Details

Minoxidil is a vasodilator that relaxes (widens) blood vessels and improves blood flow. Minoxidil is used to treat severely high blood pressure (hypertension) that is causing symptoms or damaging your vital organs. Minoxidil is usually given together with two other medicines to help prevent serious side effects. Minoxidil tablets should not be used to promote scalp hair growth. You should not use this medicine if you have pheochromocytoma (adrenal gland tumour). To make sure minoxidil is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have congestive heart failure angina (chest pain), or if you have recently had a heart attack kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis) asthma migraine headaches or epilepsy or other seizure disorder. Do not give this medicine to a child without medical advice.

Typical Uses

Minoxidil is used with other medications to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering high blood pressure helps prevent strokes, heart attacks, and kidney problems. Minoxidil works by relaxing blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.

Side Effects

Common minoxidil side effects may include new or worsening chest pain chest pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder fast or pounding heartbeats swelling in your legs, ankles, or feet rapid weight gain, especially in your face and midsection shortness of breath a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out fluid build-up in the lungs-pain when you breathe, feeling short of breath while lying down, wheezing, gasping for breath, cough with foamy mucus or severe skin reaction-fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

Drug Interactions

• Minoxidil+guanadrel- Ask your doctor before using guanadrel together with minoxidil. This can lower your blood pressure and slow your heart rate. You may notice headaches, dizziness, or feeling like you might pass out. If you take both medications together, tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
• Minoxidil+guanethidine- Ask your doctor before using guanethidine together with minoxidil. This can lower your blood pressure and slow your heart rate. You may notice headaches, dizziness, or feeling like you might pass out. If you take both medications together, tell your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
• Minoxidil+tizanidine- Tizanidine and minoxidil may have additive effects in lowering your blood pressure. You may experience headache, dizziness, light-headedness, fainting, and/or changes in pulse or heart rate. These side effects are most likely to be seen at the beginning of treatment, following a dose increase, or when treatment is restarted after an interruption.

Mechanism of action

Minoxidil works by relaxing blood vessels of the body so that blood passes through them more easily. This helps to lower resistance to blood flow and thus lower blood pressure. Minoxidil stimulates hair growth in early and moderate stages of hereditary hair loss (alopecia androgenetica) by increasing the diameter of the hair shaft, stimulation and prolongation of growing phase of hair follicle (anagen). Being a peripheral vasodilator, minoxidil enhances microcirculation to hair follicles thereby stimulating the growth.

Pregnancy Category : C