MoonlightDancer

No, it is actually capable of causing severe and sometimes permanent ED in some small percentage of people.

Yes, the foam version does exactly the same thing. I've talked to a guy, who's been with these issues for over 2 years after he stopped using the foam. The mechanism of the drug is not very different from Propecia though. As I've written many times already, it is a 5ARII inhibitor and a super potent androgen receptor blocker/antagonist. It can cause up the 82% decrease in AR expression, protein and transactivation. There are hundreds of cases of minoxidil induced ED so avoid and do not even think about Propecia/Dutasteride. The only safe option is HT. If you're still tempted to try minoxidil again, read this: https://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=20834&name=ROGAINE+EXTRA+STRENGTH+%28FOR+MEN%29

Yes, it definitely does that and the sides can persist for months or even years. I am almost recovered after 5 months, but still not feeling 100% normal - maybe 95%. Avoid at all costs, especially if only one application gave you ED lasting for 2 weeks. This drug is a very potent anti-androgen and the manufacturers are trying to hide these side effects for as long as possible.

I will post some medical records in the following days. I'm seeing my urologist on September 19th and I think he will give me a detailed report which I can then share. Unfortunately, the doctors are certain that minoxidil was the only cause as exactly the same symptoms were reported before all around Europe (even though Bill highly doubts that the physicians said this). If that's what it takes to convince people, I will ask all 5 of them to give me detailed reports clearly stating that minoxidil was the one and only possible cause. I think at least 2-3 of them will do that for me. 10 years ago people highly doubted that finasteride can cause permanent sexual/mental side effects and now most people are scared to start the treatment. Of course, you are entitled to an opinion, however both I and the physicians are 100% sure minoxidil was the cause. As I've said, I've had all the sexual dysfunction related tests known to mankind done and nothing was wrong with me apart from high DHT which under normal circumstances should cause the opposite. Others, such as the user Captain144, whom I have contacted through askapatient have suffered from exactly the same symptoms for years. He used minoxidil for 2 weeks only. The same applies to DesperatelyNeedAdvice, alex3035, frank jones and people from other forums such as joshy22, fred nevin, thommo and many more. I have also contacted a man from Germany for whom only 2 applications were enough to cause permanent sexual dysfunction. It's as if you copied and pasted the symptoms - there are many and 90%+ of them exactly matches. It's like a flick of a switch. One day you're perfectly fine and the other you become asexual. Just like finasteride and saw palmetto. I am in no way suggesting that these issues are common, however they do occur. It might be connected to some genetic mutations which influence androgen receptor structure. I wish there was other cause, but sadly there is not. This article also confirms this: http://www.ijmrps.com/Issues PDF/Vol.4/May-2017/5.pdf

Well, I have stopped applying minoxidil 3 months ago, and have seen 7 doctors so far (1 GP, 2 urologists (one of whom is a senior urologist), 1 senior andrologist, 1 dermatologist, 1 sexuologist and 1 neurologist) and 5 of them confirmed that minoxidil is the culprit, the other 2 said it is possible. It was reported and it is timidly mentioned in the package inserts of some brands such as Neocapil, Ylox and others. These physicians have seen this condition before and in some patients the damage done by minoxidil was permanent (lasting longer than 2 years). I must emphasize that I do not experience a typical erectile dysfunction but numb genitals, total loss of libido, an extremely reduced ejaculate volume and wrinkly penile skin. These are all PFS like symptoms. I also have a strong pulsating feeling in my prostate and testicles just like many other minoxidil victims. There is no other cause. I've had all the possible tests done - blood work, testosterone, DHT, estrogens, neurological tests, doppler, thyroid hormones, blood flow test, you name it - as of right now everything is perfectly normal apart from DHT, which is extremely high. This supports the androgen receptor suppression theory. I do not smoke, do not drink, have never taken drugs (prescription or illegal) or even supplements and am in good shape. I have never experienced libido problems before. The issues appeared literally out of the blue so I had no chance to stop before the damage was done. The first day I went from 100% to 80%, then I stopped and the next day my libido was about 10% of what it used to be before minoxidil and my genitals were completely numb. Furthermore, I have contacted the doctor who conducted a research which proves that Minoxidil is a 5ARII inhibitor and he confirmed that these side effects are possible but should disappear. The article can be found here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322919837_Minoxidil_Acts_as_an_Antiandrogen_A_Study_of_5a-reductase_Type_2_Gene_Expression_in_a_Human_Keratinocyte_Cell_Line The other article is about AR suppression and suggests that Minoxidil could be used as a drug to treat prostate cancer: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4039155/ In layman terms, Minoxidil can have the same effects as Finasteride when absorbed systemically. It is definitely less common, but it can happen and if you're unlucky, the side effects can be permanent or persist for several years. While searching forums in English, German, Spanish and Italian I was able to find about 25 cases of permanent sexual side effects caused by minoxidil, so I'm saying to all the others out there: be careful what you're putting on your scalp, you might regret it.

