Minoxidil Side Effects?
Hello Dr., I have been using minoxidil lotion for two months now. I do not suffer from any systemic side effect as yet. BUT, every time I apply it I have noticed that I ,almost immediately, with in minutes experience a little bit of strain on the skin under my eyes. When I look in the mirror it appears that I have developed dark circles. With continuous use I notice fine lines and dryness on my face. Now to avoid this I have started applying the lotion in supine position while rubbing the tip of the dropper on my scalp. I stay in that position at least for next 20-30 minutes. This is to make sure not even a trace of medicine flows down on my face. But still I have the same sensation on my face. All these effect however disappear even if I discontinue the medicine even for two days. This has been a repeated experience. Any comments?!! Do other patients also complain about the same problem?
This is the first time I have heard anyone report this. I can not understand it unless the medication is actually landing on the skin of your face or around the eyes. There are reports of local skin reactions to minoxidil that ‘irritate’ the skin. Some of the medication can be absorbed through the skin and drop the blood pressure a little and this is a transient effect that does not last long. Maybe this medication is not worth the trouble it is causing you. Clearly if you stop it, it goes away. Is there are real benefit worth the problems you are experiencing?
I also used Minoxidil lotiun of two months. I also complain about the same problem :(
I have suffered exactly the same reaction, twice I stopped, twice it started again… I don’t know what to try next!
I had the same problems with this stuff. It gave me fine lines and dark rings around my eyes. It also gave mt skin a rough texture, i stopped usibg it over a year ago but I fear some of these affects are permanant.
I have had this exact same problem. It seems to cause dark circles under the eyes.
I had the same problem with my skin, it also enlarged my pores and made me look a mess! I would advise people to avoid this stuff!
I used this stuff for a year and only now the swelling on my face has gone down can I see the damage it has done. The pores on my upper eyelids cheeks temple regions and forehead are all enlarged. The surface of the skin in these areas is rough and bumpy and looks like a 40 a day smokers! My complexion was fine before I used Regaine and I only applyed it to the scalp. I used only one pump (which is half the recomended amount) but it did a lot of damage. I wish I could sue them!
I was on minoxidil for a while but stopped when i relised how enlarged my eyelids had become. My eyes were bloodshot and the skin around my eyes has been left wrinkly and lose. I also was carefull not to allow any of the product to fall on my face but this did not help. Why are these Side effects not listed in the instructions?
This Regaine is bad, when I was on it for 3 months it was fine but a month a ago I stopped because the skin around my eyes went dark and rinkled. My wife said it could be the Regaine and my skin on my cheeks has gone lumpy. Why has this happend?
A good friend of mine was a model for a well known cosmetic company. He was worried about his hair loss and used minox to control it. When his skin was affected he was advised to stop using it but the color and texture of his skin was permantly changed. It aged his face and six months ago he killed himself.
My eyes have permanant black rings around them after Rogaine 5%. I used it for about 9 months and towards the end noticed the rings. Looks like im tired all the time not good. This was five years ago and they still bug me.
After using Minoxidil I stopped because of black rings around the eyes and skin problems. Having looked at a lot of people with hair loss I have come to the conclusion that I may not be the only one. I actuly asked a bloke I meet if he used it (on account of his poor skin) and he said yes and agreed that its had caused him problems with his appearance. I think that minoxidil can age the skin very quickly and give the heavy smoker look. I also think most of these affects are ireversable.
Minoxidil has worked very well for my hair in a short space of time. All of the hair has returned to my crown and the front is thicker but, I hve the black rings tired look an d thought its just one of those things but im worried about it. More and more people seem to be saying that this is a permanent effect! Why?
I had black rings around my eyes while using Minoxidil, fortunately they disappeard within few months when I ceased using it, also Minoxidil do decrease libido and shrinks testicles.
After 6 months I discontinued use of REGAINE because of bloodshot eyes and terrible skin texture. AVOID!
My experience with minoxidil ended after 6 months. It gave me the dark rings around the eyes and a strange roughness to my skin thats really apparent under florescent lighting. I have also looked on line at peoples before and after pics regarding topical minoxidil and the effects on their skin is dreadful. I am surprised that they are allowed to market this product and am sure as time goes on people may even consider legal action.
