Minoxidil – sold under the brand name Rogaine – has been on drugstore shelves since the 1980s as a lotion to be rubbed into the scalp to restore lost hair. But more and more doctors are now prescribing it off-label, as the New York Times reports a low-dose pill, saying that makes it much more effective. An innumerable number of hair loss prevention products are already available, regularly sold at significant prices, despite little evidence that they work. However, amid growing success stories with Minoxidil, more and more doctors are recommending it to patients, despite the fact that the treatment has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a pill to prevent hair loss. Minoxidil — sold under the brand name Rogaine — can help reverse hair loss when taken by mouth as a pill, doctors say. But this is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration Rogaine has long been a men’s favorite for regrowing hair loss as they age, but the way the drug was administered may not have been the most effective Minoxidil was approved in a lotion to help regrow hair loss for men in 1988 and for women in 1992. It works by using enzymes present in hair follicles to break down the drug into an active form that stimulates new hair growth. But it has to reach the scalp to work – which is often stopped by the rest of the hair – and patients often dislike leaving it on their heads for at least four hours each day. Doctors found, however, that when the drug is taken orally as a pill, it still breaks down into the active form that triggers hair regrowth. The discovery was first made by Dr. Rodney Sinclair, a dermatologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia, when he had a female patient suffering from baldness who swore off Rogaine but began suffering from an allergic rash to the lotion. To remedy the situation, Sinclair cut the minoxidil pills into quarters and offered them to the patient. The low dose allowed her hair to continue growing, but it didn’t cause the rash or affect blood pressure — another use of the drug. He found through testing that the drug remained effective when the dose was reduced to one-fortieth that of the original pill, and then began prescribing it. In 2015, he presented his findings at a meeting in Miami after offering the pill to more than 100 consecutive women. He has now treated more than 10,000 patients. Baldness could be reversed using a drug known for decades that costs just 57 cents a day, doctors say (stock image) Other doctors are now following his lead and prescribing the drug off-label to balding patients. It will not work for those who are bald because there are no follicles left to stimulate. No FDA-approved trials of minoxidil have been conducted to date and are unlikely to be completed because the companies are unlikely to make a profit. Minoxidil doses given to patients can be as low as 1 mg, doctors suggest. But dermatologists say the pill is safe to use that way and will continue to prescribe it off-label to patients who want it. In some cases, it has also caused long hair on other areas of the body such as the face and chin. This led to the prescription of spironolactone, which can block certain sex hormones, to try to prevent unwanted growth. Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told the New York Times: “We’re just starting to see an increase in popularity. “Increasingly at conferences, we share our success stories.” About 40 million American men are bald, according to statistics, while more than 50 million have pattern baldness — or thinning hair. Among women, about 30 million are also believed to suffer from baldness.


title: “Drug Known For Decades And Costs 57 Cents A Day Can Restore Lost Hair Doctors Found Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Richard Phillips”


Minoxidil – sold under the brand name Rogaine – has been on drugstore shelves since the 1980s as a lotion to be rubbed into the scalp to restore lost hair. But more and more doctors are now prescribing it off-label, as the New York Times reports a low-dose pill, saying that makes it much more effective. An innumerable number of hair loss prevention products are already available, regularly sold at significant prices, despite little evidence that they work. However, amid growing success stories with Minoxidil, more and more doctors are recommending it to patients, despite the fact that the treatment has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a pill to prevent hair loss. Minoxidil — sold under the brand name Rogaine — can help reverse hair loss when taken by mouth as a pill, doctors say. But this is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration Rogaine has long been a men’s favorite for regrowing hair loss as they age, but the way the drug was administered may not have been the most effective Minoxidil was approved in a lotion to help regrow hair loss for men in 1988 and for women in 1992. It works by using enzymes present in hair follicles to break down the drug into an active form that stimulates new hair growth. But it has to reach the scalp to work – which is often stopped by the rest of the hair – and patients often dislike leaving it on their heads for at least four hours each day. Doctors found, however, that when the drug is taken orally as a pill, it still breaks down into the active form that triggers hair regrowth. The discovery was first made by Dr. Rodney Sinclair, a dermatologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia, when he had a female patient suffering from baldness who swore off Rogaine but began suffering from an allergic rash to the lotion. To remedy the situation, Sinclair cut the minoxidil pills into quarters and offered them to the patient. The low dose allowed her hair to continue growing, but it didn’t cause the rash or affect blood pressure — another use of the drug. He found through testing that the drug remained effective when the dose was reduced to one-fortieth that of the original pill, and then began prescribing it. In 2015, he presented his findings at a meeting in Miami after offering the pill to more than 100 consecutive women. He has now treated more than 10,000 patients. Baldness could be reversed using a drug known for decades that costs just 57 cents a day, doctors say (stock image) Other doctors are now following his lead and prescribing the drug off-label to balding patients. It will not work for those who are bald because there are no follicles left to stimulate. No FDA-approved trials of minoxidil have been conducted to date and are unlikely to be completed because the companies are unlikely to make a profit. Minoxidil doses given to patients can be as low as 1 mg, doctors suggest. But dermatologists say the pill is safe to use that way and will continue to prescribe it off-label to patients who want it. In some cases, it has also caused long hair on other areas of the body such as the face and chin. This led to the prescription of spironolactone, which can block certain sex hormones, to try to prevent unwanted growth. Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told the New York Times: “We’re just starting to see an increase in popularity. “Increasingly at conferences, we share our success stories.” About 40 million American men are bald, according to statistics, while more than 50 million have pattern baldness — or thinning hair. Among women, about 30 million are also believed to suffer from baldness.


title: “Drug Known For Decades And Costs 57 Cents A Day Can Restore Lost Hair Doctors Found Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Diane Petrowski”


