Minoxidil: A Review of Its Pharmacological Properties and Therapeutic Use

October 1981 in “ Drugs ”

Vito M. Campese

TLDR Minoxidil effectively treats severe hypertension but may cause side effects, so careful monitoring is needed.

This document is a review of the pharmacological properties and therapeutic use of minoxidil, a drug used to treat hypertension. Minoxidil is effective in treating severe hypertension, including refractory hypertension and hypertension in patients with chronic renal failure. However, it can also cause adverse effects such as hypertrichosis and acute cardiomyopathy. The drug is only approved for use in patients who do not respond to conventional antihypertensive regimens. The review concludes that minoxidil is a useful therapeutic option for severe hypertension, but its use should be carefully monitored due to its potential side effects.

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Research cited in this study

32 / 32 results

research Minoxidil in Severe Hypertension

13 citations, April 2009 in “Acta Medica Scandinavica”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure and causes hair growth, with some side effects.

research Minoxidil: Hemodynamic and Clinical Experiences with a New Peripheral Vasodilator

14 citations, April 2009 in “Acta Medica Scandinavica”

Minoxidil helps control blood pressure but has side-effects, so it's not for everyone.

research Renal Function During Long-Term Treatment of Hypertension with Minoxidil

90 citations, November 1980 in “Annals of Internal Medicine”

Long-term use of minoxidil for high blood pressure can delay kidney failure in some patients and improve kidney function in others with severe hypertension.

research Minoxidil and the Treatment of Severe Hypertension

51 citations, October 1980 in “The New England Journal of Medicine”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure effectively but may cause unwanted hair growth and other side effects.

research Minoxidil: Right Atrial Cardiac Pathology in Animals and Humans

35 citations, August 1980 in “Circulation”

Minoxidil may cause heart issues in animals and humans.

research Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics of Minoxidil

57 citations, January 1980 in “Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology”

Minoxidil treats high blood pressure and side effects can be managed.

research Pericardial Disorders During Open-Label Study of 1,869 Severely Hypertensive Patients Treated with Minoxidil

49 citations, January 1980 in “Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology”

Minoxidil doesn't increase pericardial disorder risk, but may cause fluid accumulation.

research Hypertrichosis Due to Minoxidil

45 citations, November 1979 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

Minoxidil causes excessive hair growth in almost all patients.

research Pulmonary Hemodynamics in Systemic Hypertension

6 citations, October 1979 in “Chest”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure without worsening lung pressure but can cause increased hair growth.

research Treatment of Severe Hypertension with Minoxidil: Advantages and Limitations

37 citations, April 1979 in “The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology”

Minoxidil effectively controls blood pressure but side effects may limit its use.

research Acute Cardiomyopathy Induced by the Vasodilating Antihypertensive Agent Minoxidil

52 citations, March 1979 in “Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology”

Minoxidil can cause heart muscle damage in dogs.

research Long-Term Clinical Effects, Bioavailability, and Kinetics of Minoxidil in Relation to Renal Function

21 citations, October 1978 in “The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology”

$Long-Term Treatment of Refractory Hypertensive Patients With Minoxidil$

research Long-Term Treatment of Refractory Hypertensive Patients With Minoxidil

43 citations, May 1978 in “JAMA”

Minoxidil controls blood pressure but may cause kidney damage and needs diuretics to prevent swelling.

$Minoxidil Therapy in Refractory Hypertension: Analysis of 155 Patients$

research Minoxidil Therapy in Refractory Hypertension: Analysis of 155 Patients

26 citations, January 1978 in “Nephron”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure effectively but may cause side effects.

research Minoxidil for Severe Hypertension After Failure of Other Hypotensive Drugs

86 citations, September 1977 in “BMJ”

Minoxidil effectively controls blood pressure in severe cases, but has serious side effects and causes hair growth in women.

research Management of Severe Childhood Hypertension with Minoxidil: A Controlled Clinical Study

36 citations, July 1977 in “The Journal of Pediatrics”

Minoxidil helps lower blood pressure in kids with severe hypertension, but may cause temporary excessive hair growth.

research Minoxidil Therapy in Children with Severe Hypertension

54 citations, May 1977 in “The Journal of Pediatrics”

Minoxidil helps lower high blood pressure in kids, but can cause fluid retention and hair growth.

research Minoxidil-Induced Hypertrichosis: Treatment with Calcium Thioglycolate Depilatory

26 citations, April 1977 in “PubMed”