Minoxidil affected the skin on my face and made my penis sore. I used it for hair loss and had to stop after two months.
Minoxidil makes facial skin change and become scaly and pockmarked. You can tell people are using it by their aged and haggard appearance and black rings around their eyes. I agree that is gives the look of a heavy smoker.
It would seem strange that the dr seems surprised about the reaction to minoxidil as this is not the first question he has had on the subject. Many people are complaining about skin interactions with minoxidil and I have read reports on minoxidil stopping collagen production causing skin wrinkling and pore enlargement.
Scott,
For the record, this post was from 2005. If I got a lot of other questions about this, they were most likely after that. I hope this clears up any confusion you had.
My brother is sixteen and has used Regaine for 8 months. He does not get asked for ID anymore when buying alcohol and looks about 20. Maybe this is normal but he has heavy black rings around his eyes. He used to look very young but now people ask who is older out of us two. I am 24
Minoxidil is bad for skin makes you look older than you are and does not work long term. AVOID!
my friend Rimmer used minoxidil and had problems with his dr
I have used Minoxidil and had no side effects. I would recommend more sleep, moderate alcohol intake and a balanced diet. this combined with regular exercise would prevent the look skin aging
All the above posts seem very similiar in the way the have been written, in terms of grammer, sentence structure and acute blame project squarely on the product.
This in turn leads me to conclude that this is the direct ehibition of the symptoms related to Peladophobia, the Fear of baldness.
Yes I agree
My partner David used an array of products prior to his divorce from his wife. The stress and whole situation did take its toll on him, as he did seem look tired but I think that was completly independent to the hair loss treatments. But once it the divorce was over the he returned to normal and zipped his hair off. to be honest it looks a lot better now. Growing old gracefully is much better than trying to hold onto a few wisps of hair
Lee Harvey Oswald turned Kennedy into a slumped corpse with a head full of lead. Was he jealous of the presidents full wig? Man has become obsessed with hair but under the skull lurks a mind game. Was Kennedy using minoxidil for hair loss? Was Jack Ruby Bald? Minoxidil is clearly not the the only way to restore a cracked barnet. He didn’t do much…..
my skin is better but I hit a low after I took a hair loss prevention tonic. I looked like I had smoked 40 fags a day and my colleagues would ask me how flavour country was
I am now fully blown and found a loving partner, he is so kind I don not worry about the hair any more
After exactly 1 year using minoxidil I developed Spock ears. Apart from that the treatment is progressing well.
look at photos of prince William I bet he’s using minoxidil and it’s playing havoc with his complexion.
Hi, I have exactly the same problems with minoxidil. Is there another product that can be used?
When I first used minoxidil the instructions mentioned local skin irritation as a possible side effect. I did not consent to these permanent black rings around my eyes. I did not consent to skin wrinkling and pore enlargement. I did not consent to aged and haggard face. I am very angry with this drug and the way its marketed, its not effective and has damaging and lasting side effects that are not acceptable with a cosmetic off the shelf product.
Lots of us Watford boys are on minoxidil and there is no skin problem yet. But well all have the black rings around the eyes and a slightly tired look on our faces. But, if you want to look like Rick Gale then you need your hair!!!
Minoxidil turned from a athletic looking fun loveing active 28 year old man into a facialy bloated Jaba the hut like sloath. Don’t go out much in fear of ridicule from people my age who have not used this drug. Did restore some hair so overall 5/10. Hair regroth at the cost of your existance. Mum and I have since fallen out man.
Doc, any way to figure out if all, or most, of these comments are from the same person? They seem so similar in their wording but its hard to believe some bozo would waste all his time ragging on minoxidil.
Jake,
Yes, a lot of them are from the same person under different names (note the comments from people that post a first and last name with a non-working website linked to their name).
Some of the posts on here are frightening! I have used this for 2.4 months and this scaly bumpyness has covered my ears and spread down my forehead to nearly my cheeks. It is uncomfortable and looks bad and i hope it goes away! someone said this could be permanent in one of these posts.
