Minoxidil Vasodilator High Blood Pressure Medicine
Minoxidil had been used as vasodilator drug prescribed as oral tablet to treat high blood pressure, with side effects that included hair growth and reversal of male baldness. Since the 1990s, numerous generic forms of minoxidil have become available while the oral form is still used to treat high blood pressure.
Minoxidil is a drug available in two forms to treat different conditions. Oral minoxidil is used to treat high blood pressure.
People who are using cortisone, or cortisone-like drugs (corticosteroids), petroleum jelly (Vaseline), or tretinoin (Retin-A) on their scalps should consult their doctors prior to using minoxidil. The use of any of these products in conjunction with minoxidil may cause excessive minoxidil absorption into the body and increase the risk of side effects.
Oral minoxidil, the form prescribed as a high blood pressure medicine, patients should use minoxidil only under medical supervision to ensure that excessive amounts of the drug are not absorbed into their bodies. Large amounts of minoxidil may increase the severity of the symptoms and side effects of hypertension.
Minoxidil may pass from mother to child through breast milk. Therefore, women who are breastfeeding should not use minoxidil.
In the treatment of high blood pressure, oral minoxidil is usually prescribed when other medications have failed to treat the condition. Dosage is usually 2.5-100 mg per day as a single dose for adults and 200 micrograms to 1 mg per kg of body weight for children.
In addition to the use of the medicine your doctor has prescribed, treatment for your high blood pressure may include weight control and care in the types of foods you eat, especially foods high in sodium. Your doctor will tell you which of these are most important for you. You should check with your doctor before changing your diet.
Many patients who have high blood pressure will not notice any signs of the problem. In fact, many may feel normal. It is very important that you take your high blood pressure medicine exactly as directed and that you keep your appointments with your doctor even if you feel well.
Remember that minoxidil will not cure your high blood pressure but it does help control it. Therefore, you must continue to take it as directed if you expect to lower your blood pressure and keep it down. You may have to take high blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life . If high blood pressure is not treated, it can cause serious problems such as heart failure, blood vessel disease, stroke, or kidney disease.
To help you remember to take your medicine, try to get into the habit of taking it at the same time each day.
This medicine is usually given together with certain other medicines. If you are using a combination of drugs, make sure that you take each medicine at the proper time and do not mix them. Ask your health care professional to help you plan a way to remember to take your medicines at the right time.
Extremely rare side effects that may occur if too much topically or orally administered minoxidil is being absorbed in the body include:
changes in vision, most commonly blurred vision
chest pain
very low blood pressure
decreased sexual desire
fast or irregular heartbeat
flushing of the skin
headache
lightheadedness
numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or face
partial, or complete, impotence
rapid weight gain
swelling of the hands, feet, lower legs, or face
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When taking minoxidil it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
Guanethidine (e.g., Ismelin) or
Nitrates (medicine for angina)—Severe lowered blood pressure may occur
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