New to Minoxidil: racing heart, headaches after second dose

[hair2stay]

Hello

This is my second day of once daily topical minoxidil at 5%.

First time: applied at night: woke up with a headache - strange headache, not terrible, pressure headache....no big deal

second time: applied at night: some headache ....no big deal: later in the day, racing heart.....no big deal

I'm prone to a little anxiety so I could be imagining the heart rate, pretty sure its real...

I think these sides go away in a few weeks correct? My question is: do any of you have these sides long term and continue to use. I can adapt to these sides UNLESS these sides are indications that I shouldn't be taking minoxidil... or perhaps less than 1 ml or perhaps a 2%

Thank you

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Hello

This is my second day of once daily topical minoxidil at 5%.

First time: applied at night: woke up with a headache - strange headache, not terrible, pressure headache....no big deal

second time: applied at night: some headache ....no big deal: later in the day, racing heart.....no big deal

I'm prone to a little anxiety so I could be imagining the heart rate, pretty sure its real...

I think these sides go away in a few weeks correct? My question is: do any of you have these sides long term and continue to use. I can adapt to these sides UNLESS these sides are indications that I shouldn't be taking minoxidil... or perhaps less than 1 ml or perhaps a 2%

Thank you

Go get the pink bottle. In the 80's and 90's, that all that we had. It can work and it does work for females and it seems less likely to induce shedding. What you describe is a very real side effect of minoxidil so I would halt and get the 2 percent and use that once daily only at night right before bed. Fainting is uncommon but it can occur so just keep that in mind. These effects should fade and they are probably placebo in nature but you have described a very real possible side and my doctor back in 1989 told me about people flushing and getting a buzz off of minoxidil. It's always best to titrate upwards anyway and using two percent is not wasting money. 5% isn't turbo-charged or anything. Oral minoxidil is turbo-charged but the progression in my opinion should be 2 percent until it stops working or sides stop, once or twice a day, then the same with five percent and then with that tolerance, consider drinking topical or getting an RX for Loniten or buy it over the internet. For people wanting less than 2.5 mg of oral min, drinking topical isn't precise enough because it's a tiny bit of liquid even at .25 ml which is 12.5mg of loniten.

 

[hair2stay]

Go get the pink bottle. In the 80's and 90's, that all that we had. It can work and it does work for females and it seems less likely to induce shedding. What you describe is a very real side effect of minoxidil so I would halt and get the 2 percent and use that once daily only at night right before bed. Fainting is uncommon but it can occur so just keep that in mind. These effects should fade and they are probably placebo in nature but you have described a very real possible side and my doctor back in 1989 told me about people flushing and getting a buzz off of minoxidil. It's always best to titrate upwards anyway and using two percent is not wasting money. 5% isn't turbo-charged or anything. Oral minoxidil is turbo-charged but the progression in my opinion should be 2 percent until it stops working or sides stop, once or twice a day, then the same with five percent and then with that tolerance, consider drinking topical or getting an RX for Loniten or buy it over the internet. For people wanting less than 2.5 mg of oral min, drinking topical isn't precise enough because it's a tiny bit of liquid even at .25 ml which is 12.5mg of loniten.

Wow Janey, I'm always impressed with your expertise. I could direct message you but don't want to take that liberty all the time and this way others benefit.

In my direct message to you I had mentioned I'm withdrawing from a med (valium) that already gives me a little heart rush occasionally...so I suspected I would be super sensitive to this. It could be placebo. For example I get a little heart flutter naturally BUT because I subconsciously think it's the min, then I get anxious and heart races more: forgive me but few more questions:

1. We can develop tolerance and these sides go away?

2. I suspect my hair loss is from med and now that I've slowed the withdrawal my hair looks thicker. It's longer but it's fuller with less prickly miniature hair..so I'm thinking the bald crown was a reaction BUT QUESTION: can I simply put min on the thinning spot and not on rest of hair until I see thinning elsewhere? Aka use only where needed?

3. I bought 6 months worth. I'm going to mix it to weaken it:


Dilute the 5% solution with 1.5 times its volume with your solvent mix e.g. 100ml of 5% solution is diluted with 150ml solvent mix to give a 2%


That ok? Thanks Dr. Janey

 

[hair2stay]

Oh...I have ethanol but too much may dry. Thoughts on solvent to mix with. Other than propylene glycol? Thanks!!