Real question:
After 2 months of treatment the lymph nodes on my neck front and back have swollen up, mostly on one side. They havent gone down and its been 2 weeks. Also parts of my head are sore to touch – this came on suddenly so i cant be sure its a reaction.
Any advice or feedback – at what point do i need to go to a doctor?
Thanks
Alex
minoxidil and/or spironolactone have aged my skin, it has sagged and I think its due to collagen breakdown. I’m 33 yet my skin looks much older, I used to have great skin. I overdid the minox, 4ml of 5% daily on a wet scalp, all the same I don’t think I deserve this horrendous ageing of my skin.
I’ve been using the 2% Minoxidil and it has caused eczema on the back of the neck after a few drops dripped down. What can be done about this? The doctor has given me cortisone cream for a brief treatment but I am loathe to stop the Minoxidil as it does stop some hair loss. Yes I am now very careful that it doesn’t drip on the neck but am worried if it is really affecting the skin in a detrimental way.
I had skin irritation on neck,cheeks etc…from 2%. I figured it was from pillow case contamination with the chemical. I now use a clean scarf – turban style – on my head each night and change pillow case at least twice a week. This has helped greatly.
I have tried minoxidil on several different occasions. The first time was a 2% solution probably 3 years ago of which I had to discontinue due to local reaction to propylene glycol. The second time was 5% Rogaine foam, which was absorbed systemically, lowering my blood pressure and causing fatigue as well as dark circles around my eyes; it took me a month or more to realize it was the minoxidil that was doing this. A twice daily application of a 5% minoxidil solution contains 100 mg of minoxidil, which is nearing what an oral dose for high blood pressure would be. Sure it’s not all absorbed systemically but it’s not all sitting innocuously on the surface layers of the skin either.
Most recently I tried Xandrox 5% which is a %5 minoxidil solution along with azelaic acid as well. Within two applications over a couple of days I again developed circles under my eyes, this time accompanies by some local edema and pain. I’m tried a lot of different approaches to combat hair loss and for now I’m going to be sticking to copper peptides and ketoconazole cream. Hair transplants are in the work for me as well. I understand hair loss is very psychologically damaging but I can’t understand those that would systematically manipulate their hormones with AR-1 and AR-2 inhibitors without fully appreciating the implications of what they are doing.
hello sir,
i would like to know a suggestion from your is, is this medicine can be used for mustache or beard growing? if so can i use this at a very lower level apply? please advise me..
I tried to use minoxidil a year ago, had a terrible issue with my face burning red and coarse to the touch with deep bags under my bloodshot eyes. The next time was just now and two days into it I have the exact same reaction and it is a new batch! Don’t listen to the moronic entries earlier, it is a real side effect and action should be brought against the manufacture for not listing what I perceive as probably the most noticeable side effect! Obviously it is an issue judging by the entries and my personal experience, stop using it if you experience these effects, it only gets worse. Forget the hair if the treatment is going to make you look haggard and worn out!
I have less hair, in have an idea doing some treatment for my hair.. suggest me an idea
I noticed after a month of using the 5% minoxidal with proscar my testicles suddenly became really sore. On some days hurt to move. I don’t know if it’s related, but nothing like that has ever happened. I’ve noticed some have experienced similar issues with their testicles when using the minoxidal.
Does anybody know the long term effects of using Rogain, minoxidil? After using it for 12 years, I started to experience a strange stiffness in my muscles after physical activity. First I felt pain in my hip, then my knees and wrists, and finally in my ribs and neck. I have checked everything with my doctors and all results are all right. Could it have anything to do with long term use of Rogain?? Have anybody experienced anything similar?
Hi all,
first of all sorry for my bad english, I’m a 25 years old guy from Italy. I want to share my experience with minoxidil 5% and confirm the side effects listed in earlier posts.
