Before I started minoxidil in 2018 I read every horror story on the internet: racing heart, dark circles, puffy face, hair growing on the forehead, hair loss getting worse forever. Six years later, this is what I actually got, what I did not get, and the one side effect that surprised me because it came from the finasteride hidden in my minoxidil bottle. One person, not medical advice.
What minoxidil did to me in six years
- Dandruff. The only thing that stayed. Morr F has an alcohol base and it dried my scalp from the second month onwards. An anti-dandruff shampoo keeps it manageable. The plain minoxidil I use now is also alcohol based and the dandruff is the same.
- Some extra facial hair. The beard got a bit fuller. As a man I do not mind it, but if you are a woman reading this, it is real.
- Itching in the first months. It was there in 2019 and gone by the one-year mark. Nothing since.
- Shedding whenever I stop. Not a side effect of taking it, a side effect of not taking it. A week or two off and the hair starts coming out. It comes back when I restart. I have tested this more than I should have in the last six or seven months.
What I did not get
No dark circles. No racing heart or palpitations. No dizziness. No weight gain or puffy face. No hair growing on the forehead or cheeks from the solution running down. No itching after the first months. I checked each of these because I was scared of each of them, and six years is long enough to say they did not happen to me.
The side effect that was not from minoxidil
For six and a half years my bottle was Morr F 5%, and Morr F is not plain minoxidil. It is 5% minoxidil with 0.1% topical finasteride. I had stopped finasteride tablets in 2022 because of pain, low libido and a loss of drive, and I assumed the topical version would not do anything. It did not give me the pain. But my libido stayed lower than before I ever touched finasteride, by maybe 30 to 40 percent in my own estimate, for four more years. In mid 2026 I switched to a plain minoxidil solution for that reason alone.
If you are on Morr F, Tugain Men, Hair 4U F or any Indian solution with "F" in the name and you are wondering about libido, check the label. That F is finasteride.
Did the finasteride side effects go away
From the tablets, yes, completely, after I stopped them in 2022. From the topical, I switched only a few months ago and I am still watching. I will update this post.
What I would tell someone starting
Minoxidil itself was gentle on me. Dandruff and a fuller beard are the price I paid. The things that actually changed how I felt all came from finasteride, tablets or topical. Know which one is in your bottle, and talk to a dermatologist, which I never did and should have.
Questions people ask me
Does minoxidil cause dark circles?
Not for me in six years. I looked for it because I had read about it.
Does minoxidil cause a racing heart?
Not for me with the topical solution. I have never used oral minoxidil, which is the form that affects blood pressure and heart rate.
Does minoxidil cause dandruff?
Yes, in my case, from the alcohol base. An anti-dandruff shampoo handles it. Alcohol-free versions exist in India but I have not used one.
Does Morr F have side effects that plain minoxidil does not?
Yes, because it contains topical finasteride. For me that meant a lower libido with no pain. Plain minoxidil did not do that.
Your turn
What side effects did you get, and from which product? Say which brand, because half the confusion online is people blaming minoxidil for what the finasteride in the bottle is doing.
Related: one photo from every year, 2019 to 2026.
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