting thinner. I’ll soon be at the point where a good haircut and a blowdryer won’t be able to hide most of my hairloss, so I wanted to try something else.

    I tried oral 2.5mg once daily and saw pretty heavy shed within a couple of weeks which alarmed me. I wasn’t sure if it was due to going off the topical minox, so I started using the topical again along with the oral.

    I noticed within another week or so that there were no more hairs coming out in the shower, and anecdotally it was getting thicker on top over the next month. I think this was probably due to the oral taking effect, not going back on the topical, since I have been using the topical for years and still seeing some hair loss.

    Unfortunately. I started to notice some chest pains so I cut down to 1.25mg, then 0.6mg. I unfortunately still had chest pains, so I’ve dropped the oral for now until I see a cardiologist. If I get the all clear, I will probably drop the topical and try again starting at 0.6mg every other day.

    I think this has some real potential as a hair loss drug, but unfortunately some potentially serious side effects too. Proceed, but with caution.

  67. As previously stated I’m a big fan of oral minox, it jump started my hair when topical wasn’t very effective anymore. However, I’d stop short of saying it’s a miracle and also believe if you aren’t using an anti-androgen (fin/dut) any gains will be minimal and/or short lived. My current regime is .5 mg of oral minox every day, .5mg of oral dut every other day, topical 6% am and 15% pm minox with fin twice a day. Unless your hair loss isn’t aggressive the enemy has to be attacked on all fronts!

      1. Good catch Trevor, my error, thank you! That should be 5.0 mg. On a side note I notice no difference dropping from 10 mg down to 5 mg. I think between 2.5 and 5 mg is the sweet spot.

  68. I have been using oral minoxidil for over 2 years. I have been taking finasteride for about 10 but noticed that my hair was thinning about 30 months ago. I can’t take topical Minox so I ordered Minox and tried 2.5mg a day. Within 3 months my hair was thickening and after 6 months, I was astounded by how thick my hair was. I order from Thailand, Minox 5mg and just cut them in two. I get 100 tablets for about £25, that’s 200 days treatment!!! I see a well know hair treatment site is starting to sell a 2.5mg dosage for £17 a month, rising to about £26 a month after 3 months!

    1. Congrats! So no new hair, but much thicker existing hair? Or hard to tell? Please post the name of that site without actual link if possible.

      1. I love this drug but Minox won’t grow new hair, just thicken existing. Possibly the miniaturized hairs at best, that’s been my experience. New hair would be a miracle treatment.

        1. In the quote, Sinclair claims 20 percent regrowth of lost hair. If he is not exaggerating, I count that as 20 percent “new hair”.

          1. Well, I considered my miniaturized hair lost as after Dr. lee went kaput it was making a big cosmetic difference. I tired different compounded topical minox solutions in between Xandrox and oral minox and lost ground. Oral minox helped me regain a lot of that lost hair from over the many years (I guess 10+) period. However, I’m not back to where I was before Xandrox was pulled. I’d say expect positive results that will make a cosmetic difference but don’t expect 20% new hair to regrow in bald areas, e.g. temples.

  69. I think when a reader has a positive result from any treatment protocol discussed on this fine site, we’re obliged to share, and thus add to the anectotal evidence. In this case, I would add my voice to the chorus of positive results from low-dose oral minoxidil. Am seven months into a 5mg a day regime, and am pleased with the overall improvement in thickness. Agree with Yoda very much that tackling the androgen factor (in this case, Dut after diminishing returns after a few years on Fin) is also required. Of course we would all be happy with a more definitive ‘cure’ – but until then, at least in my case, combining LDOM with fin/dut has certainly been extremely helpful and recommended (with appropriate legitimate medical oversight).

    1. Good to hear about your LDOM result. Hope the nose hair you mentioned before is not too crazy. Yet another problem I do not need! Starting 2.5 mg per day tomorrow. Only the third ever drug I will take regularly in my life after Fin and Dut.

        1. Thanks! My Dutasteride results seem to fluctuate from nothing to minimal lately.

          Just took my first 2.5 mg LDOM (generic). Small round white tablet, but does not show name of manufacturer. Will need to ask pharmacy at some point.

          For those who had to stop, did you see any increase in body hair disappear?

          1. I’m only four days into this as well. One unforeseen side effect is daily bloody noses. I am wondering if anyone knows where to buy the sublingual minoxidil. Is Dr Sinclairs product available in the US?