I’ve been using Minoxidil 5% (not a commercial brand) for about 1 year. The last two months I begane to notice the bags under my eyes. Not only me, but also my friends begane to ask me about them… Other side effects were fatigue, anxiety and rapid heart beat. I stopped this drug a few days ago. I feel more relaxed and I sleep better (without waking up in the middle of the night with crazy heart beating). Dark circles under the eyes are still there but I feel confident they will go off with time. I want you all to be careful and to warn against minoxidil side effects other people.
i have been using rogaine for about a month when i had to stop. one a rash appeared in back of my neck on my face and my ears. i have bumps in my hair similar to insect bites and my lymph nodes in my neck had swell a little. ima a 33yr old female and i will not be trying any product containing minoxodil just not worth it and i dont even know how long will it take for this allergi reaction to clear up but to each is own :)
I agree on all the above listed side effects from the use of minioxidil, used it for 5 months had good results with the hair growth and thickness but the pore on face forehead grew larger and the wrinkles on the forehead and then the dark circles under eyes and also with the feeling of tired eyes all day. I will now discontinue the use and hopefully everything return back to normal but use now more herbal methods for the hairloss problems.
I’ve been using minoxidil on and off for 3 years. I experienced the skin problem, eyes red and puffy. Rapid heart beat and muscles have been paining/stiff a lot lately especially after training, they kinda feel crystallized.
I didn’t realize that Minoxidil could be the cause, until now after reading these posts.
Ive experienced similar issues in the past few days my eyes have been blood shot and feel heavy, ive only been using the stuff for less than a month and will stop asap.
They should have mentioned this side affect before i would not have touched the stuff.
Doc, any way to figure out if all, or most, of these comments are from the same person? They seem so similar in their wording but its hard to believe some bozo would waste all his time ragging on minoxidil.
Sounds like the ramblings of a drug shill or one of the site moderators. Ignore
Hi,after use of minoxidil 5% for a few weeks i’ve noticed that i have rapid heartbeat and palpitations…,muscular weakness and some bags under my eyes..i would like to have more hair but i think it’s not worth the price for that!i will stop using it and go on herbal or something like!
am using minoxidil 3% lotion and i want to know whether it adversely effects to our masculine power?
I had read about minoxidil long ago and what I got to know is that it lowers BP or can cause itching of skin or rashes. Obviously these are some points which could be tolerated to get good thick here.
NOW what I telling you is reality which is not mentioned on the net or the packaging of minoxidil.
A friend of mine has a very weird kind of appearance, for example, he has thick here, NO receding hairline but he has unnatural hair on ears and dark circles. But a strange thing which I noticed about him is that he has thick lines and deep wrinkles around his eyes, despite the fact that he has OILY skin. I used to wonder why he has wrinkles around eyes when he has oily skin. He has some colorless hairs on his head which was mentioned as a side effect of minoxidil. I had seen him applying somethhing from dropper many times.
I asked him is it minoxidil? he said yes. He is using it but yet he is not aware of the side effects which are affecting his looks.
Hi, I am 19 years old and experiencing a super hair loss because I have a hypothyroid disease. Any suggestion that I will be using to improve my hair??
Hi,
I have noticed remarkable hair regrowth after 6 months usage of Minioxidil (5%vol), but i’m facing side effect like erectile disfunction and heavy eyes and black circles.
I have been using 5% for about two years. New hair is growing at my temples, but my eyelashes are starting to grow inward, scratching my eyeballs. I have to tweeze them out.
hey guys, i’m 21yr old boy from iran. i’ve used Rogin 5% for a few months and had irritation, redness of scalp and above all i lost my natural skin color, my skin color suddenly turned from white into an unnatural kind of yellow something like Obama’s face color. i don’t know what to do to reverse the effects i have to go to a DR. DON”T USE THIS, IT’S NOT WORTH IT. u can contact me if u have any Questions abt. delpieroalexi at yahoo dot com
Hi guys
But what about itchiness?
I used minoxidil for 4 years till i stopped in April because mostly of itchiness and flaky scalp and tried something else but now i’m back using Lipogaine.
