Minoxidil Overdose With ECG Changes: Case Report and Review

This document is a case report and review of a patient who overdosed on minoxidil, a drug used to treat severe hypertension. The patient experienced ECG changes, including sinus tachycardia and depressed S-T segments, and was treated with gastric lavage, activated charcoal, and IV fluids. The patient remained tachycardic with labile blood pressures throughout her hospital stay but was eventually released following neuropsychiatric evaluation. Minoxidil is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, with peak plasma concentrations occurring in about one hour. The drug is not bound to plasma proteins and does not appear to cross the blood-brain barrier. Adverse effects associated with minoxidil include hypotension, reflex tachycardia, and alterations in the S-T segments and T wave inversions.