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Wow Janey, I'm always impressed with your expertise. I could direct message you but don't want to take that liberty all the time and this way others benefit.

In my direct message to you I had mentioned I'm withdrawing from a med (valium) that already gives me a little heart rush occasionally...so I suspected I would be super sensitive to this. It could be placebo. For example I get a little heart flutter naturally BUT because I subconsciously think it's the min, then I get anxious and heart races more: forgive me but few more questions:

1. We can develop tolerance and these sides go away?

2. I suspect my hair loss is from med and now that I've slowed the withdrawal my hair looks thicker. It's longer but it's fuller with less prickly miniature hair..so I'm thinking the bald crown was a reaction BUT QUESTION: can I simply put min on the thinning spot and not on rest of hair until I see thinning elsewhere? Aka use only where needed?

3. I bought 6 months worth. I'm going to mix it to weaken it:


Dilute the 5% solution with 1.5 times its volume with your solvent mix e.g. 100ml of 5% solution is diluted with 150ml solvent mix to give a 2%


That ok? Thanks Dr. Janey

You can DM me anytime. I have had a couple of guys that I held hands with for several weeks because it was almost like they were paralyzed. I only ask that people list their current and any recent meds because I have a good memory but I also have MtF's contacting me asking about breast growth or guys asking about how to avoid breast growth and some times, I forget because I see newbies on here all of the time which makes sense as long as they don't obsess. I have a lot of "old grandpa" stories now so I try not to splay all over but so many things stand out about seeing a doctor for the first time.

I shut myself in the college library stacks reading European microfilm and fiche back in 1984 for three days after my 20th birthday when someone handed me a hand mirror and told me to look. Yikes! My life was over. But my father's not bald, I objected to everyone. But you will be was the answer from my best friend. Nice and he was half-Japanese so he had no hair loss but I needed to know.

Three days later I knew what grew hair so I got an appointment with the dermatologist who had removed my hand wart. I walked in and the receptionist said in a loud voice, "Are you here to have more warts removed?" And I was thinking, like, lower your voice. They could be genital warts but instead I said no, something else and I was barely balding at all but I was sure everyone was looking at me.

I went in and told him I needed a prescription for estradiol and he was like, "well, I can't do that because then you can't have a family. He mussed up my hair and older guys used to do that a lot back in the day, just muss younger guys' hair and said something equivalent to, "just man up. Please pay the receptionist $75 on your way out". Since I believe in research even more but also bypassing the gatekeepers when necessary and I have done it with estradiol, inducing pregnancy levels for ten months because I conjectured that it might turn back on hair in a binary sense. Regardless, along with the microneedling and then adding oral min last Oct. things really started to improve and that's when I signed on and started posting on the @bridgeburn thread which I had read and his part is 300 pages or so and at 575 or so when I started. I then started my own thread and those who have been blessed have a duty to those who can be saved plus I love writing and words just pour out of me. They always have but estrogen seems to give me far greater mental organization and I can retrieve data easily once read. But really, I mostly rely on Rob Winter's stuff. He's rarely wrong and he wrote the seminal article or regrowth for transgender people and he could only find two so he mostly relied on castrate studies and it was very convincing and then I decided to enter a formal HRT program.

I am glad if I have helped you. Lol, I also feel guilty for jumping ship on my fellow XY's to go on MtF HRT but while hair isn't life, it's pretty damn close. Janey says that and Will agrees:

https://www.gourmetstylewellness.com/interact/threads/hair-is-not-life-but-its-pretty-damn-close-hrt-and-pictorial-posts-prove-it.130425/page-56#post-1990322

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Oh...I have ethanol but too much may dry. Thoughts on solvent to mix with. Other than propylene glycol? Thanks!!

It won't go bad. Just keep it or use everclear. Everclear's fine and water is but don't use rubbing alcohol because I am a lawyer and that would not be good. And so no, I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on tv; I'm a lawyer but one thing that I try to be very careful about is my use of language and precision.

I don't have to look everything up because I know how to couch phrases such as "that line of conjecture is far from developed" meaning basically some people say that but eh, there's little proof without having to look at the actual statistics. It's important to me not to overstate or understate things unless for effect like "Don't do like I did. Don't wear your wife's shoes. Panties are fine but if you stretch out her favorite pumps the marriage will soon be over, sigh.

Best,
Janey

 

[hair2stay]

It won't go bad. Just keep it or use everclear. Everclear's fine and water is but don't use rubbing alcohol because I am a lawyer and that would not be good. And so no, I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on tv; I'm a lawyer but one thing that I try to be very careful about is my use of language and precision.