Besides the side effects which everybody has mentioned, what about itchiness?
while i’m sleeping the itchiness is so unbearable that I’m literally scratching my scalp…and it’s awful. And obviously i wake up in the middle of the night. and Lipogaine doesn’t contain alcohol. supposedly.
all producers are liars and take advantages of our despair. they should be sued. sooner or later someone will do it.
does anybody use Lipogaine?
thanks
Well… what to say! No I’d say that the above comments are genuine, and that the truth is simply that Minoxidil does cause an array of side-effects, which for many people make its use not worth the pain – it causes more problems than it solves. Frankly I would say that with all these side effects the product should not be on the market, especially since some of the serious side-effects are not even mentioned on the packaging. But obviously this is a subjective issue, and I’m quite sure that there are people who have had positive experiences. With me the product was causing a whole range of side effects, including heart-beat alteration as well as lumps in the skin of my face. I just had to stop using this product -and I don’t think i’ll ever touch it again! For me, and then reading the above, it amounts to a crap product. But that’s my take!
Alex-yup the above statement are corrects. i am using minoxidil since 6 months ,and i developed the dark circles around my eyes. i felt sone strain in the lower of my eyes just after applying the minoxidil.yes you will gain hairs but your dark circles and skin will get worse.Better to go with natural treatment or directly surgery.Leave this chemicals engulfing your health.All i want to say is LOVE UR HAIRS AND NEVER GIVE UP and don’t be worried coz u r not the alone.
Hi, after using minoxidil for 2 years (with good results) I had to drop it because of the side effects. Terrible scalp irritation, swollen forehead and huge wrinkles. I stopped it 6 months ago, the irritation disappear after a week, the swallen forehead after few days, but the wrinkles are still there (maybe just a little bit better). I was using minox only once a day. Suggestion: use it but be carefull of the sites. They can be really devastating!
Let me first say that I met Dr. Rassman in 2006 because of thinning in front. If they still have pictures I can come back for before/after. I am as real as it gets.
I have been using minoxidil since at least 2008, first the liquid and for the last couple of years the foam. I started losing hair in the back, and more of the front, and minoxidil reversed that.
SIDE EFFECTS
Early symptoms were puffy face, “serious look” (older, more serious face lines), dark circles, dry face, itchiness on back, pain in feet/swollen leg (bottom back), hives (maybe from itching), tired even after sufficient sleep. These symptoms improved after I occasionally stopped, but it is hard to stop long-term when it regrows your hair.
Now it seems I clearly have eczema (based on a couple of doctors) and irritant contact dermatitis because water irritates the scalp. The latter improves after I stop minox. I am itching all over (not just scalp and back), and have hives. Test show hives are due to vasculitis related to drugs. Minoxidil was the only drug I have taken.
To the person who said “I have used Minoxidil and had no side effects. I would recommend more sleep, moderate alcohol intake and a balanced diet. this combined with regular exercise would prevent the look skin aging”. Throughout this time I averaged 7 plus hours of sleep, practically no alcohol (a drop a month, and rarely any coffee), an extremely healthy diet full of fruits, vegetables and beans and plenty of exercise.
My blood tests shows a healthy diet, with no common allergies.
I recently started taking 3-5 tablespoons of ground flaxseed (buy it at a health food store and grind it, keep in freezer) and it considerably helped the dry eyes.
My dermatologist thinks I have Sebaceous Hyperplasia, which started around the time I went with foam, but he didn’t get to it because this is not serious compared to the hives (which biopsy shows vasculitis). In the meantime, I have covered the area in dead sea salt for 10 minutes per week, and daily dead sea mud. It has been a couple of weeks and it was reduced about 75%. I don’t think it is the salt, but rather the mud. Also, I don’t know if it is indeed Sebaceous Hyperplasia, because it was a visual opinion by doc. I am mentioning it if someone has enlarged oil glands or oily issues due to minox, it may be worth a try. Just don’t use salt on sensitive skin, for example on face, at least not daily.
As of now I think I have stopped minox for good. I will schedule an appointment with another derm, and plan to take meds to reduce blood inflammation caused by Vasculitis, because “hives” and itchiness continues even after I stop for a few weeks.
According to drugs.com entry for minoxidil, “A case of a lupus syndrome associated with the development of a speckled ANA pattern has been associated with minoxidil.” (Vasculitis can be a sign of Lupus.)
