Side effects of minoxidil

Minoxidil

Minoxidil is a drug that doctors usually prescribe for the lowering of high blood pressure when other therapies do not help the patient. Minoxidil is a vasodilator, which increases the blood flow and reduces the pressure in the vessels by widening them. If a person is allergic to some of the ingredients of this medicine, or if he/she has the adrenal gland tumor, it is important not take this medicine.

There are certain medical conditions that can be aggravated by the use of minoxidil, such as kidney problems, pregnancy, allergy, and circulation problems, which is why the doctor must be informed if a person has any of these conditions, or if the person is already taking some other medications. Minoxidil may interact with other medications and its effectiveness may be decreased in such cases.

Side effects of minoxidil

Minoxidil is a medicine that has numerous and various side effects, like most drugs. These side effects may appear when a person takes the drug, but it is not a rule. In many people, this drug does not cause any adverse affects, though, if the side effects appear they can occur in various systems in the body.

The most common cardiovascular side effects are sinus tachycardia and hypotension. The people who suffer from high blood pressure and use minoxidil as a medicine to lower it, may experience edema and angina as its side effects. Sometimes a person may gain weight when using this medicine. Furthermore, pericardial effusions and pulmonary hypertension are also some of the cardiovascular side effects of minoxidil.

Of dermatological side effects, hypertrichosis is the most frequent side effect of this medicine. Hypertrichosis is a hyperpigmented new hair that starts at the temples, forehead, and between the eyebrows. Another dermatologic side effect is toxic epidermal necrolysis, which is fatal. Dermatitis, bullous rashes, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome are three most common hypersensitivity side effects of minoxidil. Minoxidil may also cause certain gastrointestinal adverse effects, such as nausea and vomiting, as well as immunologic side effect, such as lupus.

Decreased hematocrit and hemoglobin are two most ordinary hematologic unwanted effects of minoxidil, but in addition to these two, thrombocytopenia may also appear when a person takes this drug for lowering high blood pressure. Nervous system side effects of minoxidil are bilateral optic neuritis, headache, dizziness and fatigue. Pseudoacromegaly is one endocrine side effect of minoxidil. If any of these above mentioned side effects appear, it is important to visit a doctor, who will either lower the dosage of minoxidil, or prescribe some other medicine.