Minoxidil and anxiety/panic attacks

[Milomilo]

27 y.o. Doctor
No medical/psych history.

Hair loss began ~21 y.o. Now Norwood 3-4.

Been on finasteride 3 years with good improvements. Started to notice thinning at crown more pronounced of late so purchased Regain to use on scalp alone.

Have been using for 1 month now. Started to develop what felt like palpitations throughout the day. Heart felt slightly faster (90-100bpm) and what was particularly noticable was how hard the heart was pumping. Felt it moving in my chest even while working on the sofa or lying in bed.

Nothing brings it on. Can be at rest.

Went to conference this weekend and was preparing to raise my hand and answer a question when I slowly began to sweat, shake over my body like I was cold, and my heart pumped harder. I knew it was the start of a panic attack but I noticably tried to calm myself down rather than respond to the body cues I was getting. My mind was going cloudy and it was difficult to think.

This was a scary experience and has never happened to me before. It is no coincidence in my mind that these palpitations throughout the day have contributed and hence it is all minoxidil related.

I feel these palpitations lower the threshold for a panic attack as they contribute to the physical symptoms that trigger the panic attack cycle.

What concerns me is reading forums of other patients who have reported this and seeing how people have dismissed them so quickly because it is not in the product literature. I will be submitting a yellow card report to the MHRA on this.

I recommend patients who experience similar symptoms to visit their doctor for advice with this in mind.