Oral Minoxidil vs Topical Minoxidil Which is Better?

[Melvin- Admin]

Well, I got my prescription for oral minoxidil. I will be cutting the 5mg tablets into 4 pieces, so i'll be starting on 1.25 mg dose. Everything I have read shows that up to 2.5 mg is well-tolerated and very effective. What are your guys thoughts?

Oral Minoxidil vs Topical Minoxidil Which One is More Effective?

[ciaus]

Congrats I've been using 2.5mg since the summer and I agree about keeping it below 5mg to minimize side effect chances. I didn't last long on the topical when I tried it years ago due to scalp skin conditions it irritated.

I'm in the US too, were the 5mg pills cheaper for you? I get 2.5mg pills and they are pretty cheap, and with a goodrx discount its about $15 for a 60 day supply.

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, ciaus said:

Congrats I've been using 2.5mg since the summer and I agree about keeping it below 5mg to minimize side effect chances. I didn't last long on the topical when I tried it years ago due to scalp skin conditions it irritated.

I'm in the US too, were the 5mg pills cheaper for you? I get 2.5mg pills and they are pretty cheap, and with a goodrx discount its about $15 for a 60 day supply.

Have you noticed any sides at all? I’m a little worried about the elevated heart rate. 

[Cali Time]

I take topical minoxidil generic foam 1X a day before I go to bed. I herd great results with it. I’m getting good coverage already and I just started it. It drys up quick I use a scalp messager brush to rub the foam in to the areas that are thin. If you don’t like the foam because you have long hair like me and don’t want to use the liquid because it’s messy and irritates scalp with dandruff. You can make the foam into a liquid and get a scalp messager brush and rub it in with all the great benefits the foam has. You only need to apply the foam once with the 23 hour half which the oral minoxidil only has 6 hour half life. Watch this video for more information.

 

[bw77]

What are the benefits believed to be Melvin? The Dermatologist that has been doing some research on this subject is based in a neighbouring city and so I've been considering an appointment. Is the oral version supposed to be more effective than the topical? I flicked through a research paper online but it seemed inconclusive. The argument seemed to be that the oral was an option for people that couldn't tolerate topical, rather than a more effective alternative? Don't get me wrong, I hate topical minox and I would love to switch to the oral version if it was proven (even anecdotally) to be more effective. 

What did take from Dr Nadimi's comments? Does she believe it works better? 

Do you use the topical as well or have you switched to oral entirely?

[Cali Time]

26 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Have you noticed any sides at all? I’m a little worried about the elevated heart rate. 

I don’t have sides on finasteride. But I herd it easier to get sides with oral minoxidil then you would with finasteride. So whoever has bad sides with finasteride you’ll most likely get it with the oral minoxidil. 

[Gasthoerer]

48 minutes ago, Cali Time said:

But I herd it easier to get sides with oral minoxidil then you would with finasteride. So whoever has bad sides with finasteride you’ll most likely get it with the oral minoxidil. 

While the first might be true the second makes no sense. Minox and FIN have totally different work pathes, hence there is no connection between sides of one or the other IMO.  A lot of sides from minox coming from the other ingredients, not from minox itself. 

Anyway, oral makes IMO only sense if you are a topical non responder IMO.  

I am using FIN since 7+ years without critical side effects. Unfortunately, I got heavy skin irritations from liquid minox. I do not get any from the foam, but figured I have not enough enzymes in the skin and hence am a non responder. On oral minox I got a lot of regrowth/new growth, but also on beard and body hair. Had to stop as I could not get a prescription though and drinking the liquid gave me again skin irritations.  

[ciaus]

7 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Have you noticed any sides at all? I’m a little worried about the elevated heart rate.

The only side effect i got was some light headedness the first 1-2 week period, and i got that with the topical too.

About the heart rate/blood pressure, no problems and I got a baseline blood pressure monitor from walmart and used that before and after I started to compare and see if there was anything I couldn't obviously feel.

 

7 hours ago, bw77 said:

What are the benefits believed to be Melvin?

Minoxidil has to be converted by enzyme activity to be utilized by the body. The topical minox uses the enzymes in your scalp and the oral uses the liver. Not everybody is blessed with good enzymes in their scalp but the liver is pretty much a processing sure thing so more people are likely to respond.

Edited January 5, 2021 by ciaus

[Melvin- Admin]

9 hours ago, Cali Time said:

I don’t have sides on finasteride. But I herd it easier to get sides with oral minoxidil then you would with finasteride. So whoever has bad sides with finasteride you’ll most likely get it with the oral minoxidil. 

I don’t think that’s true, sounds a little bro-science. The side effects are completely different. I’m willing to give it a try.

[Melvin- Admin]

8 hours ago, Gasthoerer said:

While the first might be true the second makes no sense. Minox and FIN have totally different work pathes, hence there is no connection between sides of one or the other IMO.  A lot of sides from minox coming from the other ingredients, not from minox itself. 

Anyway, oral makes IMO only sense if you are a topical non responder IMO.  

I am using FIN since 7+ years without critical side effects. Unfortunately, I got heavy skin irritations from liquid minox. I do not get any from the foam, but figured I have not enough enzymes in the skin and hence am a non responder. On oral minox I got a lot of regrowth/new growth, but also on beard and body hair. Had to stop as I could not get a prescription though and drinking the liquid gave me again skin irritations.  

Based on what I’ve read, it’s easier to get sides on 5mg oral minoxidil, I’d wager the incidence of side effects taking 5mg fin and 5mg minoxidil is pretty close, my speculation of course. 

