Safety and Tolerability of Low Dose Oral Minoxidil Monotherapy in Female Pattern Hair Loss: A Retrospective Review With Longitudinal Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

The study retrospectively reviewed the effects of low dose oral minoxidil (LDOM) in 25 female patients with female pattern hair loss (FPHL), aged between 28 and 77 years, over a 5-year period. The most common LDOM strength was 1.25 mg daily (52%), followed by 2.5 mg daily (40%), and 0.625 mg daily (8%). The mean duration of the treatment was 6.2 months. Disease improvement and hair regrowth was noted in 36% of patients, while 20% reported adverse side effects, including facial hypertrichosis (16%) and fluid retention/lower limb edema (4%). The study found minimal changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) in patients treated with LDOM for at least 4 months. The mean change in SBP was -2.8 mmHg, in DBP was -1.4 mmHg, and in HR was +4.4 beats/min. The study's limitations include a small sample size and lack of patients on concomitant antihypertensive medications.