Oral Minoxidil Prescription

[futtaim]

Hello, I wanted to get a prescription for Minoxodil since I have yet to start taking it and seeing what results I would get. I have started taking finasteride and spoke with a dermatologist about it as well. I was given a prescription from Roman and therefore started taking the medication. So far, I have no side effects. But, I wanted to couple this with Minoxidil specifically in a tablet form as putting it topically can be extremely tedious. My question is that if I am prescribed for Minoxidil will I need a separate prescription to take it orally or once I have the prescription for Minoxidil itself, that could be enough to get Oral Minoxidil from stores? Also, dermatologist prescription costs are very high and I am uninsured. Is there a way to get prescribed online that is cheap and affordable? Thank you

[ciaus]

Easiest way to get a prescription is to go to a hair transplant doctor consult, mention it in the appointment setup to verify the doctor is willing to write the prescription. You may get charged a doctor visit fee too because he's writing a script and asking you about your medical history etc.

I have scalp skin conditions that the topical irritates so I take a daily low dose -2.5mg.  1.25mg is the lowest effective dose, Dr Bisanga prescribes 5mg but I wouldn't go higher than 2.5 because I get results and its in my system half as long as the 5mg.

Minoxidil was originally developed to treat high blood pressure and the oral form is more potent and systemic than the topical, so if you already have issues with blood pressure, are overweight etc you probably don't want to risk even taking the low dose version for hair loss.

Along with being in good health/checking with your doc, if you decide to take it you should get a blood pressure monitor, doesn't need to be fancy or expensive, and take daily measurements a week or two before you start so you have a baseline idea of what your normal readings are, then compare those with your readings the first few weeks to make sure you aren't sensitive to it in some strange way.

And I take it at night before bed so that most of the time its in my system I'm relaxed and sleeping.

[ciaus]

Also the part of your post about taking the oral and topical at the same time. No need to do that, you are just increasing your chances of getting side effects by exposing your system to more of the drug.

[futtaim]

Thank you very much for your response. I actually have spoken to a doctor about prescribing medication and they were willing to write me up an oral prescription. But they charge an annual refill fee for $25 (can you explain what this fee means) and a prescription fee of $100. Is this cost reasonable or can I go elsewhere perhaps even an online consultation that only costs 30$ or less to get a prescription. If I already have a topical Minoxidil prescription and I want to switch over to Oral, will I need to get another prescription specifically for Oral use?

[ciaus]

I'm in the USA, my HT doctor charged me an $80 fee for the visit/prescription. Refills are good for a year, each refill is for 60 2.5mg pills and that costs around $25 US dollars. And I use a goodrx pharamacy discount card that knocks about $10 off so I end up paying like $15 for a 2 month supply. I'm not sure if he will want to see me next year before writing another prescription for another year's worth of refills, but if he does I'm ok with that.

 

About your question on what is an 'annual refill fee'. I"m not sure, but if I had to guess that sounds like what they are going to charge you to write a prescription for a year's worth of pill refills each year. If it is, $25 is alot cheaper than a doctor's visit, which in the US is what alot of doctors will require you to do occasionally before they write a renewal prescription of refills. Its more of a cover-their-a$$ kind of thing to make sure you have nothing obviously wrong with your health that could lead them to getting sued for malpractice, etc. for prescribing the medication.

Topical minoxidil doesn't require a prescription in the USA, its sold 'over the counter' in grocery stores, etc. If you do need a prescription where you live to get topical minoxidil and that's all you have, then yes you will need a new prescription for the oral minoxidil.

 

I'm not sure about price shopping to find the lowest prices. Be careful with online pharmacies, people do get scammed and sometimes you may be actually getting something that is not minoxidil and even harmful to your health. That's why I stick with traditional pharmacies, they have accountability to law enforcement and the community they are located in.

You haven't said where you are located in your posts, but you are quoting prices in dollars. If you are in the USA go to this site and put in your address, the medicine you are looking for, and it will give you the various prices that the pharmacies around you are charging, and discounts you get with a goodrx card. I already selected minoxidil in the link here.

https://www.goodrx.com/minoxidil

 

 

[duchaine]

20 hours ago, ciaus said:

Also the part of your post about taking the oral and topical at the same time. No need to do that, you are just increasing your chances of getting side effects by exposing your system to more of the drug.

I use both and had amazing results.
There is not reason to avoid the mix.
I had 3,75 oral and 6 ml at 5% topical at night.

[duchaine]

19 hours ago, futtaim said:

Thank you very much for your response. I actually have spoken to a doctor about prescribing medication and they were willing to write me up an oral prescription. But they charge an annual refill fee for $25 (can you explain what this fee means) and a prescription fee of $100. Is this cost reasonable or can I go elsewhere perhaps even an online consultation that only costs 30$ or less to get a prescription. If I already have a topical Minoxidil prescription and I want to switch over to Oral, will I need to get another prescription specifically for Oral use?

where are you from?