I don't have to look everything up because I know how to couch phrases such as "that line of conjecture is far from developed" meaning basically some people say that but eh, there's little proof without having to look at the actual statistics. It's important to me not to overstate or understate things unless for effect like "Don't do like I did. Don't wear your wife's shoes. Panties are fine but if you stretch out her favorite pumps the marriage will soon be over, sigh.

Best,
Janey

Quite the journey your honor! I was on the fence with microneedling but if you believe, then I do too!

Ever learn or water or ethanol?

Will the sides go away if I titrate?

Just the balding spot if I want to apply less? Is there any hope for a hairline that has slowly fine away over close to 20 years?

Thanks Janey!!

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Quite the journey your honor! I was on the fence with microneedling but if you believe, then I do too!

Ever learn or water or ethanol?

Will the sides go away if I titrate?

Just the balding spot if I want to apply less? Is there any hope for a hairline that has slowly fine away over close to 20 years?

Thanks Janey!!

I apply minoxidil to the entire scalp as a carrier for microneedling and I microneedle the entire scalp. I use foam otherwise and it's like mouse but I mostly hit the top but I also try to do the sides of the head and back of the head as well. The sides should go away but that's unpredictable really but since you knew enough to expect them, I wouldn't expect them to persist. I don't make my own topicals so I am not sure what is best to dilute. I know that one guy on here who knows his chemistry mentioned that some things assist or at least interfere less with absorption but yes pg should work. Just check what kind of alcohol is in minoxidil.

 

[hair2stay]

I apply minoxidil to the entire scalp as a carrier for microneedling and I microneedle the entire scalp. I use foam otherwise and it's like mouse but I mostly hit the top but I also try to do the sides of the head and back of the head as well. The sides should go away but that's unpredictable really but since you knew enough to expect them, I wouldn't expect them to persist. I don't make my own topicals so I am not sure what is best to dilute. I know that one guy on here who knows his chemistry mentioned that some things assist or at least interfere less with absorption but yes pg should work. Just check what kind of alcohol is in minoxidil.

Awesome thanks Janey! Yes PG is in it already and ethanol will help absorption.....

Now how do I get my hairline back hahaha

 

[NW9000]

Lol at this mental masturbation

You're overthinking all of this

Just power through it and it'll go away

And use the foam instead of the liquid to avoid the dandruff from propylene glycol

The end

 

[hair2stay]

Lol at this mental masturbation

You're overthinking all of this

Just power through it and it'll go away

And use the foam instead of the liquid to avoid the dandruff from propylene glycol

The end

If thinking was a sport would you even get a participation medal?

I'll gladly power through if that's an option...hard to power through after a stroke....so yeah good to know it will go away. Power on my non bald friend!!

Thanks!

 

[NW9000]

If thinking was a sport would you even get a participation medal?

I'll gladly power through if that's an option...hard to power through after a stroke....so yeah good to know it will go away. Power on my non bald friend!!

Thanks!

You're calling me stupid and you're the one who's literally mortally afraid of an otc medication

Tbh maybe you should stop
I was wrong actually
Minoxidil kills millions
Don't risk it bro
Stay safe

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

Sigh. We are all on the same team says Janey. Be nice to newbies since they need more handholding some times and they are trying to see the whole package of treatments all at once so to speak.

 

[hair2stay]

Sigh. We are all on the same team says Janey. Be nice to newbies since they need more handholding some times and they are trying to see the whole package of treatments all at once so to speak.

Thanks Janey......

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

 

[hair2stay]

You're calling me stupid and you're the one who's literally mortally afraid of an otc medication

Tbh maybe you should stop
I was wrong actually
Minoxidil kills millions
Don't risk it bro
Stay safe

Thanks bro... I'm sorry I called you stupid..I get very reactive when people are condescending.... people are deadly allergic to lots of food meds etc that are OTC.... I'm simply asking experts.

 

[stachu]

you overthinking it. I am pretty sure racing heart at 1ml 5% topical is just unavailable option to pick as side effect.

 

[hair2stay]

you overthinking it. I am pretty sure racing heart at 1ml 5% topical is just unavailable option to pick as side effect.

You're probably right.. I'm a little paranoid about my heart given my history. Thanks so much! I dropped down ton1/2 mil. No issues. I'll increase in a few days