Minoxidil 2.5mg for female hair loss 90 tablets

• Take HALF a tablet a day for 14 days

• After 14 days, take ONE tablet a day

• Try to take your tablet at around the same time each day

• Swallow the tablet/half a tablet whole with a glass of water (1)

• You can take it with or without food

If you forget a dose, skip the missed dose and take your next one at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten one (1).

If you take too many tablets, contact a doctor straight away. If you feel faint or dizzy, or your skin becomes unusually cold and pale, seek medical attention immediately (1).

Driving – These tablets can make you feel faint or dizzy, especially when you first start treatment. If this happens, do not drive or use machines.1

Contraception and pregnancy – Keep using reliable contraception while you take this treatment. If you are planning to conceive, you will need to stop treatment at least one month before trying. If you think you might be pregnant, stop taking your tablets and contact us.

What happens after your first 3 months?

Before your next supply is due, we'll email you a reminder with a link to complete another consultation. This asks about your progress, medical history, any new medicines, side effects and your blood pressure.

A prescriber reviews your consultation and checks for any alerts on your record. If they have any concerns, they may ask you to complete a follow-up blood test before approving your next supply. Our pharmacist reviews your results and may call you to talk them through.

Once everything is reviewed, your prescriber can approve up to 6 months' supply of treatment going forward, with ongoing reviews.

Like all medicines, these tablets can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. At the low doses used for hair loss, most side effects are mild and settle with time (2).

Common side effects include:

• Increased fine body and facial hair growth (hypertrichosis) – this is usually mild, but it is the most common reason people stop treatment (2,3)

• Extra hair shedding in the first few months, which is usually temporary

• Mild ankle swelling (2,3)

• Dizziness or light-headedness, especially when standing up (1,2)

• Headaches (2)

• A faster heartbeat or occasional palpitations (2,3)

In a clinical trial of women taking 1mg a day, 27% noticed extra hair growth on the face or body (3). In a larger study of 1,404 people (mostly women) taking low-dose minoxidil tablets for hair loss, fewer than 2 in 100 stopped treatment because of side effects (2).

Extra facial and body hair usually appears on the face first and may settle with continued treatment. It goes away after you stop treatment, but this can take 1 to 6 months (1).

When to seek medical attention:

You should stop taking treatment and seek medical advice if you develop any of the following: (1)

• Chest pain, palpitations, or a fast or irregular heartbeat

• Shortness of breath, especially at rest or when lying flat

• Persistent ankle or leg swelling, or rings feeling tight

• Rapid, unexplained weight gain

• Fainting, or feeling faint

• A positive pregnancy test

Call 999 or go to A&E if you have pain in your jaw, chest or left arm, or signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as a rash, swelling of your face, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing.

See the Patient Information Leaflet for a full list of side effects. You can also report side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.