Abstract Background: The first-line pharmacologic treatment for both male and female pattern hair loss is topical minoxidil. Nonetheless, off-label usage of low-dose oral minoxidil has demonstrated good clinical efficacy and safety. Objectives: To study the efficacy of oral minoxidil 1.25 mg and 2.5 mg in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and compare the efficacy of different doses of oral minoxidil to topical 5% minoxidil. To study the adverse effects of oral minoxidil. Methods: Forty-five male AGA patients were randomly allocated to three groups. Patients in Group A were asked to take half a tablet of 2.5 mg minoxidil, and those in Group B were advised to take the full tablet. The Group C patients were asked to apply 1 ml of topical 5% minoxidil solution twice a day. All three groups had to take treatment for 6 months. The treatment efficacy was evaluated by measuring terminal hair count per square centimeter, photographic assessment, and patient self-assessment questionnaires. Safety assessment was performed using the combined results of history taking and physical examinations (CTRI/2022/12/048560). Results: There was a significant increase in terminal hair count per square centimeter in all groups in both frontal and vertex area after 6 months of treatment but there was no statistical difference among all the groups. In our study, varied responses were observed across the treatment groups in the photographic assessment. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that all three forms of minoxidil therapy – oral 1.25 mg, oral 2.5 mg, and topical 5% – are effective in promoting terminal hair regrowth in men with AGA. Each group exhibited a statistically significant improvement over time, indicating comparable efficacy across oral and topical minoxidil formulations. Patients randomized in the oral minoxidil group were more satisfied with the overall appearance of their hair than the topical minoxidil group.
Mahawar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.