          2. Hello Admin, did you get your OM checked if it is legit?
            I only trust OEM products ie Loniten and Avodart.
            Good luck with your treatment!

            1. It is a generic from Safeway pharmacy. I generally trust generics sold at the major pharmacies, though should try to find out who made my LDOM. I do not trust compounded products from unknown places after reading the scary Spanish study in this post.

  70. Thanks to the information on this blog, I asked and received a script for oral Minox from my dermatologist. Doc has a good grasp on hair loss treatments. I’m on 1.25mg, once daily. It makes me dizzy and tired. Anyone know if this a transient effect? I’ve cut my dose to half, I’m hoping my body will adjust eventually to a higher dose. I’m female, with hereditary hair loss for the last 10 years.

  71. Hello admin, hopefully you are doing fine on OM?!

    Here in Austria it’s not possible to buy Loniten at the moment. In February sometime it will be available again. Fortunately I got a prescription early. May have to reduce dosage to be on the safe side.

    1. Hi Mrka, I started 2.5 mg per day generic LDOM on November 20th, 2022. My shedding has declined by 80 percent I am guessing! Quite amazing to see very few hairs on my floors, bed, sink, bathub etc… Scalp hair also seems thicker. However, no obvious major regrowth as yet. A surgeon I know told me that the best results will occur after 6 months.

          1. Good luck to my fellow oral minox ingesters. Best move I made since Xandrox went kaput. After some hits and misses over the past couple years, I’m starting to believe that the best stack is oral minox, oral dut along with topical minox (highest strength possible), topical dut. Topical fin doesn’t seem to do much for me. I believe one needs to attack orally and topically for optimum results.

      1. Update:

        Almost 6 months into 2.5 mg per day LDOM, still pleased. Shedding remains much lower than in the past, and some overall thickness increase throughout scalp.

        Got my third set of 90 pills a couple of days ago, and the lady at the Safeway pharmacy said that the manufacturer had changed. Unfortunately, the lengthy insert did not seem to give any company name. Am a bit bummed at changing brands.

        Update:

        Went to Safeway again today (20th May) and the pharmacist (who talked with a lisp and was hard to understand) said that I was on Sun Pharma brand before, and am now on Parpet brand. I see nothing on Google regarding that name. On my container, it says PARP. Wonder if they meant Par Pharma:

        https://www.parpharm.com/pdfs/catalog/generic/Minoxidil_PI_20200506.pdf

  72. Thanks for posting the oral minoxidil update Admin, the 8 month results photos for the patient are probably the best evidence for regrowth I’ve ever seen, as unfortunate as that may be.

  73. Those results look really good! For guys with mostly crown/diffuse thinning it could be a godsend. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear to help guys like me with zero frontal region/hairline to speak of. I’d need my frontal hairline back to make a significant improvement in my appearance.

  74. I had surgery a few months ago and just went for a checkup and my surgeon said to stop using minox altogether (I told him I was using low dose). He said long term it is not good for you, esp the heart (no he’s not a quack, he’s one of the best surgeons in the country). I stopped and won’t be taking it again since he’s the third doc that told me that, all of them reputable.

    Plus, it never did much for me anyway, in any dose (large or small). So easy decision. These results look great but I think it’s unique. I’ve never spoken to or heard from very many where it’s done anything except slow the loss (which is obviously great but they never grew hair like this – did exactly nothing for me).

    1. One of the best hair surgeons or heart surgeons? How many people did you speak to that used LD Minox? Did a lot for me, one of the best hair decisions I’ve ever made. Otherwise, I’m in perfect health at 60 after approximately 3 years of use. Sorry it didn’t work for you James 1, however neither my experience nor yours is a guarantee to what anyone else might experience. While the results shown might be best case, I’m of the opinion that most will have some level of positive results and a low level of side effects when used at 2.5 – 5 mg.

      1. I made my decision to begin taking oral Minoxidil 2.5mg per day based on two reasons:

        1) They have commonly been using low dose oral Minoxidil to treat hair loss in Thailand for several decades. And in Australia for a decade. If the side effects were common, I would assume the doctors in those countries would become far more reluctant.

        2) For people who take it to treat high blood pressure (hypertension), oral Minoxidil doses as high as 40 mg are common.

        But ultimately, you have to talk to your doctor before making this decision. If you have any existing heart problems, I would be especially cautious. If you get any significant chest pains after beginning taking the drug, best to stop immediately.

