My 5mg oral minoxidil blood pressure readings - anything to be concerned about?

[MissMyLongHair]

(Slashes indicate consecutive readings I took within the same session, third number is heart rate).

08/01/2022 at 00:34 - 109 65 60/ 113 72 58/ 114 65 56

08/01/2022 at 09:45 - 116 65 63/ 108 71 58/ 112 63 56

09/01/2022 at 06:59 - 111 70 65/ 105 69 62/ 111 68 64

After starting 2.5mg Oral Minoxidil (wish I had taken more readings):

05/02/2022 at 06:53 - 108 66 51/ 104 62 51/ 107 62 52

After starting 5mg Oral Minoxidil:

29/06/2022 at 19:12 - 105 65 76

23/07/2022 at 15:14 - 97 70 81

23/08/2022 at 18:22 - 91 62 106/ 84 66 105

I experience lightheadedness and fatigue sometimes, a few hours after taking it. I plan to take it at night now to avoid experiencing the side effects.

I do not want to lower the dose to 2.5mg so as not to lose any hair gained.

Also, I'm 21, 5'10, 65kg (143lbs).

Edited August 30, 2022 by MissMyLongHair

[MissMyLongHair]

Oh, I should mention that despite the tachycardia level heart rate I ostensibly measured today, I don't feel any cardiac side effects.

[Antlor]

That's good analysis, readings of blood pressure and heart beat, for consuming oral minoxidil.

Your most recent heart beat readings of over 100 bpm is concerning. Generally and for most people, over 100 bpm is not normal. Your heart should not have to work that hard for no apparent reasons other than to maintain some hair. You should consider seeing a cardiologist or a specialist to determine whether you should continue with your medication or should titrate.

I am considering taking oral minoxidil too and I will do what you did. Take readings.

 

[IMM1979]

following. Am on BP medications and have considered taking OM but exactly due to the effects you are experiencing am reconsidering. OM was originally developed to treat HBP but it was found that at higher doses the side effects were too severe. Given your weight though, it seems your dose is probably too high. I weigh around 95kg and would probably not take more than 2.5mg. 

[MissMyLongHair]

Thanks for the responses folks. I spoke to an NHS GP about this today, he didn't seem too thrilled about an otherwise healthy 21 year old taking oral min for cosmetic reasons.

That being said, he thought a private clinic must have prescribed it to me (I bought it from a grey market online pharmacy) and was thus hesitant to provide any explicit advice, however he suggested lowering the dose to 2.5mg as I had told him I handled that fine. I also asked him to organise an ECG test for me for this week hopefully.

Here are some readings I took today (I took my oral minoxidil 5mg at 20:00 - oral minoxidil's maximal effect on blood pressure occurs at the 2-3 hour mark):

24/08/2022 at 21:30 - 103 60 84/ 90 58 84/ 94 51 88

24/08/2022 at 22:36 - 92 59 85/ 93 59 89

I took a walk today to the corner shop and my heart rate was 100+, however I think that's normal?

My resting heart rate went from being in the 50s and 60s to now being in the 80s and 90s. I'm wearing a fitbit watch right now, sitting in my chair typing this on my laptop and my heart rate is not going below 80. This can't be healthy long-term as I've read some info online stating that a higher resting heart rate in middle aged men was associated with premature death.

I am very strongly considering cutting the dose back down to 2.5mg, and I've ordered some from Manual (Quartering tablets is too troublesome).

And yes, everyone should take weight and blood pressure readings before starting oral min. Also, Dr Donovan has some informative articles on oral minoxidil, worth checking those out before you take it.

 

 

[IMM1979]

16 minutes ago, MissMyLongHair said:

Thanks for the responses folks. I spoke to an NHS GP about this today, he didn't seem too thrilled about an otherwise healthy 21 year old taking oral min for cosmetic reasons.

That being said, he thought a private clinic must have prescribed it to me (I bought it from a grey market online pharmacy) and was thus hesitant to provide any explicit advice, however he suggested lowering the dose to 2.5mg as I had told him I handled that fine. I also asked him to organise an ECG test for me for this week hopefully.

Here are some readings I took today (I took my oral minoxidil 5mg at 20:00 - oral minoxidil's maximal effect on blood pressure occurs at the 2-3 hour mark):

24/08/2022 at 21:30 - 103 60 84/ 90 58 84/ 94 51 88

24/08/2022 at 22:36 - 92 59 85/ 93 59 89

I took a walk today to the corner shop and my heart rate was 100+, however I think that's normal?

My resting heart rate went from being in the 50s and 60s to now being in the 80s and 90s. I'm wearing a fitbit watch right now, sitting in my chair typing this on my laptop and my heart rate is not going below 80. This can't be healthy long-term as I've read some info online stating that a higher resting heart rate in middle aged men was associated with premature death.

I am very strongly considering cutting the dose back down to 2.5mg, and I've ordered some from Manual (Quartering tablets is too troublesome).

And yes, everyone should take weight and blood pressure readings before starting oral min. Also, Dr Donovan has some informative articles on oral minoxidil, worth checking those out before you take it.

 

 

Good you went to see a doc (my GP outright refused to prescribe OM to treat high blood pressure). For what its worth, your doc is right . You should never take any medications for cosmetic readings if it means comprising your health.

[LookMaxx]

Not surprising at all, the drug has a black box warning. 

Kevin made a video about it recently 

[BaldDude]

Grow some hair but kill your heart

[MissMyLongHair]

I can't say I agree with Kevin here, when I took 2.5mg I had no noticeable issues. Oscar Munoz and Sergio Vano are more convincing. Dr Rassman used to work in the cardiac field prior to entering this one and I'm pretty sure even he says up to 2.5mg is fine as a second-line therapy.

Edited August 25, 2022 by MissMyLongHair

[sunsurfhair]

Your BP is running quite low and the significant jump in resting HR is a bit concerning, especially for your age. I would stick with 2.5mg since your readings were much better. 2.5mg is still very effective and seems to be the sweet spot.  

[HairTrippin]

Hey man, how’s it going with the OM? I recently started taking 2.5 Mg a couple of days ago and already my heart rate is a higher than it usually is when resting. Is this normal for the first few days and should subside? Maybe my body needs time to get used to it? 

[Viney]

Seems like a lot of talk of increased heart rate in here.

I have been on sublingual minoxidil since March 2022 and I've been wearing a Samsung Galaxy watch for over a year. Using the Samsung Health app on my phone I'm able to look at the history of my heart rate (low to max) each day for the last 12 months. I can see in the months prior to taking min my resting heart rate was typically 54-61. Post taking minox my resting heart rate is 52-62. To me this shows it's had no impact on my minimum heart rate, but I've been on a fairly low dose being 1.8mg sublingual oral minoxidil.

Can share screenshots of the data if anyone really cares about it's authenticity.