Talk:Minoxidil

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[edit] hair growth

the current entry says that it is unknown how minoxidil stimulates hair growth, but i don't believe that is accurate. my understanding is that it dialates blood vessels, increasing blood flow to the area. (that's why it was originally thought of as a heart attack/blood pressure medicine, because it would dialate blood vessels, increasing blood flow)

yes and...it's exat mechanism of action is not...known.


ok, well we're kind of splitting hairs -- The article says "It is unknown how the drug stimulates hair growth." Known is that it stimulates hair growth by dialating blood vessels which increases blood flow to the area. What is unknown is exactly how it dialates blood vessels.

it opens atp sensitive k+ channels causing hyperpolarisation which opens ca2+ channels and this causes vasodilation and falling TPR

It apparently directly opens ATP sensitive potassium channels and it is not through the cGMP-PKG pathway as the article hints. The Potassium hypothesis is supported by other potassium channel agonist ( pinacidil) increasing hair growth, so the effect may not be vascular but directly on the dermal papillae. GetAgrippa 01:52, 6 January 2007 (UTC)

Also, it would be helpful if the article gave some indication of the drug's efficacy. What percentage of users experience hair growth, or cessation of hair loss?

[edit] Mechanism of hair loss treatment

Note that minoxidil's vasodilatory effect does not explain its ability to thicken hair. Other vasodilators have no effect on the hair.

Also - some in the hairloss community have started to use oral minoxidil tablets in an attempt to grow hair, although this is regarded as risky.

For citations, see for example: http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=39415&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Or search for "loniten" on any hairloss forum.

81.179.103.232 21:03, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Loniten

This article really needs balance, as the drug was not originally for hair growth. 132.205.44.5 (talk) 02:30, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

The following text is transcluded from Talk:Rogaine (drug) to Talk:Minoxidil primarily to show justification for merging those articles.

[edit] Propecia

Is there any information on the combination of using this and Propecia?

[edit] hair loss information link

the link is not spam.

Wikipedia is not here to advertise your site. I will revert your edits if you keep spamming articles with the same link. --Tim1988 talk 10:37, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
Im not spamming the article, you idiot. The website isn't selling anything, its a related link to the topics.
Don't behave like a child.

[edit] Propose merging into Minoxidil article

Since Rogaine and Regaine are really nothing more than brand names for Minoxidil, I propose merging this article into the Minoxidil article. I suggest that Rogaine (drug) and Regaine should then redirect to the Minoxidil article. --JHP 07:11, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Merge completed - Draeco (talk) 03:49, 4 March 2008 (UTC)

End of transcluded text.