        1. Hello admin,

          I guess the golden rule is..take prescription medicine under appropriate medical supervision.

          Once a year I see a cardiologist, twice a year an urologist to check my health.

          I also measure regularly blood pressure and heart rate..all good.

          I am on 5mg. A safety buffer is my high weight of 100kg. OM dosage is also determined depending on body weight (children)

          On the downside: I have to shave now every day as I detest facial hair. No increase in body hair…have none to speak of anyway.

          Yoda thanks for convincing me to use it by telling us your experience.

          Fingers crossed that a better product will be available soon.

          .

      2. Obviously a hair surgeon is going to tell me to take it. I spoke with the leading heart surgeon in the country and two other specialist. So…that goes a long way, in my book. I don’t think he’s making it up (it’s of no benefit to him to do that). Also, three years of use is nothing. He said long term. I think he meant 10 plus? But who knows.

        Yes, it does a lot for many. Slows the progress. I very highly doubt it grows hair for many. If it did, would we be here? Would everyone still be complaint they’re bald? We’re still here searching for a cure so…how great can minox be? It’s a one tricky pony. Been around for decades. We all know what it can and can’t do. Won’t stop anyone from going bald. Or again, we wouldn’t be here. But by all mean, if it’s helping continue taking it (no sarcasm). We all gotta do what’s best for us. It made me feel like crap and my surgeon said to stop so Ima listen to the dude.

  75. Sound advice Admin. Oral minox has been around since 1979 when it was approved for BP. 40 mg is the common max dose but can be prescribed up to 100 mg. If a drug is dangerous then it would be pulled from the market, you’d think over 40 years of use would give the FDA enough to make an informed determination. Can there be side effects, heart related and otherwise? Sure, even aspirin can have side effects. Logically, the lower the dose the less chance of side effects. To indicate that if one takes oral minox for hair they will have heart issues and that it’s not effective simply isn’t true. Some may get side effects, some might not have positive results. Personally I take anything hair surgeons take with a boulder of salt, they have skin in the game after all.

    1. It wasn’t a hair surgeon, it was a heart surgeon (I believe about .5% of what any hair surgeon says – like they say PRP is great lol). But yes, everyone is different. Some will see great results and some will have heart issues or other neg side effects. It’s up to each person to decide.

      Minox will never be a game changer in my mind. It’s not a cure. If it’s not a cure I’m not interested. Half the time those saying they’re getting great results is a joke – 2 hairs sprouting or thickness nobody else else detect or see.

      1. I agree it’s not a game changer, but I’ve got an old friend who’s been on a combo of low-dose Fin/Min for years. It’s in capsule form from a good compounding chemist here in OZ. He’s had no sides whatsoever and his hair is now thicker than it was 25 years ago…I sh*t you not. I remember being a bit shocked seeing his see-through spiky wet hair in the sun, right after we had a surf back then. Now it’s not. It could be the Fin alone, I don’t know exactly – it’s just one example, but I do believe it works for some.

        1. It’s probably (mostly) the fin. But that’s good for him. Sounds like it’s working well. I don’t know if there’s any combos (oral) like where I live. I haven’t heard of anything like that. Interesting.

  76. What keeps me from trying oral minoxidil, is its supposedly harmful effect on collagen synthesis. And I am not primarily concerned with skin aging, but with joint health and healing. As a person who is physically active but also naturally gets injured easily (ligaments/tendons), even a little bit of inhibited collagen synthesis could be devastating to me. I am curious to hear if any of you oral minoxidil users have experienced effects on joints/skin.

      1. The negative relationship between minoxidil and collagen has been observed in animal and human studies, although mainly in the skin.

        e.g.

        “minoxidil significantly decreased the total amount of collagen … there was approximately a 30% inhibition of collagen production with … 100 ng/ml minoxidil”
        source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8844127/

        “Minoxidil suppressed the BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in vivo … resulting in decreased collagen formation”
        source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6278642/

        “minoxidil decreases the amount of lysine hydroxylase protein”
        source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1130991/

        “Minoxidil … has been reported to reduce lysyl hydroxylase activity”
        source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0945053X05000429

        Now, on the scalp, this might actually be a positive thing, as it could reduce/prevent fibrosis (thickening and scarring).

        see: https://donovanmedical.com/hair-blog/minoxidil-collagen-2

        Systemically, however, it could, in theory, induce a connective tissue disorder.

