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Minoxidil (pill)

Minoxidil (pill) is a medication that promotes hair growth. It is usually used by transgender people to improve the thickness of hair, especially on the scalp.

Compared to Minoxidil (liquid/foam), minoxidil (pill) is usually less preferred because it has more side effects, and promotes hair growth across the entire body. That includes the scalp, but also areas like the legs and arms. (Desai et al., 2024)

Minoxidil is not a hormonal medication or an antiandrogen (Patel et al., 2023).

Unlike minoxidil (liquid/foam), minoxidil (pill) usually requires a prescription.

Key points

  • Promotes the growth of thicker, darker hair, particularly on the scalp
  • Commonly increases hair growth across the body
  • Not a hormonal medication
  • May affect heart rate and blood pressure

Dosing

Minoxidil (pill) is a pill that is swallowed. It has been used at doses ranging from 0.25 mg daily to 5 mg daily (Ramírez-Marín & Tosti, 2020).

Risks & management

Minoxidil (pill) often causes potentially unwanted hair growth across the body (Desai et al., 2024).

Minoxidil (pill) may lower blood pressure, and cause a number of side effects such as lightheadedness and changes in heart rate (Pfizer, 2015).

Interactions

Minoxidil (pill) may interact with heart- and blood pressure medications in unexpected ways. It can be particularly dangerous to combine with guanethidine (Pfizer, 2015).

Other information

Minoxidil (pill) is also called "loniten", or simply "min" or "minox".

See also

References

  • Deesha D. Desai, Ambika Nohria, Anna Brinks, Carli Needle, Jerry Shapiro, Kristen I. Lo Sicco. (2024). Minoxidil-induced hypertrichosis: Pathophysiology, clinical implications, and therapeutic strategies. JAAD Reviews, 2(41-49), 2950-1989. [DOI:10.1016/j.jdrv.2024.08.002]
  • Patel, P., Nessel, T. A., & Kumar D, D. (2023). Minoxidil. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. [PubMed]
  • Pfizer. (2015). Loniten (minoxidil tablets): Highlights of prescribing information. [PDF]
  • Ramírez-Marín, H. A., & Tosti, A. (2022). Role of Oral Minoxidil in Patterned Hair Loss. Indian dermatology online journal, 13(6), 729–733. [DOI:10.4103/idoj.idoj_246_22]