I have been experiencing dizziness after a month of using Rogaine (minoxidil) 5%. I woke up a few times from it and felt my heartbeat racing for a few seconds. Anyone know about this type of side effect? Should i discontinue use?
This hair loss question was answered on our hair restoration forum by Dr. Paul Shapiro of Bloomington, MN who is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. His professional answer is below.
Minoxidil is a vasodilator which means it relaxes the veins and arteries in the body. It was first used as an oral medication to lower blood pressure. The fact that minoxidil stimulates hair growth was an accidental finding. In fact, it is no longer used to lower blood pressure, partly due to this side effect.
When used topically (applied directly to the balding scalp) usually the amount absorbed into the blood stream is minimal. In most hair loss sufferers, it does not cause systemic (affecting the body ) side effects.
Dizzy spells and heart palpitations are known side affect of minoxidil and you may just be extra sensitive to the medication. But there also may be a medical reason why the minute amount of Rogaine absorbed into your blood system cased palpitations. I would see your primary care physician and/or a cardiologist to do some simple testing to evaluate your heart. Another possibility is that you have a skin condition on your scalp which allows more of the hair loss treatment to be absorbed into your body, (i.e. bad psoriasis) but I think you would know of such a condition.
I hope this is helpful.
Paul Shapiro, MD
—
Bill
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog
Technorati Tags: Rogaine, minoxidil, hair loss, hair growth, balding, hair loss treatment
I'm at thirty-one year old man with a Norwood 6 level of hair loss. I…
I'm a 31 year old male I have been losing hair for the past six…
I'm concerned that i'm going bald. My dad is 54 years old, and still has…
I'm a 30-year old male with a Norwood 4 hair loss pattern. I have been…
I'm twenty years old and already have aggressive hair loss. I'm imbetween a Norwood 5…
I'm interested in getting a hair transplant later this year, but I am a very…
View Comments
I applied minoxidil 5 % on my face for 3 days straight (just 0.5 ml). But have been dizzy and lightheaded from day 4. I discontinued immediately. But now after 10 days of stopping, I'm still dizzy and lightheaded for most of the day. Can someone tell me how long it takes for the side effects to go away? My BP was slightly low after stopping, but its normal now.
Your inputs is highly appreciated!
Side effects generally go away after a few days
Hi all,
I just used topical Minoxidil for 3 days and started feeling lightheaded and dizzy from the fourth morning. I discontinued use immediately, but after 6 days I'm still feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Can someone tell me how long this will last?
used the product for 5 month on beard, good result but after 4 month i started to get spells of off balance feeling and strong dizness when i walk and blury vision in the upper part of my right eye when i go for a run! very strange things i went to many doctors and did a lot of test even did an brain mri and nothing.
not saying all this happened all because of this product but people in the comments almost having the same symptoms!
I am relieved to know what has probably been causing my scary symptoms! I am a 42 year old female and one day, after a few months of intermittent use of Minoxidil, I fainted. I recovered immediately but my heart was pounding and I was very dizzy so I called my nurse line. She told me to come in and I almost fainted again while on the phone with her. I had my husband come home from work so he could drive me to urgent care and in the car I started to get mild chest pain with a heavy feeling in my chest. I was so scared!
Well they did all the tests on me and said I was healthy and my heart and lungs were fine. Well it didn't go away. For the next week I continued to have dizzy spells and sudden pounding heart beats which would send me into panic attacks. I went to my doctor who said I had anxiety and panic attacks and prescribed me Zoloft. Over the next 2-3 weeks my symptoms slowly started to get better. Then last night I used Minoxidil again for the first time and I woke up with a dizzy spell! I got heart palpitations and rapid heart beat this morning and of course started to freak out. What the hell is this!!!???
So I went through my food and drugs to see what I did new recently. I remembered the Minoxidil and checked the side effects. What a relief to find that every side effect listed is what I have! I can now be at ease to know this isn't my heart, brain or lungs or arteries etc. Now to wait another three weeks for this feeling to go away.
I'M NEVER USING THIS PRODUCT AGAIN!
I used Rogaine foam on scalp for 2 weeks. I get nausea, dizzy and fainted at work. I also think my heart beats fast. Also, Rogaine causes anxiety. I've stopped for 4 days now, and I think I'm improving but my mind is still messed up.
I went to the doctor after I fainted and got all lab tests done and my health is normal. I will never use this toxic drug again. It's very dangerous and damaging to the mind.
Hi
I started using minidoxil solution 2 months ago and started getting spells of vertigo a month ago. It started as vertigo on turning head and I am now referred to an ENT. The dizziness spells have lasted for over a month. Anyone else having same issues?
Hello Everyone.. I am living in Singapore and I started using monxidil 0.2 % last year in August 2015 and after 2 months I had vertigo Attack as I woke up in the morning. While turning towards right side I felt extreme dizziness and almost fainted . The stituation got better after 2 weeks. I informed my GP about using Regaine but he said its fine so continued Regaine Un aware after that.
But this year in April 2016 I got nausea and dizziness again one night after dinner. So I rushed to emergency. They gave me some medicine to clean my stomach and referred me to ENT.She did my hearing test and I was found to have asymmetric hearing mild hearing loss( high frequency). Doctor prescribed labryhthitis and told me to stop Regaine. She was also interested to know the side effects and searched online about it and told me that this could cause hearing loss. My vertigo is slightly getting better after 3 months but I heard it takes a Long time to get completely stable. Doc has asked me to have hearing test after 1 month again...
Anyone else had same effects ??
I was using Rogaine 5% for about a month or so and started getting dizzy spells. I was wondering would it take that long for the symptoms to occur or is it something else.
Hi Peyman,
Did your heart palpitations go away? I have used topical minoxidil (Rogaine) for less than 3 weeks and got the palpitaiond. I have stopped using it for 4 days now, and it is not much better. Just saw your post and wanting to know if yours is better and if yes how long did it take to go away?
Thanks,
Anoush
peyman,
I am not a physician and cannot speculate about how long your side effects may last after stopping Rogaine (minoxidil). Generally speaking, side effects of topical minoxidil tend to be mild and quite rare.
Normally, I would recommend anyone suffering from side effects of any hair loss treatment to discontinue use and consult with a physician. It sounds as if you have already done everything right and have received a clean bill of health.
I am not aware of any permanent side effects from Rogaine. Thus, I’m sure that in time your side effects will subside.
David