Hopefully, the symptoms stop after a few weeks on the drug, and my face lightens up after a year of stopping minox. If I had a poor diet I think I would have been in wost shape, but maybe because of it I would have stopped sooner.
Considering the side effects, and your personality and budget, after 6 years on it I think a hair piece, a surgical procedure or shaving it off are the best options.
Always consult with your doctor, don’t follow what I say. This is my personal experience.
Quick update.
Lymph Nodes
I didn’t mention this previously, but I also noticed a large lymph node on one side, back of the neck, in an area called posterior cervical nodes.
Had an MRI, which showed below 1cm, at most 0.9cm. This was about a month after stopping minoxidil, when scalp was less itchy and likely less drainy, and it is likely that lymph node were larger. It is important to note because above 1cm and you get a biopsy, while below is optional. Although doctor recommended a biopsy, because of online posts about minox and lymph nodes I asked my doctor to wait and see whether removing minox reduces the nodes.
It took 2 months before I noticed that it is not growing, and it started getting smaller at month 3, and smaller and smaller as each week went by. It is now month 4 and it is very very small, only noticeable when pressed.
FACE
Many complained about swelling of face and other issues and wonder whether it will improve or permanent. Unfortunately they don’t follow up with an update, hence my update. The good news is that it improves, and the bad new is that it takes months. Swelling were reduced a few weeks after stopping, and the rest of the face is slowly improving. It looks much better now at month 5, but it can be painstakingly slow.
ALLERGIES
I have itching that started years ago around the time I started minoxidil. I was recently tested negative, and the doctors don’t believe it is minox, but I think the reaction is slow which is why it does not register on tests.
In addition to the biopsy mentioned in my previous post that showed vasculitis consistent with drug reaction, I had another biopsy a half year later, about a couple of months after stopping minox, that showed no vasculitis but skin issues consistent with drug or chemical reaction.
I know that the drug is still inside me for a couple reasons: (a) I had a few hairs grown on scalp because the liquid dripped to scalp, and even though it stopped long ago, it showed up at month 4 after stopping and (b) I haven’t lost hair since stopping, which could be due to natural growth cycle or that it is still inside me.
My conclusion is that this is a drug that people react to it in different ways. Some are felt immediately, while for others it takes longer. If your skin is irritated then you will absorb more of it, if you take it after shower while skin is hot, it will absorb more of the chemicals, if you take the foam, some says more is absorbed. It is possible to take recommended amount and still absorb more than safe.
I was taking it every day, either liquid or foam, once or twice per day for years. I stopped for a month or two at the time early in 2015 but didn’t notice improvement, plus the allergy tests showed no skin reaction after two weeks. Only after stopping completely, going on 5 months, did my skin improve.
These things are not mentioned by drug manufacturer. Doctors think lymph nodes and face will improve within days after stopping, but it simply wasn’t the case, and I am glad I didn’t listen when they said I can continue.
My body strongly reacts to it, long term. If I ever take it again it will be for 30 minutes (instead of 4 hours), every few days (instead of daily) and once a day (instead of twice daily).
I still have some itchiness, and considering my improvement I am still highly debating whether it is even worth taking it at a smaller scale.
Couple of corrections
1) “I stopped for a month or two at the time early in 2015” I meant 2014. I stopped for a month or two at the time in early 2014, so when I went off completely in late 2014, I was already on a much reduce consumption.
2) “It is now month 4 and it is very very small” I am actually at a little over month 5 after stopping completely. Recall that I didn’t use it every day for at least 9 months prior to stopping completely. If you use it daily then stop, your improvement can take 6-12 months, if this is indeed the reason for your symptoms.
As always, consult with your doctors. Show them online comments by actual users if they don’t think you can have negative issues effecting overall health. I am on a very healthy diet and only consumed this drug.
I started the foam 24 months ago but stopped it 12 weeks ago because of bad sides including enlarged pores on my temples and cheeks and swollen black circles and wrinkles around my eyes. These symptoms got worse as my treatment progressed and despite only applying the product once a day. It worked well for my crown hair loss but has aged me badly.