The Hair Meds That Affect Your Blood Pressure

It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!

In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

No question/request too big or small 😎

❝You said minixidil was originally for treating high blood pressure, I’ve been prescribed spiranolactone for similar hair reasons, but I read that it is also used for treating high blood pressure, does that mean that if my blood pressure is normal it will now be low?❞

The short answer is: “it certainly can mean that, but it doesn’t have to and can be managed”

First, for any who missed it about minoxidil, we can’t link to it since it was in our newsletter and not on the website, but we can quote it, here:

Yesterday, a reader wrote to us to say: “I liked it but I’ve been using Minoxidil for 6 months and nothing. I’m beginning to doubt that it actually works for anyone.”

This is something we can address quickly enough here: firstly, we’re sorry to hear it hasn’t worked for you! Secondly, minoxidil is so overwhelmingly well-evidenced over more than 50 years, that we can confidently say it works for many people. In fact, its hair-promoting effects are so strong that this was first discovered by accident, in a study about using minoxidil to regulate blood pressure, where it was noted as an adverse side effect that 63% of patients using it consistently suffered hypertrichosis (increased hair growth).

Unfortunately, for all drugs there will be some people who are “non-responders”, and for reasons usually unknown, that drug will simply not work for those people. It seems that this is the case for you with minoxidil.

For you, we might recommend: Top Causes Of Hair Loss & Proven Solutions ← and pick one that’s not minoxidil in your case, of course. Good luck!

It occurs to us that we also have this article that may be of interest to that reader (and others): The Best Hair Loss Treatments That Aren’t Minoxidil

And for anyone who’s wondering, What’s The Difference Between Minoxidil For Men vs For Women?

Now, back to spironolactone

Yes, spiro lowers blood pressure, as a general rule of thumb.

All things being equal, yes, that means that if your blood pressure was normal it may drop a bit low.

However…

The mechanism of action by which spiro lowers blood pressure is because of how it affects electrolyte balance, specifically that it blocks sodium reabsorption and potassium secretion.

For most people in the industrialized world, this is usually something of a benefit, as more people have too much sodium and too little potassium, than the other way around.

Learn more: Why You’re Probably Not Getting Enough Potassium

Therefore, if you take care of your electrolyte balance manually, your blood pressure will most likely be fine, unless you have some malady we’re unaware of.

^{*And as ever, please talk to your doctor who knows you, knows your medical history, and can conduct tests, unlike this writer who is not a doctor, let alone your doctor, and could not diagnose at a distance even if I were.}

Two ways to try to balance your electrolytes manually:

1. Just follow your cravings and let your body guide you
   • See also: Intuitive Eating Might Not Be What You Think
2. If you’d like to be more sure, get a blood pressure cuff and learn how to use it correctly (most professionals mess this up due to hurrying, but it’s not hard to do it right if you take your time). See if your blood pressure is where you want it to be, and if it’s not, then you might want consider taking extra sodium to raise it or extra potassium to lower it.
   • See also: 11 Mistakes When Measuring Blood Pressure

Want to learn more?

For more on keeping your electrolyte balance healthy, enjoy our research review article:

Are Electrolyte Supplements Worth It?

Enjoy!