Coming Full Circle (Almost): Low Dose Oral Minoxidil for Alopecia

This letter discusses the limited adaptation of low dose oral minoxidil for androgenetic alopecia in North America and reports no new clinical results; the authors suggest safety concerns or unclear dosing may be factors.

This study concluded that oral minoxidil is an effective and well-tolerated alternative to topical minoxidil for healthy patients struggling with application-related compliance issues.

In this systematic review, oral minoxidil was found to be a safe and effective treatment for androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata, with additional benefits for female pattern hair loss and other types of alopecia, although common side effects included hypertrichosis and postural hypotension.