Role of low dose oral minoxidil in the treatment of hair loss: A review

Low-dose oral minoxidil (OM) has increasingly been used by many doctors around the world as a treatment option for hair loss. Sufficient data regarding its effect and side effect profile are lacking. An online search was done on PUBMED and GOOGLE SCHOLAR for articles that used OM as a treatment option for hair loss. Doses ranging from 0.25 to 5 mg have been used for treatment in various studies. Good compliance and tolerability have been noticed with low-dose OM therapy. Adverse effects are few and are mild with hypertrichosis being the most common adverse effect in a majority of the studies, the risk of which increases with an increase in dosage of the drug.