Oral Minoxidil and its potential side effects (article)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9678755/

Please note the following statement in the article:

” Since the original introduction of low-dose oral minoxidil for this indication, reported adverse effects have been purported to be infrequent and of minor impact, with 15.1% hypertrichosis, 1.7% lightheadedness, 1.3% fluid retention, 0.9% tachycardia, 0.4% headache, 0.3% periorbital edema, and 0.2% insomnia reported in the largest retrospective multicenter study so far of 1404 patients, leading to drug discontinuation in 1.2% of patients.”

The focus on the Pericardial Effusion is significant as it appeared in a woman with a low dose of 1.25mgs/day.  So the kew here is to watch for the following symptoms as they appear:

Shortness of breath, discomfort while breathing in the supine position, chest pain, lightheadedness, and swelling in the legs

Any medication can have serious side effects. Aspirin for example, has killed people from allergic reactions, bleeding from long term use, etc..  For those of you who take oral minoxidil, just be alert to the warnings in this article.