A popular drug used by both men and women to regrow hair and thicken thinning hair may be difficult to find in some pharmacies, according to new research.
This pill, called minoxidil, must be taken daily by patients to maintain their hair growth recovery progress. Interruptions can be catastrophic.
“It’s possible that it will reverse and the hair loss will start again,” said Dr. Adam Friedman, a professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University.
Minoxidil is often used for male pattern baldness, also known as male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness. According to the World Health Organization, it is a disease that affects nearly half of men and one-quarter of women by the age of 50. American College of Osteopathic Dermatology.
In recent months, Friedman has noticed patients struggling to obtain a 30-day supply of medication from pharmacies in the Washington, D.C., area.
Earlier this month, he and his colleagues called 277 pharmacies in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to ask about minoxidil supplies. They found a significant shortage.
Only 40% of those pharmacies had the ability to immediately fill 30-day prescriptions for minoxidil at the dose used to treat hair loss (2.5 milligrams). This study Drug Journal in Dermatology.
Friedman could not pinpoint the reason for the shortage, but said the drug has received attention through both mainstream and social media, which may have triggered an increase in prescriptions.
Based on the research, it is unclear how long patients will need to wait for their medication. The researchers did not ask how quickly these pharmacies could replenish their minoxidil supplies.
Still, Friedman said he was concerned about the blunder.
“A significant number of patients will not be able to obtain minoxidil because of these shortages,” Friedman said. “That’s a serious problem.”
What is minoxidil and how does it work?
Minoxidil has been around for decades as a drug to treat high blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. When researchers first tested this drug in the 1960s, patients reported an interesting side effect: excessive hair growth.
No one knows exactly how minoxidil stimulates hair growth, but doctors believe the drug increases blood flow around hair follicles.
By the late 1980s, it was incorporated into topical hair loss treatments such as Rogaine. Over time, it became clear that applying treatments to your scalp every day was more than just a hassle. Doctors have found that it is not as effective as taking it orally.
However, when taken orally, minoxidil can stimulate hair growth anywhere on the body, including the chin and arms. This may be undesirable for many patients, especially women.
Still, Dr. Lauren Krueger, assistant professor of dermatology at Emory University School of Medicine, calls oral minoxidil a “game changer” in terms of hair loss, treatment, and recovery.
“This drug has really low risk and high reward,” she says.
Response to minoxidil shortage
The obvious problem with using oral minoxidil, which is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat hair loss, may be local rather than national.of F.D.A. does not list minoxidil as a drug in short supply, but spot shortages have been reported anecdotally over the past year.
Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy practice and quality for the American Association of Health-System Pharmacists, an organization that represents pharmacies nationwide, said that retailers don’t always have a 30-day supply of minoxidil in stock. He said he was not surprised.
The pill is intended to treat high blood pressure, but is not often used in emergency health situations. Additionally, wholesalers should be able to provide the drug to pharmacies within days, he said.
“Why keep it on the shelf for more than a week, maybe 10 days?” Ganio said.
However, if the drug is needed urgently, the patient may need to call another pharmacy to pick up the prescription.
“While hair loss is not life-threatening, the impact on quality of life should not be underestimated,” Friedman says. “When people lose their hair, it really disrupts their lives.”
