People mainly take Minoxidil for skin & hair. Based on 31 first-hand reports and 89 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #89 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 78% are positive.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis strongly suggests that minoxidil, finasteride, and low-level laser light therapy are effective for promoting hair growth in men with androgenetic alopecia and that minoxidil is effective in women with androgenetic alopecia.
PubMed 28396101 ↗Conclusion: CMNT significantly enhances hair count and diameter in AGA patients with mild adverse events. MN parameters including depth, duration, and technique variations did not significantly affect hair count outcome, suggesting microneedling as a promising adjunctive AGA treatment.
PubMed 40056230 ↗Conclusion: oral minoxidil, finasteride, dutasteride), and procedural (e.g. platelet-rich plasma, fractionated lasers, hair transplantation) treatments successfully promote hair growth, highlighting the superiority of a multifaceted and individualized approach to management.
PubMed 38852607 ↗Conclusion: Topical corticosteroids are the preferred first-line treatment for pediatric AA, as they hold the highest level of evidence, followed by contact immunotherapy. More clinical trials and comparative studies are needed to further guide management of pediatric AA and to promote the potential use of pre-existing, low-cost, and novel therapies, including Janus kinase inhibitors.
PubMed 33940103 ↗As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“stopped applying Minoxidil (10%) for a week”
“It's used only topically so no side effects.”
“The Big three are probably the best, I use a ketoconazole shampoo, finasteride and minoxidyll.”
“I'll stick to minoxidil and regenepure for now”
“Switched to topical fin/min and any sides went away.”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate