What are the reported adverse effects of topical minoxidil?
Typical side effects of this topical treatment include irritative dermatitis going along with pruritus, erythema, scaling and dryness, which occur especially at the onset of the therapy. In some cases, allergic contact dermatitis or exacerbation of seborrheic dermatitis has been reported.
Hypertrichosis is a well-recognized adverse effect of therapy with either oral or topical minoxidil.
We observed an as yet unreported "polymyalgia syndrome" in four otherwise healthy males whose sole medication was topically applied minoxidil. They experienced fatigue, weight loss and severe pain in the shoulders and pelvic girdle, suggesting connective tissue disease. Three patients had a transient rise in liver enzymes, while other laboratory analyses remained normal. Tritanomaly was detected in two patients who underwent systematic color vision testing.
A case of central serous chorioretinopathy after application of topical minoxidil solution.
A case of acute myocardial infarction associated with topical use of minoxidil (RiUP) for treatment of baldness.
Compared with placebo, topical minoxidil caused significant increases in LV end-diastolic volume, in cardiac output (by 0.751 min-1) and in LV mass (by 5 g m-2).
Two of our patients developed smoking intolerance during treatment with topical minoxidil for androgenital alopecia.