Should I stop minox. or find alternatives ? Or keep pushing through?

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my experience with minoxidil foam and see if anyone else has gone through something similar…

I’ve been using 5% minoxidil foam for about two months now- only once a day. The first few weeks were rough… I’m talking heart palpitations, chest tightness, terrible sleep bad face swelling, and dark eye circles… It honestly freaked me out, but I pushed through because I’d heard some people get early side effects that eventually fade.

The most intense stuff did go away after a few weeks, but now I’m stuck with this weird set of lingering symptoms like: lightheadedness, brain fog, low motivation, general fatigue, face swelling/puffiness, eyes feeling heavy or tired

It’s not debilitating, but I definitely don’t feel like myself. It’s like I’m operating at 60-70% all the time. I’m using the foam once a day.

I’m trying to figure out if this is something that eventually levels out or if my body is just sensitive to minox in general. I know topical is supposed to stay local, but clearly some of it is getting absorbed because these symptoms feel systemic.

Has anyone else had the early scary side effects go away but the “foggy/tired/lightheaded” stuff linger? Did it ever improve, or did you end up stopping?

Just trying to get a sense of whether this is normal for sensitive responders or a sign that my body isn’t tolerating it well.

Should I maybe consider the 2% concentration ?

Hey! Sounds like you’re having a tough time with the 5% min. Some people do keep having those lingering side effects, and it’s possibly from systemic absorption. Dropping to 2% could help with those effects, although it might be less effective for hair growth. If it doesn’t settle, it might be worth trying the lower dose or chatting with a healthcare pro about other options. Check out The Beginner’s Guide for more info.

I might give the 2% one a spin and see how that goes… 5% seems like my body can’t handle ( whatever gets absorbed off it - I’m too sensitive)

Seems like the 2% is sort of the recommended dosage for women and 5% for men … but as a dude the 5% is kinda messing me up