Oral Minoxidil 1 mg Similar to 5 % Minoxidil in women

Oral Minoxidil 1 mg Seems Similar to 5 % Minoxidil in Women.

A new study compared 5 % minoxidil to 1 mg oral minoxidil in women with androgenetic alopecia.  This was a study of 52 female patients. One group received 5 % once daily and one group received 1 mg. There were similar outcomes at 6 months.

Side effects differed between groups.  Swelling was slightly higher in the 1 mg group (4 %) compared to none in the topical group. Nearly one quarter of patients (27%) had hypertrichosis in the 1 mg group compared to 4 % in the 5 % group. There was an increased heart rate of about 6 beats per minute about baseline in the oral minoxidil group. Scalp itching was found in 19% of minoxidil topical users. This table summarizes some of the side effects seen in the 2 groups.

Comment and Summary

This is a helpful study. All in all topical minoxidil 5 % is pretty similar to oral minoxidil at 1 mg. There’s no clear benefit of the oral although clearly some patients will find it less irritating than the topical solution. This study shows that hypertrichosis, increased heart rate and swelling in the feet are side effects of oral minoxidil that just aren’t seen with the topical minoxidil to nearly the same degree.

Reference

Ramos PM, Sinclair RD, Kasprzak M, Miot HA. Minoxidil 1 mg oral versus minoxidil 5% topical solution for the treatment of female-pattern hair loss: A randomized clinical trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;82(1):252-253.