Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil in the Treatment of Alopecia: Evidence and Experience-Based Consensus Statement of Indian Experts

The document is a consensus statement by Indian experts discussing the effectiveness of low-dose oral Minoxidil in treating various forms of alopecia, primarily Androgenetic alopecia (AGA). Studies involving both male and female patients showed that oral Minoxidil can effectively treat hair loss, with most cases showing clinical improvement. Side effects such as hypertrichosis and pedal edema were observed, but were generally mild and did not lead to treatment discontinuation. One study involving 100 women reported a decrease in blood pressure without any abnormal blood test results. Another study with 1404 patients reported hypertrichosis in 15.1% of patients, leading to treatment withdrawal in 0.5% of patients. Other side effects were reported in less than 2% of patients. The document concludes that low-dose oral Minoxidil can be a viable treatment for alopecia, with minimal serious side effects.