Are Rogaine Side Effects
Worth the Risk?
This page gives you the facts about all the Rogaine side effects so you can decide whether or not using this drug is the right way to treat your hair loss.
|
Rogaine (or Regaine in the UK) is the brand name for minoxidil, a drug that's been approved by the FDA for treating androgenetic hair loss (androgenetic alopecia). Its FDA approval was given after trials showed that it was capable of producing new hair growth. |
But, although minoxidil has been scientifically proven to have some positive effect on hair loss, it’s also been scientifically proven to have side effects!
Here are the possible side effects of Rogaine
– I’ve listed them in what I expect most people would consider to be an
increasing order of severity:
Mild side effects:
|
 |
And, for women especially, terminal hair growth on your face or body would be extremely undesirable.
Moderate side effects:
- A burning sensation in your scalp.
- A rash or reddened appearance to your skin may start to form.
- Breast tenderness.
- Decrease in libido (sex drive). PJ-avoid sex?
- Light-headedness
(all antihypertensive drugs like minoxidil can cause this through a
sudden drop in blood pressure).
- Swelling - An increase in water retention can cause your face, hands, feet or lower legs to swell up.
- An increase in hair loss!!!
And if you think that’s a lot, there are even more Rogaine side effects further down the page!
But first…
Given that this website is all about natural solutions to hair loss, you won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t recommend using this drug!
Here’s the full set of reasons why I think this, and why I believe it's much better to use a natural treatment option instead:
1. You’ve just read about the possible mild to moderate side effects that will affect some people (about 4%).
So, do you really want to run the risk that you’ll be one of the unlucky ones who suffers a bad reaction?
2. As you've just discovered, Rogaine can make your hair loss worse – initially at the very least.
It sounds bizarre, and it is. Minoxidil is used for treating hair loss but can shift more hair follicles into the resting phase of the hair growth cycle. So, you might start shedding even more hair!
3. The duration that all this extra shedding lasts for can obviously vary from person to person – so you might have to endure weeks of extra hair loss.
4. Whilst the manufacturers will refund any unopened Rogaine product you return to them (minus all your postage costs), there’s no guarantee from them that all this extra hair loss will be replaced with new hair growth.
5. It often takes months of treatment before you know whether Rogaine works for you, or if it’s been a complete waste of your time.
6. If it does work, you'll have to keep using it for life, during which time, any mild Rogaine side effects you have could accumulate and develop into something more serious.
|
Speaking of which, here are the remaining, most serious, potential side effects of Rogaine:
Some of the side effects you could suffer from depend upon how quickly the drug gets absorbed by your body (for example, you might overdose from the recommended daily amount). Or you could discover that you have an allergy to minoxidil or one of the other ingredients (which includes alcohol and propylene glycol). Some Rogaine side effects are more common than others of course - a dry, flaky, itchy scalp being the most likely, and an allergic reaction (which can create some of the more serious side effects) the least. Obviously it goes without saying that you would need to contact your doctor urgently if you notice any of these side effects. |
This is page 1 of 3.
Read next page? Rogaine Risks for Men and Women.
Leave Rogaine Side Effects and return to Product Reviews index.
