Minoxidil between Self-Medication and Therapeutic Indications

Abstract

Introduction:

Given the increasing popularity of minoxidil and the emergence of unconventional uses of the drug, which may pose risks to users, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of these alternative uses and evaluate the associated risks for users in the Sidi Bel Abbes province.

Materials and methods: Our study was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 62 pharmacies. The selection of pharmacies was done through route sampling. A total of 239 questionnaires were collected during a single visit as part of the data collection process.

Results: Our study findings reveal that the non-prescription use of minoxidil constitutes 51.71% of the dispensing, with the primary reason being beard growth (32.91% of reported reasons). On the other hand, prescription-only use accounts for 48.29%, including 28.21% for the treatment of androgenic alopecia. The prevalence of adverse effects was observed to be 40.17%.

Conclusion:

The use of minoxidil outside of prescription is a fairly widespread phenomenon, it results in uses unrelated to its main indication which can compromise the safety of users and their health, it is therefore necessary to make patients aware of the dangers linked to these uses and to train pharmacy staff on this product.