Minoxidil – sold under the brand name Rogaine – has been on drugstore shelves since the 1980s as a lotion to be rubbed into the scalp to restore lost hair. But more and more doctors are now prescribing it off-label, as the New York Times reports a low-dose pill, saying that makes it much more effective. An innumerable number of hair loss prevention products are already available, regularly sold at significant prices, despite little evidence that they work. However, amid growing success stories with Minoxidil, more and more doctors are recommending it to patients, despite the fact that the treatment has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a pill to prevent hair loss. Minoxidil — sold under the brand name Rogaine — can help reverse hair loss when taken by mouth as a pill, doctors say. But this is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration Rogaine has long been a men’s favorite for regrowing hair loss as they age, but the way the drug was administered may not have been the most effective Minoxidil was approved in a lotion to help regrow hair loss for men in 1988 and for women in 1992. It works by using enzymes present in hair follicles to break down the drug into an active form that stimulates new hair growth. But it has to reach the scalp to work – which is often stopped by the rest of the hair – and patients often dislike leaving it on their heads for at least four hours each day. Doctors found, however, that when the drug is taken orally as a pill, it still breaks down into the active form that triggers hair regrowth. The discovery was first made by Dr. Rodney Sinclair, a dermatologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia, when he had a female patient suffering from baldness who swore off Rogaine but began suffering from an allergic rash to the lotion. To remedy the situation, Sinclair cut the minoxidil pills into quarters and offered them to the patient. The low dose allowed her hair to continue growing, but it didn’t cause the rash or affect blood pressure — another use of the drug. He found through testing that the drug remained effective when the dose was reduced to one-fortieth that of the original pill, and then began prescribing it. In 2015, he presented his findings at a meeting in Miami after offering the pill to more than 100 consecutive women. He has now treated more than 10,000 patients. Baldness could be reversed using a drug known for decades that costs just 57 cents a day, doctors say (stock image) Other doctors are now following his lead and prescribing the drug off-label to balding patients. It will not work for those who are bald because there are no follicles left to stimulate. No FDA-approved trials of minoxidil have been conducted to date and are unlikely to be completed because the companies are unlikely to make a profit. Minoxidil doses given to patients can be as low as 1 mg, doctors suggest. But dermatologists say the pill is safe to use that way and will continue to prescribe it off-label to patients who want it. In some cases, it has also caused long hair on other areas of the body such as the face and chin. This led to the prescription of spironolactone, which can block certain sex hormones, to try to prevent unwanted growth. Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told the New York Times: “We’re just starting to see an increase in popularity. “Increasingly at conferences, we share our success stories.” About 40 million American men are bald, according to statistics, while more than 50 million have pattern baldness — or thinning hair. Among women, about 30 million are also believed to suffer from baldness.


title: “Drug Known For Decades And Costs 57 Cents A Day Can Restore Lost Hair Doctors Found Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-16” author: “William Harrison”


Minoxidil – sold under the brand name Rogaine – has been on drugstore shelves since the 1980s as a lotion to be rubbed into the scalp to restore lost hair. But more and more doctors are now prescribing it off-label, as the New York Times reports a low-dose pill, saying that makes it much more effective. An innumerable number of hair loss prevention products are already available, regularly sold at significant prices, despite little evidence that they work. However, amid growing success stories with Minoxidil, more and more doctors are recommending it to patients, despite the fact that the treatment has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as a pill to prevent hair loss. Minoxidil — sold under the brand name Rogaine — can help reverse hair loss when taken by mouth as a pill, doctors say. But this is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration Rogaine has long been a men’s favorite for regrowing hair loss as they age, but the way the drug was administered may not have been the most effective Minoxidil was approved in a lotion to help regrow hair loss for men in 1988 and for women in 1992. It works by using enzymes present in hair follicles to break down the drug into an active form that stimulates new hair growth. But it has to reach the scalp to work – which is often stopped by the rest of the hair – and patients often dislike leaving it on their heads for at least four hours each day. Doctors found, however, that when the drug is taken orally as a pill, it still breaks down into the active form that triggers hair regrowth. The discovery was first made by Dr. Rodney Sinclair, a dermatologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia, when he had a female patient suffering from baldness who swore off Rogaine but began suffering from an allergic rash to the lotion. To remedy the situation, Sinclair cut the minoxidil pills into quarters and offered them to the patient. The low dose allowed her hair to continue growing, but it didn’t cause the rash or affect blood pressure — another use of the drug. He found through testing that the drug remained effective when the dose was reduced to one-fortieth that of the original pill, and then began prescribing it. In 2015, he presented his findings at a meeting in Miami after offering the pill to more than 100 consecutive women. He has now treated more than 10,000 patients. Baldness could be reversed using a drug known for decades that costs just 57 cents a day, doctors say (stock image) Other doctors are now following his lead and prescribing the drug off-label to balding patients. It will not work for those who are bald because there are no follicles left to stimulate. No FDA-approved trials of minoxidil have been conducted to date and are unlikely to be completed because the companies are unlikely to make a profit. Minoxidil doses given to patients can be as low as 1 mg, doctors suggest. But dermatologists say the pill is safe to use that way and will continue to prescribe it off-label to patients who want it. In some cases, it has also caused long hair on other areas of the body such as the face and chin. This led to the prescription of spironolactone, which can block certain sex hormones, to try to prevent unwanted growth. Dr. Crystal Aguh, a dermatologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, told the New York Times: “We’re just starting to see an increase in popularity. “Increasingly at conferences, we share our success stories.” About 40 million American men are bald, according to statistics, while more than 50 million have pattern baldness — or thinning hair. Among women, about 30 million are also believed to suffer from baldness.