The answer is it definitely does cause these issues, sometimes permanent just like Finasteride. My urologists and endo confirmed it. I don't know how the denial of sexual side effects can continue. There is no "other cause". It's not related to age, diet, smoking etc. Minoxidil is an anti-androgen that severely suppresses androgen receptors + 5ARII blocker and works just like Finasteride/Dutasteride. I don't understand why Bill's reluctant to accept this - he must have seen the dozens of posts complaining about Minoxidil sexual side effects on the Hair Loos Q&A Blog. Apart from that, it was proven to block collagen synthesis (not anecdotal but scientifically verified) causing dark circles under eyes, wrinkles, huge pores and haggard looking faces in some individuals who absorb too much of it. Furthermore, it is suspected of depleting the body of B12 vitamin and to interact with iron and iodine, all of which results in adrenal dysfunction along with thyroid and lymph node swelling. It is also suspected of impairing gastric acidity and destroying gut flora and good bacteria. Last but not least, most of the affected people experience a huge drop in testosterone levels after the initial crash which often improves in the next months but sometimes it doesn't. My testosterone went from about 800 ng/dL to 360 ng/dL and back to about 820 ng/dL. Persistent tachycardia and ridiculously high BP lasting for months or even years was reported as well to the regulatory bodies in many countries. I've experienced that too and treated it for months with 400 mg magnesium and B6 vitamin daily. Therefore minoxidil is not a safe alternative to finasteride, it is the same thing, only the chances of side effects are less. The truth is that all medication that treats AA is capable of causing erectile dysfunction/genital numbness. I expect someone to reply that I am a lunatic and it is simply not possible, because it is just a vasodilator and potassium channel opener and so on an so forth. Well guess what? It is not. It was reported and the drug was proven to suppress androgen receptors and block the 5ARII. Since I have shared this on several websites 2.5 months ago, 27 men who are going through the same ordeal contacted me desperately seeking answers and solutions. The problem is, there is no simple solution. You have the fix all the issues one by one in order to recover from the ED/zero libido. Want poison that ruins a couple months or years of your life? Buy minoxidil and keep using it.

I quit Minoxidil 5% liquid 2 1/2 months ago and am still experiencing sexual side effects. I can get 100% erect but my genitals are completely numb and i get a strong pulsating feeling in my testicles and prostate. Watery ejaculate and zero libido still persist as well. I wonder if this will ever go away. I also have high BP and tachycardia, swollen thyroid, dull aches in my intestines and other problems. I've visited plenty of doctors some of whom are aware of this issue. They believe it should go away within approximately 6 months but this has not been the case for some of the affected here and others I've contacted. BTW, Minoxidil was recently proven to be an antiandrogen. New research suggests that Minoxidil has the ability to completely destroy the 5ARII and block androgen receptors. It binds to the ARs, decreses their protein stability and transactivation and makes it impossible for DHT to bind to it. It does the same thing as finasteride, but when it gets to the "right" places, it seems to be even more potent. The research even suggests Minoxidil as a drug to treat prostate cancer. These side effects are rare, but absolutely disastrous. I will definitely contact a lawyer about this.