Heart Palpitations and Minoxidil
Dr Rassman,
Thank you for the blog its very informative.
I was taking proscar (Finastride) and applying minoxidil for approx 6-8 months to good effect, noticing not only reduction of hair loss but good regrowth. However i was experiencing heart palpitations. I am in my mid 30s and do not have any history of any heart problems. Infact when i was experiencing the palpitations i had a thorough heart check up and was given a clean bill of health. I subsequently stopped both treatments and the palpitation went away. I have started taking Finastride in the last 3 months and do not notice any side effects however i notice no positive effect in either growth or the reduction of hear loss.
My questions are, how long does it take for Finastride to take effect if it is going to work since restarting it? Can i restart the minoxidil even with its side effect and would the side effect diminish over time?
Thank you for you assistance.
Minoxidil may cause a drop in your blood pressure even when it is applied topically, and this may precipitate heart palpitations. I would have recommended that you see a physician for this problem, but it seem you have already. I couldn’t tell you if the heart issues will cease with continued minoxidil use, but it isn’t likely as far as I am aware. I would discuss this further with your physician.
Propecia (finasteride 1mg) acts fairly fast once it is started, as we have seen a reduction in the hair that falls out within the first two months, but to see any possible regrowth of your hair will take a full year.
I dont take rogaine at all but I did take propecia. After a short while I realized I was not a candidate for taking propecia every day because I would get relentless heart palpitations and a pounding heart. My doctor advised taking it every other day to see if the side effects lessen. Nope. Strangely taking it every other day pretty much maintained the heart palps and the pounding heart.
Went to cardiologist, failed the stress test and had to get a heart cath…at age 28!!! Im skinny, no pre existing heart issues, no familial history. Never smoked a day in my life, barely drink and have low cholesterol (172).
Everything was clean. Cardiologist took me off propecia and shazam – after about 4 days, no more palpitations. Havent had ANY since.
As a little research on my own, I started taking propecia again. Sure enough, after the 3rd day, palpitations and pounding heart again!
I dont know if its just me or if there are others out there. Maybe some guys dont even notice the palpitations but I sure do. Its kind of hard not to notice the pounding heart – it feels like I ran a marathon although I hadnt exerted myself at all. It got so bad I thought for sure I was having a heart attack. Very scary (and expensive as my insurance only covers 80%).