TLDR Swallowing a lot of minoxidil, a hair growth liquid, can cause severe and long-lasting low blood pressure.
In 2016, a 47-year-old man suffered prolonged hypotension after ingesting 60 mL of a topical minoxidil solution, equivalent to 3,000 mg of minoxidil. His serum concentration of minoxidil sharply decreased from 4,994 ng/mL to 33.9 ng/mL within 12 hours, yet he still required vasopressor support for four days. Urine analysis 16 hours after ingestion revealed higher levels of minoxidil-O-glucuronide (1,953 ng/mL) than unchanged minoxidil (360.4 ng/mL) or minoxidil-N-O-sulfate (104.5 ng/mL). The case demonstrated that ingestion of large amounts of topical minoxidil can lead to severe and lasting cardiovascular effects, and monitoring minoxidil-O-glucuronide in urine is an effective method for diagnosing minoxidil poisoning.
18 citations
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January 1992 in “The Journal of emergency medicine” Minoxidil overdose caused heart changes, treated with stomach wash, charcoal, and IV fluids.
25 citations
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February 1989 in “The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology” This document studied minoxidil in healthy volunteers. Minoxidil is quickly absorbed and eliminated from the body.
January 2018 in “Elsevier eBooks” Minoxidil helps lower severe blood pressure and promotes hair growth but can have serious side effects and must be used continuously.
Oral minoxidil is as effective and safe as topical minoxidil for treating female pattern hair loss.
January 2023 in “Skin appendage disorders” Low-dose oral minoxidil may help treat hair loss but is not FDA-approved and can cause side effects like unwanted hair growth and heart issues.
1 citations
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February 2017 in “MOJ bioequivalence & bioavailability” Treating hair loss effectively may require a multi-sided approach, using different treatments together, and topical treatments could be more effective and safer than oral ones.
49 citations
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February 2019 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Use "female pattern hair loss" term, assess androgen excess, treat with minoxidil and other medications if needed.
