Yahoo Lifestyle New Hair Loss Treatment May Impact Heart Health, According to Cardiologists
People may experience hair loss for various reasons—perimenopause, chemotherapy, alopecia and more. It’s also normal to find hair in the shower; that doesn’t mean you have a medical condition. Regardless, watching your hair fall out can be an emotional experience.
To get some of that hair back, people may turn to hair loss treatments. One example you’ve probably heard of is Rogaine, a topical medication that stimulates hair growth.
Its active ingredient is minoxidil, an antihypertensive medication (as in, it treats high blood pressure). Cheaper in this form, its off-label use for hair loss has become increasingly popular. However, some reports claim it’s not great for your heart. What gives?
Related: 12 Things Stylists Are Begging Women Over 50 To Stop Doing if You Have Thinning Hair
How Oral Minoxidil Can Raise the Risk of Heart Problems
Like any medication, oral minoxidil has side effects. One of the most common is a fast or rapid heartbeat.
That’s not the only way minoxidil can affect the heart, either. “Common cardiac side effects of minoxidil include tachycardia, fluid retention, heart failure, arrhythmias and pericarditis,” says Dr. Bradley Serwer, MD, an interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at Vital Solution, an Ingenovis Health company.
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Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, the protective covering around the heart, he explains. The inflammation can cause fluid to leak.
“If this fluid collects rapidly, it can compress the heart, reducing function and potentially causing cardiogenic shock from a condition called cardiac tamponade,” he adds.
With tachycardia—an increased heart rate—patients may also experience cardiac ischemia, he says. If you notice chest pain or shortness of breath, you may be experiencing that.
Related: AFib Is the Most Common Type of Heart Condition—Here’s How To Know If You Have It, and What To Do
Who Should Definitely Avoid Minoxidil
Some people are particularly at risk and shouldn’t take minoxidil. Dr. Serwer recommends avoiding minoxidil if you have a history of congestive heart failure, a weakened heart after a heart attack or a prior history of pericarditis.
Related: The Heart Health Issue Nearly 1 in 5 People Don’t Know They Have, According to Cardiologists
What To Do if You Notice Heart Symptoms After Taking Minoxidil
If you start to notice the heart-related symptoms Dr. Serwer mentioned, call your prescribing physician, he says.
“They may ask you to stop the medicine or to go to the closest emergency room if they are concerned about more serious complications,” he adds.
On the note of more serious complications, he urges people to call their healthcare provider immediately if they experience dizziness, shortness of breath, fluid retention or chest pain.
Finding out that minoxidil may not be the solution you thought it was is not fun news. With that said, other treatment options for hair loss are available, such as hair transplants, platelet-rich plasma treatment and wigs.
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Sources
Dr. Bradley Serwer, an interventional cardiologist
Minoxidil (oral route), Mayo Clinic
Low-Dose Oral Minoxidil Initiation for Patients With Hair Loss, JAMA Dermatology
Hair Loss, Cleveland Clinic