Minoxidil, a blood pressure drug, can cause excessive hair growth, but this can be successfully treated with a hair removal agent called calcium thioglycolate.

research The Effects of Minoxidil on Pulmonary and Systemic Hemodynamics in Hypertensive Men

20 citations, February 1977 in “Circulation”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure and increases heart efficiency, but may raise lung artery pressure in some people.

research Effect of Minoxidil on Blood Pressure and Hemodynamics in Severe Hypertension

34 citations, January 1977 in “American Journal of Cardiology”

research Toxicological Studies with the Hypotensive Agent Minoxidil

43 citations, January 1977 in “Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology”

Minoxidil is mostly safe, but high doses can cause electrolyte imbalances and heart issues in dogs.

research Long-Term Treatment of Severe Hypertension with Minoxidil, Propranolol, and Furosemide

55 citations, October 1975 in “Circulation”

Minoxidil, propranolol, and furosemide effectively control severe hypertension, but may cause sodium retention.

research Minoxidil in Severe Hypertension: Value When Conventional Drugs Have Failed

50 citations, September 1975 in “American Heart Journal”

Minoxidil effectively controls blood pressure in severe cases, but may cause fluid retention and edema.

research Metabolism of Minoxidil, a New Hypotensive Agent: Biotransformation Following Oral Administration to Rats, Dogs, and Monkeys

31 citations, August 1975 in “Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences”

Minoxidil metabolizes similarly in monkeys and humans, but differently in dogs and rats.

research A Method for Achieving Blood Pressure Control Expeditiously with Oral Minoxidil

18 citations, July 1975 in “Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics”

Oral minoxidil effectively controls blood pressure quickly and safely.

Control Plasma Renin Activity and Changes in Sympathetic Tone as Determinants of Minoxidil-Induced Increase in Plasma Renin Activity

research Control Plasma Renin Activity and Changes in Sympathetic Tone as Determinants of Minoxidil-Induced Increase in Plasma Renin Activity

57 citations, February 1975 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation”

Minoxidil boosts plasma renin activity, influenced by control plasma renin activity and changes in sympathetic tone.

research Differential Effects of Propranolol on Heart Rate and Plasma Renin Activity in Patients Treated with Minoxidil

25 citations, December 1974 in “Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics”

Propranolol affects heart rate and renin levels in minoxidil-treated patients.

$Minoxidil: An Alternative to Nephrectomy for Refractory Hypertension$

research Minoxidil: An Alternative to Nephrectomy for Refractory Hypertension

180 citations, July 1973 in “The New England Journal of Medicine”

Minoxidil effectively lowers blood pressure with few side effects.

research Pharmacologic Properties of Minoxidil: A New Hypotensive Agent

55 citations, March 1973 in “PubMed”

Minoxidil is a new drug that lowers blood pressure.

research Minoxidil in Severe Hypertension with Renal Failure

100 citations, March 1973 in “American Journal of Cardiology”

Minoxidil effectively lowers blood pressure without major side effects.

research Pharmacokinetic Studies of Minoxidil

90 citations, May 1972 in “Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics”

Minoxidil quickly leaves blood, turns into urine metabolites, and has lasting blood pressure-lowering effects.

research Tissue Distribution and Hypotensive Effects of Minoxidil in Normotensive Rats

17 citations, April 1972 in “PubMed”

Minoxidil lowers blood pressure and spreads throughout the body in normal rats.

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research Diffuse Hypertrichosis During Treatment with 5% Topical Minoxidil

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5% topical minoxidil can cause severe body hair growth, which disappears after stopping treatment.

research Hypertrichosis Due to Minoxidil

45 citations, November 1979 in “British Journal of Dermatology”

Minoxidil causes excessive hair growth in almost all patients.

research Topically Applied Minoxidil in Baldness

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Minoxidil, when applied to the scalp, can stimulate hair growth but effects vary, stop if treatment ends, and it may cause side effects like fluid retention.

research Minoxidil

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Oral minoxidil for hair loss caused mild side effects in some men, but most continued treatment.

research Topically Applied Minoxidil in Baldness

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Minoxidil helps hair growth, but results vary.

Recommendations on the Clinical Management of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Consensus Document from the Spanish Group of Trichology of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology

research Recommendations on the Clinical Management of Androgenetic Alopecia: A Consensus Document from the Spanish Group of Trichology of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology

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Dermatologists recommend oral dutasteride for male hair loss, low-dose oral minoxidil for female hair loss, and a multidisciplinary approach for young patients, with caution during pregnancy.