According to several studies, the incidence of side effects is about 4.8% with 2.5mg and its only 10% less effective than 5mg. 

Even 1mg min was more effective than 5% topical in women. The body hair doesn’t worry me, I’m already a gorilla. I’ve been told that the oral even helps hair in the donor. I think it’s beneficial, even if you’re a non-responder. 

Based on what I’ve been told by Dr. Nadimi and Bisanga, the benefits are pretty significant in comparison to topical. I imagine it’s like comparing topical fin vs oral fin. You may get less sides, but the benefits are reduced. 

[kirkland]

12 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Well, I got my prescription for oral minoxidil. I will be cutting the 5mg tablets into 4 pieces, so i'll be starting on 1.25 mg dose. Everything I have read shows that up to 2.5 mg is well-tolerated and very effective. What are your guys thoughts?

Oral Minoxidil vs Topical Minoxidil Which One is More Effective?

I also picked up a prescription for oral minoxidil (1.25 mg) last week. Good luck with it.

[Seniormido]

Minoxidil is a strong blood pressure medication 

 

it can cause serious effects on your heart 

[kirkland]

Most people who are taking oral minoxidil for hair loss are already aware of the primary use of the drug. The dosage taken for hair loss is well below the dosage used for hypertension.

 

[Seniormido]

Just now, kirkland said:

Most people who are taking oral minoxidil for hair loss are already aware of the primary use of the drug. The dosage taken for hair loss is well below the dosage used for hypertension.

 

It can even happen with topical minoxidil but less likely !

[Melvin- Admin]

1 minute ago, kirkland said:

Most people who are taking oral minoxidil for hair loss are already aware of the primary use of the drug. The dosage taken for hair loss is well below the dosage used for hypertension.

 

Yea pretty much this, it’s like saying Propecia is a drug for BPH and is serious. The dosage is much lower than 5mg. 

[Seniormido]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1386573/

[kirkland]

Let's not start down the path of alarming people who are using oral minoxidil or hair loss. There are also numerous studies showing that at low dosages it is a safe treatment.

 

[kirkland]

If you are taking any drug you should be aware of the risks. I am completely comfortable taking oral minoxidil at low dosages for hair loss. I'm an adult. I can monitor myself for any adverse effects.

[Cali Time]

3 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I don’t think that’s true, sounds a little bro-science. The side effects are completely different. I’m willing to give it a try.

Okay let me know how you are on it down the road update us. I just did my research and was going to order it. I don’t need to go in detail but there’s plenty of YouTube videos and articles online saying there’s bad long term side effects not worth the risk for me if the topical working great with no side effects. 

[Melvin- Admin]

43 minutes ago, Seniormido said:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1386573/

If you breaks down the side effects, the mist common one was increased body hair growth. Lower leg edema second, below 5 mg the incidence of severe side effects was almost zero.

[Melvin- Admin]

12 minutes ago, Cali Time said:

Okay let me know how you are on it down the road update us. I just did my research and was going to order it. I don’t need to go in detail but there’s plenty of YouTube videos and articles online saying there’s bad long term side effects not worth the risk for me if the topical working great with no side effects. 

I’ll be making a YouTube video documenting everything.

[Mycroft]

I started oral minoxidil about two months ago at 5 mg daily. The highest dose I've seen studied is 10mg daily but that is only in one study. Most doctors look at 5mg as the high end. Too early to gauge the response of my hair just yet, but no discernable side effects on this dose. I've been monitoring heartrate and BP and have found no change outside of normal variances. No sign of hypertrichosis. I'm expecting to see some sort of visual improvement by six months if one is to happen at all, and if I show signs of a positive response I will gauge full results around 12 and 24 months.

Of note: I have not discontinued topical in order to reduce variables, so technically the scalp itself is being hit with a slightly higher dose of minoxidil.

Oral minoxidil has a much better response percentage than topical, but it is worth noting that this response and statistical improvement in hair doesn't necessarily equate to cosmetically significant improvement. I've had a decent response to non surgical treatments thus far, so we will see.

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, Mycroft said:

I started oral minoxidil about two months ago at 5 mg daily. The highest dose I've seen studied is 10mg daily but that is only in one study. Most doctors look at 5mg as the high end. Too early to gauge the response of my hair just yet, but no discernable side effects on this dose. I've been monitoring heartrate and BP and have found no change outside of normal variances. No sign of hypertrichosis. I'm expecting to see some sort of visual improvement by six months if one is to happen at all, and if I show signs of a positive response I will gauge full results around 12 and 24 months.

Of note: I have not discontinued topical in order to reduce variables, so technically the scalp itself is being hit with a slightly higher dose of minoxidil.

Oral minoxidil has a much better response percentage than topical, but it is worth noting that this response and statistical improvement in hair doesn't necessarily equate to cosmetically significant improvement. I've had a decent response to non surgical treatments thus far, so we will see.

Well said man, I’m considering taking it EOD while using the topical ED. Then slowly move up, similar to what many do with fin. 

[Westview]

Buy a blood pressure machine and check your BP daily

[Mycroft]

2 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Well said man, I’m considering taking it EOD while using the topical ED. Then slowly move up, similar to what many do with fin. 

Seems like that would be a reasonably safe bet. I have also heard of people splitting their daily dose in two with half in the morning and half in the evening. I've seen a number of anecdotes where patients experiencing side effects solved their issue with this approach.