        “Lysyl hydroxylase deficiency causes the connective tissue diseases kyphoscoliotic
        Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (Krane et al., 1972).”
        source: https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/jpet/375/3/478.full.pdf?with-ds=yes

        For a normal and healthy person, I don’t think low-dose oral (or topical) minoxidil would cause any collagen issues. But for someone like me who likely already has a collagen deficiency/defect and is dealing with chronic sports injuries, the small risk that oral minoxidil could make it worse is enough to keep me from trying it.

        I am not a biologist and if someone has a different interpretation of this research, I would be happy to be told that I have no need to worry.

        For the record, I have been using topical minoxidil for many years.

        1. Mark, my short attention span doesn’t lend itself to reading these studies in granular detail. However, skimming through I don’t believe I saw anything related to direct “human studies”. Only on cells and/or invitro which is a whole different kettle of fish, e.g. growing hair follicles, mice studies, etc. My apologies in advance if I missed something that there was something about a controlled clinical trial on humans.

          1. You are right.
            The “human studies” I referred to are in vitro.

            There are a few more (human) in vitro studies that I did not link, like Pinnell & Murad (1987) and Hughes et al. (1992), that point to both positive and negative effects of minoxidil’s (potential in vivo) inhibition of collagen.

            Interestingly, most of the research on minoxidil and collagen seems to be two to three decades old.

            1. Envivo studies are more reliable and from what I can tell there aren’t any. To me this whole “Minoxidil inhibits collagen” thing is not really a thing, hence why any sort of study is old. I’ve been on topical for close to 40 years and have pretty darn good skin. One of my favorite things I read was a guy that was complaining about his skin aging after being on Minoxidil for 20 years. No shit Sherlock, it’s called getting old. Some want to find a reason for their body doing what it does naturally.

  77. Hello, I have a straightforward question… why don’t you massage your scalp instead of taking oral/topical minoxidil? The goal of minoxidil is to increase blood flow to the scalp, isn’t it? Thanks.

  78. Every time I see before and after photos, I am immediately skeptical. I am never sure if the hair is cropped to the same length, which it should be for an accurate comparison. In these pics it looks like the hair is longer in the “after”. The most basic controls should be 1. Identical room and lighting 2. Identical hair length 3. Identical angle.

    1. Exactly. The photos are never “fair”…it’s always different lengths, different lighting, wet to dry. Something. Not just here but all across the hair loss industry.

  79. Guys has anyone tried Winlevi, the lower concentration version of Breezula which is for acne?

    Exact same mechanism of action, but a lower concentration- was released a yr ago and quite positive reviews for acne.

  80. This video below might be worth watching as well as strongly supporting Oral Minoxidil.

    https://youtu.be/DUj-vnNCu0M

    I found it helpful when he mentioned the top or back of the head will likely experience growth first, followed by the frontal region. He also followed up with to not give up and continue to stay the course.

    Side note: Watch the video at 1.5 x speed to quickly get through the presentation.

    1. Thanks, I actually saw that a couple of weeks ago when YouTube recommended it to me on my TV! It led me to add the 1980 study screenshot you see in the middle of this post.

  81. Admin,
    Are you going to stick with 2.5 mg or will you increase at all this year. Second question: do you use topical as well?

    1. I will stick with 2.5 mg per day unless the hair shedding rate of the past 10 years restarts! I do not use topical Minoxidil anymore. I barely used it in recent years anyway.

  82. Admin, since you starting oral minoxidil lately, just wanted to share my experience and hear any feedback. I have been on 1.25 mg oral for 4 months then increased to 2.5 mg daily for the past 2 months. Since I started, I lost my libido and erection. Never get horny. I also feel tired and eyes bags. I monitor my BP which changes very tiny (2-3 mmhg) within one or two hour after the pill. Also, my lab tests of prolactin, total and free testosterone are normal. Started to think it’s cardiovascular effect and also may be anti androgenic effect… not sure though, but I miss the feeling of being sexually aroused. Any thoughts ?

    1. Did you see any scalp or body hair growth? I cannot advise on individual side efffects unfortunately. It has reduced my scalp hair shedding for sure, and possibly made my beard hair growth faster. I also seem to be getting headaches more frequently, but not sure if that is due to LDOM. Otherwise, no issues so far on my end.

