What are the dangers of Rogaine and other hair loss treatments?

I want to use Rogaine or another hair regrowth product, but i am hesitant to do so because i personally think that there must be major long term side effects. Help me!

What are the dangers of Rogaine and other hair loss treatments?

Excellent Question. In short, Rogaine (Minoxidil) is topical and so it limits its potential risks. The mechanism of actions is that Minoxidil may either activate the hair follicle directly or stimulate the microcirculation surrounding the follicle, increasing cutaneous blood flow via its vasodilating effects. (Minoxidil also may alter the metabolism of androgens in the scalp.) However, when Minoxidil is taken systemically (in pill form), it has hypotensive effects (lowers blood pressure). Therefore, it would be dangerous if too much Rogaine is absorbed through the head into the bloodstream. Luckily, topical minoxidil is poorly absorbed through the skin. The systemic absorption of topical minoxidil averages 2% (range 0.3閳?.5%). Systemic adverse reactions are thus unlikely from topical administration. Placebo-controlled trials with topical minoxidil only showed an increase in dermatological effects from the active drug. Hence, the risk of hypotensive side effects are little to none. Using Rogaine on areas with sunburn or open wounds would obviously increase risk of systemic side-effects. I'm no doctor, but overall from my readings, I'd say Rogaine is pretty safe to use. The only real downside with this drug is that it must be applied 2x a day, and that regrowth will regress if you stop using it (this happens with Propecia too). It also presumably takes a few months for visible regrowth.

The only other drug that is FDA approved for allogenic alopecia is Propecia (Finasteride). Unlike Rogaine, this is taken as a pill, which increases its chance for side-effects. This is because it not only can affect your hair, but also other places in your body via your bloodstream. Most frequently reported adverse reactions to finasteride were related to sexual function. Propecia also is teratogenesis and is absolutely contraindicated during pregnancy. Interestingly, finasteride was first used for treatment of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia). So taking this drug for alopecia may also have the beneficial side effect of a reduced risk of BPH. However, in a 2003 NEJM article (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query... they found that use of Finasteride increased the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. This would obviously need more research to determine whether using Finasteride as a BPH preventative for the 25% decreased in prostate cancer risk (leading to decreased prostate-caused urinary problems) would be worth the increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer. Also, treatment for BPH uses doses of up to 5mg/day in contrast to the 1mg/day for alopecia, so the extent to which this study applies to the dose you would be taking is likely unknown.

Other than that, there are other non-FDA approved approaches for hair loss such as Nizoral Shampoo (1-2% Ketoconazole) among others. But there isn't anywhere as much documentation for those.

Hopefully this helps a bit...