Comment on 'Low Dose Oral Minoxidil for Treating Alopecia: A 3-Year North American Retrospective Case Series': Adding Further Evidence About Side Effects

The document is a commentary on a study about the tolerability and effectiveness of low-dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) for treating androgenetic alopecia. The authors explored the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database from 1969 to Nov 11, 2020, and found 57,129 minoxidil-associated adverse events, including 12,303 serious events and 203 deaths. After filtering for alopecia, these numbers reduced to 19,755 total adverse events, 1870 serious events, and 27 deaths. Most adverse events were related to topical minoxidil. When focusing on LDOM, they found 8 serious adverse events, none of which resulted in death. The most frequent adverse events were peripheral edema (50%) and angina pectoris/chest pain (25%). The authors concluded that LDOM-associated adverse events appear to be rare, but further studies in larger cohorts are needed to confirm the safety profile of this therapy for alopecia patients.