      1. 1.25 mg daily for almost 5 months surely slowed hair loss and kinda stabilised it (no re-growth), beard hair got thicker though.
        When I increased dose to 2.5 mg daily 1-1.5 month ago, I found reduction in BP more often, headache, low energy, puffy eyes and fatigue. Also I believe the reduction in BP affected my erection as well as I feel tired. Once I feel tired, I measure BP and I find it lower than usual. Not sure this effect will be temporary or it will continue to make me tired and thus less sexually actively (that’s unless it has anti androgenic effect as well, which is a big IF).

  83. https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(22)00821-0/fulltext

    “In conclusion, 24 weeks of LDOM was safe in men with androgenetic alopecia, as the participants presented with no relevant alterations in terms of their biochemical profile, 24-hour Holter monitoring, and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.”

    “A limitation of this study is that it focused only on healthy men taking a high LDOM dose. Therefore, assessing LDOM safety among the older patients, women, and those with subjacent cardiovascular diseases is essential.”

  84. I’m not seeing any hair improvements after 5-6 months of using oral minoxidil (1.25 mg daily for 4 months then 2.5 mg daily for the following 1 -1.5 month). Topical minoxidil worked for me in the past but I switched to the oral pills because of hair dryness. I had 3 months minoxidil free period after stopping the topical one, then I started the oral after I noticed that I lost the hair density which was gained by topical. I expected the oral to work, based on all the positive feedbacks we have been hearing. However, this isn’t the case for me, not sure why !!! I feel my hair lost it’s density and oral minoxidil never regained it…Any thoughts ?!! It’s a bit surprising that photos at the day 1 of oral minoxidil and after 5-6 months of using it show that my hair got thinner, with no influence of the oral pills.

    1. If you are getting no side effects, worth waiting longer for the 2.5mg to take effect. Are you seeing any increase in facial hair (including beard hair growth rate)? What brand of generic are you using?

      1. There is no side effects so far. Every time I increase the dose, for example from 0.625 to 1.25 to 2.5 mg, it takes me one week of feeling little drop in blood pressure and feeling tired then my body adapts and I feel better. I believe that the beard hair increased a bit but nothing on scalp. I use generic minoxidil (Par pharma). Actually all my hope was that the oral minoxidil would increase my hair density, as the topical did in the past but without applying twice daily and that dry hair mess. So far, the oral isn’t making it even near to the topical. Hopefully things improve.

        1. Hi Sherif, its a long road. I am on 5mg. Certainly an improvement. Not as much as I hoped but nevertheless. I started almost two years ago. Other than that..Dutasteride and and every two to three weeks I stab my head with 1.5mm

          Hang in there.

          1. I believe it’s all about the dutasteride that made the effect. I think that the oral minoxidil is kinda overrated lately. Not sure!! At least in my case I found that topical was much more effective, it’s just the dry hair mess that made me don’t like it and switched to oral. I will still continue the oral 2.5 mg for more time though.

            1. Sherif, I started with Dutasteride around 2010. In contrast, I started with OM i n April 2021.
              Rather obvious that its not Dutasteride.

  85. Is there any research behind the 90% stat from Dr. Rassman? I want to take 5mg but I cannot find it here in Canada, and I think Dr. Rassman himself doesn’t recommend 5mg. I can only find 3mg at a reputable clinic here in Canada, but I’m worried it won’t work (M21 – Norwood 4/diffuse thinning – I’ve been on dutasteride since November and have maintained – decided to add this in case it matters haha)

    1. I think it is encouraging that this guy is gettign huge gains from LDOC after 10 years on Dut. I am just over 3 months in after my switch to 5 mg so my fingers are crossed. When I started on 2.5 mg, I saw no noticable improvement. But I have read that the optimal dosage for men is 5 mg.

  86. Mmmh… are we still talking about minoxidil?… It seems that defeating baldness is as difficult as defeating death… good luck…

  87. I have been taking oral minoxidil for over 3 years with amazing results. My hair is much thicker and I’m not losing any.
    I can’t say there’s been any re growth.
    I’d been taking finasteride for about 8 years and my hair was starting to thin a bit. I tried the oral minoxidil as topical causes itching (no matter what type) and after about 5 months, my hair was possibly thicker than it had ever been!
    I take 2.5 mg because 5mg gives me palpitations.
    It’s extremely cheap if you know where to buy it.

    1. Hello, I would appreciate knowing
      Where you buy it. I’m in Canada and seems difficult to source.
      Thank you.

  88. Zero gain with LDOM for me. Actually made me worse. Large shed when I started that has never grown back.

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